First round with the new swing

And boy was it a doozy. I started out 5, 9, 4, 6, with par being 4, 5, 3, 4. So 8 strokes in the first 4 holes, wow, welcome to your new swing Paper Hogan. How did I make a 9? Easy, hit a be-a-utiful cut tee shot off the tee through the 90 degree dogleg into some of the deepest rough I've ever played in Arizona. Those guys at Camelback should be proud of that stuff, wow. So anyway, can't find the ball, take a drop. Smoked a 7 iron out of that into the fairway, oh wait, make that into a 45 foot tall palm tree, SMACK, dead into a palm leaf, dropped straight down. Pulled my next 7 iron left into the trees, but hey, at least I found that one. Had to punch it out, SMACK into an overhanging branch. Hmm, ok at least I've now got a shot in a fluffy lie to get it up over the trees and onto the green. SMACK into another branch. A little flip wedge onto the green, tentative putt for 8, easy tap in, there's your 9 folks.

So after I'm 8 strokes down on the course, I do a little reflecting, take a couple of extra practice swings with the driver on the next hole, 440 yard par 4. Absolutely smoked the tee shot, down the right side, just in the fairway. Get to the ball, it's only 115 to the back right hole location, I knew that tee shot felt good, but wow that thing got out there. Alas, my happiness quickly vanished upon seeing that I had the ugliest overgrown pine tree overhanging the right 1/5 of the fairway. I decide on a smooth punch fade with the wedge, and I hit the most beautiful dead straight punch shot you've ever seen, right into the back corner of the left bunker. Feet outside of the bunker, amazed I even got it out. I actually hit it too far, luckily it spun and stopped short of the fringe, about 8 feet away. How the putt didn't go in, I'll never know, but what a good putt I hit. Ah well...

So 9 after 5. Hit another perfect tee shot on the next par 5, toe hooked a 3 iron into the left rough just short of the green. Hit a little wedge to the back edge and made the 10 footer. Welcome to your first birdie with the new swing Paper Hogan. I must have made another bogey on the front because when it was all said and done I was told 44 for the front, I wasn't keeping score, just playing. Maybe I should have kept a closer eye on the card, yikes.

Ok, so I play the last 4 holes even, hitting it good (nearly made a 8 footer right after the par 5 for back to back birdies, oh what a great putt, unfortunate). Feeling good going to the 10th, 360 yard dogleg right par 4. now this hole has water and trees left, a wide open corner with 4 humongous palm trees. Those trees are surrounded by a bunker / grassy knoll contraption, that is just no good, 241 to clear it. 3 wood lands me right there, I could hit an iron, but I've just hit 3 perfect drivers in a row. Easy call right? I hit this tee shot so far right and OOB, that I think I hit a house across the street from the houses that line the golf course. But boy oh boy was it DEEP. Two putted from 50 feet after I hit a 97 yard SW that somehow went around 115 yards (touch like a surgeon baby). All in all, a great 6.

It's pretty much a blur after that, this golf course has holes that all look the same. I bogeyed 2 more coming in for a smooth 85 on the day. So 9 after 5, play the other 13 in 4 over, ok not bad for the first round with the new swing. But let me tell you this, I hit 2 more of those wickedly blocked tee shots, one each with driver and 3 wood. That's not my historical miss, so I want to get that figured out. This is beyond just blocked, it's a blocked push cut that tails right at the end. I'm no swing guru, but I'm pretty sure you want to eliminate that type of a miss.

Oh, forgot the best part. I made par on 18, a par 5, after a lost ball that stopped just short of the left greenside bunker. Is it possible to make a positive out of something that made you utter the F word 17 times under your breath? If so, yay me for something positive.