Picture of the Day #9

So it was a warm weekend in Maryland. Warm enough that I couldn't resist getting out and playing some golf. And then I took a picture. I played surprisingly well, and now...well, now I want to play some more. We'll see if the weather cooperates.

Review: Wentworth Golf Club (Part 2)

And here we go with the back nine. If you haven't seen the front nine yet, you can read about it here.

The tenth hole is a fairly long par 5 at just under 550 yards. The driving range is right of the fairway, behind some trees, so you definitely don't want to be over there. While it is technically possible for longer hitters to get to this green in two, I think this hole, much like the eighth, is best played as a three shotter. There are a lot of bunkers, and there are a lot of places where you don't want to miss. There's the driving range on the tee shot, there's a marshy area on the left side of the fairway about a hundred yards from the green, and the green itself is hardly an inviting target. This isn't really a birdie hole, I'd actually call this one of the toughest holes on the course.

The tenth hole.

Lots of bunkers in view here.

The tenth green is not an inviting target.

The eleventh hole is a 410 yard par 4 that doglegs pretty sharply to the left. Driver is definitely not the club to use off this tee, the hole bends pretty quickly, and you'll end up in a bunker or in a yard if you go through the fairway. There's not a lot of room there. The second shot is a short iron over a pond to the green, which also has bunkers left. Another tough hole.

The eleventh hole.

Another difficult approach shot.

The twelfth hole is a short par 3 over a pond. There are dozens, if not hundreds of golf courses in Florida that have a hole just like it. Other than that pond, it's not interesting in any way. Moving on.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that, much like the eleventh, doglegs sharply to the left. If you didn't want to go through the fairway on that hole, you really don't want to go through the fairway here. Once again, you'll want to lay up off the tee. The second shot is a bit easier than on the eleventh since its shorter, but I didn't get a picture of it and I don't exactly remember what the green is like. I know there's a pond left of the green, there are a couple of greenside bunkers, and I believe the green is slightly elevated. Maybe?

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole is a long par 3, played to a green framed by cypress swamp. It's a tough hole, but I think it would be better if it were tougher. Other than the aforementioned cypress swamp, there are no hazards, which makes the hole a bit dull. Throw some bunkers in there, you've got a 230 yard par 3, commit to the difficulty! It would be far more memorable that way.

The fourteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 4, and I liked this hole quite a bit. The bunkers look really good here, and while I don't normally like houses on my golf courses, I have to admit, the houses around this hole weren't too bad They suited the scenery, and I can appreciate that. Anyway, there's OB extremely close to the left side, and the hole is somewhat better approached from the left, since the green opens up slightly more from that side. Not a terribly difficult hole, but definitely one of the better holes on the back nine, if not the whole golf course.

The fifteenth hole.

Come on, that's a good looking (and very big) house.

The sixteenth hole is a 160 yard par 3, played to a very small green surrounded with sand. Very Postage Stamp-esque. It's another good looking hole.

The sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole is a short par 5, coming in just under 500 yards. I would nominate this hole as the best on the back nine, if for no other reason than the rambunctious nature of the bunkering. 8 bunkers, some of them quite large, not to mention the presence of another rare beast. This hole has true fairway bunkers, as in bunkers completely surrounded by fairway. You don't see too many of those around. Anyway, I like how the golfer is always given something to think about, regardless of whether or not they're going for the green in two.

The seventeenth hole.

Very scenic powerline in the background there.

The eighteenth hole is a long par 4, the longest on the course. Except not really, because the tees were up when I played it. There's OB right on the drive, and since the hole is a bit better approached from the left side, there's no good reason to go right. This is where I would usually say "Which is exactly what I did" but no! I hit a good drive on this hole, defying all the odds. The second shot is, once again, to a small green flanked by bunkers. Seriously, I didn't realize the greens were so small until I looked back at these pictures. Like I've said, this course demands a lot of accuracy.

The eighteenth hole.

Another good looking approach shot.

To be perfectly honest, and in case you didn't already figure this out, I didn't really like the back nine. Both nines require accuracy, but the back nine you are punished far more for wayward shots. On the front nine, there's a good chance you'll be able to find and hit an inaccurate drive. That is not the case on the back nine. For example, despite being spraying the ball more on the front, I didn't lose any golf balls on that nine, but I lost three on the back. There's more water and unplayable opportunities on the back, and while the hole corridors may be slightly wider, it's not enough to make up for the fact that the holes aren't running parallel to each other.

That said, I really did enjoy the front nine despite the general premium on accuracy. I appreciated the scenery a lot, I think this course looks really good. The bunkering is pleasing to the eye, and the forested nature of the course was a nice change of pace from the other Florida courses I played. I haven't played a course that looked quite like this one, and I liked that. So, even considering the weak back nine, I would still recommend this course. I enjoyed quite a lot of it.

I won't lie, the golf course I'm reviewing next month is quite boring. But if you want sarcasm, there will be plenty of that! I promise March will be good though, I've saved my favorite course from the trip for last.

Review: Wentworth Golf Club (Part 1)

It's time for more Floridian golf! The course on tap this month is Wentworth Golf Club in Tarpon Springs. While it isn't the longest course I played in Florida, it is definitely the most difficult. The fairways are often tight, and there's a decent amount of water around as well. It punches well above what you'd expect from a course that weighs in at less than 6,500 yards.

You may notice that this course looks distinctly different to Clearwater Country Club, and that's because it does look a lot different. While the two courses are 15 miles apart, if that, they manage to have completely different aesthetics. Clearwater (along with the other two courses I played in Florida), have similar looks. No dense forests, many palm trees, the look people think of when they think of the Florida look. Wentworth is a bit further inland, a bit further north, neither by much, but apparently it makes a difference. There are almost no palms, but lots of pines, cypress, and live oaks. You'll get a better idea once you start seeing pictures.

The first hole is a not quite short par 4 at 360 yards. While there's no picture from the tee, I can assure you that there's not a lot of room between dense cypress forest right and oaks left. But since there's a hole left of the first hole, left is definitely the place to miss, especially if you can miss with authority and end up with a shot at the green because you've gone THAT far left. There's really no need to use a driver here, it's narrow, and there's a pond that comes into play about 280 yards off the tee. You don't want to mess with that, and it's a short enough hole that you'll still be using a wedge if you use a 3 wood or long iron. The second looks fairly intimidating, but the pond doesn't really come into play. The green is fairly undulating and interesting, which is the case in general for the entire course. I've got almost no complaints about the greens at Wentworth.

The first green. If you'd laid back off the tee, the pond isn't a concern.

The second hole is the rarest of Florida beasts, a long and difficult par 4 that manages to go all of its 450 yards without a single pond. There's no water needed to make this hole tough. The tee shot here is similar to the first, but with a little more room. The second shot, if you've gotten your tee shot into position A, is a mid-iron to a small, well-bunkered green. Here is a hole that's difficult without being stupid.

The second hole.

An intimidating approach, but at least there's no water in sight!

The third hole is the best hole on the golf course, and a welcome respite from the narrow fairways of the first two holes. At only 300 yards, there are a lot of golfers who will step up to this tee thinking they'll have a go at the green, especially seeing as the player is given lots of breathing room. And who knows, maybe a lot of people do. But it's a terrible idea. The green is narrow, and pinched by two huge bunkers. There is almost no margin for error if you try to drive the green. The better play by far is to lay up with a long iron, and leave yourself a little wedge. Do that, and it's a very birdieable hole.

The third hole.

There's a lot of sand around this green.

The fourth hole is a medium length par 3 to a green surrounded with sand. I don't have anything clever to say, it's a fairly difficult hole, for bunker-based reasons. I do like the look of it, surrounded by Spanish moss-covered oaks.

The fourth hole.

The fifth hole is a narrow, straightaway short par 5. The tee shot is obviously the most important shot here, hit a good one, and you won't have much more than a mid-iron to the green. The second shot isn't difficult, there are some bunkers and the green isn't very big, but there's no real significant trouble around. If you hit the ball straight, it's a real eagle opportunity.

The fifth hole.

No trouble in the fairway.

The fifth green is a bit more protected.

The sixth hole is a fairly long par 4 at 420 yards, and if you can hit a draw off the tee, that gives you a big advantage. The hole doglegs left around a cypress-choked pond, so you'll probably want to give that a wide berth. You've got some wiggle room right off the tee, but not a lot. It's definitely not an easy drive. The second shot is a short iron to a small green well-guarded with bunkers. The second hole is tougher, but this hole isn't too far behind.

The sixth hole. It helps if you can hit a draw.

The sixth green.

There's really not a lot of green on this hole.

The seventh hole is a fairly short par 3, and there's not a lot to this hole. There's one bunker in front of the green, and a fair amount of trees clustered about so you'll need to hit your tee shot high. But I like the way it looks, even if there's no way that mounding was there originally. I like the little bits of exposed sand, it looks good. The entire hole looks good.

The seventh hole.

The eighth hole is a par 5, not much more than 500 yards, that plays more difficult than you might expect. The green is reachable in two, but only if you drive down the right side, close to bunkers and a bunch of bushes and trees. After that, the second (and third if you're not brave) play through a narrow corridor of grass winding through marshy cypress forest. There really isn't much margin for error on this hole, you may be better off being safe and playing it as a three shot hole.

The eighth hole

Not a lot of room for missing.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a fairly short par 4, but again, accuracy is important. There is a pond short-right of the green, and it is very much in play on the second shot. So you'll want to hit your drive down the left side, but how about that there's a fairway bunker on the left side. The green itself is very small and is well guarded with both the pond and a group of bunkers. So yes, it's only 355 yards, but you definitely just can't blast away.

The ninth hole.

This is not a big target.

That's it for the front nine, next week we'll get to the back nine.

Science Things We Learned in 2017

Despite some evidence to the contrary, rest assured, smart people continued to push the boundaries of human knowledge in 2017. So, in the spirit of looking back and reviewing the year that's gone by, here's a list of cool things we learned in 2017. 

Some of these things are admittedly pretty esoteric. I don't think the fact that it's mathematically possible to build a time machine given the proper materials will do much to change the world in 2018, and the existence of the blackest material ever won't do much except weird you out a little. But some things we learned will make a difference. We identified a new organ, and a new type of diabetes. But all of these things, from the mundane to the obscure, are interesting, and hopefully we can make 2018 as scientifically productive as 2017.