Another Holiday, Another 93 at Old Landing

Old Landing Golf Course
Rehoboth Beach, Del
Yards: 2858/2972 - 5830
Par: 35/36 - 71
Rating: 67.6, Slope: 111
Score: 46/47 = 93
Date: August 31, 2008

The day before Labor Day, I decided on another round at Old Landing Golf Course, a public course along the Rehoboth Bay. I had played their on July 4 for the first time in a few years. I stopped played at Old Landing, which opened in 1965, because during my previous two rounds there conditions were some of the worst I had seem. As I had reported back in July, conditions have improved dramatically, to the point where it is worth playing the course again. The course tree-lined and narrow in spots, and water does come into play on at least six holes.

Old Landing Golf Course Scorecard

On this Sunday, I played with my cousin Judy's husband Steve, and Brian, the husband of Noreen, one of my wife's oldest friend's. Noreen, Brian and their two children had come up to spend the day with us at the Delaware shore from Ocean City, Maryland, where they were vacationing over the holiday weekend. Steve is a pretty good golfer who playing with a used set of Titleist blades he had purchased locally at Ruddo's Golf the day before. Brian is a golfer who, unfortunately, only gets to play maybe once or twice a year.

The opening Par 4 at Old Landing

The conditions at Old Landing were still pretty good this late in the season, considering the amount of play the course gets being located in a resort area. There were a few burned out areas because of the lack of rain, but the fairways had grass, as did the greens. This was not the case in the past, when many of the fairways and greens were more dirt than grass. The places that really showed wear were the tee boxes.

The narrow fairway at the long 416-Yard 2nd Hole

Surprisingly, the course was not very crowded for a holiday weekend and we didn't even need to make a tee time, considering that we went off about 1:30 in the afternoon. The pace was good, although Brian felt he was holding Steve and I back because he was struggling with rust on the front nine.

The green at the Par 5 7th Hole looking back towards the dogleg

I played much better at Old Landing than I had two days earlier at Baywood Greens. I was hitting the ball more consistently, although my putting was still the one part of my game holding me back. Despite this, I managed to make four pars during my round and amazingly, I shot the exact same score I did back in July -- 46 on the front and 47 on the back for a total of 93. What I was happiest about was I managed my game well enough to score, even though I wasn't playing my very best.

The approach shot over water to the green at the Par 5 12th Hole

The straightaway 16th Hole, a 339-Yard Par 4

The 18th green as viewed from the Clubhouse.
Rehoboth Bay runs along the right side and is visible in the upper left.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Fore at the Shore in Delaware

Labor Day has come and gone, which means my annual trek to the Delaware shore is over for another year. This year, I was able to get in four rounds of golf -- well actually one round was only 17 holes and the finished in complete darkness. I played at Baywood Greens, Old Landing, The Rookery and Jonathan's Landing. I'll be detailing each over the next few posts. I also did some shopping, adding a club to my arsenal, picking up a new putter cover, buying a new golf book to read and adding some clothes to my golf wardrobe. It was a fun eight days, but also a sign that the fall golf season is now here.

Old School 3-Wood

The fairway wood in my bag has been on a carousel this season as I have alternated between various TaylorMade 3-woods and an Adams Golf 4-wood. While in Rehoboth Beach over the July 4th holiday, I stopped into Ruddo's Golf, where I found and purchased a used Orlimar Tri-Metal 15-degree 3-wood for $30. All I had to do was put a new grip on it. Designed by clubmaker Jesse Ortiz, who now designs clubs for Bobby Jones Golf, the Tri-Metal debuted in 1997. It's extremely shallow face design came on the heels of the highly successful Adams Tight Lies fairway wood and the Tri-Metal was an instant success, finding its way in the bags of touring pros and average golfers worldwide. The club won rave reviews for its distance and the ease with which it could be hit off the fairway. Riding the popularity of the Tri-Metal, Orlimar grew too big too fast and was eventually sold the golf retailer King Par. Although the Orlimar name lives on, the Tri-Metal has all but disappeared from the golfing retail landscape, although they can still be found occasionally in the used club racks at golf shops or online. I have a 17-degree Orlimar Tri-Metal 4-wood that I put in the bag from time to time. I am planning to give this 3-wood an audition in hopes that it finds permanent residence in my golf bag for the rest of the season.

While at Ruddo's I also purchased on of the new TaylorMade NFL Nighthawk Brushed Twill Caps that feature the colors and logo of your favorite pro football team. The caps have TaylorMade across the front, the name of the team along the left side of the bill, the team logo on the left side panel and the TaylorMade "T" icon on the back. Of course, I bought one featuring my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. The hat will be fun to wear once training camp opens in a few weeks and during the fall. E-A-G-L-E-S....EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!

Off to Delaware

My golf bag is all packed and I'll be heading to the Delaware Shore tonight for nine days of sun, surf, and and GOLF!!! The annual Labor Day weekend family golf outing with my cousins is already scheduled for a 1:18 p.m. tee time on Friday at Baywood Greens, a course I have heard wonderful reviews about and have always wanted to play. I also plan to play at The Rookery and possibly Jonathan's Landing near Dover, another course I have heard great things about. If I am lucky, I will get in a fourth round this week, probably at Marsh Island in Angola, just west of Rehoboth Beach. I also plan to check out a couple of golf retailers, Ruddo's Golf and Clubhouse Golf in Rehoboth, to see if there may be any end-of-the-season bargains. Ruddo's is where I purchased my Odyssey White Hot XG #9 putter last fall. I'll post my rounds and my reviews when I return.