Okay so last Tuesday I finally played Raven Golf Club here in Destin. Heard all this hype, right? “Premier course,” “amazing views,” “best in Destin.” Went in thinking I’d shoot like a pro. Spoiler alert: it kicked my butt. But hey, I learned stuff the hard way. Here’s how it went down, sweat stains and all.
Getting There & First Impressions
Dragged myself outta bed stupid early. Drove over to the club, GPS got kinda wonky near those big resort entrances. Almost missed the turn – sign wasn’t huge. Parked the rental car, grabbed my bag, felt that Florida humidity hit like a wet towel. Check-in was smooth though, guy was real friendly. Course looked gorgeous, super green, water everywhere. Looked like a postcard. That’s when the confidence kicked in. Big mistake.
The Absolute Disaster Round
Tee’d off on Hole 1. Fairway seemed wide enough. Took a swing… and sent that ball straight into the trees on the right. Like, vanished. Found two balls I didn’t lose instead. Great start. Second hole had water right in front. Told myself, “Just clear it, easy.” Swung, topped it, watched it dribble straight into the freakin’ pond. Saw a fish surface, mocking me. By hole 4, I was sweating more from embarrassment than heat.
Worst part? Those sand traps. Looked fluffy. Nope. Hit into one, tried to blast out, only moved it two feet further back into the bunker. Raked sand like I was digging to China. Another time, thought I’d play it safe, aim away from the water hazard. Nailed it – directly into a group’s golf cart parked near the green. Mortified. Screamed “Fore!” way too late. They looked… unimpressed.
What Actually Worked (The “Tricks”)
After my pride finished drowning around hole 12, I kinda calmed down. Started paying attention to the little stuff that actually made a difference:
- Forget Distance, Play Smart: Stopped trying to crush the driver every tee shot. Used a 5-iron off the tee on a shorter par 4. Kept it in play, felt like winning the lottery.
- Water is Lava (But Watch Where It Is): Sounds obvious? Duh. But seriously, looking at my yardage book BEFORE each shot, seeing EXACTLY where the lagoons were biting into the fairway, that saved me a sleeve of balls on the back nine. If water was left, I aimed WAY right, even if it meant hitting towards rougher ground.
- Bunker? Treat it Like Dynamite: That fluffy trap I sunk into? Next time in sand, I clubbed up, used a sand wedge like usual, but slammed that sucker DOWN into the sand maybe 2 inches behind the ball. Took way more sand than felt right. Boom – it actually popped out! Landed soft. Mind blown.
Why I Know These Things Work
Look, I ain’t no scratch golfer. Most days, just happy to break 90. Why should you listen to my tricks? Because I paid the price. Literally. Lost a dozen balls that day. Had to buy another overpriced sleeve at the turn. That smart 5-iron shot saved me $15 right there! Almost put one through someone’s windshield. My knees are still shaking thinking about the cart I nailed. Wasted 10 minutes apologizing while my group tapped their feet. Felt like a dumb rookie.
That sheer desperation on the back nine? Yeah, that’s where the real learning happened. Screwed up SO BAD early on that anything that didn’t end in disaster felt like genius. Played safe with the irons, eyeballed the water hazards like they stole my wallet, and finally, finally started treating the bunkers like they owed me money. Didn’t shoot a great score, but man, finished without needing therapy.
So yeah, Raven was beautiful. Raven was also a beast. But figuring out those three dumb little things the hard way? Made the difference between wanting to snap my driver and actually enjoying the last few holes. Don’t make my mistakes. Play smart.
