Just played yesterday 9-18-05. Greens were great and I was putting well. It's so much easier to hole five footers with a little break when the greens are smooth and true like they are at Santa Anita. It's literally pick-your-line, execute, and retrieve your ball from cup.....everytime. Misses come only from poor execution and/or bad technique.

I did bogey #6(the first 5-foot putt for par that I missed) from behind the green...don't go there!!
I also made bogey on #15(another missed 5-footer).

I must have holed ten 5-foot putts, the majority to save par. I saved myself on #16 with a 30-foot downhill right to left curler, fist-pump included. I made brilliant 10 footers for birdies on #7 and #11. I completely bombed a drive 345 yards on the par 5 #13th, got on in two with a six iron, and barely miised the eagle putt for a tap in birdie.

Trouble shot of the day:
I caught a fried egg lie in the front right bunker on my 2nd shot on #9 trying to go for it in two....a fairly easy task at only 479 yards, a par 5. The sand was just perfect in that bunker. I dug the closed-face of my sandwedge steeply about 1 inch behind my ball, and it popped out like popcorn coming to rest five feet from the hole. But I missed the 5 footer again....I was just way too excited and worked up from escaping what looked like sheer doom in that bunker. It was a great escape....and it is the last of the 5-footers that I missed. I still managed a par.

The rest of the back nine were all pars.

At the end of the day I finished "par-par" on #17 and #18 and wounded up carding a round of 1 under par from the championship tee markers. That's my first subpar round this year and I think I owe it all to a new game plan and a minor swing adjustment. Also my new 905S Titlesist driver has sure helped me straighten it out and I'm getting 30 to 40 more yards with it in my bag.

I've been working hard on my game for more than 10 years. I've been waiting a long time but the time will soon come. Soon, you'll be hearing alot about me. Just you wait and see! It shouldn't be long now!!

just a note regarding IROberts recent entry....

I know that twilight trick too....it really does work!! There's a downside to it however.

Everytime I do it, I still take the time to repair my ball marks on the greens, regardless of how much sunlight is left. Heck, I'll even fill-in my divots on the fairways....Most of you twilighters do use a cart, and yes, there should be divot fill in those little white bottles attached to the back of the cart....use it.

Alot of the players who take advantage by making their own path in the late afternoons at brookside never fix divots or ball marks because they are in such a hurry to fit in as many holes as they can for least amount of money. The result is ballmarks that don't get repaired until the next day, or worse, several days later. So, If your gonna try to cheat and squeeze in 19 or 25 holes after twilight, just remember all the other golfers who will find your ballmarks and unfilled divots in the morning. So don't be selfish-- fix 'em you dummies!!!

However, this method of jumping around the course wouldn't work at all, if brookside managment paid some decent marshalls to prevent players from doing it.


Just goes to show how bad Brookside has it....

see my other negative remarks on this course below, also positives for La Purisma and Rancho San Marcos....

thanks

sealskinz

I love brookside. Just kidding!!

I think all those big cats at Annandale CC in Pasadena who I used to caddy for should get their funds together and buy out American Golf and the city of Pasadena. Then plow the whole d%mn property over and build an entirely new facility and keep it to just 18 holes. Push the yardage over 7500 from the back and sprawl the course over the whole property. Let's call up steve wynn and tell him to build a friggin' casino next to it.

Then raise the green fee ten dollars and take no more than a threesome for reservations. That way there might be room for a twosome waiting on the list and, of course, the army of single golfers just dying to squeeze in on a regular basis. Ban the fivesome groups. Hire some paid rangers to keep the pace up. Fire them if they can't do their job. If these old men (the American Golf "Course Ambassadors" or marshalls) want to blindly roam the golf course in a golf cart in exchange for free golf, they have 300 to 400 other American Golf Corp. courses around the world to do it at. But not Brookside!!!!!.....not anymore!!!!! If someone would just come in here and buy out everyone and fix eveerything, Golf in Pasadena could be saved!!

Convince George C. Thomas's family to release some of his secret designs never built and lets put together a layout that can attract a US OPEN or at least a NATIONWIDE TOUR event.

SCREW IT...I HATE BROOKSIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've shot a 64 there when I was 19 (my all-time best) but I still HATE IT!!!!!!!!!


Maybe I'm just pissed because I haven't broke a 68 since then.

I don't know!!! #$%&!!!!!!!

%#@! Bookside and
%$&^ American Golf

sealskinz

Continuing from my prior post....

Hole ten, had a major hiccup. Drove the ball through the fairway into the thick rough. Took me three hideous shots to get on the green from there. two putt for a double bogie....back to even par...E

#11 ....can't even remember much about it...fairway, green, two putt... it was such a ho-hum par....still even par.

#12 Trying to reach in two is almost impossible but I still tried. second shot ended up about ten yards from the front edge. Nearly chipped in...easy birdie!! back down to -1.

#13 I had par...ho-hummer with an 8-iron off the tee

#14 is my favorite hole, period. In the hundreds of rounds that I've played here, I have honestly birdied this hole more than 75% of the time. Hit a huge dead-straight five iron off the tee. left with about 150 yards, hit a soft eight to the blind pin. could just barely see the top of the flag. got up there and it's stuck inches from the hole. Another easy birdie to rally back down to 2 under par.

#15 is always described as a true three-shot par five. I disagree somewhat. Get your first drive down near the end of the first section of fairway. All you have to do to reach the green, and I know this still seems nearly impossible for most of you, is start your 3 metal or a 1 or 2-iron down the right edge of the second section of fairway and hit a low penetrating draw. With enough gusto the ball will bound all the way towards the left side, even off the fairway and, if lucky enough, will start to turn back to the right and down the steep hill, toward the green. It is possible to get the ball to the putting surface but it will most likely roll off the left side of the green. Still, you can putt from there if on the fringe, or its an easy chip if the pin is playing slightly toward the back of the green. I did this and made yet another great birdie...-3

#16 is always intimidating off the tee. It feels so narrow up there. This hole in my oppinion requires your best 3-wood. The loft will get you up over the trees squeezing in from the left and right sides of the tee box if you happen to hit it a little sideways, and should give you enough length to reach this tough par four in regulation. Chipping is tough around this green. It's essential to hit the green in regulation if your looking for a par. Today it was just a ho-hum par thanks to this strategy.....two holes to go and I'm at -3.

#17...the hole where the kid in the Pepsi TV commercial makes a hole in one with no one to witness, but a lonesome course ranger . Anyway, this is my second-favorite hole at La Purisma...and it still is because I managed to make another birdie after a 3/4 9-iron ended up ten feet away from the hole. Just a dead-straight putt for birdie left.

now I'm -4.

I step up to the eighteenth tee and low and behold the lady who nearly aced the third hole is already walking onto 17 green behind me. I wave, then proceed to tee up with a driver. Biggest drive of the day!!--320yards plus--left with a 56 degree sandwedge from a pretty tight lie in the fairway. Hit it perfectly and I knew it....I could just feel it travel up the shaft of my wedge. I knew it would be close. The ball's headed right at the hole, everything is in slow motion, and the d%mn thing slam-dunks into the cup--no hop!! I fell flat on my back and had a laughing fit until the lady behing me caught up. She comes right up to me and says one word, "wonderful". And a wonderful Eagle it was to match my personal best on La Purisma...-6....66/72.

By the way the course is immacualate and you won't find a better course anywhere!!

I hope they have a Q-school stage here again soon...I just might qualify playing like this.

FORE!!!

Sealskinz

Been playing here since I was 11 years old. Shot a 66 from the back tee when I was 17. Yesterday, at 27 years old, I decided to take the trip up to Lompoc.

Got there first, even before the starter had arrived. Not even the maintenance guys were around yet. What a beutiful place to anxiously wait for the first tee time to come along and watch the sun rise slowly over the hills to the east.

Starter let me go first. I walked, which you should at "LA PIRAHNA", the nickname for my favorite course in the USA. The back tees were pushed forward but I played it all the way back anyway.

I started with a solid 3-wood on the first fairway. You should take more loft in the morning at La Purisma because there is less roll than carry in the early morning at least. Then slammed a 2-iron to the green about fifteen feet away....sunk that one for an EAGLE....great start to say the least.

par on #2...ho hum, but a nervous ho-hum at -2.

birdied#3 from five feet, PW.....-3

bogie on four...dont ever put your ball above the hole on this approach, even if it means being short of the green leaving a simple chip to the front portion of the green....if the pin is on the back shelf, just hope you get lucky!!.....back to -2.

Hole five...Witnessed a miracle. Standing in the fairway looking backwards toward the green at hole #3, I saw a ball land on the back of the putting surface which spun back five feet, lipped out ending up on the very edge of the cup. I watched the ball for a minute or so and along comes this lady. She gets up on the green on her way to mark her ball, but itf falls in the hole by itself. She replaced the ball and tapped it back in like she should have--very honest.....I hollored over, "WUNDERFUL"!! She responded with a smile and a big wave.

Anyway...bogied hole #5 after failing to get up and down out of the deep bunker in front of the green....-1

hole #6 has the best view of any hole on the course....drove it past the fairway bunkers, the ball actually ended up on the left side of the hole just off of the fairway. Killed a 3-iron from there to the left side fringe. Used my putter off the fringe...put it up there some four feet away and sunk the birdie...-2

Happy to walk away from #7 with a bogie...what a tough hole from the back tee....actually the only hole I somewhat dislike on the entire course.....-1 again.

#8 saved par from the right-hand green-side bunker.....still -1

#9 stuck a 4-iron three feet from the hole. had some break to it but managed to catch the backdoor slider for another bird...-2 through nine holes...34/36.

Will continue on a later post....

Sealskinz

I think all those big cats at Annandale CC in Pasadena who I used to caddy for should get their funds together and buy out American Golf and the city of Pasadena. Then plow the whole d%mn property over and build an entirely new facilitya nd keep it to just 18 holes. Push the yardage over 7500 from the back and sprawl the course over the whole property. Lets call up steve wynn and tell him to build a friggin casino next to it.

Then raise the green fee ten dollars and take no more than a threesomes for reservations. That way there might be room for a twosome waiting on the list and, of course, the army of single golfers just dying to squeeze in on a regular basis. Ban the fivesome groups. Hire some paid rangers to keep the pace up. Fire them if they can't do their job. If old men (American Golf Rangers) want to roam the golf course in a golf cart in exchange for free golf, they'll have 300 to 400 other American Golf Corp. courses around the world to do it at. But not Brookside!!!!!.....not anymore!!!!! If someone would just come in here and buy out everyone and fix eveerything Golf in Pasadena could be saved!!

Convince George C. Thomas's family to release some of his secret designs never built and lets put together a layout that can attract a US OPEN or at least a NATIONWIDE TOUR event.

SCREW IT...I HATE BROOKSIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've shot a 64 there when I was 19 but still HATE IT!!!!!!!!!


maybe I'm just pissed because I haven't broke 68 there since then.

I don't know!!! #%&***^%%$%$#$$$#

I used to love brokside.

Now I hate it. it's that bad.