Blogger’s Note: From time to time I will be showcasing a different course and my personal experiences there. This week I am discussing my recent round at Reidy Creek in Escondido. Reidy has always been a favorite of mine and a little inside info, there will be a Reidy Creek specific incentive added to the JC Players Card coming this summer, so stay posted for that!
This past Friday I eagerly shot out of the office to take advantage of a nice afternoon of golf. (We arrived at 3:30 and it was a bit windy, but I have to admit that I enjoy playing shorter courses in the wind, it really allows for a player’s creativity to kick in.)
Knowing that I was going to use the round as the backbone for this post I took an extra special look over the scorecard when I was on the first tee and was surprised that the distance of the two 9’s was pretty evenly distributed. I had played Reidy a handful of times in the past and had often described it as “a lot of 9 irons and wedges on the front a lot more mid-long irons on the back” and now looking at the card I see there is only about a 12 yard average distance between the holes on the front and those on the back. Essentially only a one club difference. Intriguing.
In my mind this sharpened my focus from simply tracking which clubs I “pulled” on each tee, to seeing if there really was a different and distinct feel to the two nines.
A well spent afternoon!
Front Nine
1st Hole – I hit a 6 iron and not very well, thin and to the right. As with many of the greens at Reidy, there are two almost distinct greens and the pin was all the way down and to the left.
2nd Hole – Great downhill hole with water on the short right which is where the pin was and wind was blowing left to right. I hit 8 iron to the left side of the green and breathed a sigh of relief when it hit land.
3rd Hole – Uphill with a strong wind and I hit a 21 degree hybrid, so much for a 9 iron. The record of where my tee ball landed will remain unspoken.
4th Hole – This was a 9 iron with the pin all the way back and the win swirling. Trouble left, right, and behind this green. I loved my tee shot when I hit it, but was worried until the ball came to rest on the green.
5th Hole – Another 9 iron on this uphill hole. I hit a great shot and made birdie! Only one unfortunately.
6th Hole – This is another green with two distinct levels and the pin was on the top level. I hit a pitching wedge well clear of the bottom tier which is where a 3 putt would have been a safe bet.
7th Hole – A huge green from left to right, which is tough to hit given its lack of depth. I hit a great pitching wedge but missed a makeable birdie putt.
8th Hole – This won a tough one. The hole requires -at least for me- a longish iron and the hazard on the right side comes right up to the collar. It took a solid 5 iron to knock it hole high on this one.
9th Hole – I managed an 8 iron here onto the green and was thankful there was no wind at the moment.The finishing hole on this side has the same hazard hugging the right side and a huge bunker on the left.
The only hole I birdied? Of course there's a photo.
Back Nine
10th Hole – The pin was all the way back on this huge green. Two bunkers on the right and hazard all down the left, a 6 iron got me to the middle of the green. No way I was attacking the pin with a mid-iron.
11th Hole – The wind picked up and I hit 5 iron to this huge green, just don’t hit it way right here.
12th Hole – The wind continued into our face and I hit a 6 iron trying to get the ball on the right level of this 3-tiered green. I overswung and pulled it into the left bunker, hitting none of the 3 tiers.
13th Hole – I was glad the gust didn’t die down and hit a 9 iron to a blind pin. This is an example of a hole that really gets interesting depending on wind and its direction.
14th Hole – Longest hole on the track and I needed a 4 iron to knock it on the green.
15th Hole – Shortest hole on the track which challenges your 1/2 or 3/4 swing and will penalize you if you stick your club into the ground. Thankfully, I didn’t and knocked my wedge on.
16th Hole – The pin was a “green light” special in the middle back and I hit an aggressive 7 iron.
17th Hole – This uphill, well bunkered hole is dangerous if you short side yourself. The day we played the pin was all the way to the left, and I hit my 8 iron to the right. Right in a greenside bunker, unfortunately.
18th Hole – GREAT finishing hole with trouble all around the green. With my group’s match on the line I hit a nerve-racking 5 iron onto the green. 1/2 the guys in my group donated golf balls.
The scorecard proved to be correct, as the six holes that I hit a 9-iron or wedge, seven holes that I hit 6 thru 8 iron, and five holes that I hit 5 iron or stronger were spread throughout the course. A great balance of shot variety on both nines.
We had a great match on a great golf course and we drove away from the golf course at 6:30 with plenty of daylight left. Wait why didn’t we play more holes???
Greg
INTERLOCKED 