Oregon Drift

Ten years from now when I tell people that I made the turn at Old Macdonald in 38 — it will be a much better story.

It will rank right up there with my other favorite resort ‘story’ — the 2-iron I hit on No. 16 at Bandon Dunes to within 3 feet of the green.

I may just ‘forget’ to mention that the turn during the preview rounds at Old Macdonald is after six holes.

Currently only 10 of the 18 holes are open for play, and I’m 55 percent sure that this is going to be my favorite course at the resort.

Part of the fun we had was playing a course before it’s actually completely open, but another part of it was the group we went out with.

Right now, if you play a preview round you need to take a “chaperone” with you because the course routing isn’t marked. Brandon Carter, in training to be an assistant pro at the resort, played the role quite capably for John and me.

Caddies Matt Crocker and Jaira Chaffee also were waiting for us on the shuttle when we showed up at the resort’s practice center. It was a nice surprise, since we have been using our pull carts all summer with the exception of hilly layout at Salmon Run in Brookings.

Matt had the Herculean task of lugging my bag around. If I would have known someone else would have been carrying the bag, I would have taken the refrigerator out.

During our trips this summer, John has mentioned to me more than once that he’s been told having a caddie might lower a golfer’s score by as many as 10 shots during a round.

Usually taking 10 shots off my scorecard would necessitate me bringing a pencil with an eraser on it. Now you know why they only give you those little pencils with your scorecards.

I didn’t think it would help that much, but after having Matt giving tips and advice at Old Macdonald, I’m a believer. Knowing the course, he pointed out the best aiming points and landing areas for tee shots, but he was even more help around the greens.

Every one of his reads was spot-on.  I couldn’t always putt the ball where he said, but when I did, it broke exactly like he thought.

The great thing about having Brandon around was watching where he hit his tee shots and then trying to follow. It really helped on the par-3s.

The first one, No. 3, was playing 166 yards downhill, with a little ridge running along the left side of the green. Brandon used that little hillside to funnel his ball back toward the center of the green. I managed to hit one in nearly the same spot, and rolled four feet further away. It was my lone par of the round.

No. 10, the final hole, was playing just 132 yards that day with the pin tucked behind a bunker. John’s tee shot landed between two ridges in the middle of the green leaving a straight shot at the hole. Brandon hit his about halfway between John and the pin to about 15 feet. I hit a  9-iron with a little draw that finished just above pin high, but left of the hole and luckily stopped in the fringe before rolling back into one of the bunkers.

I blew the putt past where Matt had told me and the ball rolled six feet past the  hole. My par putt grazed the hole and left me a tap-in for bogey.

I shot 59 after taking a 9 on both the first and second holes. So even with one of the nines on my card, I would have shot 50 for nine holes. That would at least equal, if not surpass, the best nine I’ve played at the resort.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the other 45 percent of this course.