My first round of the year was less than inspiring. First the course- Ballantyne Golf Club, outside of Charlotte. The weather kept getting better as we drove south on I-77 from Radford and continued that way- sunny and 60+ degrees.  The course was friendly and efficient and a good deal at $49. They had replaced the greens last summer with a new hybrid grass that I can't remember the name of.  Even though the course was soaked, the ball usually left no mark on the greens and they putted true.  Everyone liked them.  In the summer, I suspect they could be blisteringly fast if they cut them down. The course was very wet, so plugged and muddy balls (and pants) were common and the course played much longer than its stated yardage.

The fairways were brown Bermuda and so it was sometimes hard to see the bunkers, and there were quite a few of them.  The course had a similar feel to some of the courses at Pinehurst, though with fewer trees in general. Much greater elevation changes than I expected- I'm glad they didn't allow us to walk it. There were a few blind tee shots, but landing areas were `reasonably generous. My only complaint about the course was that it felt a bit "urban" ringed by freeways and office buildings.  That said, the designers did a good job to keep your eye focused on the golf course and not on what surrounded it. Par was 35-36-71 and the back nine had three par 3s and three par5s which made for an interesting time. My most interesting shot, unfortunately" was a badly heeled drive that skipped three times and made it over a pond to the left of the fairway on one of the back nine par 4s. I didn't take advantage of the lucky break, however, and toed my next 4 wood into a big bush.  I eventually got a triple bogey that finished my chances for a decent back nine.

Al had the best round- an 81.  He drove the ball superbly and putted consistently.  The rest of us lagged way behind. I shot a 44-43-87 that included two triples and two double-bogeys. In the "middle" of the round I was making pars and playing reasonably well, but I made a mess of the beginning and finishing holes. My Honma persimmon worked pretty well, but I wasn't happy with the Wilson Gooseneck irons. They are a large head with a channelback sort of design and a thicker topline than many vintage blades. They seemed "clunky" to me, especially the wedges, but I was having trouble hitting down and through the ball and that cost me several shots. The Wilson "Original 600 forged" putter worked fairly well.  I had three 3 putt greens, but that is fairly normal for me on a new course.  This putter is pretty accurate from 5 feet in and I could judge speed with it pretty well. 

Here's a picture of my golf club storage rack, now filled with vintage irons, woods, wedges and putters.

I also received a set of 6.0 rifles that I am going to put into my re-chromed VIPs.  I tried a dry fitting at 38 inches for the 5 iron and the swingweight came out about D1 which is fine for me. Maybe this weekend I can glue them. My club purchasing has slowed down considerable and I am selling off my "modern clubs" one or two at a time on Ebay.  Then I'll start getting rid of some of the vintage clubs that I don't like very much.  I did see a great set of Cobra Greg Norman signature blades on Ebay- I may bid on them.  A very nice looking club.
Freezing rain expected today- no golf this weekend. Sigh.