Carolina Lakes

A few weeks ago, I went out to Carolina Lakes to watch a Carolinas Pro Tour event. While there, I thought to myself, "man, I would love to play this course!" It's a big, nice course out in Indian Land, South Carolina. From the tips, it is 7140 yards and the course rating is 74.1. So it's long and hard. (Insert joke here) Joey lives out that way, so we decided to get a twilight tee time. The twilight rate is only $32. I thought that was a steal for this course. The only problem is that it was nearly 100 degrees, even at 3:20 pm when we teed off.

We were dripping with sweat on the first green! I'm not used to courses that big. I hit into the bunker and it took me 2 minutes just to walk around the massive bunker to a point at which I could enter. I knew it was going to be a long day. I've been working on my grip, and it seems to be helping a bit. I think technically, I'm using a weaker grip. My right hand is more underneath the club, and my left hand is more on top. I also finally understand what instructors mean about your left thumb fitting in to the pad of your right hand. My hands function more like one unit now. The other technicality I've been focusing on is the amount of shoulder turn I get in my backswing. A few months ago, I adopted a slower take away that allows me to create more potential energy. My ball striking improved, but my distance was still lacking. I was still only getting 150 yards out of my 7 iron which will be fine when I'm 60, but at 31 I think I'm capable of greater distance. So, I started trying to turn my shoulders a little more in my backswing, and I was amazed at how much higher and farther the ball traveled. The par three fourth hole is listed as 163 yards. It is probably elevated 15-20 yards and the pin was in the front. I pulled out my 150 yard club and figured any decent shot would be somewhere on the green. Well, I hit a decent shot but since I applied my new shoulder turn to the shot, the ball flew completely over the green and in to the hazard behind it. It sucked because I made double bogey on that hole, but it was a revelation of sorts as well. I felt like Luke Skywalker because all of sudden I heard voices saying, "The force is with you!"

So, I hit a lot of good shots that had bad results. I learned that together, my grip and shoulder turn adjustments will produce more distance. Joey played up and down as well. I think the heat snagged him too. He played from the sand enough that he might as well have been at the beach. Bunkers are waiting on every hole. Like all amateurs, we both play well in stretches. We kept score, but I didn't bother to add mine up. If I had to guess, I'd say I shot around 105 and Joey may have been in the 90's. No birdies, a few pars, and a lot of other stuff. I took the positives from the round and kept it moving. According to my computer, its only 86 degrees, so I'm going to the range to continue working on my adjustments. Until next time.......Hit 'em good!