Home, Not So Sweet, Home

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa.
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 64.2, Slope: 106
Score: 50/44 = 94
Date: May 30, 2018

On Wednesday, the Muni Golfer returned to his roots for a round at Juniata Golf Club, the Philadelphia-owned course along the banks of the Tacony Creek, where I learned to play golf. Although the course is officially owned by the city, it is successfully operated by the non-profit Juniata Golf Foundation.

Juniata Scorecard

Under gray skies, humid temperatures and the threat of showers, I teed it up at Juniata for the first time in nearly two years, and only the second time since 2012. The foundation has done a lot of landscaping and other improvements over the last decade or so, and they are noticeable as you play the course. However, and I will attribute some of the this to the very wet spring we have experienced, the grass was thick from the tee boxes to the greens. In fact, Juniata's greens were some of the slowest I have ever played on. On one green, I hit my putt so hard that on any other course it would have rolled past the hole and six feet off the green, but in this case, I cam up six feet short of the hole. When I missed a fairway, which was too frequently, my optic yellow golf ball was often difficult to find.

Conditions aside, I did not play very well. I was using this round as an opportunity to try a new Wilson Staff F5 Driver and Ping G20 4-Wood. Although the Driver has a regular flex shaft, it felt a bit stiff and I left numerous tee shots out to the right and short. This left me with long second shots from the gnarly rough, which meant long pitch shots to the green for my third shot. Coupled with the very slow greens and it added up to multiple double- and triple-bogeys.

After the Sixth Hole, where I pulled my tee shot just into the left rough and couldn't find the ball, I was very frustrated. But I gave my self a lecture about grinding out the round. I recovered a bit and made my first birdie of the season at the short, but challenging Seventh Hole. I shot a very uncharacteristic 50 on the front nine. I played slightly better on the back nine, making pars at the Thirteenth and Fourteenth holes, but still shot 44 on the easier of the Juniata's two nines. This gave me a disappointing score of 94 for the round.

For now, I will go back to my Wilson Staff Smooth Driver while I work with the F5 at the practice range to see if it has a place in my bag. My search for a reliable fairway wood that I get hit consistently off the tee also continues. Up next is an old Golfsmith XPC Plus 3-wood, which has 16 degrees of loft. I am hoping that it pairs well with my WS D200 7-Wood.

Because of the threat of afternoon thunderstorms, Friday is going to be a practice day at the range as opposed to a playing day on the course.

A Return to My Roots

Juniata Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2805/2185 - 4990
Par: 34/31 - 65
Rating: 63.2, Slope: 106
Score: 50/45 = 95
Date: June 8, 2012

Whenever I am having trouble with my game, I like to go back and play a round at Juniata Golf Course. My familiarity with the course where I learned to play golf always helps me steer my game in the right direction. So on Friday, I teed it up looking to re-kindle my game from 2011. Although the golf course is still technically owned by Fairmount Park Commission, Juniata has been undergoing a stunning transformation the past few years under the guidance of the Juniata Golf Foundation. What was once a laughingstock to many golfers is suddenly a hidden jewel.  You can see everywhere the work that is being done. Tee boxes that no longer look like a chewed up football field, defined fairways, rough is penal yet fair, new cart paths and fencing, and greens that could compete with many high-fee suburban courses. If you haven't played Juniata in a while, you be in for a surprising treat.

 Juniata Scorecard

As for my round, my struggles continued through most of the front nine. I hit my opening tee shot fat and the downhill Par 3 First Hole. At the Second, I hit a 5-wood off the tee into the Eleventh fairway, took three to get out of a bunker and made a 9. In fact, I didn't hit a fairway until the Ninth Hole, an uphill, 380-yard Par 4. I am putting a lot of pressure on myself by continually missing fairway. By the Sixth Hole, I was setting up to hit a fade instead of my natural draw. At least I cashed in at the Ninth by making a par after finally landing my tee shot in the short grass.

 The Fourth Hole now has a fairway bunker

The back nine was a lot better than the front, even if my score wasn't that much better. I made a second part at the 165-yard Par 3 Tenth Hole after just missing the green short, then pitching to tap-in range. I lost ball at the Eleventh led to a double bogey, which could have been a lot worse. I made bogeys at the three holes, before hitting my tee shot at the 150-yard Par 5 Fifteenth Hole way right. But I got up and down for a par. The Sixteenth Hole now features an elevated tee, which has stretched the hole to 400 yards. This has caused my a real problem as the tee shot comes out of a narrow chute, with no room to the right for me to set up and play my draw. Two balls hit into those woods led to another 9. I hit a good draw at the Seventeenth, but three putted for another bogey, but fatigue led to a triple bogey 6 to close out a back nine 45.

 New tee box at the Sixteenth Hole

Although I shot a 95, I felt my swing got much better as the round progressed. I started hitting better tee shots from the Ninth Hole on, except for the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Holes. While I am not happy with the 95, I am happy with the way I feel my swing and my game responded. The magic tonic of Juniata Golf Club strikes again.