The bottom nine at Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort

Trip Start May 01, 2002
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27
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Trip End May 01, 2009


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Flag of Egypt  ,
Saturday, October 28, 2006

hole #10, 375-yard par-4: it's not a dog-leg but a crescent. a crescent right. at the tee you will see a small bunker on the left side of the fairway and from there the fairway curves right continuously to the green with right and front and rear and left bunkers. incidentally, the sand in these bunkers is really fine and very fluid. you can look like a pro hitting from these bunkers. i drove right up to the fairway bunker and had a 150-yard on-shot which i pulled left with my 5-iron and made a fine bunker shot. 3-on and 2-putt for bogie. by the way, there is a water hazard and also an impenetrable forest behind the green. if you overshoot you will be in deep doodoo.

hole #11, 525-yard par-5: this is a strange hole. a straight and wide fairway goes directly from the tee to the green with no hazards at all. the fairway undulates quite a bit and there is a bit of an uphill slope so it plays long. 3-on and 3-putt for bogie Desert
Desert
 . it was one of those "putt birdie get bogie" deals. yuck. i blew it. one of these days i want to learn how to putt. you've got to keep your head absolutely still and follow through toward the target. i know that. but why oh why don't i do it?

hole #12, 385-yard par-4: this one is a dog-leg left or perhaps a chicken-leg as the curvature is not sharp. at the knee-cap is a small bunker and behind the green is a water hazard but it is otherwise hazard-free. the fairway is at a distance so that if you have a bad drive you may find yourself in deep rough as pencil found out. i drove safely out to the bunker at the bend without going into it but fell short of the green on my second shot and then forgot my putting fundamentals again. 3-on and 3-putt for double bogie. ouch!!

hole #13, 155-yard par-3: this hole reminds me a lot of hole #4. pretty much the same setup with water in front and along the left and the cart path and bushes along the right. if you overshoot you will be in the bar or in the desert. i was a little too careful and ended up short of the green. 2-on and 2-putt for bogie.

hole #14, 360-yard par-4: it's a crescent left with desert along the right. it is a long haul to the fairway so you need a good drive here to avoid the deep deep rough that precedes it. there are three little fairway bunkers along the way but they are well out of the way. the green is up on a hill. chipped on and 1-putt for par.

hole #15, 510-yard par-5: this one is a long a winding road but with no hazards at all except for desert and scrub brush all along the right. the fairway is straight ahead for about 200 yards and then it curves right for about 200 yards and then curves left up to the green. i got in a very lucky drive that i thought was going for the desert. actually i was sure it was in the desert but there it was right in the middle of the fairway past the first dogleg. wow!!! "fucking perfect" as pencil might say. a superb 5-wood and i forgot what iron but i was 3-on and 2-putt for par. this is my hole. i own this hole. i have totally conquered this sucker.

hole #16, 370-yard par-4: straight and long fairway with a slight curve to the right and with a large bunker right of middle where my drive normally goes. i pulled my drive and ended up in the rough left of the fairway (and well away from the bunker). i hit a 5-iron just to get back on the fairway but it went a mile and ended up in the right green-side bunker. 3-on and 2-putt for bogie.

hole #17, 175-yard par-3: i have never seen a par-3 like this. it is like an oversized soccer field with a forest on the right. you tee off from one goal post and the green is at the other goal post. the only hint of hazard is the forest on the right and a small inconsequential green to the left and back of the green that should not come into play at all but guess what. that's where i went. 2-on and 1-putt for par.

hole #18, 430-yard par-4: this one has character. a narrow fairway opens out wide before getting really narrow again to wind its way around a large lake with brick walls. it's a very long par 4 made more difficult by the lake, the weird shape of the fairway at the end, and the location of the green atop a hillock. also, it's a homecoming green and the good old boys are watching. my second shot landed just short of the lake without dropping in and i was 3-on, no sweat. then 3-putt for a double bogie for all the world to see. my first putt was way too hard.

Back in our room, we filled our huge triangular bathtub with hot water and suds and sat there sipping meister beer. pencil reached for the phone and called room service. she ordered kebabs, rice, and a mediterranean salad with olives and fetta cheese. we had dinner in our hilton bath robes. i opened a bottle of duty free wine. we looked out upon the golf course and the desert beyond. we could hear the desert wind howl. it was a fine evening.
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