Web5770 Career Thread

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Celebrating a top-20 finish (-34) this week after going 67-62-63-62 at Bandon to finish T-16 and earning a coveted promo mark. Ironically, the finish was nowhere near my largest virtual paycheck...that honor somehow went to a tournament I was T-57 in. I don't get it. Needless to say it was an excellent week as the practice time turned in translated into some solid results on the course. It also resulted in a massive cut to my World Ranking, lifting me up to #1570, a career-best.

This week, we're off to the land down under and Amaroo Bay, another creation from Mike Georgiades, who previously this season gave the CC-Pro ranks his Skyfall Links Black course (which, if I might add, was a darn enjoyable layout...)

My initial take on Amaroo is...well...varied. While Skyfall was very nice in maintaining the illusion factor that it could be a real course, Amaroo strays pretty solidly on the fictional side of the divide. The course plays just over 7,200 yards from the tips to a par of 72. In many ways, Amaroo is the polar opposite to last week's Bandon course. Bandon was all about the approach shot, but with wide fairways that rarely pinched to penal or testing dimensions. Amaroo, by comparison, is all about the tee shot. If you have trouble maintaining a consistent swing tempo off the tee, this is a week that you'll want to sit out. Amaroo features a number of forced-carry tee shots where the penalty for failure to execute is OB (or water, but most of the water forces you back to the point of last shot and therefore plays the equivalent of OB). Once in the fairway, there are few worries on Amaroo. The greens default to a pace of 174 and, while not flat, don't feature too many psychotic breaks that will come into play. Many of the "major" slopes on Amaroo greens are actually function to aid the golfer rather than penalize. That said, there are at least 3 greens where false fronts need to be respected and avoided at all costs. My practice rounds for the week have ranged from E to -9...days 3 & 4 feel like harder pin locations than sets 1 & 2. If you can keep the ball in play off the tee, there are low numbers to be had. All the par 5's are reachable in 2 barring massive headwind. Many of the par 4's play into a short range where chipping or a wedge/9-iron will be the club that brings you home. That said, Amaroo is also a course that can rear up and slap you with multiple BIG numbers (I took a 9 on the par-3 3rd hole one practice round, watching a ball roll backwards into OB twice before rage flying the next one long into OB again). There will be some massively over par scores this week on individual rounds. Hopefully I will not be among them.

My featured hole will be the par-4 10th...this is one of those Amaroo holes that plays to a mid-300's distance, but feels slightly longer due to elevation and the layout of the hole preventing a straight-linear attack. Your tee-shot is uphill over water to a fairway perched atop the cliff. Anything short is OB, but there is also a bit of OB on the far side of the fairway that could come into play with a Master's set driver and a bit of a tail wind. Where ever you end up, your shot in to the green will then proceed uphill. DO NOT BE SHORT (or left) ON THIS APPROACH! Anything short of the green rolls back downhill for a distance. Anything catching the false front to the green will do likewise in rather annoying fashion. This is one of those holes where going long is much better than coming up short.

Bottom line...if you struggle with tempo, this will be an incredibly frustrating week for you. On the other hand, if you've ever wanted to try and crack a 400-yard tee shot in a tournament, then your ego practically demands that you play this week and pray for a tail wind as Amaroo will allow you to flirt with that number (I haven't hit it yet, but I did go 397, 392 and 390 in prep). Avoiding penalty strokes will lift you up a few strokes over much of the field as it is very challenging to play four rounds and not rack up a few on this layout.

Best of luck...see you on the links.

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Evidently I did a little too much celebratory drinking following my first career top-20 finish because it was a crash back to reality this week with a 74-62-73-68 to leave me T-174 at -11. And, yes, the week felt absolutely every bit as bipolar as those numbers would suggest. I am kicking myself some because there was a nagging voice inside my head telling me to sit this one out due to concerns over it possibly not being a good fit for my gaming setup and "e-golf skillz," but, hey, it's a frigging game....life, death, financial security...none of that stuff really matters (aside from the fact that I am a highly competitive SOB, so on some level, yes, it DOES matter...no matter how often I say otherwise). But, yeah...too many wild tee shots...too many OB shots and too many birdie chips from just off greens. Not my best week.

Except...it IS my best week. Somehow. Because despite being just buried on the table, my World Ranking somehow improved. Yeah, it's only by ONE place...but it freaking improved. So you're looking at golfer No. 1,569 now. Booyah!

So this week we are on to Ryan Fitzgerald's fictional course Kallen Island Tour. Ryan has given us a number of other TGC gems that I would recommend playing...TPC Iowa, Breckenridge and Kalista Hills are all worth your time in my opinion. Kallen Island is a fictional Delta themed course and can play to 7,542 yards when tipped out. But we'll be using the blue tee set in the CC-Pro ranks this week, which will reel it in to a smidge shy of 7,200 yards overall. It plays to a par of 73 and totally passes the eye test when it comes to envisioning it as a real golf course. Elevation will not be much of a concern this week as I'm not sure any hole features more than a 20-foot difference from tee to green. There are par-4 holes on both the front and back 9's that can be driven, all par-5's can conceivably be reached in 2 with the correct wind conditions (although whether you actually want to go for them in 2 is a wholly different story...). There is some water, but the only two bodies of liquid that will likely concern most golfers are an annoying stream crossing on one tee shot (you'll know it when you get there) and a green-guarding body of water that will give you pause to reconsider going for a green in 2 on one of the par 5's.

Much like last week's course was a key clash with the week before, Kallen presents a key difference from Amaroo as well. Where Amaroo featured a number of greens with false fronts that had to be carried, Kallen features multiple greens that fall away from the fairway, meaning that landing short is often preferred to going past pin high, where the ball might continue to run for some distance. The greens default to 187, so even those minor hills can turn what looks like an awesome shot into a 25-30 foot putt. Take note of which greens these are and adjust your approach shots accordingly.

While I have a particular affinity for one of the par 4's that allowed me to sink a 213-yard approach shot for eagle in practice, my featured hole for the week will be hole 16, a 560-ish yard par 5 that requires a delicate touch to reach in 2. Play the tee shot as far left in the fairway as you can get because shots landing in the right half will face tree issues if trying to get home in 2. Even from the left side of the fairway players will likely need a bit of draw...but don't over-draw the shot...shots coming up left or just short will have fairly easy pitch/chip/flop shots for a good crack at birdie still, so the mistake to make is not putting enough draw. This is one of those greens that fades away from the fairway, so if the ball is on the front half, controlling the pace to get it to stop before it dives away from the pin and leaves you with a monster putt is also a requisite. For me, this is a fun, fair test of thinking man's golf...played correctly, it can be wrangled for a low number. Played out of position, it will be a challenge.

Overall, this was a solid course that is well thought out. Due to life, I didn't get as many practice rounds as usual in this week to prep for the tournament, but my four rounds played from -2 to -9. Playing through it, it feels like a course that has a super low number available on it and I expect the leaders in the various divisions will be able to show me exactly how that is done. For me, the goal is to finish top 100 and kiss one of my new demotion marks goodbye.

Best of luck to everyone...see you out on the links!

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Survived barely with a T-115 result this week after going 67-66-66-68 for a -25. The result was disappointing considering that at the midpoint of the tournament I was sitting in the upper 70s on the table and figured that the R3 66, achieved in high winds rather than R2's medium breezes, would shoot me up the table more. Instead, I dropped nearly 20 spots as the tournament average came in even lower that day and left me scrambling to avoid further demo marks. But I survived with the only damage being a world ranking that dropped 23 spots to No. 1,592. 

That brings us to this week's tournament at the Murfhoffen. This par-72 fictional course tips out at 7,314 yards with greens that default to 172. If it was an ice cream flavor, it would be the vanilla-est of vanillas as there is very little that stands out about it. There's no water that should come into play on any of the holes. Aside from a couple fairway trees that might come into play with the pro club set crowd, the most significant thought process that will be at play this week will be whether to go for it or lay up to a comfortable number for approach shots on the 3 almost-driveable par 4's. All the par 5's can be reached in 2, although headwinds might take a couple out of range. The entry point to all but the shortest par 4's is wide open, allowing for dead aim on pretty much every hole. If the wind is anything less than heavy for all 4 days, the scoring for this week will be crazy-low. As in I can't guarantee that a finish in the mid-30's below par won't be safe enough to dodge demotion marks. That low. There used to be a YouTube video series where semi-pros would crash random muni courses and just light them up to show how low they could go. That's the image I have for this week's tournament. My practice rounds ranged from -7 to -12. There are lower numbers available out there. We are at the Greenbrier of TGC tour stops this week. For everyone who needs the ego charge of flirting with rounds in the 50's, this is an absolute play course. Tee it up and go get it -- see you on the links!

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For the second consecutive week, I grossly over-estimated how my R3 and R4 rounds would leave me and find myself mid-table with a T-110 despite a line of 60-67-63-60 for a -38 tournament. As I wrote in last week's prediction, a mid-30s under par was, indeed, relegation territory. After starting the week in 20th after my opening round, I knew my R2 score was a killer, but I was shocked to see the R3 63 slide further and the R4 score of 60 to merely lift me 10 spots on the standings. So, anyhow, the final damages...another $28K and change into the bank account and another 8 places slid down in the rankings, so No. 1600 am I. Still 2 demo marks .Now onward to Burgundy Bluffs and this week's action.

My short assessment of Burgundy is that this is an absolute gem of a fictional course. Matthew Fritsch's 7,138-yard, par 71 track is visually stunning, plays fair and immediately vaulted into my personal top 3 of fictional courses played in the game. If you don't trust me, jimgem's YouTube channel has a playthrough of the course that will give you a chance to see for yourself before you play a round on it. Fritsch has designed numerous courses for the game, so long-timers will be familiar with his work. I, on the other hand, am getting introduced to it for the first time, and it immediately has me adding all his other courses to my play list. Golfers this week will find a course with modest elevation change, an abundance of sand (though, compared to the amount you see, strikingly little of it seemed to come into play as I did my practice rounds. Hopefully that doesn't mean all my beach time was saved for the tournament this week. The greens are undulating and have some breaks that golfers will definitely want to pay attention to, especially if tournament conditions take the course above its 159 default green speed. Multiple greens are surrounded with fairway that rolls a ball away from the green, so near misses can annoying turn into 15-20 yard chips back. This will be a good test as low numbers are definitely out there, but out of position play will be severely challenged. My practice rounds ranged from -4 to -9 and I found that in many cases, it was how I played the front 9 that determined how my final score ended up. The back 9 is definitely the more scoring-friendly half of things.

For my feature hole of the week, there's only one real choice at Burgundy, and that is the signature 18th. Look, I know I've written before that I hate courses ending with par 3's. I do. It's like ending a soccer match via penalty kicks -- utterly a letdown. That said, if you're going to end on a par 3, Burgundy demonstrates exactly how one should do it, because the 18th is a visual gem. Played over water and rocky bluff terrain (one of only 2 times water realistically seems to be a threat on the course) the shot drops roughly 40 feet to the expansive green that can give the hole a 40-50 yard swing in length. Missing left is fine. Missing right is...probably a re-tee. There are many other fun holes on the course, but this one has that extra punch of design and flair to elevate it to the head of the class. When you can make me forget my hatred and enjoy the moment, that's the mark of a classic.

Bottom line -- I think this is a course that will appeal to just about any serious golfer. You'll find yourself challenged, but never in a way that feels unfair. Keep it in the fairway and the course will give you scoring chances. And that's just the way it should be -- see you on the links!

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Life got a little hectic this week, so I blitzed out my entire tournament in a day as opposed to playing 1 round across 4 days like normal. The result was...odd. After a strong -9 to start the round, I struggled to even on Day 2, popped back to -7 in Day 3 and could barely manage a -1 on Day 4. Annoying...and T-127 for a demo mark. Another 2 spots dropped from my world ranking, so down to 1,602.

Which brings me to The Rock. I need to apologize to course designer Andre Quenneville for being slammed with work and not getting nearly as much practice time on his course layout as I normally would. So my take on The Rock is still developing, but here's what I'll say about this 7,218-yard, par 72 layout. Visually, it gets a + rating from me...there was definitely a lot of care put in to giving it some extra pizazz, and that really comes through on some of the waste areas around the course. The course also plays incredibly smooth. I didn't get as many practice rounds in as normal, but I only had tempo issues on one swing the entire time, which is super nice. From a feel standpoint, I'm not going to lie -- The Rock most definitely is a fantasy gaming course and feels a such when you play it, but never strays to excess to feel gimmicky. There are some forced carries and slopes to contend with. Water will be an issue on some holes, but all of this can be effectively countered with good course management (although I can definitely see where people who have to try for the hero shot with every swing of the club could walk away frustrated this week). The greens will likely be the largest topic of conversation this week as there are multiple roll-off's that could potentially see some well-struck approach shots suddenly end up 10 yards away and chipping back onto the green. This will especially be true should the tournament see green speeds above the 166 default for the course.

Due to my lack of practice time, I will break from tradition and not offer a featured hole for the week, but suffice to say that there are several candidate holes at The Rock.

This is a course that won't suit everyone's playing style, but should make for a good test of golf. I think the biggest danger lies in being overaggressive here. There are certainly holes and pin locations that can be attacked, but there are many places where playing from out of position and then trying to make a hero shot will be extremely dangerous. Unlike a lot of tournament courses, this is a week where playing it safe and accepting par is the smart play should you find yourself out of position after a tee or approach shot. Or, as one of my former golf coaches used to say, make sure you know where to miss.

Best of luck to everyone as we count down to the 2K21 release later this month. See you out on the links!

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So this is what happens when you're defending a dissertation...you forget to brag about your e-golf triumphs and tragedies. And since I would hate for the folks who actually poke their head in here to think I was holed up with COVID or something, here's the belated write up from The Rock...good, great, good, ACK!! Translated, that's 64-61-64-73...the R4 cost me 60 places in the standings and prevented me from ditching a demo mark. Bad putting and one horrific 7 on hole 2 after a miss left (despite a 12 mph wind off the left, I somehow managed to hook it into the wind and push the shot out to where not ever the wind could save it. And then I thought I could chip back up from the beach below and be safer than risking the re-tee and seeing...whatever...had happened occur again.

Bad choice. And that's how you get a 7, which combined with my hole 1 bogey had me sitting at 5-over after 2 holes...my goal was to just get back to level par by round's end, and I almost made it.

Anyhow, that was the horror story for the week. The good news is that despite the 73, my world ranking soared up to No. 1507 this week to set a personal best. Will I creep inside the 1500 line before we throw everything into 2K21 and who-knows-what-happens? We will have to wait and see...

Which brings me to this week. Remember that dissertation I talked about? Yeah, evidently panicking over something like that affects one's ability to read. Valle De Los Reyes is a hell of a fun course to play. Unfortunately, it is not the site of this week's CC-D tournament. Yep, spent the whole damn week practicing the wrong course. That's actually the second time this has happened. The last time it occurred because I looked at the weather report and grabbed the CC-Am course by mistake and I played Round 1 blind and shot something crazy like 11 or 12 under and really wondered why I bothered to practice at all.

We will see how the whole "playing it blind" thing goes this time. Catch you on the links. If I make it through this week, I invite you to turn west toward the Pacific and join me in a tequila shot as I officially bid my Masters' program goodbye and good riddance as a survivor. Note to self...never, ever let them talk you into doing the one-year program the same calendar year as they unleash the pandemic. This game, I kid you not, has been my source of sanity through everything.

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So I skipped a week in there because I was wrapping up my master's degree (#tequilashots) and simply was too busy chasing deadlines and making sure all the final details were taken care of to update. But I finish Season 6/Season TGC 2019 with T77 and T83 results and am prepping for this brave new world we call 2K21.

The exciting thing is that I will make that break with a career-best World Golf Ranking of 1385...booyah!!

Now throw all of that out the window as we get ready to start anew. My impression of the new game...swing timing will take some getting used to. [ETA -- Chipping...chipping is going to take some serious work and practice!)] I love the new club options to tailor one's bag to their game. I don't remember swing calibration being a thing on the last game either, so call that a plus. The course designer seems infinitely more user-friendly than the last one, at least when it comes to work around the greens...I see myself cranking out a lot more original designs here. Still some rough patches...the "bathtub ring" effect is still very much an ugly thing on some themes, work around the edge of greens near water can be tedious to level. Overall though...very nice. It'll take some time to get used to the new game, but I think it'll be every bit as addictive as the old game was, so for those still hesitating to make the switch, for whatever it is worth, it gets 2 thumbs up from me.

See you in the brave new world of Season 7, right after I go figure out what to do with the $718,410 I pocketed from my first partial season on in the CC-Pro ranks. Someone please tell me this is real money. I'll even gladly pay taxes on it. Throw a social distancing guy a bone here!

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Been trying to play the new game, but between the resumption of teaching/coaching duties under COVID is just killing the bulk of my free time. Add in that attempting to play the game on a PC touch screen is WAY tougher than it was in the 2019 version and...yeah...not sure if I'll be seeing Season 7 or not. Chipping and bunker play is especially killing me at the moment (as is the fact that I'm pulling slow's and fast's on things that, I swear, feel like the same dang shot...