I fell in love with the Golf Club of Wentzville today. It is not the longest or craziest design, but it is sneaky hard and just a gorgeous course. I can’t wait to play it again as soon as possible, and especially can’t wait to see it in all its glory this summer. Usually, this only happens to me when I play amazing on a new course, but today wasn’t even one of those days.

I showed up at 3:45 p.m. without a tee time because I could see from online bookings it was pretty open. The people running the course are great. With the coronavirus worries, they made sure to give everyone a sanitized golf cart. I have to be careful to not get it, not because of me, but because I help look after my 90-year-old grandma I can’t afford to be out of commission or possibly give it to her. The staff assuaged my fears and possible need to walk with great professionalism.

Playing the course itself, it was the epitome of social distancing. I cruised through the front nine in an hour without seeing another soul or having to wait on a shot until the ninth hole. A family walking the course left after 9, and the back was a ghost town as well. There are a couple holes that run along roads and houses, but for the most part, it feels like you are in nature, more so than even its sister course Links at Dardenne, on which you can see deer almost every time you play it, but you can see the neighborhood around it on more holes.

It was extremely wet, so I wasn’t getting any roll out on drives. I think this might make it play shorter when it’s going at full speed, but because of the doglegs, it might just force you to club down. The greens were quick, tiered, and deceptive. When they are dry and cut every morning, they could be the toughest in St. Charles County. I had multiple putts where my back was to the hole. Throw in some wind, which this course looks like it could be prone to especially on the back, and the par-71, 6300-yard Golf Club of Wentzville gets tougher in a hurry.

My driver was working well all day. I basically have taken away the left miss. My bad drives are a slight push to a block right. I have fixed my path, so I am almost never getting the old slice. A little better face control and I am finally going to be as close to perfect as I will get off the tee until I start adding speed. A few of my misses got unlucky behind trees, and I didn’t scramble well today. For a place I used to have the most anxiety on the course, the tee box has quickly become my sanctuary when I can just pull out driver and rip it.

My ball striking with the irons and fairway woods had some blips. I hit some thin knockdown pitching wedges, which is normally one of my strengths. I shanked a 3-wood on a must par, probable birdie par 5 4th, and then compounded the error by trying to do too much with an 8-iron around and through some trees.

My worst hole though was the 10th. I hit a good drive just through the dogleg. I then shanked a 7-iron, bladed and pulled a pitching wedge, and left my chip in the rough. Thankfully, I got up and down from there. Unfortunately, it was for my only double of the day.

This round might be the perfect encapsulation of my game right now. I can make holes look downright easy. I parred the first three in textbook fashion with hit fairways and greens and easy two-putts. I parred the hardest hole on the course the 546-yard, par 5 7th. I hit a great drive, hit a good low cut 3-iron inside 100 yards, and hit a 54-degree to 6 ft. I lipped out the birdie putt and walked off with an easy par.

However, I had 7 holes where I made a dumb physical or mental mistake and walked off with bogey or worse.

I could have made a few more putts, and now that I somewhat know the course and the green design I know where to miss for easier birdie and par chances. However, if I am ever going to break par I need to cut down on the mistakes and scramble better when I do make a mistake.

My play on 18 proves I have it in me. I badly blocked a drive out right on the 514-yard par 5. I got a little lucky on my line and hit a great 4-iron to get myself back in play. I finally found somewhere above the bottom groove on a pitching wedge. And, I almost made a tough downhill breaker from 15 ft. but tapped in for par.

Playing more and dialing in the mental game is the key to getting this done.

Fortunately golf seems to be the only public paid activity that can survive the coronavirus (at least for now), so I will get a chance to play again when the rain isn’t conspiring against me. Looking like Friday or Monday.

Can’t wait.