2011 Mystic Creek Club Championship

Two weeks after playing the Michigan Publinx State Match Play, I was considering playing the Mystic Creek Club Championship, at Mystic Creek near my house. The draw was that it would give me an excuse to play 36 more holes of competitive golf. When deciding to register, I got more tournament details from a guy in the Pro Shop (not the pro). The tournament will flight you after 18 holes (you can essentially pick your partner the opening round), and then the final 18 holes would be the next day. I was told two very key details, (1) That if I shot 80 I would not likely be in the Championship flight, and (2) the scores reset after the first round. Knowing these details I decided to go for it.

The first round was brutally hot and humid, and I teed off at 10am, which put me in the middle of it. We were scheduled to play the Woods then the Meadows. My favorite side is the Lakes, which wasn't being played on day 1, and the Woods is by far my least favorite, given several holes that make playing a draw like I do very difficult. My playing partners was a very young employee of the course, and a middle aged guy who just seemed happy to be golfing. On the first hole, I piped a drive down the middle, and hit a sand wedge to about 4 feet. I missed the putt but got an easy par to start things off. I was 2 over after 6 holes before 3 putting the par 3 7th for double, and then bogeying 8 and 9, both from the middle of the fairway. So I went out in 42, after playing what I felt was very good (with 20 putts on the front). The back 9 started off bogey, par, then I made a triple on the par 5 3rd (my 12th hole). I had 115 in for my second shot and missed the green by about a yard to the left, which in turn kicked into a wooded area where I had to take an unplayable lie. Then I chili-dipped a chip, and 2 putted for 8. I alternated pars and bogies coming in until the par 5 9th. I smoked a drive down the left hand side, and only had 185 in from the fairway bunker. The shot was straight uphill so I went with my hybrid and hit it very flush, but a bit right of the green. It proceeded to hit the cart path and kick into what I later found out was a hazard. Before I knew it was a hazard I went through the debacle of playing a provisional from the bunker, where my drop plugged. When all was said and done I had carded an 86, which was complete with 39 putts and 2 penalty strokes. I had amazingly not 1 putted a single green. The reality was that I hit the ball fairly well, hitting 9 of 14 fairways, and 10 of 18 greens. I figured this kind of round ensured I wouldn't make championship flight.

The next morning when I arrived at the course, I found out that the pro put me in championship flight, as the last player out of 10. This immediately made me think I would have to shoot low, this being a 1 day shootout and all. Then I found out the scoring was cumulative, which demoralized me. I was 12 strokes behind the leader, and 3 strokes behind even 9th place. This was amazingly frustrating to me, and I played like it, shooting 42 on the Woods side again, which included some really bad play, and also a 4 putt. Despite this, I was still beating my playing companions, who had all shot 83 the first day. Heading into the Lakes side I just decided to have some fun, and try to shoot a good score on a side I really enjoy. I parred 1, made a good up and down for par on the long par 5 2nd (my first 1 putt in 29 holes). Then I rolled in a 15 footer for birdie on 3. After bogeying 4 and 6 (both long par 3's), I was 1 over on the side. I then parred the difficult 7th, which the rest of my playing partners totally butchered off of the tee. On 8, which is the par 4 with the super elevated tee and the water on the left, I made sure to not hit the water, and aimed way right, shooting my ball into some trees behind a hill. According to the GPS I had 114 to the hole. But it was a difficult shot as I had to go over the hill, and under a tree, on a blind shot. I decided on hitting a very easy 7 iron, and hit a beauty, landing it 10 feet short of the hole and rolling 15 feet by. I rolled in the putt for a fantastic birdie and after parring the 9th, I had closed with a 36 on the very difficult Lakes side. The rest of my group shot an 84, 91, and 117 (I know, how did he shoot an 83 the 1st round??? Makes you wonder). So I had beaten everyone in my group for the 2 day tournament, but I had no illusions about the rest of the field.

The other 2 groups were following me in, and the scores surprised me. In the end I had passed 7 players to finish in 3rd place, and had the low round of the day by 5 strokes!!! For my work I got a $40 gift certificate, which meant I paid $60 for 2 rounds of tournament golf, not terrible at all.

The tourney taught a pretty valuable lesson, one which you would think I would already know. The first was the importance of managing your game throughout a tournament. I know there were 4-5 strokes that I left out there just by being careless with a few shots. The second is to make sure you understand the tournament format from the beginning, and to make sure you speak to the right people to ensure your information is adequate.

2011 Michigan Publinx State Match Play write-up

It's been over a month, so I should probably write about the Michigan State Publinx Matchplay championship that I played in during July.
The tournament was at Bedford Valley and Stonehedge North golf course in Battle Creek. The tournament consists of 36 holes of qualifying, one round at each course, and then players are divided into flights based on their 36 hole scores. I played in this tournament back in the late 90's, and was always in the first or second flight (both below championship flight). But looking at past scores it appears that enrollment is down, and the senior division is now 50 and over, so the flights have become more watered down. In any case, I determined looking at 2009 and 2010 results that a 2 day score of 157 was right on the borderline to making championship flight.

Championship flight was not my goal, as I know that the best players typically shoot under par, and my game is nowhere near that, nor has it ever been. My first round was at Stonehedge North, the course that I had never played, but had deemed easier judging by the course rating. My group had 3 players total, one of them was a 30 year old guy from Livonia, who wore a hearing aid. He was a nice enough guy, but a bit of a close talker, and very loud, talkative and repetitive on the golf course. He said he had played in the tournament 7 times but had yet to win a match. The other player was a guy around 38-40 from the Lansing area, who also had played before in the tournament, though I'm not sure of his results.
The first days forecast was ominous, and play was predictably slow. I bogied an easy par 5 to start, and after doubling the 7th (tee shot in the trees forcing me to punch out to the fairway, and then a 3 putt after my wedge to the green) and I was +4. The 9th was a long par 5, which I reached the front of in 2, and managed to get up and down to go out in 39. I parred 10, 3-putted 11 for bogie, birdied the par 5 12th, and then bogied the 13th with yet another 3 putt. On the par 5 14th I drove the ball through the fairway and had 240 to the green, going straight downhill. The green was guarded on the left by water, and the right hand side was guarded by trees. Even the flight to the green was guarded by an overhanging tree limb, making going for it a stupid idea. But the frustration from my two recent 3-putts must have made me go for it, and in making sure to not go left into the water, I blocked it right into the trees and never found it. I played from my provisional ball, and chunked a chip shot, and when it was all over I made an 8, when it was almost a sure par had I laid up. I made 1 more bogie on 17, and then on the 18th fairway the rain and lightening hit us, and we were hit with a 45 minute rain delay. After the rain delay I had to hit my first shot out of the fairway bunker, and then my approach went into the greenside bunker. I managed to get up and down from the bunker for par to shoot an 80, but I felt I left an awful lot of shots on the course.

That night I went to Firekeepers to play some poker and hang out. There I hooked up with Chris, who I played with on the high school golf team (he was 2 years younger). He had shot 76 and was also disappointed. I ran very cold at cards, and made some very good brute plays to get ahead early, but by the end of the night people started making strong hands against me and I finished down about a buy-in.

The next day was at Bedford Valley, where I had played a practice round 2 weeks earlier and shot 77. The course was very straight forward, but forced you to hit the ball straight, or miss badly to have shots into the green. Prior to the round I calculated my position in the field to be somewhere in the upper 50's, meaning Championship flight was a legitimate possibility. However, before the round started there was word that they may put less than 64 in that flight. I started very poorly, 4 over after 4 holes, missing fairways to the left, and never got it together on the first nine (playing the back first) and made the turn in 42. After parring #1, I piped a drive down the center of the fairway on #2, however when we got to the area where the ball should be, my ball was nowhere to be found. We finally saw a ball way left of the fairway (like 30-40 yards left) and it turned out to be mine. The only possible explanation was that it hit the 150 yard marker, a sprinkler head, or an animal grabbed it and took it away. Regardless, it made my shot much more difficult, and I didn't handle it well, shanking my approach and making a double. I rebounded with a birdie on 3, and played average the last 6 (despite missing every fairway) and finished with back to back 80's.

My thinking after the round was that it wouldn't be good enough to make championship flight. The guys in my group shot 79-87, and 85-92 or something to that effect, so I was the low score in the group. When I returned to the course later that evening and saw the scores, I counted and saw that I was in 64th place all by myself. In other words, the bottom seed of the championship flight, which means that if they do a 64 person flight, I have to play the medalist of the whole tourney, who shot 67-70 for the 2 days. Sure enough ,an hour later when the brackets came out, that was my fate. At least I knew that I had no pressure on me, and I would likely not have to worry about hotel accommodations beyond that night.

That evening I again went to Firekeepers, playing 1/2 and 1/3, turning a small profit, including playing the nut flush very trickily at a 1/3 table to make some decent money.

The first round of the matches was a shotgun start, with my match starting on the 1st hole. My driving woes continued as I snap hooked it into the trees, though my opponent (Steve) made birdie to go 1up early. On #2 I drove down the center and Steve drove left and was partially blocked. He hit a good recovery shot, and got up and down for par, and I parred to halve the hole. The third hole was similar, in that I was in the fairway and he was under pine tree on the left. He hit a phenomenal recovery shot to 20 feet, and I pulled my approach about 30 feet left. I proceeded to 3 putt and he 2 putted and I was 2 down after 3 holes. On #4 we both barely missed birdie putts and halved the hole. On #5, a long par 3, he hit the green and I proceeded to shank a 4 iron, and was now 3 down after 5 holes.

The 6th hole I had a ray of light as he pulled his drive into the trees, but I proceeded to do the same thing, and we both had to punch out to 155 yards out. His approach ended up on the fringe, about 15 feet away from the pin, mine landed about 20 feet short. I rolled in my par putt, and he missed his, and I was back to 2 down after 6. The 7th hole was more of the same, as I immediately hit a monster hook into the greenside bunker of the next hole, effectively eliminating me from the hole. 3 down after 7. His tee shot on the par 3 8th landed just short in the same bunker I was in the previous hole. I hit a good safe shot onto the green, and 2 putted, and he failed to get up and down and I was again 2 down. But I just couldn't hit the driver straight and immediately hooked it into the trees on #9. He made that moot by making birdie, and just like that I was 3 down at the turn. I managed to win 2 holes on the side, but instead of building on that momentum with a good tee shot, I immediately left the door open and gave back the hole I had just won, which you can't do in any match, let alone against a guy as good as Steve.

On the 10th I missed the green with my approach, but got up and down with a great flop shot to save par and halve the hole. On 11 we both hit the green but I was only 8 feet above the hole. After he missed his birdie putt, my putt hung on the edge and I missed an opportunity. The long par 3 12th was more work for me, as I missed in the left bunker, however I hit a good bunker shot and made a nice putt to halve the hole and stay 3 down with 6 to play. The par 5 13th I went with my plan (the one I didn't follow the previous day when I hit the water with a driver) and laid back with my hybrid. Steve piped driver right to the waters edge, and could reach the green from there. I hit a good layup and wedged to 15 feet. His 3 wood approach clipped a tree limb, but it fortuitously stayed out of the woods or bunker, and he pitched to 2 feet for a gimme birdie. My birdie putt lipped out and I was now 4 down with 5 to play. I made another very good up and down on 14 for par to halve the hole, and go dormie 4. After we both missed our birdie putts on 14, I conceded the match and lost 4&3.

It was a respectable score considering that he was the medalist, but I played so awful that I couldn't help but be disappointed. He was 1 under par for the round, but I really felt that I didn't make him work at all. In looking at the results online, he won his next 3 matches to make the semi-finals before losing.

It was a fun tournament, and I learned a lot playing with the medalist. I learned that I am really not that far away from him in terms of skill. The difference is the consistency in ball striking, and the short game. His chip shots were all very close, and every putt he hit felt like it was going in. It also reminded me to think a little more around the golf course, and not give up as many strokes as I did, as I could have earned a better seed and perhaps played a worse player in the 1st round.

Upswing continues

Despite a little hiccup at Firekeepers when I was at the Michigan Publinx State Match Play, my upswing continued at Northville Downs yesterday.

Got to Northville at about 5:15pm after work. Table was reasonably deep stacked, with 3-4 players sitting on $400 or more, and only 1 short stack.

A good start: Immediately I get involved, 1st hand I raise up to 12 from MP with AQ, and get one of the blinds, a golfer to call, who has $300, and if I remember right is an action player. Flop is A87, he checks, I bet 15, he check raises to 30 and I call. Turn is a T, he bets 45 and I call. River is a K, which has to scare him if he has a hand like aces up, he checks, I check behind and he says he has queen high, so I am up a quick 80. I don't think betting the river is any good, as I don't see him folding any 2 pair hands, and he likely isn't calling with any 1 pair hands. My plan was to call almost all rivers, unless I picked something up on him.

Willard: Table is starting to get short (7 handed), but everyone has a stack. I am on a nice rush of cards, and raise pre-flop for the 4th straight hand, this time with AJ. I am called by the button and by Willard (tight old man who plays pretty passively, likes donk betting though, and has really had my number). Flop comes Jxx rainbow, and Willard donks 15, I call, and button folds. Turn is another low card putting 2 diamonds on board, and he bets 20, I raise to 55 and he calls. River is another low non-pairing diamond, completing the backdoor diamond draw, he checks and I decide to bet somewhat small for value, 65, and he folds QQ face-up. Says I got unlucky the diamond hit as he would have called.

Big flop, big hand: They combine tables and one of the biggest fish in the room gets moved immediately to my left, with a stack of 700. I have about 500 at this point. The hand is straddled by the button, and after 1 caller, I raise to 20 with AhTh. Fish calls and the limper folds. Flop is beautiful, Tx8h5h. I bet a little larger than normal, but probably imperceptible to him, 35, and he raises to 75. Generally in my experience he makes large bets and raises when he has nut-like hands. I make a small re-raise to 140 and he calls (in hindsight I think I should have raised a little bit more, as I would likely make a larger re-raise to 180 or so with an overpair). At the time I didn't want to fold out any draws that I dominate. The turn is another 8. I think his range is most tens, occasionally he will have an 8, sometimes J9 or even QJ, and a lot of flush draws. I was a little uneasy at the time, but I think the best play is to fire a smallish bet at the turn, maybe 125 or so. I am not folding if raised, but this way it allows him to call with hands that I want him to call with, while not allowing him to easily fold those hands. At the time though I chose checking, and he quickly checked behind. The river was a K. I checked with the intention of snap calling almost all bets, and he bet 65, which I called. He showed 6h3h. I would have gotten him for 250BB's if the heart had come.

A tough decision: Straddled pot, after a few limps I limp 8h6h, and we see a flop 5 ways. Flop is 764 with 1 heart, checks to me and I bet 15 (I had done this the previous hand in a straddled pot and took it down). Golfer on button calls (he has 600, I cover), and BB calls (he has about 325). Turn is another 6, check to me, I bet 40, button calls, and SB raises to 125, leaving himself 180-ish behind. I am pretty sure that the button is done with the hand based on my read of his range, and his demeanor after the raise. My read on him is that he was a thinking player, he was stuck about half of a buy-in, but seemed to play really straight-forward. I wasn't sure that he was capable of bluffing into two players in this spot, so I elected to fold. The button quickly folded. I told people that I folded a 6, just to try to get a response from him. Later in the night as he was racking up I asked him what he had, and he said that he was open-ended and repping the 6. I'm not sure I believe him, as most players would have taken the odds I was giving them to hit their draw (one of which would have given me a full house).

The one that got away: UTG to my right straddled, as he had done every chance he got (he was playing about 350). 2 things had happened when he straddled, the first was that I had raised it and he had folded, or after a lot of limps, he made a large re-raise. I sensed he was getting tired of me raising his straddle. I elected to call the straddle with AhQh. There were about 5 callers to him, and then he raised to 35. I was getting a little bit of a weak vibe from him, but I was a bit afraid to re-raise, knowing that the fish behind me had potential to call. In the end I elected to fold, and the fish took down the pot with A9 on an AJ7 flop. In hindsight, I wish I would have followed my read, and re-raised to 85. If called I could have played passively after the flop, and if re-raised I could easily fold.

There were a few other small wins and losses. I was definitely flopping well with my good pre-flop hands, though I wasn't hitting much on many of my speculative hands. Overall I felt I played good and controlled, and was pleased with the +400 overall result.

Interesting sidenote to the session, a guy a few tables over was selling new boxes of Titleist ProV1's for $25. I'm not sure what the story was on them, but since they are normally $40, I jumped at the opportunity to pick up a box, despite now having 3 dozen in my inventory at home.