Okay, so I finally got out to Rancho Santa Margarita Golf Course the other day. Been meaning to check it out for a while.
Woke up, felt like a golf day. Grabbed my clubs from the garage, tossed ’em in the back of the car. Made sure I had my shoes, plenty of balls – you know how it is, always seem to lose a few. Headed out there. The drive wasn’t too bad, found the place easy enough.
Pulled into the parking lot. Looked pretty busy, but found a spot without too much trouble. Lugged my bag over to the pro shop. Standard stuff inside, shirts, hats, the usual gear. Went up to the counter to check in for my tee time. Paid the fee, got my receipt. The fella working there seemed okay, pointed me towards the first tee.
Getting Started
Didn’t have much time to warm up, maybe hit like five balls on the practice green. It felt a little quick, but hard to tell just rolling a few putts. Then headed over to the starter. Got paired up with a couple of other guys. Seemed friendly enough, just there to play some golf like me.
We got called up to the first tee. Pulled out the driver. Took a practice swing or two. Just tried to put a smooth swing on it. Managed to hit the fairway, which is always a good start, right? Better than starting from the trees.
Playing the Course
We started making our way around. The course itself? It was decent. Pretty well kept, I’d say. The fairways were mostly green, bunkers looked like they had actual sand in them, not hardpan like some places.
Some holes were kind of interesting, had some elevation changes. Others were pretty straightforward, just hit it straight. Had a couple of good holes, made a nice par save on number 5 after hitting it in the rough. Felt good about that one.
Then there were the bad holes. You know how it goes. Topped one off the tee. Shanked an iron shot later on. Lost a ball in the water on that tricky par 3 on the back nine. Happens to everyone, I guess. Frustrating though.
- Tried to focus on my short game.
- Putting was hit or miss. Some good lags, some terrible three-putts.
- The pace of play was okay, didn’t feel too rushed, but didn’t have to wait forever either.
Wrapping Up
Finished up on 18. Hit a decent drive, okay approach, two putts for par. Not a bad way to end it. Shook hands with the guys I played with. Nice enough fellas.
Walked back to the car, felt that good kind of tired you get after walking a course. Threw the clubs back in the trunk. Didn’t shoot my best score ever, didn’t shoot my worst. Just played some golf.
So yeah, that was my day out at Rancho Santa Margarita Golf Course. Just went out, played the round, came home. Pretty simple, really. It’s a golf course, you hit the ball, you find it, you hit it again. That’s the gist of it.
