The Sweet 16th

Through mid-June, I have played five of my seven rounds this season at the Fairways Golf Club in Warrington, PA.

My scores over those five rounds at Fairways have ranged from an 82 to 96, and nothing highlights this difference in these scores more than the 16th Hole, a 323-yard Par 4. I have played the hole either very well or very bad!

The 16th Hole at Fairways Golf Club

Over five rounds, I have not made a single par on the hole, yet I aggregate score is even par. That's because I have made an eagle, 2 birdies, a bogey and a triple bogey in my five attempts playing the 16th!

Here's how I've fared on the 16th so far:

• May 11: bogey 5
• May 17: birdie 3
• May 24: eagle 2 (my 4th eagle all-time)
• June 2: birdie 3
• June 9: triple-bogey 7

Obviously, the highlight of that list is the eagle on May 24th, when I holed my second shot from the fairway, which was 82 yards.

Added all up, it leaves me at even par through five rounds. And hopefully, the 16th continues to be good to me in future rounds this year.

The Eagle Has Landed!

Yesterday I played my third round for the 2024 season at Fairways Golf Club in Warrington, Pa. It was also my third consecutive round at the course. Although my previous two rounds at Fairways GC had been a 90 and 82, I was not playing as well yesterday, partly due a cold I was suffering.

The Par 4 16th Hole at the Fairways Golf Club

I did, however, have one major highlight during my round. After back-to-back pars at the Par 3 14th (134 yds.) and 15th (112 yds.), I came to the16th hole, which is a 323-yard, straightaway Par 4.

My tee shot was a slight draw down the middle-right portion of the fairway that rolled to the left side . From there I had 82 yards to a pin on the back right side of the green. I took my 52-degree Wilson PMP
gap wedge and struck a shot that I initially thought may have been hit a touch thin. The ball sailed high into the air and landed on the green about six feet from the hole and rolled towards the flag, before disappearing in the hole for an eagle!

The ball used for my 4th career eagle

The eagle was the fourth of my golfing career. The previous three occurred in 2000 at #18 at the former  Marsh Island in Delaware, 2006 at #14 at Juniata Golf Club in Philadelphia, and in 2007 at #18 at the former FDR Golf Club in Philadelphia. All have been made at Par 4s.

For The Record...

Since 1996, I have kept a yearly spreadsheet of my rounds played, tracking such statistics as score, total strokes, scoring average, birdies, eagles and holes of par or better. Recently, I decided to create a list of my all time achievements on the golf course. So below is the Muni Golfer's own personal record book. These records are through the 2017 season.

Most Rounds in a Season: 33.5 – 2001

Lowest Round (Par 69 or Lower): 77

   * Juniata, 10/28/01

Lowest Round (Par 70 or Higher): 87

   * Neshaminy Valley, 8/13/11

   * The Rookery South, 7/20/14

The 6th Hole at Neshaminy Valley

Career Birdies: 127

Most Birdies in a Season: 14 – 2001

Most Birdies in a Round: 2

   * 1998 – Juniata (6/7, 8/23), Walnut Lane (7/19), Pocono Palace (11/12)

   * 2001 – The Rookery South (9/4), Old Landing (9/7), Juniata (10/28)

   * 2002 – Cedar Ridge (10/5)

   * 2004 – FDR (5/15)

   * 2005 – The Rookery South (9/7)

   * 2007 – Baywood Greens (8/31)

   * 2011 – Fox Hollow (5/22)

   * 2012 – The Fairways (7/22)

   * 2016 – The Fairways (8/28), American Classic (9/9)

Most Consecutive Holes with a Birdie: 2

   * 2007 – Baywood Greens (#16-17, 8/31)

   * 2016 – The Fairways (#1-2, 8/28), American Classic (#7-8, 9/9)

The 16th Hole at Baywood Greens

Career Eagles: 3

Most Eagles in a Season: 1

   * 2000 – Marsh Island (7/28, #18)

   * 2006 – Juniata (7/30, #14)

   * 2007 – FDR (10/14, #18)

Most Pars in a Season: 93 – 2001

Most Pars in a Round: 8

   * 2010 – Horsham Valley (8/29)

The Par 3 4th Hole at Horsham Valley

The Wind Blew and Birds Flew at FDR

Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 5720, Par 69
Rating: 63.9, Slope: 105
Score: 46/47 = 93
Date: October 14, 2007

The sun was shining, but the wind was blowing this afternoon at Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Club in South Philadelphia. With the Eagles playing the Jets in New York, I expecting the course to be fairly deserted. That was far from the case. I was paired with three other golfers by the starter on the first tee, something I like about FDR. Because the course is fairly wide open, wind can be a big factor at FDR when it is blowing and today was no exception. If the wind was into us, or across, it made club selection extremely difficult. A good short game was definitely a must to score well today. The tee boxes at FDR were pretty well chewed up and the fairways were a little on the thin side, but the the greens were in very good shape and putts rolled pretty true.

My front nine was fairly undramatic, but consistent. The back nine was another story:

* A 6 at the long 418-yard Par 4 10th was followed by a really bad 7 at downhill 317-yard Par 4 11th when I pushed my tee shot way right and then hit a poor chip that didn't make it back to the fairway.

* I made a decent 5 at the 384-yard Par 4 12th hole, but then I hit my tee shot to 12 feet at the 129-yard Par 3 13th. My putt was dead center for a Birdie!

* I just missed hooking my 3-Wood around the dogleg at the 376-yard Par 14th, but still managed to get up-and-down at the raised green for a 5. Then came my worst stretch of golf.

* The 15th is a 370-yard Par 4 that doglegs right, then plays uphill, with bunkers and trees guarding the right side of green. After chunking my 3-Wood off the tee, I hot the ball everywhere but in the hole, finally settling for 9!

* The 362-yard Par 4 16th is the hole that gives me the most problems at FDR. It is a severe dogleg right that does not set up well for my draw. I tried to fade a driver off the tee and overcooked it into the woods. After my drop and punch to the fairway, I hit a 9-iron onto the green and two-putted for a 6.

* The 192-yard Par 3 17th plays downhill, but was playing into a strong crosswind from the left today. I hit by 2-Hybrid that got knocked down short of the green. Two chips and two putts and I had a very disappointing 5. But the disappointment didn't last long.

* The 18th is a straightaway 283-yard Par 4 that is wide, but tree-lined and plays even shorter. I hit my best drive of the day, which hit and rolled well down the right side of the fairway before ending up just in the rough off the fairway, 27 yards short of the green. Hole was 45-feet back in the left portion of the green. After initially pulling my 59-degree lob wedge, I decided to bump a 9-iron, which hit into the front of green then rolled like a putt straight at the hole. It hit the flagstick and disappeared into the cup for an Eagle 2...the third Eagle of my career.

What a way to end a round of golf. It is the second time I have ended a round with an Eagle, the other time being in July 2000 when I holed an 8-iron on my third shot at the Par 5 18th at Marsh Island Golf Club in Angola, Del.

Oh yes, by the way, Philadelphia's Birds, the Eagles, beat the Jets 16-9 at the Meadowlands.