Started out a little rough, but picked it up as the day went on. I threw my very first shot into the water, but at least it skipped and hit the wall, making for an easy 4. I had one other ridiculous throw several holes later.. flipped a TeeRex-X into the road. I knew the lower altitude would affect the stability, but figured I was safe throwing something that overstable. Still, my game really came around on the back nine. I got a nice turkey in there and made up some much needed strokes. I have to admit, the highlight of my day was parking a 465 foot hole, just 8 feet past and carding an easy deuce to take the box from Barry Schultz and Paul McBeth. They were both super cool to play with and I got to bear witness to some really amazing golf!! I certainly left a lot of strokes out there, but I only finished 10 behind them at par (55), which ended up being a 970-rated round, which ain’t bad for me. They finished the round at 45, tied for the lead. I seem to have a positive impact on the folks I play with :)
I ended up tied for 50th place today when the dust settled, not bad considering there is over 100 players in the field! Still, I am really not looking forward to tomorrow. Fountain Hills is relatively wide open and, if you play smart, it isn’t hard to score well.. There is also a hyzer as an option on almost every drive, so I’m free to go to my default swing and disc choices. Vista del Camino, on the other hand, has ton of left-to-right shots and very long and narrow fairways. I have neither a forehand nor a roller… in other words I’m kinda in deep doo-doo.. These are both shots I really need to develop if I intend to be a serious competitor at this level.
On a related note, they introduced something new this year, each course features 2 elevated baskets. Each one puts the cage at roughly eye level. I am not a fan of this at all. To be honest, I think it’s gimmicky and stupid. Save that stuff for X-Tiers or fun tourneys or whatever you’d like.. I know the USDGC has one and I’ve certainly seen it before.. I just think it adds nothing to the game at all. I would be curious to know what the reasoning behind it is.
Either way, time to get some rest, big day tomorrow!