MEDIA CONTEST: Playing the Pro: Slices of Life (Series D)

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ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  (Editor's note: This is the last in a four-part series on Moody's Quiet Pines Golf Course.)

If I have learned anything during my golf adventure the last few weeks, it's that the sport can be completely unpredictable and humbling.

Over the last three weeks, I have played Moody's Quiet Pines Golf Course with Dumas "Ben" Bennett, course director and golf professional. And for the first five of our nine-hole challenge, Bennett showed me why he was the professional and I was the average "hacker."

On our sixth hole, however, Bennett surrendered to a double bogey, while I, with the assistance of two "experimental" shots off the tee, parred the hole. The minor victory closed Bennett's lead to 10 strokes as we prepared to take on Quiet Pine's final three holes.

Hole 7- Par 4, 372 yards

This week's challenge started with the straight-on seventh hole. Lined with trees on both sides, the relatively short hole requires a player to hit the ball straight, Bennett said.

"This is another hole you don't really need to hit a driver on," he said. "Hit a three-wood or an iron; anything you can hit straight."

In addition to requiring a straight drive, the hole features an elevated green, which adds difficulty to hitting an approach shot.

"The green is eight to 10 feet above the fairway," he said. "This makes it difficult to see the pin placement and requires you to hit at least a club or two more to get the ball to the green."

Bennett said while the players may need to hit more club to get the ball to the green, they should be careful not to hit it over the green because the following shot is extremely difficult.

The green, guarded by bunkers on the left and right side, contains several breaks. Putting from the back to the front of the green is also especially hard, he added.

Following an "experimental" drive to warm up on the hole (actually I hit the ball as hard as I could way out of bounds,) I safely drove the ball down the right side of the fairway.

I followed the drive with a five-iron approach shot which left me a little short of the green. A chip and two putts later, I recorded my bogey and moved on.

Bennett again displayed the consistency which beat me over and over again with a perfect drive and an approach shot within 15 feet of the pin. Although he missed his birdie attempt, his par putt circled the cup and dropped, giving him a one-stroke victory on the hole.

Hole 8- Par 3, 217 yards

"This is where your heartache and pain really begin," Bennett said of our second hole of the day.

Quiet Pine's second par three hole appears more like a short par four.

The hole plays differently depending on what set of tees a player uses, but can range anywhere from 210 to 230 yards.

"You are normally going to hit a long iron or even a three-wood to get the ball to the hole," Bennett said. "If it is windy, you may even need to hit a driver. Plus, if it's wet, the ball will not carry so the hole plays even longer."

With trees lining the fairway and an out of bounds section to the left and back of the hole, Bennett said the key is to hit a straight, safe shot, even if it falls a little short.

The green runs away from the fairway, which makes it difficult to stick the ball on the putting surface, Bennett said. Once on the green, putts appear flat but actually break from left to right.

Bennett hit a three-iron, which landed a little short of the green. His chip rolled to within a foot of the cup and he easily tapped in for a par.

For the second consecutive hole, my first shot hooked to the left and rolled into the left green-side bunker.

"That's OK," Bennett said. "That is a good shot. You want to have your balls going left, because it means you are swinging through the ball properly. Now we just need to aim your shot a little better."

Although I felt a little better with Bennett's reassurance, I now faced a predicament I hoped to avoid having to write about: my sand game.

My father always told me professional golfers would rather be in the sand than in the rough. Unfortunately for me, I am no pro. So after two futile attempts, I finally escaped the sand trap, two-putted and posted a six.


"You've got this game whipped," Bennett said, again trying to console his pupil as I sulked over my triple bogey. "You are putting well and if you are able to do that, the other stuff will come."

With only one hole left to play, I started to believe the "other stuff" would have to come a different day.

Hole 9- Par 4, 347 yards

Quiet Pines closes with a relatively short dogleg right par four. Although the hole appears to appeal to many golfers due to its ability to accommodate slicing shots, Bennett said, in his opinion, it is actually one of the two most difficult holes.

"This hole looks like a novice golfer's dream," he said. "The drawback is if you slice too much, you are in the woods, and it is virtually impossible to par the hole from there."

With trees again lining both sides of the fairway, golfers should drive the ball down the right or center of the fairway, Bennett said. The hole is fairly short so players shouldn't be worried about hitting the perfect drive.

The approach shot to the ninth green is also difficult because the green is elevated, requiring more club. The backside of the green again slopes away from the fairway, so the best shot is to hit the front half of the green to ensure the ball holds, he added.

"Your best bet on this hole is to get on the green in two, two-putt, take your par and be happy," he recommended.

In my experience, the funny thing about playing the last hole of the day is you will usually hit a shot that will encourage you to come back and play again. That shot occurred on my drive, as I smashed the ball down the left side of the fairway.

"There's your shot," Bennett said as I grinned.

The rest of the hole, however, reminded me again that my game has a long way to go. I hit my approach shot solid, but clipped a tree limb. My third shot fell left of the green and after a chip and two putts, I scored a double-bogey six.

Bennett also smashed his drive, but the ball rolled too far left and landed out of bounds.
I asked him if the ball counted as his "experimental" shot.

"I can't say that," he said. "I can call it my lesson shot, teaching me what not to do with the ball, but I don't get experimental shots."

The extra two strokes cost Bennett as he wound up posting a triple-bogey seven, allowing me to win my second hole of the challenge.

"That's what makes this a humbling game," he said shaking his head as we walked off the green.

As we drove our cart back to the clubhouse and contemplated our extended round of golf, Bennett gave me a few tips on how to continually improve my game.

"You are capable of playing better, so you have to decide not to let the course beat you," he said. "Make mental notes of the mistakes you made. Now you know this course isn't that long and you don't always need to use a driver. Play your three-wood and irons and put yourself in a position to score well.

"Keep your focus, play with the right mental attitude and take what the course gives you," he added. "Go out with the intention to just par every hole and then go do it."

While shooting par might still be far out of my reach, at least now I know the tips to the course and can continue to practice for my next opportunity to play the pro.