Twin Links (Mount Prospect, IL) - South Course

July 22, 2006, afternoon

I continued my 2006 trend of not playing great on the south course as Alma and I made it course number four in our mini golf odyssey.  I went 22 out and 24 back; on the way out I didn't make a score worse than 3, but three of those were on par-two holes (as the front nine has just two par-threes).  I birdied eight with a perfect putt off the top of the fairway ramp that dropped onto the green and into the hole, but still ended up +2 on the way out.  Coming back in, I had three fours on the card, but scraped to a one-over 24 because I made 2s on all six other holes, including birdies at 11 and 16, and all the fours were at least on par-threes.  Alma had had few major blemishes on the north course, but took a five on the way out and a five and six on the way in, ending up with a 57.

May 28, 2006, night

There's certainly something to be said for night golf when the day is hot, and Sunday was the first scorcher of the year, going up to 90.  Alma and I got to Twin Links just in time to play one course, and chose the south, as it seemed less crowded.  I started pretty consistent on the front nine, though not necessarily in a good way - I made all 2s and 3s, but all of the threes were on par-2 holes.  I birdied both par-3s - 6 and 8, the latter thanks to a perfect drive that just made it up the ramp and stayed on the top portion of the tiered green - but bogeyed 3, 7, and 9 to end up with one-over 21 at the turn.  The back nine really wasn't any worse - I finished it +1 as well - but I squandered a few chances to end up on the right side of par.  After bogeying #10 with my only four of the day, I just missed birdie at 11 and had to settle for par.  I split bogey-birdie on 13 and 14, and then again on 15 and 16.  A birdie on 17 - the second of two metal cup birdies, as I had no trouble with that gimmick in this particular round - drew me even on the back nine, and I came to the 18th, a fairly straight hole that I had nearly aced in my last attempt (see below), with an outside chance to even the round.  I pushed the ball left, though - I had various problems with missing obstacle targets during the round - and missed a longish comebacker that would have at least left me even on the back nine.  As it was, I settled for +2.

April 23, 2006, afternoon

Par King had left a slightly bitter taste in our mouths, especially Drew's, so we headed over to Twin Links, our favorite area course.  We started on the south course and both struggled a bit, I more consistently.  I led by three after four holes as Drew bogeyed all of them, but things reversed quickly.  A bad break at the fifth gave me a 4 and left Drew just a shot back; he proceeded to ace the sixth to tie the score.  I nearly returned the favor at 7 but saw the ball hop over the cup; I still made two there, but bogeyed 8 and 9 to end up +4, and two back of Drew, at the turn.   Though I birdied ten, things really got little better on the first half of the back nine; I bogeyed 11 while Drew birdied, bogeyed 12, and then bogeyed 14 (one of Twin Links' infamous "raised metal cup" holes that punish anything other than a dead-center shot more than any course I've ever played) while Drew birdied again.  Now I was six back with four holes left.  But no sooner had I commented that this was "making up for Par King" than everything broke my way.  I made four 2s in a row - including two birdies - while Drew finished 3-4-4-3.  At the 17th, the metal cup scores from 14 reversed themselves to pull me within one... and then I nearly aced 18 to win the round.  Instead, I took 2 while Drew managed a 3 to tie.  We decided we needed to play the north course to break it, and to get over the fact that this was the first time either of us had finished a Twin Links round over par.

July 1, 2005, afternoon

The south course served as the "Friday" course for the 72-hole tournament Drew and I were playing.  I came into "Friday" up two after my strong two-under showing at the north course, but Drew turned the tables as we exactly reversed our final scores.  Drew surged into a one-shot lead for the day with a stunning front nine 19 that featured only a bogey 3 at the first as its sole blemish.  Birdies at the fourth (an ace) and sixth left him one-under, while I limped out with a two-over 22, no thanks to a four, the second I'd recorded at Twin Links.  Drew now led the tournament by one stroke and the course by three, but gave away his advantage on the back nine, bogeying 10 and 12.  He was still one up on the south course, but I was back up one for the day.  However, I bogeyed 14 while he birdied it, a two-shot swing that left him up one overall and three on the course.  I birdied 16 to even the total score; we both came in under par to even my score on the south course at a par 43, while Drew's two-under 41 made sure things would be even as we headed to Lincolnwood.