‘Weekend warrior’ takes on PGA National’s pro tees, amusing golf gods

How many of us have imagined standing at the free throw line and shooting two shots to win an NBA championship?

Or imagine Game 7 of the World Series in a softball game with two outs and the winning third inning?

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Or maybe stand on a 10-foot putt and have a chance to win the U.S. Open?

Anyone who has played sports—even before reaching the professional level—has had “Walter Mitty”-like daydreams of adventure, whether as a child or as an adult.

I decided to get as close as possible to realizing that fantasy by putting myself to the ultimate test: hitting the championship tees (or “tricks” in golf) at the PGA National Championship Course in Palm Beach Gardens. cognitive classics on the PGA Tour.

This is where the best players come together and I always wonder, what do I do? My score is 12, so my scores are usually between 83 and 95. But could I break 100 on a 7,081-yard, par-71 course? I started trying.

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That day in August something happened to me. Paul Gallo, director of tournament operations, said the course is set up differently than it was for the pros in February.

First, the pros’ green speeds were much faster during the February tournament. The USGA Stimpmeter, used to measure speed, typically sets the PGA Champ course’s speed at a lightning-fast 12.5 (Oakmont’s speed at the U.S. Open is 14.5). On this day, it was a 10.5, still fast compared to the municipal courses I played, but not ridiculously fast either.

Additionally, starting in November, the rough will be covered with ryegrass, which thickens it and “completely changes the playability of the golf course when you’re not on the fairway,” Gallo said. So while summer Bermuda rough is about 2 inches long, professionals are looking at a supervisory length of 3.5 inches.

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My pin locations are standard, usually in the center of the green. But he said during game weeks they were more tucked away in corners and less accessible.

Finally, I have a gallery with a guy – my playmate – who doubles as videographer and photographer. So I’m not like the pros who have countless eyeballs and pressure on every shot.

Still, do you know how ridiculous it is for someone like me to try to learn this course from tips? Those yardage markers aren’t even on the regular scorecard. You must apply for a separate ticket reserved for professionals.

The biggest challenges on PGA National Championship Course are length and water

There were only three par 4s under 400 yards, including No. 1, so I figured if I could at least make a bogey on one of them and steal a par or two, that would give me some confidence.

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Sure, I pulled my first tee shot left into the water (which I chalked up to nerves), but I saved a double bogey from that.

From that point on, though, I calmed down, got into a steady rhythm, played bogey golf the rest of the front nine (trust me, that’s a good thing for an amateur like me), and finished with an 11-over 47. That included a birdie putt on the 225-yard par-3 7th that I missed by just an inch.

One of the biggest mental hurdles is the length of some holes. My playing partner would sometimes be 100 or 150 yards in front of me on the tee shot. We would drive up to the regular tees and the back tees were just out of shouting distance.

Still, I was in good shape and was hitting the ball really well, especially my tee shot, which is usually my nemesis.

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All I had to do to break 100 was shoot 52 or better on the back nine.

How difficult is it to play the PGA National Championship Course?

The back nine, however, is a different ball game. In short, it punishes the greedy ruthlessly.

I made par on the par-5 10th and started to get almost Tiger Woods-like adrenaline in my step.

On the 449-yard par-4 11th hole, I hit the ball about 245 yards down the middle of the fairway. That left me 204 yards from the green, and I asked myself an existential question—grounded or keep pushing?

“Oh, you’ve got to work hard,” my partner, Jay Ross, urged. “You’re playing really well, you can do it!”

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“Yes, I able Do this,” I thought. “I can carry 3 woods in the wind for over 200 yards. I did it on the par-3 seventh. Why not here? Yes, I will do it. Heck, you only live once! “

Two balls ended up in the water, and I walked off the green with a five-bogey-9, embarrassed and discouraged.

It didn’t get better as my confidence took a huge hit.

However, my ultimate failure came at the Bear Trap, a notoriously grueling three-hole stretch (15th, 16th and 17th).

The 15th hole is a 178 yard par 3 into the wind and over water. In retrospect, I should have just hit two 7-irons and circled the water. But wow, how unmanly is that? No, I have to do it out of principle alone. Of course, I overswung and dropped the other one in the water. I took the medicine with double bogey.

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It was a similar story on the 16th, where my second shot on the 444-yard par-4 went over the water, a distance of over 200 yards. This time, I decided to play it safe and aim to the left, away from the water and trouble. Worst case scenario, I end up in the rough on the left side of the green.

Not a bad idea, except I pulled the 5-wood into the water on the other side of the fairway. I made triple bogey and staggered out of there.

When I reached the 568-yard par-5 18th, I felt dizzy. I felt like a boxer being mercilessly pounded against the ropes while trying to hang on and pray for the bell to ring.

I hit two more shots into the water, but managed to escape the trap and two-putted for a triple bogey 8, shooting 51 on the back nine and a 98 at 27 over par for the round.

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The rewards of playing on the PGA National Championship Course

While decompressing with a drink on hole 19, I made some observations:

• I had four pars, eight bogeys, two double bogeys, two triple bogeys and a quintuple bogey. I hit 7 fairways and made 34 putts. I also conceded eight goals.

• The back nine was tough and, in a sense, vengeful. It’s a reminder that at any given moment, the golf gods can pull the chair out from under you.

• The rough isn’t “PGA Tour” rough, but it’s still high for me, and the greens are smoother than anything I’m used to.

• The greens are also much firmer than the Municipal Course, and since a lot of my irons and woods were hit from long range, I had a hard time sticking the landing. The ball often hits the surface and then rolls off the back. And because I hadn’t yet mastered the art of “spinning the ball,” I could only hit two greens in regular play.

• Course management is absolutely crucial for amateurs, especially in relentless winds. You really have to swallow your pride and go around the lakes – not over them – even if you hit the ball well. I lost about six to eight strokes due to testosterone-filled decisions, which came back to haunt me and my score.

• I followed PGA Tour rules from start to finish, which means no putts were “given,” and I missed a putt or two that, under more casual conditions, someone might have said, “That’s fine.”

So should I feel good about 98?

“I would say it’s going to be hard to break 100 in a game with a 12 handicap in the offseason,” Gallo said. “During tournament week, that number could get closer to 120. The regulated rye rough is brutal and a lot of 12 players will find themselves unable to advance certain shots more than a few yards.”

So I guess I have this opportunity… which is good.

I broke 100, but I was miserable. It finally reminded me that even if I made par on a few holes there, I couldn’t consistently play with these guys, especially on a beastly layout like PGA National Champions Course.

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Pro tip: Don’t hit pro tees.

James Coleman is a Florida reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK. You can contact him at JColeman@USATodayco.com and follow him on social media platform X @jimcoleman11.

This article was originally published in the Palm Beach Post: How difficult it is for amateur players to play PGA and national recognition of classic courses