With rain a distinct possibility for Sunday afternoon, I decided to book an early tee time and hope for the best. On short notice, I was able to land a 7:45 start at The Highlands Golf Club, located in Bradford, Ontario.
Things got off to a cracking start, as the Brits say, when I went bogey, par, bogey, par on the first four holes. The driver and irons were working reasonably well, but pitch shots were the real story, setting up one easy putt after another. Through four holes, I had just four putts. Through six holes, I had but seven.
I triple-bogeyed the fifth hole, a 517-yard par-5. From the middle of the fairway, I topped my second shot with a 3-wood, landing in a bunker. The next shot was not ideal, but I did emerge from the sand. Apart from those two shots, it was a well played hole. I also triple-bogeyed the ninth hole, a shorter par-5 measuring 446 yards. In the middle of the fairway, I topped my second shot again with the 3-wood. I learned my lesson and followed that shot with a beauty using the same club. It was not a problem the rest of the day.
The back nine began with a pretty good stretch, including three bogeys, a par and a birdie on holes ten through fifteen. One of those bogeys should have been par or better, as I reached the green in regulation, but faltered with the putter. The birdie was a near hole-in-one on the thirteenth hole, a 114-yard par-3 where golfers must carry water and sand to reach the green safely. My tee shot landed pin-high on the soft green, about 12 inches right of the target.
Going into the last hole, I had a score of 92. All I needed was double-bogey or better on the par-5 to break 100. Unfortunately, I sliced my drive into the fescue right of the fairway. Despite the error, I reached the green with five shots. At that point, a simple two-putt would have sufficed. The pressure must have gotten to me, as I proceeded to putt the ball right off the green! The subsequent chip shot did not go in, so I added a couple putts and settled for a final score of 101.
That's a decent result, good enough to classify this round as a slumpbuster.
Score: 101
Par: 72
Putts: 32
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
September 24, 2006
September 18, 2006
Marathon at Seaton
Four rounds of demoralizing golf apparently was not enough. The suffering extended to five consecutive rounds, courtesy of an afternoon outing at Seaton Golf & Country Club, located in Pickering, Ontario.
Had it been a quick and dirty round, I might have escaped with a shred of optimism intact, but this turned out to be a marathon event, lasting five hours and fifty minutes. I should have known better. Seaton is a fine course, but it seems to attract hordes of players that know very little about pace of play.
Things began poorly on the first hole, with a three-putt leading to double-bogey. I did well to bogey four of the next five holes, but the one I didn't bogey was truly disastrous. A straight hole measuring 300 yards and completely wide open, it should have been an easy par-4. Unfortunately, a horrible tee shot started a domino effect that resulted in a final score of ten. Yuck!
In the middle part of the round, penalty strokes inflated my score. I was not hitting the ball wildly, but I managed to trickle into the trees time after time. The thirteenth and fourteenth holes were especially troublesome, with multiple excursions into the woods lining the fairways.
The highlight and lowlight of the day came on the sixteenth hole, a 467-yard par-5. I drove the ball just left of the fairway, but it travelled a healthy 240 yards. Thinking I could not exceed about 200 yards with my second shot, I let loose with a 3-wood while the group ahead dallied on the right side of the fairway, a short distance in front of the green. I ended up hitting the ball more squarely and with more power than I ever have before, so much so that it rolled right past the group ahead. From my vantage point, I could not tell if the ball reached the green, but it was close at the very least.
I had never reached a par-5 in two shots before, so I was ecstatic, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, my joy was short-lived. As I began walking towards the green, I watched a woman from the group ahead walk to the location of my ball, bend down and pick something up. I wondered if she had just poached my ball, but thought nobody could possibly be that stupid. Well, apparently she was. When I got to the front of the green, my ball was nowhere in sight. The dingbat had actually taken it!
To make matters worse, she and her playing partners all claimed innocence. At this point in the round, they had joined up with the group in front of them and were actually playing as a group of eight! Can you believe that? No wonder the round took nearly six hours to complete!
The anger must have given me focus, because I went on to hit a couple of beautiful shots. The first was my drive off the tee on the seventeenth hole, a par-4. With the eight idiots wrapping up their approaches to the green, I smacked a laser beam right down the middle of the fairway a distance of 250 yards. It rolled up right behind them, so I had to keep my eye on it all the way.
The second great shot was my approach on the eighteenth hole, another par-4. I had messed up two previous shots, so I still had 240 yards to the green. Once again, I pulled out my 3-wood and absolutely smoked it! I saw this one all the way as it rolled and came to rest at the back of the green.
The way I swung that 3-wood for the last couple of holes was perfect. I really surprised myself with the distance I got out of it. It definitely helped take some of the sting out of a bad round.
Score: 114
Par: 70
Putts: 41
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
Had it been a quick and dirty round, I might have escaped with a shred of optimism intact, but this turned out to be a marathon event, lasting five hours and fifty minutes. I should have known better. Seaton is a fine course, but it seems to attract hordes of players that know very little about pace of play.
Things began poorly on the first hole, with a three-putt leading to double-bogey. I did well to bogey four of the next five holes, but the one I didn't bogey was truly disastrous. A straight hole measuring 300 yards and completely wide open, it should have been an easy par-4. Unfortunately, a horrible tee shot started a domino effect that resulted in a final score of ten. Yuck!
In the middle part of the round, penalty strokes inflated my score. I was not hitting the ball wildly, but I managed to trickle into the trees time after time. The thirteenth and fourteenth holes were especially troublesome, with multiple excursions into the woods lining the fairways.
The highlight and lowlight of the day came on the sixteenth hole, a 467-yard par-5. I drove the ball just left of the fairway, but it travelled a healthy 240 yards. Thinking I could not exceed about 200 yards with my second shot, I let loose with a 3-wood while the group ahead dallied on the right side of the fairway, a short distance in front of the green. I ended up hitting the ball more squarely and with more power than I ever have before, so much so that it rolled right past the group ahead. From my vantage point, I could not tell if the ball reached the green, but it was close at the very least.
I had never reached a par-5 in two shots before, so I was ecstatic, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, my joy was short-lived. As I began walking towards the green, I watched a woman from the group ahead walk to the location of my ball, bend down and pick something up. I wondered if she had just poached my ball, but thought nobody could possibly be that stupid. Well, apparently she was. When I got to the front of the green, my ball was nowhere in sight. The dingbat had actually taken it!
To make matters worse, she and her playing partners all claimed innocence. At this point in the round, they had joined up with the group in front of them and were actually playing as a group of eight! Can you believe that? No wonder the round took nearly six hours to complete!
The anger must have given me focus, because I went on to hit a couple of beautiful shots. The first was my drive off the tee on the seventeenth hole, a par-4. With the eight idiots wrapping up their approaches to the green, I smacked a laser beam right down the middle of the fairway a distance of 250 yards. It rolled up right behind them, so I had to keep my eye on it all the way.
The second great shot was my approach on the eighteenth hole, another par-4. I had messed up two previous shots, so I still had 240 yards to the green. Once again, I pulled out my 3-wood and absolutely smoked it! I saw this one all the way as it rolled and came to rest at the back of the green.
The way I swung that 3-wood for the last couple of holes was perfect. I really surprised myself with the distance I got out of it. It definitely helped take some of the sting out of a bad round.
Score: 114
Par: 70
Putts: 41
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
September 13, 2006
Willow Valley Blues
Last Sunday, while Jim Furyk, Bart Bryant, and other professional golfers were contesting the final round of the 2006 Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club, myself and a motley crew of amateurs were contesting the final round of the 2006 Deepwoods Golf Association Tour at Willow Valley Golf Course, just a stone's throw away.
Furyk moved to the top of the leaderboard, pocketing $900,000 for his effort, while I slid closer to the bottom, shelling out greens fees and gas money in the process. I'll save the discussion of golf economics for another day. For now, let's concentrate on what I did wrong at Willow Valley.
Bad Start. My first shot of the day was a complete mis-hit, pulled into the fescue bordering the tee box. I was forced to declare an unplayable lie and take the accompanying penalty stroke. This led to a quadruple-bogey. Try as I might, I could not erase the memory of that shot on subsequent holes.
Pulled Shots. After my round at Watson's Glen, I thought I knew why I was pulling the ball. Apparently, I was wrong or only partly right. I pulled the majority of my drives and as a result, found very few fairways all day.
Poor Sand Play. Willow Valley is rife with bunkers and I had trouble with them all day long. I expended thirteen shots getting out of ten different bunkers. My stroke was far too deep, taking an excessive amount of sand with each attempt.
Par-3 Meltdowns. Most of the par-3 holes at Willow Valley are tantalizingly short. These are precisely the holes that I often turn into disasters, perhaps because of a lapse in concentration. Short does not mean easy, especially when water and sand traps abound.
There were some good moments, including a birdie on the fifteenth hole, a 515-yard par-5. After a squarely hit drive and a poor second shot, I hit a wonderful 8-iron to within five feet of the hole. A single putt produced the bird. The best shot of the day was off the tee on the fourteenth hole, a 185-yard par-3. Gripping my 3-iron with an experimental interlocking grip, I hit a perfect little draw shot over a bunker and onto the green. Too bad it took three putts to hole out from just ten feet away.
Score: 114
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Furyk moved to the top of the leaderboard, pocketing $900,000 for his effort, while I slid closer to the bottom, shelling out greens fees and gas money in the process. I'll save the discussion of golf economics for another day. For now, let's concentrate on what I did wrong at Willow Valley.
Bad Start. My first shot of the day was a complete mis-hit, pulled into the fescue bordering the tee box. I was forced to declare an unplayable lie and take the accompanying penalty stroke. This led to a quadruple-bogey. Try as I might, I could not erase the memory of that shot on subsequent holes.
Pulled Shots. After my round at Watson's Glen, I thought I knew why I was pulling the ball. Apparently, I was wrong or only partly right. I pulled the majority of my drives and as a result, found very few fairways all day.
Poor Sand Play. Willow Valley is rife with bunkers and I had trouble with them all day long. I expended thirteen shots getting out of ten different bunkers. My stroke was far too deep, taking an excessive amount of sand with each attempt.
Par-3 Meltdowns. Most of the par-3 holes at Willow Valley are tantalizingly short. These are precisely the holes that I often turn into disasters, perhaps because of a lapse in concentration. Short does not mean easy, especially when water and sand traps abound.
There were some good moments, including a birdie on the fifteenth hole, a 515-yard par-5. After a squarely hit drive and a poor second shot, I hit a wonderful 8-iron to within five feet of the hole. A single putt produced the bird. The best shot of the day was off the tee on the fourteenth hole, a 185-yard par-3. Gripping my 3-iron with an experimental interlocking grip, I hit a perfect little draw shot over a bunker and onto the green. Too bad it took three putts to hole out from just ten feet away.
Score: 114
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
September 09, 2006
Victory is Sweet
Normally, I use this blog to record stories about my individual golf performance. This particular post is different, since it describes the outcome of a team event that I recently took part in. Organized by some of my colleagues at work, the event is an annual golf tournament designed to raise money for charity. Teams comprised of four players compete in the popular "scramble" format to determine a winner.
This year, the event was held at Granite Ridge Golf Club, located in Milton, Ontario. The venue was the same as last year, when I first participated in this particular tournament. On both occasions, my team managed to compile a score of 61, or nine under par. Last year, this was one stroke more than the winning team had, but this year it was good enough for victory among 36 teams!
Three members of this year's team played together last year. The fourth suffered a back injury last year that prevented him from playing. The nice thing about our victory was that all members of the team contributed in one form or another. Sometimes it was a tricky putt or sand shot, while other times it was a precise approach shot or monstrous drive. (For the record, none of the monstrous drives were mine, though I did drive the ball well, enabling some of my team-mates to bomb away.)
It was a thoroughly enjoyable round and everyone had a good time. Hopefully, some of the good karma will now find its way into my individual game.
Thanks guys!
Score: 61
Par: 70
Putts: 25
Fairways: 9
Greens: 16
This year, the event was held at Granite Ridge Golf Club, located in Milton, Ontario. The venue was the same as last year, when I first participated in this particular tournament. On both occasions, my team managed to compile a score of 61, or nine under par. Last year, this was one stroke more than the winning team had, but this year it was good enough for victory among 36 teams!
Three members of this year's team played together last year. The fourth suffered a back injury last year that prevented him from playing. The nice thing about our victory was that all members of the team contributed in one form or another. Sometimes it was a tricky putt or sand shot, while other times it was a precise approach shot or monstrous drive. (For the record, none of the monstrous drives were mine, though I did drive the ball well, enabling some of my team-mates to bomb away.)
It was a thoroughly enjoyable round and everyone had a good time. Hopefully, some of the good karma will now find its way into my individual game.
Thanks guys!
Score: 61
Par: 70
Putts: 25
Fairways: 9
Greens: 16
September 08, 2006
Slumping at Watson's Glen
Last Sunday, I played at Watson's Glen Golf Course, located in Pickering, Ontario. The remnants of Hurricane Ernesto brought rain to Southern Ontario for most of the Labour Day weekend, so I was glad to squeeze a round in. Had I teed off in the early afternoon, conditions would have been acceptable. Since I teed off in the morning however, I had to endure moderate to light rainfall and strong wind for the first six holes.
Not surprisingly, my worst scores of the day were picked up during the rainfall. My biggest problem was a persistent pull, which directed a few balls into thick fescue or pesky sand traps. On a good weather day, the fescue is tough to handle. After a few days of rain, it is nearly impossible to deal with. Of course, the solution is to avoid the fescue in the first place, which I was unable to do.
On the fifth hole, I pulled my second shot from the centre of the fairway and the ball landed left of the green. I ended up with a bogey, instead of a par. On the eighth hole, a par-5, I pulled my third shot from the fairway and the ball landed in a greenside bunker. This caused all kinds of trouble and I ended up with a triple-bogey, instead of a par. On the eleventh hole, my second shot from the fairway was also pulled into a greenside bunker. Double-bogey was the outcome.
I'm sure you see the pattern, but allow me to offer a few more examples. On the seventeenth hole, a par-3, I pulled my tee shot and the ball came to rest five yards left of the green. As a result, I ended up with a bogey. On the eighteenth hole, a par-5, I pulled my second shot from the centre of the fairway and the ball ended up lost in some fescue.
The good news is that I analyzed my swing after the round and I think I figured out the cause of the pulled shots. We'll have to wait for the next round to see if I am correct.
Score: 117
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Not surprisingly, my worst scores of the day were picked up during the rainfall. My biggest problem was a persistent pull, which directed a few balls into thick fescue or pesky sand traps. On a good weather day, the fescue is tough to handle. After a few days of rain, it is nearly impossible to deal with. Of course, the solution is to avoid the fescue in the first place, which I was unable to do.
On the fifth hole, I pulled my second shot from the centre of the fairway and the ball landed left of the green. I ended up with a bogey, instead of a par. On the eighth hole, a par-5, I pulled my third shot from the fairway and the ball landed in a greenside bunker. This caused all kinds of trouble and I ended up with a triple-bogey, instead of a par. On the eleventh hole, my second shot from the fairway was also pulled into a greenside bunker. Double-bogey was the outcome.
I'm sure you see the pattern, but allow me to offer a few more examples. On the seventeenth hole, a par-3, I pulled my tee shot and the ball came to rest five yards left of the green. As a result, I ended up with a bogey. On the eighteenth hole, a par-5, I pulled my second shot from the centre of the fairway and the ball ended up lost in some fescue.
The good news is that I analyzed my swing after the round and I think I figured out the cause of the pulled shots. We'll have to wait for the next round to see if I am correct.
Score: 117
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
September 02, 2006
How Much Have I Really Played?
To say that I was discouraged after my last two rounds would be an understatement. What bothered me most was the sobering thought that almost anyone could pick up a set of clubs, walk on to a golf course for the very first time and achieve similar scores - yet I've been playing for years!
Which begs the question, "How many years have I actually been playing?" I've been asked this question in the recent past and my answer has consistently been "five or six years." This was based on my best recollection, but memory is often imprecise, so I decided to find the definitive answer.
This turned out to be very easy, since I always pay for golf with a credit card, and also have at least a decade's worth of credit card statements neatly filed away. After about ten minutes, I had the information I was looking for. The results, presented next, were somewhat surprising.
Total Rounds by Year
1999: 3
2000: 0
2001: 2
2002: 13
2003: 13
2004: 18
2005: 30
2006: 31 (so far)
I knew that my first round ever was played in 1999 and that I played a couple more times that year. However, I was surprised to see that I did not play at all in 2000 and only twice in 2001. I would have guessed that I played about three rounds in 2000 and a dozen or more in 2001. In fact, I did not start playing regularly until mid-July of the following year (2002).
In actual time, that means I've been playing regularly for just over four years. You could also say I've been playing regularly for five seasons. Either way, that's somewhat less than I had imagined.
I was also surprised at the number of rounds played in 2002 and 2003. I would have guessed that I played closer to twenty rounds in each of those years. Perhaps the more vigorous golf schedule of the past two years skewed my memory of prior years.
Here are some other interesting tidbits that this little exercise revealed:
Start/End of Season by Year
1999: May 2 - May 30
2000: Not Applicable
2001: Jun 23 - Jun 30
2002: Jul 13 - Dec 22
2003: Apr 26 - Oct 5
2004: Apr 25 - Oct 10
2005: May 23 - Oct 29
2006: Apr 2 - ???
The December 22 end date in 2002 is not a typo. I remember that day very well. I was playing at Richview Golf & Country Club, located in Oakville, Ontario. The course no longer exists, but back then it was one of the few clubs that stayed open very late into the season. On the first hole, I hit a drive into the middle of the fairway. Next, I hit an iron to the front centre of the green. In the summer, it would have been perfect, but on that day it bounced about fifty feet into the air and continued bouncing right off the back of the green. It was literally like golfing on a hockey rink.
Total Rounds by Course
11: Bloomington Downs
7: Hornby Glen
7: Kedron Dells
7: Saw-Whet
5: Bushwood
5: Granite Ridge
4: Carrying Place
4: Rolling Hills
3: Banty's Roost
3: Cardinal
3: Highlands
3: Richview
3: Seaton
3: Tyandaga
3: Watson's Glen
2: Brookside
2: Deer Creek
2: Glen Cedars
2: Grey Silo
2: Hidden Lake
2: Hunters' Glen
2: Indian Wells
2: Lakeview
2: Oakville Executive
1: BraeBen
1: Burlington Springs
1: Carlisle
1: Century Pines
1: Copetown Woods
1: Glen Eagle
1: Guelph Lakes
1: Hockley Valley
1: Horseshoe Resort
1: International of Niagara
1: Kleinburg
1: Lowville
1: Maples of Ballantrae
1: Mayfield
1: Mill Run
1: Mystic
1: Peninsula Lakes
1: Royal Woodbine
1: Shawneeki
1: Tangle Creek
1: Unknown*
* Unable to remember the name of this course.
There were no surprises at the top of this list. I was surprised by some of the courses in the middle of the pack. Places like Tyandaga, Watson's Glen, Glen Cedars, and Hunters' Glen seem very familiar to me, yet I've only played them a couple of times each. Go figure.
Anyway, to sum it all up, I haven't played as much as I thought I have. However, I have still played enough that I should no longer be scoring in triple digits.
The 2006 season will soon wind down. Let's hope I end the season on a positive note.
Which begs the question, "How many years have I actually been playing?" I've been asked this question in the recent past and my answer has consistently been "five or six years." This was based on my best recollection, but memory is often imprecise, so I decided to find the definitive answer.
This turned out to be very easy, since I always pay for golf with a credit card, and also have at least a decade's worth of credit card statements neatly filed away. After about ten minutes, I had the information I was looking for. The results, presented next, were somewhat surprising.
Total Rounds by Year
1999: 3
2000: 0
2001: 2
2002: 13
2003: 13
2004: 18
2005: 30
2006: 31 (so far)
I knew that my first round ever was played in 1999 and that I played a couple more times that year. However, I was surprised to see that I did not play at all in 2000 and only twice in 2001. I would have guessed that I played about three rounds in 2000 and a dozen or more in 2001. In fact, I did not start playing regularly until mid-July of the following year (2002).
In actual time, that means I've been playing regularly for just over four years. You could also say I've been playing regularly for five seasons. Either way, that's somewhat less than I had imagined.
I was also surprised at the number of rounds played in 2002 and 2003. I would have guessed that I played closer to twenty rounds in each of those years. Perhaps the more vigorous golf schedule of the past two years skewed my memory of prior years.
Here are some other interesting tidbits that this little exercise revealed:
Start/End of Season by Year
1999: May 2 - May 30
2000: Not Applicable
2001: Jun 23 - Jun 30
2002: Jul 13 - Dec 22
2003: Apr 26 - Oct 5
2004: Apr 25 - Oct 10
2005: May 23 - Oct 29
2006: Apr 2 - ???
The December 22 end date in 2002 is not a typo. I remember that day very well. I was playing at Richview Golf & Country Club, located in Oakville, Ontario. The course no longer exists, but back then it was one of the few clubs that stayed open very late into the season. On the first hole, I hit a drive into the middle of the fairway. Next, I hit an iron to the front centre of the green. In the summer, it would have been perfect, but on that day it bounced about fifty feet into the air and continued bouncing right off the back of the green. It was literally like golfing on a hockey rink.
Total Rounds by Course
11: Bloomington Downs
7: Hornby Glen
7: Kedron Dells
7: Saw-Whet
5: Bushwood
5: Granite Ridge
4: Carrying Place
4: Rolling Hills
3: Banty's Roost
3: Cardinal
3: Highlands
3: Richview
3: Seaton
3: Tyandaga
3: Watson's Glen
2: Brookside
2: Deer Creek
2: Glen Cedars
2: Grey Silo
2: Hidden Lake
2: Hunters' Glen
2: Indian Wells
2: Lakeview
2: Oakville Executive
1: BraeBen
1: Burlington Springs
1: Carlisle
1: Century Pines
1: Copetown Woods
1: Glen Eagle
1: Guelph Lakes
1: Hockley Valley
1: Horseshoe Resort
1: International of Niagara
1: Kleinburg
1: Lowville
1: Maples of Ballantrae
1: Mayfield
1: Mill Run
1: Mystic
1: Peninsula Lakes
1: Royal Woodbine
1: Shawneeki
1: Tangle Creek
1: Unknown*
* Unable to remember the name of this course.
There were no surprises at the top of this list. I was surprised by some of the courses in the middle of the pack. Places like Tyandaga, Watson's Glen, Glen Cedars, and Hunters' Glen seem very familiar to me, yet I've only played them a couple of times each. Go figure.
Anyway, to sum it all up, I haven't played as much as I thought I have. However, I have still played enough that I should no longer be scoring in triple digits.
The 2006 season will soon wind down. Let's hope I end the season on a positive note.
September 01, 2006
Carrying Place Catastrophe
Yesterday, I made my second visit of the year to Carrying Place Golf and Country Club, located in Kettleby, Ontario.
Once again, it was a beautiful day, but my round was sheer rubbish. Stay tuned for details about my next round, which is sure to be utter refuse.
Score: 115
Par: 69
Putts: 44
Fairways: 2
Greens: 1
Once again, it was a beautiful day, but my round was sheer rubbish. Stay tuned for details about my next round, which is sure to be utter refuse.
Score: 115
Par: 69
Putts: 44
Fairways: 2
Greens: 1
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