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Hooky at Avila Beach Golf CourseMonday, May 23, 2005I had to run up to San Luis Obispo this morning to drop of a proposal for a new client. The drive up Hwy 101 along Pismo Beach was so gorgeous that I decided on the way home to postpone work until tonight and play a round of golf at Avila Beach Golf Course. Turned out to be a good choice! We had another hot day today, so the coastal breeze along the coast was welcome. Avila Beach is one of my favorite courses to play this time of year. The coots, mallards and canadian geese are all proudly floating and waddling around with their newborns ducklings. The eucalypus tree on the 11th green is full of activity with nesting blue herons. Birds are happily chirping away along every fairway. Much of the wildlife can be found on the back back nine which meanders along San Luis Obispo Creek which dumps into the Pacific Ocean in Avila Bay right by the 10th tee. According to an article by Fairways & Greens, Avila Beach Golf Course plays like two courses in one, and is the perfect introduction to the vagaries of SLO County weather and terrain. The first nine squirrels its way through a heavily wooded canyon, with some serious changes in fairway width and elevation from tee to green. The back nine hugs a tidal estuary for half its holes and zigzags through a flat parkland-like atmosphere for the other half. Your job is to shape your game to the various flavors of golf that Avila's designers have cooked up, eat heartily yet carefully and come away with a pleasant aftertaste.  I started the round by myself, but quickly caught up to a traffic jam that lasted the entire round. I played the first hole alone, but joined a twosome on the 2nd tee. Bill and Delbert were both visiting from Visalia and staying in an RV Park for 12 days in Pismo Beach in their 5th wheel trailers - planning to hit different San Luis Obispo County golf courses each day. They played Pismo Beach's executive course yesterday and plan to play Morro Bay tomorrow. I think they plan to hit Hunter Ranch, Blakelake and Cypress Ridge later in the week. Bill is 70-ish, retired, once a single handicap golfer, and still has a great swing. Delbert is 65-ish, a builder, and suprised me with a few great shots. They play lots of golf near home in their church league. Not only did I enjoy the company, but I had one of my best rounds since returning to golf a couple months ago. I shot a 40 on the front 9 (+5), even after missing 3 short putts. I hit 6 greens in a row in regulation - quite a feat for me - and left myself with a couple 3-4 foot putts for birdies - both missed. I was hitting my irons better than I ever have and continued to hit my good drives. Putting was truly the only part of my game keeping me from shooting close to par on the front 9. I didn't shoot any double bogies - a first! However, the back 9 got off to a horrible start. Even though I nearly got a par on the 10th after hitting a great drive, but overshooting the green with a strong 7 iron, I then shot a triple bogie on 11 (starting with an OB), quadruple bogie on 12 (see next paragraph), and double bogie on 13 (duff, tree). Almost in an instant, I was 10 over on the back 9! Seemed as if a 90+ round was on the horizon - argh. Amazingly though, I birdied 14 with a long putt, then shot a par on the remaining 4 holes to pull out a 45 on the back - an 85 overall! My quadruple bogie on par-4 12 started with a poor club choice on the tee. The 12th fairway is bordered on the left by a road that makes up the end of the Bob Jones Trail and on the right by San Luis Obispo Creek. From the tee, the fairway narrows, then ends, and continues on the other side of the creek where the green is located. The tee-shot requires a long iron up to a 3-wood (for some) to avoid over-hitting into the creek. I chose a 3-wood and smashed it, but landed beyond the end of the fairway, on the road, then bounced to a dirt clearing - in bounds, but behind a tree. I actually had to lay up by shooting backwards towards the fairway with a short wedge. A little lack of composure at this point contributed to a duffed shot, and left the ball in some deep rough short of the fairway, but with a view across the creek towards the green - reachable with a wedge. Another bad lie contributed to the next shot landing in the creek. So now, I'm still on the tee-side of the creek lying 4. The 5th shot crossed the creek, but came up short, ending up in the sand trap. Finally on in 6 with 2 putts led to my quadruple bogey. After a double bogey on the next hole, I then regained my composure after remembering the guy I played with a couple weeks ago at Cypress Ridge Golf Course who shared that he'd recently had a round where he started 16 at 2-over, but finished with a triple, double, and triple bogey. Being reminded that this happens to even the good players helped me finish with a birdie on 14, then 4 pars. Good lesson in taking it a shot and hole at a time. Since getting back into golf two months ago, I've shot anywhere between an 84 and 94, mostly in the 86-88 range. Although my goal is to get my game into the low 80's and eventually break 80, I was very pleased to pull out an 85 today after my string of big bogies on those three holes. My goal started to seem achievable, especially with some time spent on putting practice! |
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