5831 Meters, Par 71, Slope 145
A personal note, first: Cab from the hotel left me at the wrong place, 2 km away . . . so I had to hot-hoof it down the highway to the course to make my tee-time. I was pretty frosted when I got there . . . so I did not suffer the indignities of renting clubs well, 98Euros for Clubs, Cart, balls & tees . . ."Huh, i grumbled, like a drug dealer, the golf is almost free, but the extras are killer!" Golf Course cashier was not amused. I hope I was successful for getting the a-hole fired . . . I think he was the hotel clerks nephew or something
MG=Missed Green
MB=Missed Birdie
SK=Shank
S=Sand
Fn=Number of Foozles
Sort of tough 1st hole . . . Course is not that long, but very narrow . . . I mean it looks like a typical resort course on the card, but whew! Worried how I will do, since I'm wearing my bifocals, using rented Calloways, in high wind conditions on a hilly, narrow course I've never played before . . . first drive was a wind-cheating power fade, that I decided was as good as one could expect . . . had a 8iron left to the green, uphill into the wind, but used a 9 . . . went so high I was boggled, and came up short. Pitched up 4 ft and missed it.
#2 is also short, but still scary . . . since you cant see the green. Mashed the drive again, fatted the wedge, pitched up on the green and missed the par, again.
#3 a longer par 4, back into the wind. Hammered a high bullet down the right side of the fairway -- very pleased -- leaving an 8iron that really flew thru the wind to the back of the green. 3putt bogey.
#4 is also mid-length, but severely downhill, with the first dogleg that makes it a blind landing . . . dang, all these seem like blind tee-shots. Maybe you could drive the green, but not high reward-risk, if you know what I mean. . . kept downshifting till I finally decided on 5iron . . .good choice, but pulled left just over a trap but still in the trap depression . . . hit another 9iron that flew even higher than the others from the uphill lie and fanned it so that it sliced into a greenside bunker. blasted out easily from the very firm sand, but it rolled off onto the fringe. . . 3 putt bogey
Par 5 with the wind, but pretty long, but I still tho't I might get there in two, but I pulled left rough, so that the trees on the inside of the 90 degree dogleg, so I hadda hit 8 iron to get back to the middle of the fairway in the dogleg, then another 9iron that came up short. couldn't get up and down, another bogey.
#6 is an intimidating par 3, but I was feeling confident and just lofted a 6iron and let the wind bring it back . . . landed on the front of the green and rolled right by the pin . . . onto the back fringe. par.
I was very pleased with the callaways, never played them before . . . really threw the ball high . . . After that pro shot I hadda photo them.
#7, an intimidating looking par 4, not too long, but #1 handicap hole. Tried to keep calm and smooth the drive, but instead smother hooked over the trash, short but safe . . . shanked a 4iron, pitched up on the green, missed the par.
#8 is a nuthin par 3, but I was worried about the strong tailwind, and I think I got confused between meterage and yardage . . . came up short of the green, right at the pin . . . chipped up not so well, short, but then made the 30ft putt.
#9 par 4 gets my nomination for hardest hole -- maybe just for a first-timer -- that tee shot felt very awkward to me . . . tiny landing area, unless you lay waaaaaay back pulled this tee-shot right again . . . into a rocky hill-side . . . my ball pin-balled back and forth on the rocky slope till it finally bounced back into the fairway. shaken, I foozled 2 shots trying to get onto the green without shanking, then took 4 shots to get into the hole. shudder.
