Stanko's Stance

I got to play Orange Hills Golf Course for a second time this summer, and this one went a lot drier and better than the first. Exactly one month from the day Ritz and I played Orange Hills, we played it again together. This time it was not raining the entire time and the greens were not under water. This time around it was sunny and gorgeous.

Side note…both times I have played this course…there has been like nobody on it. Quiet, calm and quick pace. We love everything about that. Everything.

I am also writing this little recap of my round fairly well after the fact, so it might be a little bit hazy.

Now here is my hole-by-hole recollection of my second round at Orange Hills this year.

Hole 1
Par 4 | 390 Yards

What a solid way to start the round! Drive went a little left. My second shot was a bit right of the green (by bit I mean a lot), but a very good flop chip shot (which made me know my round was going to be solid), got me onto the green. I had a solid chance for par, but my putt was off. Regardless I get a very solid five to begin my round. It was steady with no horrendous shots. It was strong vibes heading into the rest of the round.

Score On Hole: 5 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 9
Score Overall: 5 (+1)

Hole 2
Par 5 | 481 Yards

Really unfortunate luck here. I am just too good for my own good. There is a river/stream about 230 yards off the tee box that divides the fairway. I went driver because what are the odds I am going to smoke it and hit it dead straight as well.

Folks, that is exactly what I did. I crushed my drive. After the drop thought I played this hole flawlessly. Literally could not have played it better. I want to pat myself on the back about how strong a chip I had on this whole as well.

Score On Hole: 6 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 5
Score Overall: 11 (+2)

Hole 3
Par 3 | 148 Yards

Par three about 148 yards a little bit up hill. I went with a seven iron and it was a bit short. I had a very long first putt which ended up about 10 feet short of the hole. I then missed my par putt (slightly frustrated), but again I can’t be too upset with a four when I was 60 feet from the whole putting after my drive. This was the first of two holes where I got a green in regulation.

Score On Hole: 4 (3 Putts)
Handicap: 17
Score Overall: 15 (+3)

Hole 4
Par 4 | 435 Yards

I hit driver off the tee and it went left. I needed something to save a chance for par…and I did! It was a very strong second shot. However…I chipped it over the green and played the back-and-forth game. The putter did its work with a two putt and saved me a six.

The pin placement on this hole was brutal. Both Ritz and I got fucked. If you missed your mark it was rolling off the right side and you had to chip up with not much green to work with. Just tough pin placement let to a score one stroke higher than I would have expected.

Score On Hole: 6 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 3
Score Overall: 21 (+5)

Hole 5
Par 4 | 349 Yards

This was my best drive of the die. I straight up BOMBED this. Just an absolutely perfect drive. I had a pitching wedge in and unfortunately missed the green. However, I did not miss the green by much so it allowed me to have a lot of green to work with on my chip. I bit of a bump and run later and I had a par putt that was only five feet. And I sunk it.

ONE PUTT BITCH!

AND A PAR BITCH!

Score On Hole: 4 (1 Putt)
Handicap: 11
Score Overall: 25 (+5)

Hole 6
Par 4 | 365 Yards

Had a really strong drive on this hole to try and get things going on the right foot. Just off the fairway to the left, I absolutely bombed seven iron way over the green. I had the same distance as I had on the earlier part three, but this time I just made better contact and I flew the green. From behind the green I had to try and chip it on…but I barely got it on the green and I ended up having to putt from the fringe from a long way away. Three putts later and I am putting down a six.

Score On Hole: 6 (3 Putts)
Handicap: 7
Score Overall: 31 (+7)

Hole 7
Par 4 | 399 Yards

Bounce back hole. Always need a good bounce back hole.

I drove it into the fairway and had myself set up pretty for a bit of a short three iron in. However, when you duff your three iron and hit a ground ball, you are putting yourself in a hole. I take out my eight iron and absolutely hit a beauty that sticks on the green. A par putt after a duffed second shot is always welcome. I was behind the hole and I leave it a little bit short, but a tap in five saves my momentum and saves back-to-back three putts.

Score On Hole: 5 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 1
Score Overall: 36 (+8)

Hole 8
Par 4 | 300 Yards

SHOT OF THE YEAR ALERT!!!

This is a very short par far that has a green that is severely downhill. I didn’t want to hit my driver because the tee boxes were back left and so I would have to hit it straight to avoid the trees. So to be safe…I hit a three iron off the tee box and sliced it only 150 yards almost directly to the left. I was up on a hill in the rough about 160 yards away. I took a five iron out.

AND BOY OF BOY DID I HIT THE GREEN! WHAT A FUCKING GOLF SHOT! I was ON THE GREEN! IN REGULATION! Putting for birdie. I was absolutely stoked.

I missed my birdie putt, but had a top in for par. What a par save. Just remarkable stuff. What a hole of golf.

Score On Hole: 4 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 13
Score Overall: 40 (+8)

Hole 9
Par 3 | 134 Yards

What a freaking pretty hole. There are these trees that line the left side that are gorgeous when they are bloomed with their pink flowers. After I gather myself from taking in the views, I step up to the tee with a seven iron (the wind was in our face). My show is looking good but it leaks a little right and I am off the green. I take out my sand wedge for a soft chip, and I leave it about 10 feet short of the cup but it is an uphill putt. I absolutely drub my putt, but it hits the flagstick and BAM it is a one-putt folks!! It is my second one of the day! We are cooking with gas!

This capped off the best nine holes of golf I have ever played continuously. I shot a 43.

Score On Hole: 3 (1 Putts)
Handicap: 15
Score Overall: 43 (+8)

Hole 10
Par 3 | 207 Yards

207 yards straight downhill. I hit an awesome three-iron and landed just short of the green. I was able to chip it onto the green and avoid the duff chip like I had last time I played the hole. I was able to then two putt and I was satisfied with a very high quality bogey. It is hard for me to expect par on any par three that is over 200 yards when I don’t hit for great distance.

Score On Hole: 4 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 16
Score Overall: 47 (+9)

Hole 11
Par 5 | 466 Yards

We have entered the harder portion of the course. A dog leg right par five only gets longer you banana hook it nearly into the woods on the left. Luckily for my confidence, I hit a great second shot out of the rough between some trees and I ended up on the fairway with a shot at the green on my third short.

I leave it a bit short of the green so now I am chipping for par. The bump and run does not quite run, and I have a long putt for par. Long putt or not, I did not need to hit it to Pennsylvania, which is what I did. Sheesh this was my worst putt of the day. I left myself about 15 feet back and naturally that one doesn’t land either. So I have to write down a three-putt and a seven on the scorecard. And we haven’t even gotten to the hardest hole on the course yet.

Score On Hole: 7 (3 Putts)
Handicap: 10
Score Overall: 54 (+11)

Hole 12
Par 4 | 365 Yards

Getting this out of the way, this was the hole I used my mulligan on my drive for.

My second drive went only about 50 yards, so my confidence is near zero. Knowing that there is a man-made creek in the middle of the fairway is huge for my knowledge so I lay up with a nice eight iron. My third shot lands a bit off the green and then it is the conventional chip and two putt. It is a six on the scorecard.

I say this with all seriousness. After two horrendous drives, I was happy with my composure to get everything under control and manage to put a respectable score on the card. Not a good score, but a respectable one.

Score On Hole: 6 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 2
Score Overall: 60 (+13)

Hole 13
Par 3 | 153 Yards

Uphill a little bit, I take out my six iron for the first time. It doesn’t go too well. My first drive goes into the woods on the right, so I have to tee-up again. Hitting my third shot…and damn if this shot wasn’t a fucking beauty. Dead at the pin. Literally landed and stuck about 10 feet in front of it. So a two-putt from there and I am putting up a five.

Again. Regaining composure and limiting the damage. This was something I was not good at (and admit I am still not great at) but back-to-back holes I managed to stay mentally strong.

Score On Hole: 5 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 18
Score Overall: 65 (+15)

Hole 14
Par 4 | 377 Yards

Yikes. Not a good hole.

Before I get to myself, I need to talk about what Ritz did here. He took out a three wood and tried to play it smart. Well, he hit it to what we thought were the woods…but we didn’t hear any branches. Then we see it bouncing on a car path. And about 240 yards later he is in the middle of the fairway. He played this hole exactly how you should…with all the luck in the world.

This hole was really a mess. Missed the fairway and extended the right-leaning hole with a drive that goes to the left. I get it around the green, but I duff a chip left of the game, and then I ended up three-putting as well. This hole is where I wondered if my swing on the front nine was all gone. I was doing the best I could to try and survive, but was it falling apart?

Score On Hole: 7 (3 Putts)
Handicap: 12
Score Overall: 72 (+18)

Hole 15
Par 4 | 339 Yards

OH. A SECOND GOLF SHOT OF THE YEAR!

This is the only thing you need to see about this hole. Yes I got a six, but what a fucking golf shot.

Score On Hole: 6 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 4
Score Overall: 78 (+20)

Hole 16
Par 4 | 335 Yards

Playing smart and still made this hole an adventure.

This is a short par four with an elevated green. I took out a three iron and HUGGED the right tree line and managed to stay out of OB and get into the fairway. Unfortunately, there are tree branches on the golf course. I take out a pitching wedge and I hit the branches because they were rude and decided to exist.

From there I tried to do a soft pitching wedge…and that third short was just a duff. We are struggling here. Luckily, I take out my sand wedge and do a nice little lobbed pitch and BOOM I am on the green! I think I am getting the hang of chipping different types of ways. Two putts later and I have a six. This was the continuation of a six train all the way to the end.

Score On Hole: 6 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 8
Score Overall: 84 (+22)

Hole 17
Par 4 | 413 Yards

Had a decent drive that brought me just off the fairway on the left side. I avoided the super slanted fairway, but I could not avoid a duffed second shot. Did not hit my three iron well and so I was approaching from further out than I wanted. I was able to get just off the green so I had an elongated putt for par. It was left well short and it broke far more than I expected. A bad three-putt later and I am writing down another six in my scorecard.

Score On Hole: 6 (3 Putts)
Handicap: 6
Score Overall: 90 (+24)

Hole 18
Par 5 | 459 Yards

My drive went left off the tee box and I ended up in the 17th hole fairway. I took a one wood (oh year baby) and tried to get it close to the green, succeeding to a marginal extent. Left my third shot a little short, then left my chip short as well so I had about a 20 foot putt for par. I got it close to the hole and was able to make a two-putt to wrap up with my third straight six. This was a very slimy bogey because I don’t believe that I had any shot well.

Score On Hole: 6 (2 Putts)
Handicap: 14
Score Overall: 96 (+25)

FINAL THOUGHTS

• I shot my best front nine ever. A 43. I was only plus-eight over par. I only had 16 putts. I played that well getting just two fairways in regulation and two greens in regulation. I was playing real golf. Like legit playing. I was swinging smooth.
• I took a swig of Pink Whitney at the 10th hole. That may have been a mistake because my play suffered. It was still tasty though.
• My bot Ritz shot either an 82 or an 84. Either way he was around where he wanted to be.
• I really like the Orange Hills course. I like a course that isn’t all straight. Makes you think a little and forces you to use all your clubs. The only ones I didn’t use in this round were the five wood and three-iron hybrid.
• If I played golf this consistently and well the entire time, I would be very, very happy.
• This is probably going to be my only round of golf for a while. I travel to Arizona next week for work and we are working golf related things. Maybe I will be able to get a round in down there? I have yet to play on the west coast.

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