MEDIA CONTEST: Playing the Pro: Slices of life (Series B)

  • Published
  • Series Entry 2B
ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  (Editor's note: This is the second in a four-part series on Moody's Quiet Pines Golf Course.)

As we approached the first hole's tee-box, reality quickly sunk in as I considered the task at hand.

Play three holes against the course director. No sweat, I tried to tell myself. But facing me were two prominent opponents.

After providing me with several tips to improve my game last week, Quiet Pine's Golf Course director and golf professional Dumas "Ben" Bennett now served as my challenger.

Bennett, who is now 64, didn't begin playing the game until he was 38. A 22-year Army veteran, he picked up the game while stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas.

"My first round, I shot a 120," he said. "I am a very competitive person, so there was no way I was going to take 120 shots to do something that was designed to take 72."

So Bennett continued to improve his game, constantly practicing and learning about the game from different books and manuals. He improved quickly and was soon playing in professional events in Europe, where he lived for more than 22 years.

He now maintains a two handicap, meaning he averages scoring two strokes over the course's par rating. He has also taught golf lessons for several years and considers teaching the game to children one of his greatest joys.

"I tell them golf is not a sport," he said. "It's a math problem, with several different factors, including wind speeds, shot angles and ball trajectories. Your goal is to solve the problem in the fewest amount of strokes."

There is a reason why I am a public affairs officer and not a rocket scientist and math played a large role in that decision.

If this wasn't going to be tough enough, I also faced a course Bennett said is deceptively challenging.

"When I first played this course, I thought I would eat it up and bring it to its knees," he said. "This is a difficult little course. I haven't seen anyone bring it down to its knees.

"You have to work the ball and if you don't hit the ball straight, you are going to be in trouble," he added.

Solving math equations plus hitting straight shots equals big trouble for my golf game, but there was no backing out of the challenge now.

Hole 1- Par 5, 528 yards

Quiet Pine's opens with a long, dogleg left par five with trees lining both sides of the fairway.

"In my opinion, this is a very hard hole to start on," Bennett said. "It requires an accurate and placed drive to put you in a good position for your second shot.

"Psychologically, it is a lot more difficult to start the first hole than any other hole," he added. "If you don't work the ball how and where you want, there are trees on both sides to catch it."

Bennett recommended hitting a drive down the center of the fairway, 10 to 20 yards right of the first fairway bunker. The left dogleg comes into play approximately 220 yards from the tee.

From here, the entire fairway is open for a second shot, which should be hit anywhere between 120 to 150 yards from the green. Bennett also cautioned golfers to avoid the drainage ditch, which is approximately 180 yards from the green.

For the third shot, concentrate on hitting the center of the green, which provides a short putt regardless of the pin placement, Bennett said. The hole features a difficult two-tiered green so reducing the putt length is important.

I obviously didn't listen to his advice on hitting a straight drive. My first shot went left, straight into a tree and bounced across the fairway, stopping behind several trees on the right side of the hole. Second shot, another tree and unfortunately, a trend began.

By the time I put my ball in the hole, I posted an eight, including hitting four trees.

Bennett, on the other hand, played the hole exactly as he advised. He hit a straight drive and a solid second shot which set him up for a beautiful third shot which he landed within five feet of the hole. He easily sank the putt and birdied the hole with a four.

Hole 2- Par 3, 132 yards

The second hole is the complete opposite of hole one. The short par three requires an accurate iron shot, usually no more than a six- or seven-iron.

"Most people underestimate this shot and hit it short of the green," Bennett said. "Others hit it flush, or use too much iron and hit it over the green."
The green is protected by bunkers on both its left and right side.

The first half of the green slopes toward the tee, the second half slopes away, requiring a highly accurate shot, he said.

While we both hit solid shots, neither ball wound up on the green. This turned the hole into a chipping and putting contest, which I quickly lost as I hit two terrible chips.
Bennett chipped his ball within five feet of the hole and easily made par. I two-putted and took a double-bogey five.

Thankfully we only had one more hole to play.

Hole 3- Par 4, 451 yards

Our final hole for the day was also the hardest on the course. It features a severe left dogleg and elevated fairway, which requires a straight drive or the ability to draw the ball, which is to curve it to the left, Bennett said.

This came as great news to me since I generally have no ability to draw a ball and based on my first two holes, it appeared I wasn't going to hit it straight.

Bennett recommended hitting a three-wood off the tee to try to keep the ball straight and avoid making the long hole even longer by pushing the ball to the right. On the second shot, Bennett said to lay-up to the front of the green and then try to chip the ball close to the hole to make par.

Once again, it seemed I was completely ignoring Bennett's advice when I sliced a three-wood into the right-side rough. But my next two shots were solid and straight, and I two-putted to salvage a bogey on the hole.

Bennett again drove the ball to the exact spot he wanted. His second shot, however, fell short of the green, which required him to chip up within 10 feet of the hole. Two putts later, and a minor miracle occurred as we tied the hole with bogey fives.

Although I now trailed Bennett by six strokes after only three holes, tying him on the last hole gave me the sliver of hope I need going into next week's challenge.