The front nine of Golf Club of Wentzville eats me alive almost every time I play it, and I can’t do anything to stop it. The back nine and I are basically going steady.

I was 7-over on the front today and honestly went into “Fuck it mode” leaving the ninth green and just ripped tee shots as far as humanly possible the rest of the day. The bummer is much like at Links at Dardenne last week I struck the ball well but ended up in bad spots a few times. I also couldn’t make a putt to save my life which compounded the issue. I only hit four greens on the front and one of them, the par 3 2nd, I three-putted from pin high.

The only putt I made on the front was a righting of wrongs by the golf gods on the 426-yard 4th hole. I hit my drive well but slightly pushed it into the right rough — the correct miss because left is dead. I had about 155 yards to the center of the green and an up-slope to the back pin from there. I ran back to the cart to get an 8-iron rather than just hit a soft 7-iron because I wanted to be sure I didn’t go long. I thought even with what I thought was a slight wind behind me and a potential flier I would at worst case be on the back edge with a big bounce because of the lack of spin. I thought wrong. I struck it like I wanted, but it sailed all the way over the back edge of the green hit the top of the mini-backstop, bounced off it, and rolled down the hill and into the impossible short-sided flop onto a downslope. It was at the least a 175-yard carry 8-iron. After flopping it only to the top of the same hill I just cascaded off of, I made a somewhat competent chip and then made the putt to save bogey.

My lone double bogey of the day came on the dreaded 9th. That 90-degree uphill dogleg left that you can’t hit over the top of just eats me alive. I have never made better than bogey. I have tried going over the top and caught a tree. I have blocked it into the right trees trying to play it safe with 3-wood. I have failed to get around the corner with a 3-iron because it was too close to the left side. I have gone through the fairway on the far side while hitting a draw that needed to be shorter or draw more. I had the high draw working off the tee today, so I decided to try and hit a huge draw around the corner. I hit a draw so big it would be classified as a hook, but unfortunately, that hook came early. I had to take a drop from the woods and punch around the corner. I hit a good pitching wedge in from there, but, of course, I missed my bogey save.

That was my only bad drive of the day. I was pounding the ball. My bag was full of brand new Pro V1x’s, and I was going to get every yard out of them. I should have known it was going to be a big day off the tee when I drove it over the green on the 358-yard first hole with a little help from a bounce off the cart path. I had four drives over 325 yards and a couple more over 300 just on the back. The last one might have been the hardest ball I have ever hit. I absolutely wailed on one into the wind and hit it over the top of the hill on 18. I definitely got some roll down the hill to leave me with only a 5-iron in, but that ball was absolutely demolished to go 330 yards on that hole into the wind.

It’s disappointing to waste that good of a driving day with such a terrible day putting. I hit 8 of 9 greens on the back and the only one-putt was on the one I missed because I chipped it to 2 inches. I even three-putted 10 after a monster drive left me with just a smooth 54-degree that settled on the back fringe after inexplicably not coming back down the slope.

Parring the last 8 holes at least made me feel somewhat better. My irons were definitely a weak spot at the beginning of the month. I couldn’t find the center. I have now hit at least 10 greens in regulation in each of my last 7 rounds and I’m striking the ball at least as well if not better than I ever have.

I think my problem putting today was pace initially because they were slower than the putting green and then reading the greens and start line after I got yippy about the speed. I think I was missing putts so badly I started picking up my head early in horror to see how bad the next one was going to be. Therefore my strike suffered. When you aren’t striking it right, pace and start line are a mystery. I bought a box of the “Enhanced Alignment” Pro V1x’s before the round — Titleist’s answer to Callaway’s Triple Track — and they did not help. I immediately bought a PuttOUT Pressure Putt Trainer because everyone raves about them and my current home setup obviously isn’t cutting it. I think I am going to use it before rounds on the putting green just to work on start line and pace in a more controlled environment rather than some crazy slope near a hole that is somehow faster than nearly every putt on the course.

The reading greens problem is another matter. With how much I have been playing, I should not be this bad, especially because that used to be a strength. I am not sure if I am just rushing, not trusting my eyes and initial line and changing things or not changing things over the ball, or just changing courses every round is messing with me because they are breaking so differently this early in the year. If things don’t improve, I might be reading and watching everything about plumb-bobbing or going to an AimPoint Clinic. I have always been a non-linear putter and could see the curve and where it would enter the hole. But, I wasn’t even close on some of the longer putts today. I mean like the complete wrong direction a couple of times.

If things go this badly next time out, I might switch back to the Two-Ball just to give myself a different look.

Here’s to hoping things go better at Bear Creek on Thursday after all the rain tonight and tomorrow.