Contrasts at Kedron Dells

A few days after my visit to the driving range, it was time to see if the practice would pay off, so I gathered my clubs and ventured out to Kedron Dells Golf Club, located in Oshawa, Ontario.

Kedron Dells is a study in contrasts. The front nine is long, but fairly wide open; the back nine is comparatively short, but demands greater precision. The contrast provides an enjoyable challenge, whether you're a bogey golfer or low handicapper.

Things started out fairly well on the first hole, which at 572 yards, is the longest on the course. My drive landed just left of the fairway, but my second shot landed right back in the heart of the good grass. I topped my third shot, so I required a fourth to get near the green. From there it was a chip and two putts for a double bogey. That's not great, but I've fared much worse on this hole when I've gotten into the trees on either side of the fairway.

That's exactly what happened on the sixth hole, a 493-yard par-5. My tee shot found the trees on the left side of the fairway and it took two chips just to get the ball back in the fairway. My fourth shot carried well, but this time found the trees on the right side of the fairway. It took a low punch shot just to get back in the open, en route to a quadruple bogey. Ouch!

Penalty strokes cost me dearly throughout the round. I lost a total of six balls, including four on the back nine. However, there were a few encouraging moments. I hit a beautiful drive on the 16th hole, leaving 120 yards to the green on my second shot. Though I faltered on the approach and then on a less-than-stellar pitch shot, I made up for it with a 40-foot putt for par. Sweet!

I also played the 17th hole, a 526-yard par-5, as well as I ever have. After two shots across the steeply banked fairway, I was merely 150 yards from the green. Unfortunately, that placed the ball on a steep downhill lie, which made it difficult to get the loft needed to clear a creek crossing in front of the green. My attempt to punch a 5-wood into the hill on the other side of the creek failed, but just barely. The error cost me a penalty stroke, but I was still happy to finish with a double bogey.

Score: 118
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 0