Illustrated golf course with red hazard stake, geese, goslings, kids fishing, trees, rabbit, and golf ball in rough
Red stakes, rogue rabbits, bunker hops, kids with fishing poles, and multiple gosling families on parade. A full-contact round.

Fellows Creek Golf Club (North Course) | June 2, 2025
Score: 62 | Putts: 20 | Penalties: 7 | Wildlife Sightings: 13 (at least)

There are rounds you remember because you played well. And then there are rounds you remember because you got tangled in the underbrush on Hole 8 and might now have poison ivy.

This was the second kind.

🕳️ Hole-by-Hole Highlights (and Hazards)

  • Hole 1 (7): Laid-up smart, hit it long, and found tall grass. Recovered with a decent chip and nearly holed a confident putt. Strong routine, shaky wedge distance control.
  • Hole 2 (6): Crushed a drive into a branch and out of bounds. Took a smarter second line, scrambled from trees, and kept cool for the two-putt finish.
  • Hole 3 (8): My best drive of the year (center cut, 215 yards)… followed immediately by a water ball. Also: almost hit a group of kids fishing by the pond. I did call out to them—before and after—but still. Between the perfect tee shot, the penalty, the pond, and the politely near-missed youth, this hole gave me everything but a par.
  • Hole 4 (8): Faded drive, safe punch-out (thanks, Dawn for keeping me smart and honest), and a topped iron across the creek. One penalty, one great downhill putt. Golf!
  • Hole 5 (5): Par 3. Fringe from the tee, four putts. Should’ve chipped. Should’ve cried. Didn’t.
  • Hole 6 (7): Sliced drive into the pond, got tense on the 3W recovery but stayed dry. Ground out the rest with a nice pitch and a clutch short putt. Also, it started snowing cottonwood fluff—visually stunning, but pure allergy warfare. Here’s why that fluff shows up every spring.
  • Hole 7 (6): A bunker bash and a double chip, but finished strong with an 8-footer that dropped like it owed me money.
  • Hole 8 (7): Smart drive, bad swing thought, pushed into the woods. Found my ball, possibly found poison ivy, and caught a leaf mid-backswing that led to a splash into a bunker. Two shots to escape. One putt to feel like I meant it.
  • Hole 9 (7): Great drive, misjudged layup, another creek. Pitched on, read the 25-footer beautifully—left it short—but drained the 3-footer. Small wins.

⛳ The Stats (Not the Story)

3 of 7

Fairways Hit

0

Greens in Regulation

20

Putts

0

Up and Downs

3 of 9

First Chip Successes

7

Penalties

8

Double+ Bogeys

215 Yds

Longest Drive

63

Final Score

4:2

Balls Lost:Found

🧠 Mental Game: This Round, I…

  • Trusted my pre-shot routine. Especially on Holes 3 and 9, where setup and tempo gave me great drives. The fade is still fading, but I was ready for it.
  • Let swing thoughts get too loud. (“Don’t slice it” is not the same as “swing smooth and left.”)
  • Took advice. Dawn’s “punch out” call on Hole 4 saved me from adding two more strokes.
  • Kept fighting. I never let a disaster snowball—just… stacked a few snowflakes here and there.

🦆 Round Vibes

This course was full of movement—geese herding goslings across fairways, rabbits posted up near teeboxes, and players laughing over bunker fails like we were in a sitcom. By Hole 6, the air was thick with cottonwood fluff, drifting like snow across the green. It looked magical… and absolutely wrecked my sinuses.

USGA explores how golf courses support wildlife habitats, and Fellows Creek seemed to be a thriving one. The air was soft and golden. The company was kind. I didn’t break 60, but I didn’t break down either.

And that counts for something.

A family of Canada geese crosses the fairway while a golf cart and player wait patiently in the background, a common wildlife moment at Fellows Creek.
The local flock finally let us take our shot—after inspecting the lie.
Geese grazing near a teebox with players and carts in the distance
Unofficial gallery members posted up near the tee box—no clapping, just chewing.
Golf green and bunker covered lightly in white cottonwood seed fluff
A summer green under a soft coat of cottonwood fluff—peaceful, until your allergies notice.
Rabbit hopping across the tee box area with blue markers visible
This little guy made it to the teebox before I did.
Multiple families of geese with goslings gathered near a golf cart
Three generations of geese exploring the second cut like they paid greens fees.

🧳 What to Pack for Next Time

  • A short game plan when I’m off the green but not on the fringe
  • A committed decision on tee-to-green strategy, not a halfway guess
  • A better process for poison ivy identification
  • Bug spray and hydrocortisone cream—because nature fights back

“Some days you’re just trying to keep the ball—and your dignity—in play. And if you manage both, that’s a win.”

📚 More From This Series:

💬 Join the Conversation

Curious what other real rounds look like? Women Who Golf and Women’s Golf Day celebrate the highs, the lows, and the goose crossings.

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