Just as I had laid plans for my next round at Snohomish Golf Course, I managed to sneak in and get a tee time for September 18th at Maplewood Golf Course in Renton, WA. Since Maplewood is quite a bit different than Snohomish, I thought I should adjust a few of my goals for the week and possibly alter my practice as well. Measuring just 6102 from the blue tees, Maplewood sets up much more as a shot makers course than it does a distance challenger. It appears that Maplewood should be more of a target shooter with good layup distances style, which will mean dialing in my 3 iron this week as well as trying to nail the 100 yard wedge shot with my 56 degree wedge. In an effort to explain my process a bit better, I’m charting out the round before I play it, just like I do every week, but this week, I’m giving you my preview.
The Front Nine
The first hole is relatively straight forward with a slight dog leg right going up the hill to a green that is 320 yards away. A simple 5 or 6 iron off the tee should place me at the bottom of the hill where a soft pitching wedge or hard gap wedge should fit nicely. The par 3 second hole plays out to a perfect 8 iron for me (if my distances are on.) The 163 yard hole should be easy enough with a relaxed 8 iron in. Coming back down the hill on the par 4 third, the 381 yard hole doesn’t have much going on with it until you get to the green. Bunkers short right and back are the hole’s biggest defenders, while the green features some slopes on the left half to keep you honest. A driver off the tee here should leave me a solid 105 in, which should be a full 56 degree wedge to get home. The par 4 fourth is another hole that lays out very simply. A drive down the right center of the fairway should leave an easy 60 degree wedge into the green. This brings me to the challenging par 5 fifth hole. At 491 yards, this is a tempting beast to go after in two. When you realize that if you can cut the corner, you can shave about 100 yards off the hole, it becomes a must have in two. I’ll start my drive over the trees on the left and let it fade back over into the fairway on a straight line. This should leave a very short 150 yard shot into the green. A solid 9 iron should do the job here and I should be putting for eagle. Things shorten up on the par 3 sixth. The 142 yard hole also sets up nicely for a good pitching wedge. The 131 yard carry over the water shouldn’t even come into play. Just don’t go too far left with that tee shot and everything should be aces. Moving on to the seventh hole, a par 5 that measures 562 yards, a solid drive will be needed to bring par into play on this one. If I can land one right center of the fairway and hit a solid 6 iron approach, that should leave me an easy 56 degree wedge into the green for a two putt par. The par 4 eighth hole is a real pain since there are two ways to play it. If I’m feeling solid about driving, I can place a driver out in the fairway on the up hill slope to the green and have a half wedge in. If the driver isn’t going so well, I can mid iron it to the bottom of the hill and have more of a full shot in. Either way, this hole should be a tough one to get nailed. Finishing up the front side, the par 4 ninth has plenty of trouble on board to the left, but if I am driving the ball on a fade, I can continue that and try to aim just down the fairway at the edge of the water line and bring the ball back into the fairway. With only 346 yards to cover off a downhill tee shot, it should be easy enough to get close for a half wedge into the green.
The Back Nine
The backside starts off with a doozy of a hole, the 511 yard par 5 tenth. This hole plays as straight as they come with almost no trouble to be found. There is a small drainage creek that runs in front of the hole, as well as down the left side, but nothing major to contend with. A simple drive down the right center, a 9 iron for the layup and lob wedge to the green should bring a great score here. From there, the par 4 eleventh brings a dogleg right with a creek guarding the short side of the hole. A two tiered green protects the flag on this hole, so nailing a good drive and a solid 51 degree wedge will be key to scoring well on this one. A long par 3 follows up 11. The par 3 twelfth measures 177 yards and has enough trouble around it to be very scary. My estimated yardages pin this one at a 7 iron, but the miss is short left on this hole, so I’ll have to do a yardage check when I get there to make sure that works. The par 4 thirteenth is another dogleg right. It’s about 250 yards from the tee box to the edge of the fairway in the corner. This means I’ll either have to curve a driver or lay up with a 3 iron or possibly my 4 wood if it’s ready to go by then. After the tee shot, the 13th is left going very straight forward and should be sand wedge in. Moving to the fourteenth hole, a par 3 that measures 139 yards, I should have a nice easy pitching wedge between the bunkers short and long into the green. The fifteenth is another long one at 451 yards, but a solid driver and a 6 to 7 iron should have me putting for an eagle. Closing out the round with the last three holes are the 324 yard par 4 sixteenth, which should just play driver and a half 60 degree wedge. The 373 yard par 4 seventeenth, which also should play with a driver to the right center and a soft 56 degree wedge to the green. Finally the 309 yard par 4 eighteenth, which may be drivable from the hill down to the green. The aim mark is the bunker on the left of the green here with a slight fade. If I can hit that shot, it may be eagle time to finish.
So, now you can see how I prepare for a new course when I am going to go out to play it. I try and take my tendencies that are the norm and apply them to the round to come. If my normal swing is around, I should play Maplewood like a text book as most of the holes are ones that turn to the right. I’ve reset my goals for more of a target style course as I will have 12 holes that feature wedges into the greens instead of the handful that Snohomish was going to give me. Instead of focusing on the 70% mark for fairways and setting my target mark at 25 feet, I am going to dial it up a notch and go for 75% of the fairways, 5 shots inside 12 feet and 32 putts or less. I’ll keep working on dialing in my distances as well.
GOALS FOR THE SEPTEMBER 18TH ROUND
Hit 75% of the fairways -
Hit 5 shots inside 12 feet -
Hit only 32 putts or less -
Dial in club distances -
I’ll get the recap posted on this one as quickly as I can after the round, but I’m still trying to get a bout 2-3 more rounds in with the 100’s before the fall weather arrives, so I might not be able to post them all back to back to back like this. In the meantime, go out and play while the weather is still good. Most of all, have fun playing, because if you don’t enjoy the ride, there’s not much point in taking it!
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