LoCaL sPorts 27
CHAUTAUQUA STAR
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014
Golfer's
By Stefan Gestwicki On the plus side, when
the gentleman in the
Star Sports Editor
pro shop heard it was
Mark’s first time golfing,
The Golfer’s Diary is a
weekly column for golf lov- he grabbed a couple golf
ers. I am entering my third balls as a welcome-tothe-sport gift. My comseason as a golfer, so I’m
not sure I totally qualify as ment was “well that’s
better than a punch in
a novice anymore, but I’ll
the face.” Of course,
discuss different courses,
weather effects, new equip- most things are better
than a punch in the face.
ment and more relating to
Thank you Pinehurst for
the game we love.
welcoming a new golfer
This Monday was a
with open arms.
very special golf outing
for me. I don’t want to When we took position
on the first tee, another
sound too emotional,
but it was the first time threesome of guys was
about to walk over and
I’ve ever golfed with
start on No. 3. I offered
my younger brother
and lifetime best friend, them our spot on No. 1
and we took the short
Mark, who had never
walk over to No. 3.
golfed before.
While they were grateHe’s been in Malawi,
ful, it was more for selfAfrica serving in the
ish reasons. I wanted to
Peace Corps for the
ensure the opportunity
past 27 months. For
to play Nos. 6 and 7,
those who are readers
my two favorite holes
of the Golfer’s Dion the course.
ary, you’ll know that I
didn’t pick up the won- Just to be clear, this was
derful sport of golf until just my third time out
this year. I still haven’t
about 24 months ago.
been to a driving range
We were joined by my to work out any kinks.
usual golfing partner,
So I wasn’t expecting
Bryan, and headed up to set the world on fire.
to Pinehurst Golf Club Yet I actually played
in Westfield. Unfortusurprisingly well. We
nately, my golfing sense only got through five
failed me and I forgot
holes, so it’s relatively
that there would be
hard to judge my score
a league teeing off at
on sheer numbers, but I
5:00. That gave us an
played bogey golf – five
hour and a half.
D i a ry
over through five holes.
That’s pretty solid for
me even mid-season.
No. 3, however, was not
a hole that I played well
on. Of course I sliced
the dickens out of my
drive and ended up on
No. 2’s fairway. I’ve yet
to hit the right fairway
in three tries on this
hole this year. For you
math nuts out there,
0-for-3 is not a very
good percentage.
IMPORTANT
NOTE: If you’re struggling with the slice,
move the ball back in
your stance about six
inches. It feels wrong,
but if you’re teeing off
with the ball up near
your front foot, you’re
going to put the spin on
the ball that will cause
it to slice. I’ve found
that the best place for
the ball is between the
middle of your stance
and your left hip (for a
right-handed golfer).
Yet for some reason
Bryan, who generally
struggles off the tee,
has been golden on this
hole. He once again
drove a beauty right up
the gut. I’m not sure
how he does it on just
No. 3, but he’s been in
the zone there.
As for Mark, it took him
a couple this-is-my-first-
time-ever-playing-golf
mulligans, but he got
a ball playable and
continued to make
solid contact all day. He
quickly realized how
difficult it is to hit a golf
ball straight, but he had
no trouble putting the
club on the ball. I’ve
certainly seen some new
golfers that couldn’t
even master that seemingly simple task.
None of us finished
particularly well on No.
3, but all of us played
far better on No. 4, the
first par 3 on the course.
All three of our shots
off the tee ended up a
little bit to the right, but
with good distance. The
wind was blowing pretty
strong from left to right,
but for some reason none
of us accounted for it.
But that said, when all of
the balls are just off the
green to the right, that’s
pretty good.
I had a nice chip and a
putt for par. Unfortunately Mark and Bryan both
suffered from the downhill slope and their balls
rolled to the front of the
green, but a 3 and a pair
of 5’s on the scorecard is
much better than the ugliness of the first hole.
Mark looked like a
seasoned vet on his third
career hole. He hit a
FIVE HOLES ARE ALWAyS
bETTER THAn nOnE
nice drive that tailed
just a little bit right, but
then smashed his second
shot perfectly on line
just short of the green. A
chip and two putts and
he had his first career
bogey. He actually won
the hole when I lipped
out my bogey putt.
I’ve said it before and
I’ll continue to say it: I
love No. 6 at Pinehurst.
From the white tees it’s
about 500 yards. From
the blue tees it’s nearly
575. Yes, it’s intimidating from the tee box,
but as long as you don’t
try to kill the ball and
just continue to make
good, straight shots it’s
not a difficult hole. In
fact, when I sank my
par putt it marked just
one-over par on three
combined times playing
that hole this year. I also
played it well last year.
Of course, this time No
6 was saved by one of
the better shots of my
life. My second shot
was a 3-hybrid from
the fairway that tailed
underneath the trees at
the bottom of the hill.
So I had to hit through/
around trees and onto
the sliver of green I could
see. Not only did I do
just that, but I got a nice
bounce that took the ball
even closer to the pin.
My birdie putt went just a
little to the right, but left
me with a tap-in par, my
favorite kind of par.
No. 7 is also a fantastic
hole. It’s a par 3 over
a pond. In the warmer
weather ahead you’ll
be able to see all kinds
of wildlife in the pond,
but aside from a couple
fish, everything is still
hunkered down.
It was nearly unbelievable how similar of a
shot I hit t