By mustang6560 on 8/29/13

My first tee shot on hole 1 at Burning Ridge today explains my round in a nutshell: I played a draw all week, but my driver faded on me into the fairway bunker and my ball came to rest against the lip of the bunker so I was forced to hit out backward. I carded a double bogey.



Welcome to Burning Ridge Golf & Country Club!



The clubhouse



Burning Ridge was voted the 2006 South Carolina Course of the Year.


It just wasn't my day. I struggled off of the tee, I struggled with my approach shots, and I struggled with my putting. Every time I thought I was about to get it going, I'd do something stupid. After two doubles through the first three holes, I was settling into a groove until I duck-hooked my tee shot O.B. on the ninth, which led to a third double on the front. I started the back with two pars (and I had birdie putts on both), then I dunked my tee shot into the drink on the par-3 12, which led to my fourth double of the day. I played the next six holes in six over to shoot an 89.



I'm not sure warming up more would have helped me today.



You probably can't tell but the "cups" were above the ground
on the practice green, which I thought was weird.


My sole birdie came on the easiest par-5 on the course, the 457-yard dogleg right 15th. I smashed my driver off the tee, which left me 155 to an uphill green into the wind. I was thinking eagle. I clubbed up to make sure I didn't come up short and proceeded to yank it left. I managed to two-putt from just off the green for birdie, but my cart-buddy birdied too so we cut skins. Alas, I didn't get a piece of the $2,000 pie.

I found Burning Ridge to be a difficult track. The greens were the most challenging we played all week because they were so slow and undulating -- I missed two putts inside three feet. That said, on a different day I could have easily carded something in the high-70s, low-80s. When I left, I was the high score. The majority of scores were between 84 and 87.



I fell victim to the opening par-5 first.



I drained a 20-foot putt to save par on the par-5 8th.



The only place you couldn't miss was short, so naturally I dunked it in the drink on the par-3 13th.


I won't know where I finished but it's safe to assume I played myself out of the top 5 and possibly the top 10 in my flight. I do know the leader of my flight shot an 81 so he easily qualified for the finals tomorrow (guess I'll be rooting for him!). I'll post an update on how all our crew did later tonight. For now, I'm going to get ready for our third annual "World Am Putt Putt Challenge."

Ciao for now!


All photos by Nathan J. Trifone

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