It was time to get out of South Miami headlines and into a highly preserved target selecting apex in Naples. Thankfully, a quick checkout inside the Pro Shop launched me onto the practice range for some T200’s and green-side saves on the immaculately raised, golf shoe level, practice green.
It was Thanksgiving Day Morning in Florida, at Panther Run Golf Club in Naples, and this was unfamiliar territory, specially with NFL football triple-action beginning at 12 p.m. The tee time was at 1 p.m.. I had arrived early , for practice around the green , and fantasy football updates at the bar – we had a big matchup in fantasy this week. I also randomly began thinking of my Scandal and Leverage binge on firetv. Let’s start with a quick mental recap, beginning with Scandal and their team huddles. Now, I understand they are a close law unit and seem to find information faster than others, but my interpretation of the characters was of eager Law Graduates wanting to make a name for themselves by searching for reliable truths.
Back to golf, I was done practicing and ready too tee it off, standing at the tee box with my hat full of Golf Pass tips, I hit a left to right fade that stayed in between the steaks, I said “first drive in the fairway.” I hit a second provisional ball outside of the fairway grass. With the exception of retired golfers who play 3x-a-day, hitting it in the fairway is the key to every hole. A major statistic in golf is fairways in regulation, even if it takes 2 or 3 balls on the first holes, I recommend hitting the fairway two or three times early. Then on later holes, when you’ve exhausted all of your energy, fairway misses won’t hurt you as much. I stepped up to my fresh Titleist Pro V1 ball, it was 187 yards from the hole, “My drives final yardage measured at 270 yards and I was left attacking with a 5 iron.”
Getting back to my programming from yesterday – the firetv fiesta.” Leverage consists of a thief, hacker, hitter, mastermind, and a drifter ; who utilize the team huddle concept, but in this show it includes a big screen tv thats wirelessly connected to spy gadgets and spy cameras to “Leverage” bad people.
Next, I hit the 5 iron, it stopped 30 feet from the green. My iron shot felt as if my elbows were at a low 40 degree angle on the downswing; we included take-back tips, and a free transform guide, which controlled my backswing. The first hole ended with a par after hitting a wedge 5 feet from the hole. Hole 2 began with a drive that landed in front of the cart path, this spot prevented me from reaching the green, but that wasn’t going to stop me. The hole’s fairway bunkers and difficult fairway length increased the difficulty level for my 3-wood, I would need to hit my second shot square in order to have a hole under par. I mean this is why I practice and buy the latest clubs. My strategy was to get as much of the center of the club face, so the ball could carry on it’s own – on a direct path. Followed by another sterling wedge shot, I was 12 feet from the hole, and staring down another birdie attempt at the 7,500 yard course, but the putt was left to right and fast. The golf ball connected with the steel almost spongelike, yet another missed opportunity.
Up next, a Par 3 hole playing 210 yards from the back tee, so with 10 yards of green to the right side and four bunkers lined up on the left side, I hit a 5′ iron with the wind swerving left to right; hoping it carries enough to reach the green, and if not, I would use my wedge and maybe chip it in for birdie. The swift outcome was a lazer seed that landed 12′ from the hole.
The next three holes would pose a legitimate threat, with a total yardage equaling the length of 16 football fields; 1600 yards – 500 plus yards each hole, luckily one of the holes was a Par 5.
Hole 4 had water, down the right side, being the safe player that I am, I told myself, don’t miss right, if you overdrive the fairway on the left side, that would be ok, just don’t miss it right. I hit it dead on, stamping a Titleist Pro V1 logo in the middle of the face and on the bright green fairway. When I arrived to my ball and saw my ball, I swear it must’ve been the steepest hill, I’ve ever had to hit from. I grabbed my 3 wood, my driver only reached 260 yards, also the loft of the 3 wood seamed to be an easier shot, the ball sat up on the grass, but below the steep fairway hills. It was a great shot, the ball carried another 210 yards, almost rolling onto the green for another birdie attempt. Instead, I was able to get up and down for par, at this time it seemed like my wedges came to play. Hole 5 another monster, this time less space to miss to the left, the right side still had water, but the fairway was narrower, a rocky insert trimmed the edges of the fairway, if pushed to much, or an offset more than five yards, the ball would roll into the water. I decided to hit a fade that sails left to right, it’s usually an accurate shot and since the course is designed to keep balls in play, it worked out fine. The second shot was pushed to the right, took a ball drop, and laid-up. My approach wedges had been extremely accurate, I was positioning myself for make able pars all round.
Hole 6, playing at 561 yards, back tee’s, tee box sort of in an island. My second shot would be a line drive 4 iron, reaching almost 200 yards , dead center of the fairway. But this time, it would be the 50’ degree Titleist Vokey wedge that would setup a birdie putt. Through six holes my scorecard read – 4, 5 3, 4, 4, 4, and as feasible as it looked up to this point, Panther Avenue still posed a threat. At any time, I could easily shoot a 10 and knock myself out of Breaking 80.
Hole 7 was a Par 3, playing 207 yards, even though my 4 iron could reach 220 yards and bounce in the back of the green, and with a backwards spin I would have another birdie. But I decided on the 5 iron, it was a strategic decision, concentrating on accuracy instead of peak results, and also added some of my token tips. I started with a slow stance, aligning the face of the club, then a paced take back, followed by bowing wrists and keeping elbows closed, dominated by the left arm straightly maintained. The outcome was a birdie attempt from 7 feet. This outcome uplifted me into the 8th hole, up 3 holes on the target score.
Next, Hole 8, 341 yards of heavy wind fairway, demanding advanced golf play of the tee, it felt like an inverted fairway posing as a green screen for a “Hollywood” film. My Titleist driver would need to get at least 220 yards, and carry forward, against this wind for me to connect on an iron shot, setting me up for what might give me a chance for birdie. I ended up hitting the drive left, way beyond my normal offset for shots off the tee. Upon arrival, the ball was near the fairway bunkers and a heavy patched grass area — normally called the rough. The trouble with this lie, was the 3’ foot lip, I was going to need to hit out of. This shot posed a difficult factor, the result was a high loft club shot, punched out to safety. With only 50 yards left, I grabbed my highest lofted wedge and tried spinning one really close, technically I lofted another 3 balls, until finally landing one close. On this particular hole, the outcome was a 12’ putt for par. I bogeyed, switched my Titleist Pro V1 ball and continued to the next hole. The scorecard finally had a bogey on it.
I was finally finished with the first nine holes. I stepped up to Hole 9 thinking of my father, 409 yards of pure island, I immediately called it the fisher Island hole, because of it’s design. I didn’t want to mishit the ball off the tee, loose a ball, take a drop, and loose control of the task. So, at point of contact I was going to let it fly on this hole, I visualized a target 10 yards from the bunkers on the right side. It landed 12 yards from the bunkers, on the right, which I then followed up with another 5 iron that landed on the green. A ball mark with compressed soil was stuck. The outcome of the hole was a par, I had managed to finish the front nine, up two holes on the quest to Break 80.
I embraced Hole 10 as the featured hole of the course, the total yardage of the hole was 434 yards with the possibility for a 260+ yard drive, I could’ve really used some value from an 8 iron, but the first barricade I needed to factor in was the water on the right side, I recall my father once saying, “don’t miss right, adjust and make a mistake to the left.”
My follow up yardage was 170 yards to the hole, the drive up to the ball was slow, because of the hills on the fairway, and after approaching my ball, I pictured a string line to the rim. My outcome resulted and masked my Titleist with an offset of 30-40 feet from the hole. In the end, a wedge shot left two feet from the hole saved par.
HOLE 11, 12, and 13 measured 1,527 yards. I hit three drives that averaged an offset of 15-30 feet from the center of the fairway. Second shots on hole 11 and 12, were hit from opposite sides of the fairway, I hit a 5 iron on hole 11 from the light rough, off the fairway – just off the cart path, less than a 5 yard touchdown run away from the water. And a 6 iron from the fairway just off the bunker barrier on the left, both birdie attempts with a putting range of 15-22 feet.
I made my first birdie attempt off a pin placement with minimal break, not very “Breaking 80ish” and missed my second chance, for the consecutive three on the scorecard. On the second birdie attempt I also missed my par putt; I wanted to redeem myself on the next hole.
After playing the first twelve holes, it was time for the “The Freak of Nature,” measuring at 645 yards, two sand traps on the right side, a cart path, and four football fields of everglades water. And on the left side, one sand trap, followed by the opposing waters’ five football fields. I hit a lead-off drive, that faded left to right. My strategy was to aim left and bounce it near the bunkers, then have it roll to the center of the fairway. While, in the meantime of watching it run as far forward as the course allowed, I began to think of my next club of choice. When I arrived to my ball, I was staring at 400 yards to-go, I said, this hole is making me dizzy, two 4 iron’s later, I had finally arrived to the green. My outcome was a two putt and a six on the scorecard.
Hole 14
Began with two sharp turns, a Titleist Pro V1 switch, and another par 4 totaling 440 yards. I tee’d the ball up lower, having the ball and club head smash lower would create more drive through the fairway, not that peak tee height doesn’t reach full distance – but this type of drive usually results in a more consistent fairway hit, roll, and outcome. With a full Titleist TS1 take back, level shoulder trigger, guided downswing, fading the ball 265 yards before landing on the right side of the fairway. Next, my approach shot surveyed at 180 yards, if I wanted to dance on the green. On this hole, the safe shot was a 5 iron landing in the back of the expanded green. I would need to clear the water; with a ball posterized off the green, but flushed parallel to the hole. In the end, my 60 degree wedge set up a follow up par putt.
Hole 15
Football fields are a hundred yards, so this hole was two football fields and a nine yard dive. Since I was playing golf, I needed my 5iron. After T200 impact, the swing produced enough ball spin, height, and ball speed resulting in a super stroke 18 feet from the hole. The outcome was a three putt. I tossed the ball in the water and drove to the next hole.
Final Hole’s 16, 17 , 18
Hole 16, the ninth par 4 hole over 440 yards at Panther Ave.; totaled 437 yards, instead of 5iron, my 6iron spun the ball on the dancing green. The outcome was a par.
Hole 17
Players who go for the green are likely left confused when they don’t land on the meticulous area. I went through this painstaking feeling after missing the green on the 4 iron attempt. Luckily, I was rewarded with a Vokey Design green-side save, stopping five feet from the whole.
Hole 18
This was the second longest hole I’ve ever played, a sum of total of 552 yards; my 3 wood left me 50 yards to the hole, followed up by a 48 yard 60 degree wedge that resulted in a birdie.
Leave a Reply