My own club's "Ryder Cup"

[helper_monkey]

My home club decided to have a Ryder Cup style competition this weekend. The two captains were the Head Pro (Team White) and Assistant Pro (Team Blue) and we played over two days, with 18 holes of Fourball on Saturday morning, 18 holes of Foursomes on Saturday afternoon and 18 holes of singles on Sunday. Each team had twelve players and ten played in the fourball and foursome matches (5 matches in each format).

 

I was selected for Team White. I played in the fourball matches on Saturday morning and my partner and I won 3 and 2. The Captain sat me for the afternoon foursomes and by the end of the day Team White was leading Team Blue 6-4.

 

The Sunday singles were organized by handicap, with the highest handicap players going off in the first matches and the lowest handicap players going off last. As a result, I went off in the ninth of the twelve singles matches. My opponent was someone I was very familiar with and we play in the same regular group. Good player and very steady, so I was going to have my hands full. We teed off on the back side so regular Sunday morning groups could go off on number 1. The back side was pretty uneventful, I won one hole and he won one hole so we were all square as we made the turn. That was when it got pretty tense and exciting:

 

Hole 10 (course hole 1) 390 Par 4

Tee shot plays a little downhill. My opponent had the tee and led off with a booming drive right down the middle. I necked mine a bit, so it started off a little low and left but had enough cut on it to catch the fairway and scoot a little bit. Not a great tee shot by any means, but I only had 140 or so left. I had a hanging lie and tried to hit a choked down 8-iron and just fanned it. It was a terrible shot and I caught the right had greenside trap. My opponent had 110 left and hit a so-so shot to 20 feet. I hit a pretty good bunker shot that left me five feet for par. My opponent hit a good putt that just stayed out and I conceded his par. I hit what I thought was a good putt, but it just didn’t break and I ended up with a bogey (1-down).

 

Hole 11 (course hole 2) 320 Par 4

This is a short par 4 with a green that is perched on a little plateau and is tilted severely from back to front and right to left. On the card it looks like an easy hole, but the green can be really tough if you are on the wrong side. My opponent had the tee and hit driver and left it way out to the right. I never hit driver on this hole as it leaves an awkward pitch. Instead I hit 3-hybrid to about 100 out. My opponent was in bad shape in the trees right, but I was hitting first and hit a wedge to 15 feet. My opponent tried to snake a shot through trees and didn’t make it. Then hit his third long to the back edge of the green. He was still away and his fourth was in a very difficult spot. He actually hit a pretty good pitch, but still ran 25 feet by. He missed his bogey putt and conceded the hole (all square).

 

Hole 12 (course hole 3) 500 Par 5

A big surprise awaited us at this hole as the tees were WAY up. This is normally a 560 yard, 3 shot hole, but today it played right at 500 and was reachable by both of us if we hit good tee shots. Both of us did hit good shots and I was up first from the fairway about 220 out. Up around the green, everything slopes hard right to left, so you have to play right and let the ball feed down to the left. I hit 4-hybrid but started it a little left of where I wanted and ended up in the left rough just short of the green. My opponent was about a yard closer to the green and hit a good shot that caught the slope and ended up left and long. He hit a nice pitch to about 5 feet. I hit a pretty poor pitch that ran 15 feet by. Again I hit what I thought was a good putt but it just stayed high. Par was conceded. He made his birdie and I was back to one down.

 

Hole 13 (course hole 4) 175 Par 3

This hole plays a little downhill and has water fronting the green. My opponent hit first and left it out to the right on the backside of a mound. He had a really tough up and down left from there. I made a bad mental error here. I was torn between a 6 and 7 iron and went with the six. I hit it pure and with a little wind helping it carried to the back edge and hopped into the rough long. In retrospect, with my opponent in a tough spot I should have been thinking front third of the green and leave an easy uphill putt. Instead I left myself a very tough up and down. Both my opponent and I failed to get up and down and halved the hole (1 down).

 

Hole 14 (course hole 5) 426 Par 4

The tees were WAY back for this hole (basically at the tips). This is the toughest hole on the course. It is a dogleg left with water all the way down the left and up to the green. Both my opponent and I hit good drives. The pin was back left and over water the whole way. I had 168 left and hit a perfect 7 iron with just a little draw on it to 12 feet or so. My opponent hit an ok shot to the middle of the green (30+ feet away). He tried to make his putt and ran it a few feet by. It didn’t matter as I buried my birdie putt and squared up the match.

 

Hole 15 (course hole 6) 145 Par 3

This was a pretty uneventful hole. Both of us hit decent tee shots to the middle of the green. I putted first and missed low. My opponent putted next and missed high. Pars were conceded and we were off to the next hole (all square).

 

Hole 16 (course hole 7) 375 Par 4

The captains were waiting for us as we arrived at the 16^th tee. Four matches were done and Team White was up 8-6. However, we held a lead in only one of the other four matches in front of us, and Team Blue was dormie in one of the matches in which it held a lead. According to my captain, with where things stood, we really needed my point. This hole has water at about 260 out from the tee, so the smart play is less than driver. I hit first and my 3 wood was just right of center. My opponent hit his worst shot of the day, way right into the woods. He was in jail and way back (about 190 from the hole). He hit an admirable shot and ended up 50 yards or so short of the green. I had 130 to the hole and hit a 9-iron to 20 feet. My opponent chunked his pitch and had 40 feet left for par. He hit a good putt and bogey was conceded. He (correctly) made me hit my first putt and I cozied it up to a foot. Par was conceded and I went back to 1-up.

 

Hole 17 (course hole 8) 360 Par 4

This is a hard dogleg right with a tough green that is very small and titled from back to front. I have a bit of a mental block on this hole. Nevertheless, I hit 3 wood a little too well and it chased through the fairway into the left rough. My opponent left another one to the right into the trees. He hit first and hit a great shot, chasing it along the ground through the trees and into the right greenside bunker. I had 130 out and hit wedge to be sure I stayed beneath the hole. It came out dead and ended up short of the green. I hit first and hit a pretty poor chip that chased 5 feet by the hole, leaving a tough downhill left to right putt. My opponent hit a really nice bunker shot to 3-feet. I missed, he made. Back to all square.

 

Hole 18 (course hole 9) 495 par 5

This is a dogleg left that plays a little downhill on the tee shot and then sweeps uphill all the way to the green. A big bunker guards inside of the dogleg. My opponent hits driver and hits it left towards the bunker. It hit short of the trap and kicked left of the trap. I was debating about what to hit as driver brings a lot of trouble into play (left bunker, through the fairway right if I don’t turn it over), whereas a 3-wood leaves me short of the bunker and widens the fairway. Ultimately, I chose to hit 3-wood to keep it in the fairway. Even hitting 3-wood I could still get there in two with a good drive. I could feel some adrenalin and nerves but I hit it just perfect up the right side and had about 230 left.

 

Around that time I notice a cart coming up behind me. It was one of the groups behind who had finished up, with Team Blue winning 3 and 2. So that was another point for them. Looking up at the green I saw the captains and a couple others waiting. I thought about going over to see my opponent’s situation, but then decided against it. I knew the shot I had left and had played it many times and knew I could get there. Laying up just because my opponent was in trouble would not have been the right play. So, I pulled my 3-hybrid and hit an absolute rocket that started at the flag and moved a little left. It landed short of the green and kicked on and ran to the back of the green. With the middle pin I probably had 40-50 feet of downhill sloping putt left for eagle. Turned out my opponent was in an ok spot, but had to hook it around some trees to get to the green. He hit a hybrid of some sort that started right and stayed right, ultimately settling in the right rough about 30 yards from the hole. He hit first and ran his pitch 15 feet by the hole.

 

So this was it. I had a downhill 50 footer with about 10 feet of right to left break with several teammates watching. The good news was that with the downhill I really just had to pick a line and tap it and it would get to the hole. I just got the putt rolling and it began tracking towards to the hole. It took the break and the downhill slope and stopped three feet from the hole. My opponent lined up his putt and made his stroke. It looked really good but just missed on the low side. I quickly lined up my remaining putt and dropped it in for birdie to win hole and the match. Several team members were waiting to congratulate me as I walked off the green, which was a pretty cool feeling.

 

My point ended up getting us to 11 to 9 with two matches left on the course. We won one and halved the other to end at 12.5 to 9.5.

 

Boy that last 3-hybrid felt good!!!

[agray94]

I love the idea. My Idea is to get the 2 high schools in town to play a cup style event here. I can see them playing a Friday-Saturday schedule at each team's home course. Play 18 on Friday..probably alternate shot since it's faster and then 36 on Sat, with first 18 being four ball and then match play the last 18. I think it would be fun and be a nice change of pace for the kids

[knock it close]

Thats awesome my club used to do the same thing, the only difference is we did scotch ball vs 4somes

[helper_monkey]

[quote name='knock it close' timestamp='1412025051' post='10207837']
Thats awesome my club used to do the same thing, the only difference is we did scotch ball vs 4somes
[/quote]

What's "Scotch Ball?"

[knock it close]

[quote name='helper_monkey' timestamp='1412025181' post='10207849'][quote name='knock it close' timestamp='1412025051' post='10207837']
Thats awesome my club used to do the same thing, the only difference is we did scotch ball vs 4somes
[/quote]

What's "Scotch Ball?"[/quote]

Modified alt shot both hit drives choose best one alt in from there