Round Played: with Ron Gotzler and Axel Leer –
by Wayne Halm –
On May 29th 2014 I played the Kauai Lagoons Course with Ron Gotzler and Axel Leer of Ridgecrest, California. I knew this was going to be a good day when they both got out of the cart to “Rub the Buddha’s Belly for Luck” – I think it worked.
This was a partly cloudy day with moderate trade winds. I feared the course would be soggy after all the rains last weekend, but I was wrong – the drainage improvements on the course really work. Pace of play (PoP) was just not a problem, there were people in front of us and behind us, but we never noticed them. This was a fun round.
Fun, maybe because we chased birdies all day. Good approach shots put them in sight, but unseen breaks kept letting them escape. Axel finally caught one the 13th hole and I grabbed one on the 17th. Ron? Well, Ron is still chasing.
The 14th hole (the par 3 by the ocean) is beautiful – but it can be challenging through intimidation. 155 yards of gully between the tee and the green, a bunker behind the green, nothing but ocean to the left, and the trade wind blowing right to left – this can get into your head. It got into Axel’s head, suddenly the iron shot he had been hitting so well all day would not work. Maybe another day.
With the 14th behind us we slipped back into ‘happy golfer mode’. We executed the ‘off the hill’ shot on 16 and managed the wind on 17 and 18. Close, very close, but no cigar – my putting woes continued on 18. Still, three smiling golfers returned to the clubhouse.
The Kauai Lagoons Golf Club 800-634-6400 or http://www.KauaiLagoonsGolf.Com .
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Axel and Ron on 5th Tee
Axel and Ron on 14th Tee
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