This is the second installment of 2 Average Joes trying out a golf course. Unfortunately, Mr. Blasi had more important things to do today, than to drive up to Lake County (3 hour drive) to play a round of golf. (Don't worry, I found a substitute to cover for you, Marc. Oh, and Madison will forgive you for not coming to her Birthday party. But she did say you better be there for her 2 year party.)
Well, I would start this off with all the technical stuff like course par, yardage, slope, grass types, and such, but I am not a pro and neither is Rob (Marc's stand in.) We are just 2 Average Joes wanting to spend a little time on the golf course and have fun doing so. What was the course par, though? 70 if you are hitting from the back or middle tees (front tees were 72.) Don't ask the other stuff, because as an Average Joe, I don't care about those things.
Since we did not cover it in the previous post, I will cover the rules of 2 Average Joes golf. One mulligan per nine, except if everyone duffs the tee shot, then it is an automatic mulligan or re-tee. If a good drive is obtained, and other Average Joe has a bad shot, bad shot Joe takes a drop by good shot Joe. If all obtain a second bad tee shot, 2nd shot is played from middle of fairway half the distance to the hole. Out of bounds play is allowed provided not in someone's yard (that is home). If a ball is lost in out of bounds, the Average Joe has 1 minute to find the ball. If the ball cannot be found, a stroke is added and ball can be thrown onto the fairway. There are several others, but Marc is not around for me to ask. (He is the one that has taught me these rules, and is adding more each time we play. And I am now passing them on to you fellow Average Joe golfers.) Biggest rule is to be courteous to fellow golfers.
Okay, now on to the course. What is the biggest thing that the Average Joes look for? Greens fees! I have a bargain for you. Weekdays: Before 1PM $22 After 1PM $18 Weekends: Before 1PM $24 After 1PM $20. Can't beat that during season down here in Florida! Okay, according to our last post you would have thought we learned that price could determine how a course will be maintained, we would have been wrong on this one.
While the clubhouse could stand to be remodeled, the course was very well maintained. At least the grass looked mowed and watered (cover this in a few - hint.) If any of you Average Joes are beginners, this is the course for you to begin on. Wide open fairways, very few bunkers, and even fewer water hazards (only one hole had water come into play.) And trees (not homes) do line the fairways, but not enough to where you would loose a ball (sorry, no ball eating palm trees on this course.) The best part of the course is the scenery. You almost forget that you are in Florida because of the elevation changes. (Yes, we have hills in Florida. We are not always a flat state.) The elevation changes are also a great ego booster for times when the tee box is much higher than the green. Even a skulled shot goes far. (Thank you, gravity). And for you Joes that like to drink during play, there were restrooms every 4-5 holes.
So how did we play? Rob has not played a round of golf in 4 years, so you can imagine how we did. I ended up spending most of my play coaching him and watching out for miss hit balls. (One some how missed my head by a few inches. Still trying to figure out the physics on that shot, since I was standing behind him.) We gave up keeping score after the 3rd hole when he was well exceeding the worst score of the triple bogie rule. (Keeps play moving if we are having a really bad day.) By the end of the round, I will give Rob credit... he was hitting the ball straight and was getting it up in the air. Anyways, I got to use my new sand wedge once from one of the few bunkers. I used several other times when I was just off the green by about 10 yards just to get practice with it.
Now, on to the watering of the course comment that I made earlier, turns out that turning the sprinklers on is their way of saying head in to the club house. (Sorry, no photo of this. Wanted to keep the camera dry.) Kind of like a store turning off its lights to say go home. Being Average Joes, we did not let a little water stop us from finishing out the round. What is a little water? Besides it was fun timing our shots to run in and hit the ball before the sprinkler came back around.
Given the fun that we had, the cost, the condition of the course, and the simplicity of the course (compared to the hazardous courses that we normally play), 2 Average Joes would have to give this course 4 Golf Balls out of 5. (If you did not turn the sprinklers on us, you may have gotten all 5.)
For the technical information that was not covered, feel free to visit: http://www.golfholes.com/fl/mtdoragc.htm
*2 Average Joes is looking for other Average Joes to provide course reviews on their local courses. Please contact us at golf@2averagejoesgolf.com if you are interested in participating.
**2AverageJoesGolf.com is owned by Knightlines Mortgage Services, LLC and is maintained by Jason Price and Marc Blasi of PGAGolfRealty.com and Internet Realty Brokers.
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