Eagle Landing Miniature Golf (Happy Valley, OR) - Gold Course

July 21, 2011, afternoon

The improved back nine on the Green Course mostly carried over as I moved to the Gold Course - I opened with two straight birdies and was feeling good.  Then came #4 - my drive rolled out of bounds off the back of the green, and my third shot (after a penalty placement back on the green) rolled back down the fairway.  I had to settle for triple-bogey 5, erasing my opening birdies in a flash.  Fortunately, I birdied two of the next three holes and parred out, making the turn at one-under 22.  But problems cropped up again on the back nine - I saved par with a putt from rough turf at #10, but missed putts at #11 and #12 to take bogey and double-bogey.  Now I was +2 and facing just three more par-3 holes on the course - but I birdied #13 and #14, then made three straight pars to head into #18, a fairly straightforward par-two, needing a par to stay at even par for the round.  My drive was straight on line, but it wasn't hit terribly hard and left me a bit more work than I wanted.  To my great relief, I was able to sink the par putt, and escaped with a 45.