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Tough-It-Out VT March event: Kiawah

• bhoese 679 Posts

  Wed, Mar 18 2015 9:13 PM

  I had a repeat of round 1...played well tee-to-green, but my putting was a disaster.  On a better day I would have birdied each of the first three, and on the 5th I subtracted elevation when I should have added, resulting in a 3-putt.  

  

  I got a nice surprise at the end of the round when I was awarded my first ever Flagstick Master award, apparently for rattling one in from the fringe on 12.

  video

• Jerm65 1,413 Posts

  Wed, Mar 18 2015 10:21 PM

  First round cards from the other night.  Got a flyer for a start...settled in nicely for a pleasant cruise...then hit a major speed-bump disguised as a greenside bunker on 16.  ;-)

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Nicole161106 281 Posts

  Thu, Mar 19 2015 9:28 AM

  Hi Corwyn, thanks for running this, great fun.

  One bug today though, i somehow managed to start (my fault) with an ez swing 3 hybrid today, I didn't think that was possible?

  The previous one I had the beginner putter inadvertently equipped and it quite rightly wouldn't let me start till I changed to the starter, so wondering how this happened.

  Thanks again.

• Corwyn 2,410 Posts

  Thu, Mar 19 2015 8:58 PM

  Nicole,

  Thanks for reporting this! We had a similar report last month (IIRC) and Shoe looked into it, and was unable to replicate the problem. I'll PM him again about it.

  Maybe the EZ swing clubs are perceived by the system as identical (as they have the same parameters)?

  It may be this is a loophole we can't close, but I would expect and trust that no-one would seek to gain an advantage through it. I do recall seeing posts in the forums saying no-one would gain any advantage by using them though, as their accuracy is awful in practice (worse than the legitimate swing ones apparently). 

• mmyers0 478 Posts

  Thu, Mar 19 2015 9:38 PM

  I just have to laugh. An 80 with 5 greens in regulation deserves nothing more.

  I still couldn't figure out how to hold the greens, even playing to the center. Add a ball in the water on 13 and a three-putt from 10 feet because I got distracted while figuring the putter power... not pretty.

  GIRs and pars on the first two holes, okay. Then a lip-out for par on #3 after driving in the rough, then chipping back and forth across the green on #4. A tricky sidehill 7-footer to save par on #5 stopped the bleeding only for one hole; I followed it with three straight bogeys, thanks to continually thinking that I'd finally figured out how to pitch with the starters. I hadn't.

  On #8 I carelessly assumed I knew the hole location and played run-out on my wedge... only to discover as the ball was in the air that I'd made a bad mistake.

  A nifty wedge on #9 from an extreme sidehill lie (I aimed off the back of the green) was all that saved me from a 42 on the front.

  Had a couple of good up-and-downs (using a flop instead of a pitch) to start the back nine, then accidentally hit it to 12 feet on #12 when I was aiming for the center of the green. But I missed the putt.

  Then a lost ball in the brush by the water on #13 for a double bogey that should have been a par, and then a center-green shot on #14 that couldn't stay on. I have no idea how to keep a ball on that green without a headwind.

  Another good flop on #15 to save par, then out of nowhere I dropped a 32-foot bomb for birdie on #16. Followed that with a nice 3 wood on #17 that ran up inside 10 feet... and I started my putt calculation, decided I'd better save the replay, watched it, came back to the putt, and thought the number in my calculator was the correct number. But I hadn't adjusted for the green speed. My putt ran 8 feet past on a 10 foot putt and I missed the comeback.

  At least I finished with a par, thanks to this wedge shot from 32 yards.

  Pictures:

  

  

  

  

  

   

• JoeMaverick 843 Posts

  Fri, Mar 20 2015 12:22 AM

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

  Thanks Corwyn for this event. I hope to better in the next one :)

• DJW2307 13,390 Posts

  Fri, Mar 20 2015 7:17 AM

  Another round of what might have been and maybe got scared after going 2 under after 3 holes...Then woke up I think..Anyway, still pleased to get round in 76, albeit losing out in my private battle with fellow CC member Steve Wicks (SteveW65) by just the one shot..Another great event Corwyn and here goes with my stats for the 2nd round

  

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

  Here's to the next one and once again, great fun in a sick kind of way

  David

• Corwyn 2,410 Posts

  Fri, Mar 20 2015 9:39 AM

  Sorry everyone, it's been a crazy week for me in real-life with a big project on. I don't know how soon I'll be able to make any progress with the data entry for the stats sheet. It may not be till next week, but I'll do my best to catch up.

  @ Mags & Russ: thanks for your thoughts re the playoff idea. Yes, clearly it would not be easy to pull off, and yes, any multiplayer approach would have to be shortened with the timer and the holes and so become a very different kind of event. It sounds like the separate event would be the best way to go, maybe as a year-end one for tournament winners and top standings finishers.

  @ Ben: thanks for sharing your video of R2. I can't believe how unlucky you were with the putter. On a different day that round would have been 4-5 shots better easily. Mags: Thank you too for your vid, which I tried to watch... but, to be honest, found the use of the speed-up boost aggravating beyond belief, especially for a round with starters. How can you get any sense of the run-out of your shots? I suspect you may have been having a joke with us!

  Time for me to try my R2. Looks like it's a 68 to catch Mags. No problem, lol!

• Daskino 2,781 Posts

  Fri, Mar 20 2015 9:58 AM

  Another 75 with a somewhat crazy putting performance. Three 3-putts, a couple of others missed from 3 to 5 feet and then a couple of long birdie putts drained (26 and 35 feet).

  It was a lot of fun again, Corwyn. I'm looking forward to the next month challenge :)

  

  

  35.4 feet birdie putt at #14

• Corwyn 2,410 Posts

  Fri, Mar 20 2015 1:34 PM

  Corwyn:

  Time for me to try my R2. Looks like it's a 68 to catch Mags. No problem, lol!

  Well, I was joking... but I've just gone out and shot what is probably my best Tough-It-Out round ever, and a strong candidate for my most challenging, and satisfying, round ever played on WGT.

  Apart from one piece of dumb stupidity with a pulled approach to #16 it was about as near-perfect as a Starters round can be, and included a couple of putts that just shaved the edge. Of course I had my share of good luck too, especially on the first with a flop-in, and on #18 when my pulled approach took perfect bounces to end up close.

  

  #1 B pin : 14@300 : clumsy early click 2nd bounced left of green, but rescued with perfect flop IN!!!  BIRDIE

  #2  L pin : 16@300 : wasn't sure I could clear 2nd fairway so played safely short of creek, nice 3rd for distance but misjudged wind/slope and went 15ft right. Lucky again with slight late click on putt but it dropped  BIRDIE

  #3 B pin : 12@430 choked a dinged Dr 97% to stay on top shelf, dinged 2nd but went 10ft left and long, for fairly straight putt that caught edge and fell, phew! BIRDIE

  Fantastic start to be -3 after 3!

  #4 L pin : 15@1030 again held off on drive to leave flatter 2nd (went 215 leaving 210), dinged 3W 2nd but too far left good distance 204 to left edge ugly downhill sidehill lie just off fringe. Decided to putt from fairway, great distance (75% of 10yd scale) but pushed it , left 7ft and holed it to save a huge par, wow!  PAR

  #5  F pin : 17@630 great wind and distance for 190fbs 96% but pulled a touch pin-high 8yds left; too high on 26ft birdie attempt (fractional push anyway)  PAR

  #6  L pin : 12@200 ding Dr held right side of fairway, played cautious 96% 180fbs aimed off green left but went much further right off club safely into middle of green 6yds away , OMG outstanding 19ft curler perfect weight woo hoo!  BIRDIE

  #7 F pin : 15@100 nice wind and dinged Dr went 243yds leaving 239; dinged 3W 2nd up to front slope 17yds away, dinged flop short of ideal but sunk 4.7ft putt anyway BIRDIE

  #8  B pin : 15@130 slightly early hitting 160 3/4bs but nice result 4yds long; fractionally late on 13ft putt which shaved the edge  PAR

  #9  L pin : 20@130 early click Dr left downhill lie 185 out, good distance with 1/2ts 180 bouncing on, only trying to find center of green anyway on this tough hole. 48ft nice dinged 150scale lag to 2ft PAR

  #10  L pin : 10@930 dinged choked 95% Dr fbs trying to avoid downhill leaving 160, did get slight downhill and L-R. Took a while thinking through what to hit, went with 170fbs 98% dinged landed on and used bank to hold green: great result! left 21ft 10d putt, good effort but way too hard (hit it 6.5pwr); relieved to sink 6.6ft comebacker PAR

  #11  B pin : into 17@600 slight push on 2nd 132 out and with more R-L than hoped for; dinged 3rd 150fbs 97% but too far left and short; however, was perfect on 21ft dinged putt dead center woo hoo!  BIRDIE

  #12 L pin : 20@1045 After long 246yd drive bad misjudgment on 2nd expecting to bounce 160 1/3ts on but came up short  to ugly sidehill lie, and short on flop 92% 2yds left. Again, relieved to make 7.5ft save even with slight early click  PAR

  #13 F pin : 16@900 ding Dr 152 out, followd by sweet roll-up 2nd to 4yds below; dinged putt but misread it to shave left edge  turned out to be dead straight (seemed like initial break to R) PAR

  #14 L pin : 22@1200!!! got awful wind, and wrong club choice: tried 150fbs hoping to land front edge and stay on, real bad place to be! Perhaps shot of the round came next, with fantastic recovery from 35yds hit 50fbs 60% to just reach downslope and roll down close to 1yd; made 4ft save PAR

  #15 B pin : 19@730 ding Dfbs choked 93% to try and stop before downslope, found big sidehill uphill instead, but knew could find green from there easier than downhill lie coming in over bunker. Small push with 3W 2nd but safely on 28ft away dinged putt but misread, not enough for early break. 2ft save PAR

  #16 L pin : 10@730 dingD safely to right side, pushed 2nd but lucky to avoid bunker and rough (had allowed plenty leeway though) and come out to fairway; Disaster! pulled the easy 7iron 3rd shot, ugh!! ending up in deepest bunker on left, no way to stop escape which went right across green. Hit reasonable flop from beyond green other side but still left awkward 6ft downhill curler for BOGEY 

  #17 B pin : 10@100 slight pull on 3Wfbs 98% but lucky to bounce off ridge and roll down to 2yds; dinged 6ft putt for BIRDIE

  #18 L pin : 14@530 D 211 leaving 202, again trying to avoid downhill but just too far, slightly early on 3W 3/4bs aiming for middle of green and got real lucky (thought I was heading for bunkers)...  landed in upslope past left bunker which killed pace and rolled round nicely on the green to 6ft pin high right; another dinged putt for closing BIRDIE

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  Pin positions were all different from my R1, so I guess it is possible to make that happen, regardless of wind direction. This is not what seems to occur in practice mode!

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  Here's a pic of the recovery to #14, which I was very pleased with!