Last season, I faithfully blogged about every golf round I played - 44 rounds in total. That's a decent amount of golf, and a lot of blogging!
This season, I played the same number of rounds, but I didn't have the will or the motivation to blog about each one. When I played my greatest round ever, it inspired me to write a shot-by-shot account, which ended up being the last detailed write-up I produced.
And so, it looks like this blog is officially dead. Rest assured, I will vigorously continue "chasing par" on the weekends and occasional weekday, but don't expect to read about it here.
Below are the remainder of my scores from this past season, in reverse chronological order. Can't wait for next season!
Burlington Springs - 91
Piper's Heath - 112
Whirlpool - 96
Whirlpool - 103
Saw-Whet - 101
Lowville - 87
Nottawasaga - 100
Woodington Lake - 100
Silver Lakes - 109
Willow Valley - 103
Cardinal - 95
Kleinburg - 85
Emerald Hills - 113
Seaton - 98
Kedron Dells - 112
Willow Valley - 99
Indian Wells - 94
Hunters' Glen - 101
November 18, 2007
September 01, 2007
July 15, 2007
Magnificent Round at Deer Creek
Yeah baby!
I’ve flirted with brilliance on other occasions, but this was the first time she flirted back.
If you’ve been reading my golf blog this year, I deeply admire your commitment. The rounds have been piling up steadily, even if the post-game write-ups haven’t. So it is with great pleasure that I offer up a detailed account of my latest golf outing, which just happened to be my best ever!
The scene on this particular occasion was the South Course at Deer Creek Golf Club, located in Ajax, Ontario. It’s a course I’ve played a few times before – one where I’ve even had previous success. Exactly a year ago, I set a personal best of 90 on this very course, eclipsing my previous best by five strokes. The honour was short-lived, as I improved my personal best a few weeks later with a round of 88 at Hornby Glen Golf Course.
Hole #1 – The round began with the first hole of the Sapphire nine, a 338-yard par-4 that encourages most players to place tee-shots in the elbow of this dogleg left. I struggled with my driver on the range a couple days earlier, so I left that club in the bag, in favour of a 3-wood. I made crisp contact with the ball, but pulled it left of my intended target. The ball cleared a cluster of trees on the left side of the fairway and must have careened down the slope on the opposite side, because when I rounded the dogleg, I found my ball in the middle of the fairway, fifty yards from the green. My pitch shot landed safely on the green, if not exactly close to the hole. However, I made up for that with a long, breaking putt that found the bottom of the cup for birdie!
Hole #2 – The second hole was a 348-yard par-4. The hole is straight, but out-of-bounds looms along the entire left side. Fearing the driver, which I was hooking with disturbing regularity two days earlier, I once again opted for the 3-wood on this shortish par-4. The drive was again crisp, and again slightly left of my intended target. I was left with about 135 yards to the flag from the rough just left of the fairway. I hit a decent 8-iron, pulling the ball slightly so it landed flag-high, a few yards left of the green. The ball was propped up nicely on the rough and I had the benefit of an up-slope to help land my chip shot softly. I chipped the ball to within 4 feet, then one-putted to salvage par.
Hole #3 – Facing out-of-bounds again on the left, along with some modest length, I stuck to the 3-wood for my drive on the third hole, a 361-yard par-4. The result was arguably my worst shot of the day. I hit the ball off the heel and it rolled along the ground and out of bounds. I took the penalty and re-teed. The next shot was perfectly straight and carried well. It landed on the left side of the fairway, 120 yards from the green. A subsequent 9-iron carried the ball the appropriate distance, but well right of the green. Next, I chipped the ball onto the green, leaving a medium length putt for double-bogey. I didn’t make it and had to settle for a triple.
Hole #4 – Short but tricky. That’s the best way to describe Sapphire’s signature fourth hole, a 115-yard par 3. This little gem features water in front and on both sides of the green, with a bunker plus other hazards lining the back. To be successful here, you must control your distance and line. I hit a pitching wedge flag-high, about twelve feet left of the cup. I followed that up with a picture-perfect putt, earning my second birdie of the day!
Hole #5 – Another short par-4, this one measures 328 yards from the white tees. Facing a short hole and with the 3-wood working well, it would have been silly to pull out the driver. Instead, I smacked the 3-wood once again, making very clean contact. I was in the rough left of the fairway, but without any obstructions between myself and the green. My 8-iron drifted a little right of the green, forcing a chip shot. Once again I had a good lie and the benefit of an up-slope to land the ball softly. I made a nice shot with the sand wedge, stopping the ball within ten feet of the cup. The ensuing putt was pretty good, but didn’t drop. As a result, I tapped in for bogey.
Hole #6 – The first par-5 of the course, and this one is pretty. Measuring 473 yards, golfers begin the sixth hole at one of two tee decks. From one of these, the length of the fairway is plainly visible. From the other, which happened to be the one in play on this particular day, golfers see only a landing zone where the main fairway begins. To reach it, players must cross over a creek, while avoiding thick trees on the right. Assuming they make it, the next shot is 90 degrees to the right, carrying the creek for a second time. I approached my tee shot with my trusty 3-wood in hand. For a moment, I thought about switching to a 3-iron, as the distance was only about 190 yards to the end of the fairway. Since I hadn’t hit the 3-iron yet, I stuck with the wood and the result was great. I rolled about fifteen yards past the end of the fairway, but the lie was good and there were no obstructions. From there, I hit a 7-iron in an attempt to clear the creek and reach the 100-yard marker in the middle of the fairway. I was conscious of avoiding the left side, which is where the creek continues its approach to the green. Perhaps for that reason, I drifted far right of my intended target. No worries however – the right side of the fairway is the place to be if you’re going to miss, as it is very wide open. Now I was left with 125 yards to the flag – a full 9-iron for me. Unfortunately, two or three very tall trees stood between me and the green. I wasn’t sure if I could get the ball high enough to clear the trees and I thought seriously about punching a low shot back to the fairway in hopes of getting on the green in four. After weighing the options, I decided there was as much risk in that shot as in the one I originally planned, so I decided to go for it. This was a brave shot – in addition to the large trees, I had to contend with the creek, which crosses the fairway for a third time immediately in front of the green. As it turned out, this was the shot of the day. I struck the ball perfectly, just clearing the tops of the trees in the distance. I did not see the rest of the ball flight, but I knew I was on the green. The reaction of my playing partners told me the rest. Not only was I on the green, but I stuck the ball within one foot of the pin! It was an easy tap-in for my third birdie of the day!
Hole #7 – The seventh hole is another par-5, similar in length to the sixth at 478 yards, but more conventional in terms of layout. The creek I so deftly avoided on the previous hole swallowed up my ball off the tee. I hit it well with the 3-wood again, but pulled it ever so slightly left and it trickled into the water. I was forced to take my second penalty stroke of the day. I wasn’t too perturbed. I took a drop and proceeded to hit a very nice 4-iron to the middle of the fairway, 90 yards from the green. Unfortunately, my pitching wedge then carried the ball to a greenside bunker, right of the target. Next, I hit a very good sand shot, splashing out of the bunker and stopping the ball within ten feet of the hole. A very solid one-putt allowed me to escape with a bogey – quite a relief considering the trouble I encountered on the hole.
Hole #8 – The eighth hole is a par-3, measuring 128 yards. It’s relatively straightforward, but golfers have to mind their distance, which can be tricky due to the elevated tee position and prevailing wind. I hit an 8-iron safely on the green, but wasn’t exactly within birdie range. I made a good lag putt and followed up with an easy tap-in for par.
Hole #9 – At 309 yards, this is a very short par-4, but there is plenty of danger along the entire left side in the form of a pond, bordered by large stone retaining walls. If you keep the ball on the right side of the fairway, it should be clear sailing. I struck – you guessed it – a beautiful 3-wood off the tee, which stopped in the fairway at the 100-yard marker. My next shot with the pitching wedge was aligned perfectly, but came up a tad short, about 3 feet in front of the green. The pin was at the back of the green, so I had to carry my chip shot quite a distance. I struck it well and rolled it to within a foot. After an easy tap-in, I collected another par.
Mid way through the round, I knew I had something special going, but I didn’t check my score until I reached the snack bar in the clubhouse. I was delighted when I tallied everything up and was able to write 38 on my scorecard. Never before had I scored in the thirties for nine holes of golf. I picked up a Coffee Crisp from the snack bar and even tipped the girl behind the counter – something I rarely do because the cost of golf is pretty ridiculous across the Toronto region.
Hole #10 – Bending slightly to the right, the first hole on the Emerald nine is a par-4 measuring 377 yards. That is longer than any of the par-4 holes on the Sapphire nine, so the driver was a legitimate option. On the other hand, why mess with a good thing? I hit the 3-wood again and it turned out to be the right choice. I hit it straight and long, cutting the corner of the fairway and leaving just 135 yards to the green. My approach was with the 8-iron, and it too, was very nice. The line was perfect, but a tad short. From the very edge of the green, I had an uphill putt of about twelve feet. It didn’t threaten the hole, but I had less than a one-foot tap-in for par.
Hole #11 – This hole is a par-3 from an elevated tee position, to a green 156 yards away. The wind was picking up and right in our face, so I opted for a 4-iron, roughly two clubs more than I would normally hit for that distance. The result was one of my weakest shots of the day. I pulled the ball left and not very far, as a result of contact with the toe of the club. The ball ended up lodged in some very long fescue, well below the green and a good distance away. I was forced to take a penalty stroke and drop the ball nearby. Fortunately, I then hit a spectacular pitch shot with the sand wedge. The ball sailed high in the air and dropped within six feet of the hole. The ensuing putt was no gimme. I lined it up carefully and sunk it to salvage bogey.
Hole #12 – At 306 yards, this is the shortest par 4 on the course. A dogleg right, the conventional way to play it is to hit your tee shot straight out about 200 yards, leaving a 100-yard pitch shot straight into the green. That’s what I was trying to do when I hit my 3-wood off the tee. I missed badly to the right, but I cleared the trees hugging the corner and knew I would be very close to the green from that position. I was thrilled when I walked up the fairway to find my ball merely 40 yards from the green. I had to be careful on my next shot because the ground was very dry and hard where my ball came to rest. In addition, aiming straight at the flag meant I had to carry a fairly large bunker. I opted to aim right of the flag to avoid the bunker altogether. The sand wedge shot rolled across the green, just onto the rough. It was not a bad position to be in, as the ball was propped up on the grass nicely and I had quite a bit of green to work with. I popped the ball onto the green and let the slope carry the ball toward the hole. It broke more than I anticipated, but good weight left me within striking distance. I subsequently one-putted to earn par.
Hole #13 – At 128 yards from the white tees, this par-3 is not particularly daunting. The psychological effect of the deep valley between the tee and the green is. When you’re feeling confident however, this is not a problem. I hit a full 8-iron flag-high about 17 feet right of the cup. That’s not a bad position on this severely sloped green. With the hole cut in the middle of the green, putting downhill from the back can be deadly. Putting uphill is ideal, but it means risking that your tee shot will fall short of the green. From my position, I faced a putt that would break hard to the left. I made a great attempt. The speed was perfect and the read nearly was, as the ball rolled about one inch past the hole on the low side. I made the uphill comebacker for par.
Hole #14 – The first of back-to-back par-5 holes on the Emerald nine, this hole is the longest on the course at 527 yards. You might think this is surely the kind of hole where I would use a driver. Nope. I realized by this point that my 3-wood was producing enough distance for any of the holes on the course, with far greater accuracy than my driver would provide. So I teed off with the 3-wood again, and the result was a crisp drive left of the fairway. The ball came to rest near a small tree, but it would not interfere with my swing. A few other trees directly ahead were more problematic. I could not see the fairway from that vantage point, so I had to walk ahead to survey the situation. To align with the 150-yard marker, I had to play the ball through a chute of trees, hugging those on the left very closely. I selected a 7-iron, since it appeared that would carry me to the 150-yard stick. I hit what I thought was a perfect shot, but of course, I did not see the result until I emerged from the trees. It turns out the shot was nearly perfect. Had I used an 8-iron, the ball would have stopped in the fairway about 160 yards from the green. Instead, the ball crossed the fairway and rolled into a fairway bunker 150 yards out. I tried to pick the ball clean out of the bunker with a 6-iron, but only managed to get halfway to the green. My subsequent pitch shot looked very good, but checked up quickly when it hit the soft green. The par putt was quite lengthy and didn’t really threaten the hole. On the positive side, I had less than a two-footer for bogey.
Hole #15 – I didn’t use the driver on a 527-yard par-5 that was uphill, so I certainly wasn’t going to use it on a 470-yard par-5 that was downhill. It was 3-wood once again and this one traveled about 215 yards to the middle of the fairway. Next it was a picture-perfect 4-iron that flew dead straight to the middle of the fairway, about 70 yards in front of the green. From this position, I really should have had no worse than par, but my pitch shot got hung up in the rough on the left side of the green. The subsequent chip was good and almost went in the hole, but rolled past about five feet. Looking back, the next putt for par was a bit of a momentum killer. I made a good attempt, but burned the edge of the hole and had to tap in for bogey.
Hole #16 – This hole is a dogleg left, measuring 367 yards and a par-4. I hit a fantastic 3-wood off the tee, landing the ball on the right side of the fairway and leaving 135 yards to the green. With the wind at my back, I selected a 9-iron – one club less than I normally would at that distance. My approach was right on line, but stopped one foot short of the green. I’m not sure if the wind died down, or if I hit the ball a tad fat. In any event, I was confident I could chip and one-putt from that position. The chip half of that equation actually worked out as planned. I rolled past the hole about six feet. The putt coming back was flat and with no break. Unfortunately, I burned the edge of the cup again, and required a tap-in to score bogey.
Hole #17 – The third par-3 on the Emerald nine is the longest, at 169 yards. The white tees were a little forward, so it was actually playing about 156 yards long. I was a little indecisive on the club selection, as the wind at my back was blowing in spurts. With a steady wind behind me, I might have hit a 7-iron, but I opted instead for a 6-iron. I pulled the shot left of the green, but the extra club helped me clear a bunker and I had a clear path to the flag for my second shot. I made a fairly good chip, but would have required a fabulous putt to save par. I made a good lag putt, then a very short one for another bogey.
Hole #18 – In the lead-up to the final hole, I had posted some good scores. I didn’t actually know my total score, but a string of four bogeys left me thinking that breaking 80 was probably out of the question. If I actually checked my scorecard, I would have seen that a bogey on the final par-4 would produce a score of 79. We’ll never know if that would have helped me, or hindered me. The last hole measures just 266 yards, but going for it off the tee means carrying the stone-walled pond that hugs the corner of this dogleg and extends along the right side of the green. That’s out of my range, so I opted for a safe 4-iron toward the 100-yard marker. My distance was fine, but the ball started drifting right and the left-to-right wind didn’t help at all. The ball landed in the pond and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. Once again, I wasn’t really perturbed. I had recovered from bad shots a couple times during the round and figured I could do so once again. Unfortunately, my pitching wedge shot drifted right of the green and into a bunker. My first shot from the bunker failed to emerge. My second one was good and stopped within eight feet of the cup. My putt had good weight, but was pulled about six inches left of the hole. I needed another tap-in to hole out. The result was a disastrous triple-bogey.
It became apparent just how disastrous it was when I tallied up my scorecard and realized I was two strokes shy of breaking 80. The final hole was costly, as were some good putts on the fifteenth and sixteenth holes that just didn’t drop. It’s amazing to think that after thirteen holes, I was only three over par for the course. In my golf history, that is unheard of! Still, I had scored an 81 when all was said and done – seven strokes better than my previous best!
If you’ve read the entire shot-by-shot account of this round, I must thank you for your patience and interest.
Cheers!
Score: 81
Par: 71
Putts: 28
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
I’ve flirted with brilliance on other occasions, but this was the first time she flirted back.
If you’ve been reading my golf blog this year, I deeply admire your commitment. The rounds have been piling up steadily, even if the post-game write-ups haven’t. So it is with great pleasure that I offer up a detailed account of my latest golf outing, which just happened to be my best ever!
The scene on this particular occasion was the South Course at Deer Creek Golf Club, located in Ajax, Ontario. It’s a course I’ve played a few times before – one where I’ve even had previous success. Exactly a year ago, I set a personal best of 90 on this very course, eclipsing my previous best by five strokes. The honour was short-lived, as I improved my personal best a few weeks later with a round of 88 at Hornby Glen Golf Course.
Hole #1 – The round began with the first hole of the Sapphire nine, a 338-yard par-4 that encourages most players to place tee-shots in the elbow of this dogleg left. I struggled with my driver on the range a couple days earlier, so I left that club in the bag, in favour of a 3-wood. I made crisp contact with the ball, but pulled it left of my intended target. The ball cleared a cluster of trees on the left side of the fairway and must have careened down the slope on the opposite side, because when I rounded the dogleg, I found my ball in the middle of the fairway, fifty yards from the green. My pitch shot landed safely on the green, if not exactly close to the hole. However, I made up for that with a long, breaking putt that found the bottom of the cup for birdie!
Hole #2 – The second hole was a 348-yard par-4. The hole is straight, but out-of-bounds looms along the entire left side. Fearing the driver, which I was hooking with disturbing regularity two days earlier, I once again opted for the 3-wood on this shortish par-4. The drive was again crisp, and again slightly left of my intended target. I was left with about 135 yards to the flag from the rough just left of the fairway. I hit a decent 8-iron, pulling the ball slightly so it landed flag-high, a few yards left of the green. The ball was propped up nicely on the rough and I had the benefit of an up-slope to help land my chip shot softly. I chipped the ball to within 4 feet, then one-putted to salvage par.
Hole #3 – Facing out-of-bounds again on the left, along with some modest length, I stuck to the 3-wood for my drive on the third hole, a 361-yard par-4. The result was arguably my worst shot of the day. I hit the ball off the heel and it rolled along the ground and out of bounds. I took the penalty and re-teed. The next shot was perfectly straight and carried well. It landed on the left side of the fairway, 120 yards from the green. A subsequent 9-iron carried the ball the appropriate distance, but well right of the green. Next, I chipped the ball onto the green, leaving a medium length putt for double-bogey. I didn’t make it and had to settle for a triple.
Hole #4 – Short but tricky. That’s the best way to describe Sapphire’s signature fourth hole, a 115-yard par 3. This little gem features water in front and on both sides of the green, with a bunker plus other hazards lining the back. To be successful here, you must control your distance and line. I hit a pitching wedge flag-high, about twelve feet left of the cup. I followed that up with a picture-perfect putt, earning my second birdie of the day!
Hole #5 – Another short par-4, this one measures 328 yards from the white tees. Facing a short hole and with the 3-wood working well, it would have been silly to pull out the driver. Instead, I smacked the 3-wood once again, making very clean contact. I was in the rough left of the fairway, but without any obstructions between myself and the green. My 8-iron drifted a little right of the green, forcing a chip shot. Once again I had a good lie and the benefit of an up-slope to land the ball softly. I made a nice shot with the sand wedge, stopping the ball within ten feet of the cup. The ensuing putt was pretty good, but didn’t drop. As a result, I tapped in for bogey.
Hole #6 – The first par-5 of the course, and this one is pretty. Measuring 473 yards, golfers begin the sixth hole at one of two tee decks. From one of these, the length of the fairway is plainly visible. From the other, which happened to be the one in play on this particular day, golfers see only a landing zone where the main fairway begins. To reach it, players must cross over a creek, while avoiding thick trees on the right. Assuming they make it, the next shot is 90 degrees to the right, carrying the creek for a second time. I approached my tee shot with my trusty 3-wood in hand. For a moment, I thought about switching to a 3-iron, as the distance was only about 190 yards to the end of the fairway. Since I hadn’t hit the 3-iron yet, I stuck with the wood and the result was great. I rolled about fifteen yards past the end of the fairway, but the lie was good and there were no obstructions. From there, I hit a 7-iron in an attempt to clear the creek and reach the 100-yard marker in the middle of the fairway. I was conscious of avoiding the left side, which is where the creek continues its approach to the green. Perhaps for that reason, I drifted far right of my intended target. No worries however – the right side of the fairway is the place to be if you’re going to miss, as it is very wide open. Now I was left with 125 yards to the flag – a full 9-iron for me. Unfortunately, two or three very tall trees stood between me and the green. I wasn’t sure if I could get the ball high enough to clear the trees and I thought seriously about punching a low shot back to the fairway in hopes of getting on the green in four. After weighing the options, I decided there was as much risk in that shot as in the one I originally planned, so I decided to go for it. This was a brave shot – in addition to the large trees, I had to contend with the creek, which crosses the fairway for a third time immediately in front of the green. As it turned out, this was the shot of the day. I struck the ball perfectly, just clearing the tops of the trees in the distance. I did not see the rest of the ball flight, but I knew I was on the green. The reaction of my playing partners told me the rest. Not only was I on the green, but I stuck the ball within one foot of the pin! It was an easy tap-in for my third birdie of the day!
Hole #7 – The seventh hole is another par-5, similar in length to the sixth at 478 yards, but more conventional in terms of layout. The creek I so deftly avoided on the previous hole swallowed up my ball off the tee. I hit it well with the 3-wood again, but pulled it ever so slightly left and it trickled into the water. I was forced to take my second penalty stroke of the day. I wasn’t too perturbed. I took a drop and proceeded to hit a very nice 4-iron to the middle of the fairway, 90 yards from the green. Unfortunately, my pitching wedge then carried the ball to a greenside bunker, right of the target. Next, I hit a very good sand shot, splashing out of the bunker and stopping the ball within ten feet of the hole. A very solid one-putt allowed me to escape with a bogey – quite a relief considering the trouble I encountered on the hole.
Hole #8 – The eighth hole is a par-3, measuring 128 yards. It’s relatively straightforward, but golfers have to mind their distance, which can be tricky due to the elevated tee position and prevailing wind. I hit an 8-iron safely on the green, but wasn’t exactly within birdie range. I made a good lag putt and followed up with an easy tap-in for par.
Hole #9 – At 309 yards, this is a very short par-4, but there is plenty of danger along the entire left side in the form of a pond, bordered by large stone retaining walls. If you keep the ball on the right side of the fairway, it should be clear sailing. I struck – you guessed it – a beautiful 3-wood off the tee, which stopped in the fairway at the 100-yard marker. My next shot with the pitching wedge was aligned perfectly, but came up a tad short, about 3 feet in front of the green. The pin was at the back of the green, so I had to carry my chip shot quite a distance. I struck it well and rolled it to within a foot. After an easy tap-in, I collected another par.
Mid way through the round, I knew I had something special going, but I didn’t check my score until I reached the snack bar in the clubhouse. I was delighted when I tallied everything up and was able to write 38 on my scorecard. Never before had I scored in the thirties for nine holes of golf. I picked up a Coffee Crisp from the snack bar and even tipped the girl behind the counter – something I rarely do because the cost of golf is pretty ridiculous across the Toronto region.
Hole #10 – Bending slightly to the right, the first hole on the Emerald nine is a par-4 measuring 377 yards. That is longer than any of the par-4 holes on the Sapphire nine, so the driver was a legitimate option. On the other hand, why mess with a good thing? I hit the 3-wood again and it turned out to be the right choice. I hit it straight and long, cutting the corner of the fairway and leaving just 135 yards to the green. My approach was with the 8-iron, and it too, was very nice. The line was perfect, but a tad short. From the very edge of the green, I had an uphill putt of about twelve feet. It didn’t threaten the hole, but I had less than a one-foot tap-in for par.
Hole #11 – This hole is a par-3 from an elevated tee position, to a green 156 yards away. The wind was picking up and right in our face, so I opted for a 4-iron, roughly two clubs more than I would normally hit for that distance. The result was one of my weakest shots of the day. I pulled the ball left and not very far, as a result of contact with the toe of the club. The ball ended up lodged in some very long fescue, well below the green and a good distance away. I was forced to take a penalty stroke and drop the ball nearby. Fortunately, I then hit a spectacular pitch shot with the sand wedge. The ball sailed high in the air and dropped within six feet of the hole. The ensuing putt was no gimme. I lined it up carefully and sunk it to salvage bogey.
Hole #12 – At 306 yards, this is the shortest par 4 on the course. A dogleg right, the conventional way to play it is to hit your tee shot straight out about 200 yards, leaving a 100-yard pitch shot straight into the green. That’s what I was trying to do when I hit my 3-wood off the tee. I missed badly to the right, but I cleared the trees hugging the corner and knew I would be very close to the green from that position. I was thrilled when I walked up the fairway to find my ball merely 40 yards from the green. I had to be careful on my next shot because the ground was very dry and hard where my ball came to rest. In addition, aiming straight at the flag meant I had to carry a fairly large bunker. I opted to aim right of the flag to avoid the bunker altogether. The sand wedge shot rolled across the green, just onto the rough. It was not a bad position to be in, as the ball was propped up on the grass nicely and I had quite a bit of green to work with. I popped the ball onto the green and let the slope carry the ball toward the hole. It broke more than I anticipated, but good weight left me within striking distance. I subsequently one-putted to earn par.
Hole #13 – At 128 yards from the white tees, this par-3 is not particularly daunting. The psychological effect of the deep valley between the tee and the green is. When you’re feeling confident however, this is not a problem. I hit a full 8-iron flag-high about 17 feet right of the cup. That’s not a bad position on this severely sloped green. With the hole cut in the middle of the green, putting downhill from the back can be deadly. Putting uphill is ideal, but it means risking that your tee shot will fall short of the green. From my position, I faced a putt that would break hard to the left. I made a great attempt. The speed was perfect and the read nearly was, as the ball rolled about one inch past the hole on the low side. I made the uphill comebacker for par.
Hole #14 – The first of back-to-back par-5 holes on the Emerald nine, this hole is the longest on the course at 527 yards. You might think this is surely the kind of hole where I would use a driver. Nope. I realized by this point that my 3-wood was producing enough distance for any of the holes on the course, with far greater accuracy than my driver would provide. So I teed off with the 3-wood again, and the result was a crisp drive left of the fairway. The ball came to rest near a small tree, but it would not interfere with my swing. A few other trees directly ahead were more problematic. I could not see the fairway from that vantage point, so I had to walk ahead to survey the situation. To align with the 150-yard marker, I had to play the ball through a chute of trees, hugging those on the left very closely. I selected a 7-iron, since it appeared that would carry me to the 150-yard stick. I hit what I thought was a perfect shot, but of course, I did not see the result until I emerged from the trees. It turns out the shot was nearly perfect. Had I used an 8-iron, the ball would have stopped in the fairway about 160 yards from the green. Instead, the ball crossed the fairway and rolled into a fairway bunker 150 yards out. I tried to pick the ball clean out of the bunker with a 6-iron, but only managed to get halfway to the green. My subsequent pitch shot looked very good, but checked up quickly when it hit the soft green. The par putt was quite lengthy and didn’t really threaten the hole. On the positive side, I had less than a two-footer for bogey.
Hole #15 – I didn’t use the driver on a 527-yard par-5 that was uphill, so I certainly wasn’t going to use it on a 470-yard par-5 that was downhill. It was 3-wood once again and this one traveled about 215 yards to the middle of the fairway. Next it was a picture-perfect 4-iron that flew dead straight to the middle of the fairway, about 70 yards in front of the green. From this position, I really should have had no worse than par, but my pitch shot got hung up in the rough on the left side of the green. The subsequent chip was good and almost went in the hole, but rolled past about five feet. Looking back, the next putt for par was a bit of a momentum killer. I made a good attempt, but burned the edge of the hole and had to tap in for bogey.
Hole #16 – This hole is a dogleg left, measuring 367 yards and a par-4. I hit a fantastic 3-wood off the tee, landing the ball on the right side of the fairway and leaving 135 yards to the green. With the wind at my back, I selected a 9-iron – one club less than I normally would at that distance. My approach was right on line, but stopped one foot short of the green. I’m not sure if the wind died down, or if I hit the ball a tad fat. In any event, I was confident I could chip and one-putt from that position. The chip half of that equation actually worked out as planned. I rolled past the hole about six feet. The putt coming back was flat and with no break. Unfortunately, I burned the edge of the cup again, and required a tap-in to score bogey.
Hole #17 – The third par-3 on the Emerald nine is the longest, at 169 yards. The white tees were a little forward, so it was actually playing about 156 yards long. I was a little indecisive on the club selection, as the wind at my back was blowing in spurts. With a steady wind behind me, I might have hit a 7-iron, but I opted instead for a 6-iron. I pulled the shot left of the green, but the extra club helped me clear a bunker and I had a clear path to the flag for my second shot. I made a fairly good chip, but would have required a fabulous putt to save par. I made a good lag putt, then a very short one for another bogey.
Hole #18 – In the lead-up to the final hole, I had posted some good scores. I didn’t actually know my total score, but a string of four bogeys left me thinking that breaking 80 was probably out of the question. If I actually checked my scorecard, I would have seen that a bogey on the final par-4 would produce a score of 79. We’ll never know if that would have helped me, or hindered me. The last hole measures just 266 yards, but going for it off the tee means carrying the stone-walled pond that hugs the corner of this dogleg and extends along the right side of the green. That’s out of my range, so I opted for a safe 4-iron toward the 100-yard marker. My distance was fine, but the ball started drifting right and the left-to-right wind didn’t help at all. The ball landed in the pond and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. Once again, I wasn’t really perturbed. I had recovered from bad shots a couple times during the round and figured I could do so once again. Unfortunately, my pitching wedge shot drifted right of the green and into a bunker. My first shot from the bunker failed to emerge. My second one was good and stopped within eight feet of the cup. My putt had good weight, but was pulled about six inches left of the hole. I needed another tap-in to hole out. The result was a disastrous triple-bogey.
It became apparent just how disastrous it was when I tallied up my scorecard and realized I was two strokes shy of breaking 80. The final hole was costly, as were some good putts on the fifteenth and sixteenth holes that just didn’t drop. It’s amazing to think that after thirteen holes, I was only three over par for the course. In my golf history, that is unheard of! Still, I had scored an 81 when all was said and done – seven strokes better than my previous best!
If you’ve read the entire shot-by-shot account of this round, I must thank you for your patience and interest.
Cheers!
Score: 81
Par: 71
Putts: 28
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
July 09, 2007
June 30, 2007
June 17, 2007
June 03, 2007
May 29, 2007
Bipolar at Mill Run
Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson first published the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1885. The novella, about a respected London doctor and his misanthropic alter ego, has spawned countless stage adaptations and films, while its title character(s) have became synonymous with multiple personality disorder. It is not surprising that Scotland – widely regarded as the birthplace of golf – would inspire a man to write such a tale. The game is known to bring out the best and the worst in its practitioners, and its mental health effects sometimes verge on the pathological.
There is perhaps no better example than my most recent round of golf at Mill Run Golf & Country Club, located in Uxbridge, Ontario. Mill Run features an 18-hole executive course known as The Highlands. For purists, there is the Championship Course, featuring 27 holes of pleasure and/or pain. Nine of these holes, known as “The Grind,” are new for 2007. “The Grist” and “The Wheel” round out the other nines. On this particular occasion, I opened up with The Grind, followed by The Grist.
Stevenson’s Mr. Hyde was my persona of choice on the newly built terrain of The Grind. On literally every hole, I struggled from tee to cup. Tee shots went out of bounds or were otherwise lost. Approach shots landed in bunkers with disturbing regularity. Chip shots were sculled and skipped across greens, or struck so tentatively that they failed to reach them at all. Putts were respectable, but nothing to write home about. After nine holes, my score was an appalling 69 – literally my worst ever for nine holes of golf.
Then, very suddenly, my game turned around. For the nine holes of The Grist, I assumed the personality of Dr. Jekyll, happily and successfully going about my business. Tee shots stayed in bounds. Approach shots stayed out of the sand, with a few even landing on the green. Chip shots came to rest in the general vicinity of holes. The only thing that did not change was putting, which stayed respectable, but not fantastic. When it was all said and done, my score for the back nine was 43 – tying my best ever for nine holes of golf.
No wonder I love and hate this game at the same time.
Score: 112
Par: 71
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
There is perhaps no better example than my most recent round of golf at Mill Run Golf & Country Club, located in Uxbridge, Ontario. Mill Run features an 18-hole executive course known as The Highlands. For purists, there is the Championship Course, featuring 27 holes of pleasure and/or pain. Nine of these holes, known as “The Grind,” are new for 2007. “The Grist” and “The Wheel” round out the other nines. On this particular occasion, I opened up with The Grind, followed by The Grist.
Stevenson’s Mr. Hyde was my persona of choice on the newly built terrain of The Grind. On literally every hole, I struggled from tee to cup. Tee shots went out of bounds or were otherwise lost. Approach shots landed in bunkers with disturbing regularity. Chip shots were sculled and skipped across greens, or struck so tentatively that they failed to reach them at all. Putts were respectable, but nothing to write home about. After nine holes, my score was an appalling 69 – literally my worst ever for nine holes of golf.
Then, very suddenly, my game turned around. For the nine holes of The Grist, I assumed the personality of Dr. Jekyll, happily and successfully going about my business. Tee shots stayed in bounds. Approach shots stayed out of the sand, with a few even landing on the green. Chip shots came to rest in the general vicinity of holes. The only thing that did not change was putting, which stayed respectable, but not fantastic. When it was all said and done, my score for the back nine was 43 – tying my best ever for nine holes of golf.
No wonder I love and hate this game at the same time.
Score: 112
Par: 71
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
May 13, 2007
Pheasant Run Disappointment
A few days after the fiasco at The Country Club, came my first repeat visit to a golf course this season – not counting the rounds played early on at the Grand Palms Golf Resort in Florida. The scene of the return visit was Pheasant Run Golf Club, located in Sharon, Ontario. I had played there very recently, so I was looking forward to a successful outing.
Unfortunately, the round played itself out much like the one at The Country Club. I collected much fewer penalties, but struggled mightily off the tee, especially with the driver. What happened on the first hole was typical. Concentrating intently on keeping the plane of my swing under control, I struck the ball off the heel of the club, sending it sharply to the left just a few yards away. Considering the disgusting nature of the shot, I was lucky that the ball traveled through some trees and came to rest in a small clearing. I had a perfect lie and an opening to the fairway for my next shot. The only obstruction came in the form of a large tree, with some overhead branches that I had to stay under. It looked like I hit a perfect 3-iron punch shot, but the ball smacked the lowest branch and dropped straight down. After the eventful start, I ended up with a score of eleven on the opening par-5.
I strung together two pars and a bogey on holes three through five before trouble resurfaced in the form of back-to-back par-5’s on holes six and seven. In both cases, I completely wasted my tee shot, sending the ball just a few yards ahead after making contact with the heel of the club. I also had to deal with some impossible lies in fairway bunkers on both holes. It all added up to scores of ten and eight on those two holes. I finished up the front nine with a pair of well-played bogeys, but the damage inflicted by the three par-5’s was too much to overcome.
I tried to treat the back nine as a fresh start, but after a severely pulled tee shot on the eleventh hole lead to a quintuple bogey, I simply lost all patience. I wailed away at the ball for the rest of the round, without much concern for results. Lessons were supposed to help me get better, but three rounds after my first lesson, I’m heading in the wrong direction.
Score: 119
Par: 73
Putts: 40
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Unfortunately, the round played itself out much like the one at The Country Club. I collected much fewer penalties, but struggled mightily off the tee, especially with the driver. What happened on the first hole was typical. Concentrating intently on keeping the plane of my swing under control, I struck the ball off the heel of the club, sending it sharply to the left just a few yards away. Considering the disgusting nature of the shot, I was lucky that the ball traveled through some trees and came to rest in a small clearing. I had a perfect lie and an opening to the fairway for my next shot. The only obstruction came in the form of a large tree, with some overhead branches that I had to stay under. It looked like I hit a perfect 3-iron punch shot, but the ball smacked the lowest branch and dropped straight down. After the eventful start, I ended up with a score of eleven on the opening par-5.
I strung together two pars and a bogey on holes three through five before trouble resurfaced in the form of back-to-back par-5’s on holes six and seven. In both cases, I completely wasted my tee shot, sending the ball just a few yards ahead after making contact with the heel of the club. I also had to deal with some impossible lies in fairway bunkers on both holes. It all added up to scores of ten and eight on those two holes. I finished up the front nine with a pair of well-played bogeys, but the damage inflicted by the three par-5’s was too much to overcome.
I tried to treat the back nine as a fresh start, but after a severely pulled tee shot on the eleventh hole lead to a quintuple bogey, I simply lost all patience. I wailed away at the ball for the rest of the round, without much concern for results. Lessons were supposed to help me get better, but three rounds after my first lesson, I’m heading in the wrong direction.
Score: 119
Par: 73
Putts: 40
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Rough Day at The Country Club
Penalty stroke. Penalty stroke. No penalty stroke. Penalty stroke. Two penalty strokes. Penalty stroke. Penalty stroke. Penalty stroke. Penalty stroke. Penalty stroke. Penalty stroke. Penalty stroke.
I just described the first twelve holes I played on the West Course at The Country Club, a ClubLink golf course located in Woodbridge, Ontario. It was my first ever visit to the club, which partly explains the flurry of penalties.
Most of the penalties came as a result of terrible tee shots, as I had absolutely no control over my driver or 3-wood. Ironically, the problem was the golf lesson I had about a week earlier. I was trying to avoid the steep backswing that emerged during the lesson as my primary flaw. I was keeping the backswing on a flatter plane, but I really had no idea how the clubface was oriented during the backswing or at impact. Many of my drive attempts were off the heel of the club, rolling sharply to the left just a few yards away.
Any time you take lessons and change the fundamentals of your swing, there is bound to be an adjustment period. Ideally, one works through that period on the driving range. Unfortunately, my visits to the driving range are few and far between. The lack of practice was abundantly clear.
There was one moment of brilliance, however, on the thirteenth hole. Stretching 395 yards from the tee, this par-4 features a pair of bunkers on the left side of the fairway, near the landing zone for most golfers. My tee shot found the bunker nearest the tee, leaving the ball 185 yards from the green. The ball was sitting up well on the level sand, so I let rip with a 3-iron, in hopes of reaching the green. The ball ended up flag-high, about fifteen feet to the right of the hole. After two solid putts, I secured my only par of the day.
Score: 115
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 0
Greens: 1
I just described the first twelve holes I played on the West Course at The Country Club, a ClubLink golf course located in Woodbridge, Ontario. It was my first ever visit to the club, which partly explains the flurry of penalties.
Most of the penalties came as a result of terrible tee shots, as I had absolutely no control over my driver or 3-wood. Ironically, the problem was the golf lesson I had about a week earlier. I was trying to avoid the steep backswing that emerged during the lesson as my primary flaw. I was keeping the backswing on a flatter plane, but I really had no idea how the clubface was oriented during the backswing or at impact. Many of my drive attempts were off the heel of the club, rolling sharply to the left just a few yards away.
Any time you take lessons and change the fundamentals of your swing, there is bound to be an adjustment period. Ideally, one works through that period on the driving range. Unfortunately, my visits to the driving range are few and far between. The lack of practice was abundantly clear.
There was one moment of brilliance, however, on the thirteenth hole. Stretching 395 yards from the tee, this par-4 features a pair of bunkers on the left side of the fairway, near the landing zone for most golfers. My tee shot found the bunker nearest the tee, leaving the ball 185 yards from the green. The ball was sitting up well on the level sand, so I let rip with a 3-iron, in hopes of reaching the green. The ball ended up flag-high, about fifteen feet to the right of the hole. After two solid putts, I secured my only par of the day.
Score: 115
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 0
Greens: 1
May 06, 2007
A Soggy Bloomington Downs
“If you want to get better, you have to take lessons.” I hear this all the time from golfers of all skill levels. When I hear it from a typical weekend hacker, I usually nod my head in accordance, while thinking, “Yeah, whatever you say, buddy.” When I hear it from those who play substantially better than I do, it makes me wonder if there might be some truth to it.
Since I’ve been playing a lot more frequently the last couple of years, I decided it might be worth the time and expense to take some individual lessons. With great anticipation, I signed up for a package of five lessons with the head pro at a local club. The first lesson turned out to be quite an eye-opener, simply because I saw my swing on video for the first time.
Even without the instructor’s input, I could see the fatal flaw of my swing. Whether I was using a pitching wedge or a driver, my backswing began on a nice plane until the shaft of the club got level with the ground. At that point, the plane of the backswing became very steep – so much so, that at the top of the backswing, the head of the club was actually in front of my head.
I was given some drills to help keep the club on a flatter plane, which I worked on for the rest of the lesson. The next day, I put my new swing to the test on the familiar fairways of Bloomington Downs Golf Course. My thought for the day was simply “control.” I tried to concentrate on shortening the backswing to help keep it on plane.
For the most part, this strategy seemed to work. Through the first eight holes, I amassed four double-bogeys, three bogeys and a par. That’s not spectacular, but that type of play over eighteen holes translates into a sub-100 round. Unfortunately, I caught the yips on the ninth green, holing out only after four strokes on the short grass.
On the back nine, it was much of the same. I had a disastrous experience on the eleventh hole, a short par-4 that cost me nine strokes. Other than that, I played decently, collecting four double-bogeys, two bogeys and two pars. The final result was a score of 102 – my best score of the young season, but a disappointment on this fairly easy course.
Since I last played there, Bloomington Downs had some heavy-duty stone markers installed near each of their tee boxes. Frankly, they would have been better off addressing some of the course’s drainage problems. There was a lot of standing water on the course and I don’t even recall much or any rain falling in the days before my visit.
Score: 102
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Since I’ve been playing a lot more frequently the last couple of years, I decided it might be worth the time and expense to take some individual lessons. With great anticipation, I signed up for a package of five lessons with the head pro at a local club. The first lesson turned out to be quite an eye-opener, simply because I saw my swing on video for the first time.
Even without the instructor’s input, I could see the fatal flaw of my swing. Whether I was using a pitching wedge or a driver, my backswing began on a nice plane until the shaft of the club got level with the ground. At that point, the plane of the backswing became very steep – so much so, that at the top of the backswing, the head of the club was actually in front of my head.
I was given some drills to help keep the club on a flatter plane, which I worked on for the rest of the lesson. The next day, I put my new swing to the test on the familiar fairways of Bloomington Downs Golf Course. My thought for the day was simply “control.” I tried to concentrate on shortening the backswing to help keep it on plane.
For the most part, this strategy seemed to work. Through the first eight holes, I amassed four double-bogeys, three bogeys and a par. That’s not spectacular, but that type of play over eighteen holes translates into a sub-100 round. Unfortunately, I caught the yips on the ninth green, holing out only after four strokes on the short grass.
On the back nine, it was much of the same. I had a disastrous experience on the eleventh hole, a short par-4 that cost me nine strokes. Other than that, I played decently, collecting four double-bogeys, two bogeys and two pars. The final result was a score of 102 – my best score of the young season, but a disappointment on this fairly easy course.
Since I last played there, Bloomington Downs had some heavy-duty stone markers installed near each of their tee boxes. Frankly, they would have been better off addressing some of the course’s drainage problems. There was a lot of standing water on the course and I don’t even recall much or any rain falling in the days before my visit.
Score: 102
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Pleasant Pheasant Run
I played at Pheasant Run Golf Club late last season for the first time. Conditions were extremely windy that day, but I really enjoyed the course and vowed to return. After a trio of rounds played in south Florida, I was back home and ready to take on the local courses. Pheasant Run seemed like a good choice, so I made the drive along Hwy 404 to Sharon, Ontario.
Once again, I kicked things off by playing the Highlands nine. After a bogey on the opening par-5, which included five well-struck balls and one that was topped, I proceeded to the second hole, a 347-yard par-4. My tee shot from the elevated tee was slightly left of target, but I managed to clear a fairway bunker that loomed ominously. My second shot seemed like a thing of beauty, bouncing on the left edge of the green, about twelve feet from the flagstick. Unfortunately, the ball trickled off the green onto a paved cart path. The slope of the path directed the ball into a wooded area, which was tricky to get out of under control. Ultimately, the unlucky turn of events resulted in double-bogey.
The rest of Highlands was a bit of a mixed bag. I made my share of good shots, but there were enough bad breaks to spoil my score. I was not misfiring completely, but the ball often ended up in some tricky locations. My putting was not particularly sharp, as I collected a trio of 3-putts.
The Midlands nine was up next, and it produced mixed results as well. Over the first seven holes, I amassed four bogeys and a par, so you might think I was doing fairly well. Too bad I also picked up a triple-bogey and quadruple-bogey along the way. The fact of the matter is you simply cannot score well when these types of results dot your scorecard.
Score: 112
Par: 73
Putts: 41
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Once again, I kicked things off by playing the Highlands nine. After a bogey on the opening par-5, which included five well-struck balls and one that was topped, I proceeded to the second hole, a 347-yard par-4. My tee shot from the elevated tee was slightly left of target, but I managed to clear a fairway bunker that loomed ominously. My second shot seemed like a thing of beauty, bouncing on the left edge of the green, about twelve feet from the flagstick. Unfortunately, the ball trickled off the green onto a paved cart path. The slope of the path directed the ball into a wooded area, which was tricky to get out of under control. Ultimately, the unlucky turn of events resulted in double-bogey.
The rest of Highlands was a bit of a mixed bag. I made my share of good shots, but there were enough bad breaks to spoil my score. I was not misfiring completely, but the ball often ended up in some tricky locations. My putting was not particularly sharp, as I collected a trio of 3-putts.
The Midlands nine was up next, and it produced mixed results as well. Over the first seven holes, I amassed four bogeys and a par, so you might think I was doing fairly well. Too bad I also picked up a triple-bogey and quadruple-bogey along the way. The fact of the matter is you simply cannot score well when these types of results dot your scorecard.
Score: 112
Par: 73
Putts: 41
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
April 14, 2007
Iguanas at Miami Beach
After a couple of days amid the tranquility of Pembroke Pines, it was time for more of a metropolitan flair, so I headed to downtown Miami for a little more action. Actually, I was there on business, but all work and no golf make ParChaser a dull boy. Fortunately, there are a couple of golf courses near the Miami core. I had time for just one round, so I took a quick hop across Biscayne Bay to play at Miami Beach Golf Club.
In almost every respect, the course was excellent. From neatly groomed fairways to absolutely immaculate greens, the condition of the course was top notch. I didn’t particularly care for the artificial mats at the driving range, but the fact they even had a driving range on the fairly tight layout was a bonus. The hazards on the course are largely water and sand – it’s Miami Beach, what else would you expect?
Fear of water put me into conservative mode right off the bat. The first hole, a 517-yard par-5, meanders between two large ponds. Having lost enough balls in the water on this trip, I played to reach the hole in four shots. My fourth shot was slightly adrift, so I had to pitch and two-putt en route to a double-bogey. That’s not great, but considering a hole like this could easily lead to double digits, it really wasn’t bad at all.
I carried the conservative attitude throughout the entire round and it served me rather well. As much water as there is on the course, I lost only two balls in the drink – one left of the green on the seventh hole, and another on a pulled tee shot at the eleventh hole. Ironically, sand was more of a problem on the day. I counted ten occasions when my ball landed on the beach. Though I usually got out of the bunkers cleanly, I rarely put the ball close to the hole from that position.
Conservative play may have also limited my disastrous holes, of which there was only one. That came on the eighth hole, a 333-yard par-4. After admiring a family of giant iguanas near the tee box, I strung together a series of really unlucky shots. The iguanas could not distract me from my putting, however. I made only one three-putt on the day and just 30 putts in total, matching my lowest putting round of last year. No doubt this was largely due to the smooth greens, which offered a very consistent speed and feel.
Miami Beach Golf Club is a fine place to play. If you're ever in the area, check it out.
Score: 104
Par: 72
Putts: 30
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
In almost every respect, the course was excellent. From neatly groomed fairways to absolutely immaculate greens, the condition of the course was top notch. I didn’t particularly care for the artificial mats at the driving range, but the fact they even had a driving range on the fairly tight layout was a bonus. The hazards on the course are largely water and sand – it’s Miami Beach, what else would you expect?
Fear of water put me into conservative mode right off the bat. The first hole, a 517-yard par-5, meanders between two large ponds. Having lost enough balls in the water on this trip, I played to reach the hole in four shots. My fourth shot was slightly adrift, so I had to pitch and two-putt en route to a double-bogey. That’s not great, but considering a hole like this could easily lead to double digits, it really wasn’t bad at all.
I carried the conservative attitude throughout the entire round and it served me rather well. As much water as there is on the course, I lost only two balls in the drink – one left of the green on the seventh hole, and another on a pulled tee shot at the eleventh hole. Ironically, sand was more of a problem on the day. I counted ten occasions when my ball landed on the beach. Though I usually got out of the bunkers cleanly, I rarely put the ball close to the hole from that position.
Conservative play may have also limited my disastrous holes, of which there was only one. That came on the eighth hole, a 333-yard par-4. After admiring a family of giant iguanas near the tee box, I strung together a series of really unlucky shots. The iguanas could not distract me from my putting, however. I made only one three-putt on the day and just 30 putts in total, matching my lowest putting round of last year. No doubt this was largely due to the smooth greens, which offered a very consistent speed and feel.
Miami Beach Golf Club is a fine place to play. If you're ever in the area, check it out.
Score: 104
Par: 72
Putts: 30
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Day Two at the Grand Palms
On Easter Sunday, Christians all over the world were celebrating the Lord’s resurrection. Meanwhile, golf fans from across the globe were following the final round of The Masters at Augusta, Georgia. In the neighbouring state of Florida, all I wanted to resurrect was my own golf game, after a less than stellar debut to the season a day earlier.
Divine intervention was welcome as I teed off for another round at the Grand Palms Golf Resort in Pembroke Pines. The Royal and Sabal nines offered a surprisingly different experience than the Grand/Royal combination of the previous day. Sabal features a trio of straight and narrow fairways, flanked on both sides by houses and backyards. It’s a bit like playing golf in a bowling alley. There is less water to contend with on Sabal, though you wouldn’t know it walking alongside the expanse of water that hugs the entire length of the fourth hole.
Through the first three holes on Royal, I amassed two more strokes than I did the day before. Fortunately, I earned three of those back with a well-executed par on the fourth hole, a 465-yard par-5. I hit a crisp drive off the tee, avoiding water on both the left and right. From the fairway, I hit an easy layup to the front of another pond that wraps around the green. My approach shot sailed over the water, landing safely on the green and setting up the two-putt.
I had less luck on the sixth hole, a 369-yard par-4. For the second day in a row, I could not negotiate the tight fairway, bordered on one side by backyards and on the other by a long, narrow pond. I took a couple of splashes in the water before emerging with ten strokes added to my scorecard. Yuck!
The situation improved to some degree once I reached Sabal. The bowling alley fairways on the third, fifth and sixth holes forced me to hit a 3-wood off the tee, instead of driver. Playing conservatively, I managed to hit all three of those fairways. Good iron play carried me to greens in regulation on two of those holes, resulting in a couple of pars. A less than perfect iron shot on the sixth hole landed in a bunker and the outcome was double-bogey.
Overall, it was another enjoyable round and a step in the right direction.
Score: 106
Par: 73
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Divine intervention was welcome as I teed off for another round at the Grand Palms Golf Resort in Pembroke Pines. The Royal and Sabal nines offered a surprisingly different experience than the Grand/Royal combination of the previous day. Sabal features a trio of straight and narrow fairways, flanked on both sides by houses and backyards. It’s a bit like playing golf in a bowling alley. There is less water to contend with on Sabal, though you wouldn’t know it walking alongside the expanse of water that hugs the entire length of the fourth hole.
Through the first three holes on Royal, I amassed two more strokes than I did the day before. Fortunately, I earned three of those back with a well-executed par on the fourth hole, a 465-yard par-5. I hit a crisp drive off the tee, avoiding water on both the left and right. From the fairway, I hit an easy layup to the front of another pond that wraps around the green. My approach shot sailed over the water, landing safely on the green and setting up the two-putt.
I had less luck on the sixth hole, a 369-yard par-4. For the second day in a row, I could not negotiate the tight fairway, bordered on one side by backyards and on the other by a long, narrow pond. I took a couple of splashes in the water before emerging with ten strokes added to my scorecard. Yuck!
The situation improved to some degree once I reached Sabal. The bowling alley fairways on the third, fifth and sixth holes forced me to hit a 3-wood off the tee, instead of driver. Playing conservatively, I managed to hit all three of those fairways. Good iron play carried me to greens in regulation on two of those holes, resulting in a couple of pars. A less than perfect iron shot on the sixth hole landed in a bunker and the outcome was double-bogey.
Overall, it was another enjoyable round and a step in the right direction.
Score: 106
Par: 73
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Day One at the Grand Palms
Four months. That’s how long it’s been since I last played golf. The winter drought was pierced only by a February round on a simulator at Sandtraps Golf Bar in Vaughan, Ontario. And while the golf was simulated, the snow certainly wasn’t. It took twenty minutes and the help of a neighbour to get my car out of the garage. Spyglass Hill was the virtual course of choice and my final score was 107.
Fortunately, there was no snow to contend with on my trip to Florida in early April. While I was there, the Sunshine State managed to avoid a rash of bad weather that plagued much of the eastern United States and Canada. While others were dealing with cold temperatures and precipitation, I was enjoying balmy and breezy conditions. Against this backdrop, I managed to play three rounds of golf.
The first of these was at the Grand Palms Golf Resort in Pembroke Pines. Featuring 27 championship holes, the Grand Palms offers plenty of variety and a reasonable test of skill. Water is a factor on most of the holes, but cautious golfers could avoid the wet stuff by making use of the generous bail out areas. Playing the Grand and Royal nines, I avoided the water on most occasions, but had trouble keeping the ball in bounds.
The biggest problem was my play off the tee. In fact, I hit just a single fairway. On every other occasion, I pushed the ball to the right of the intended target line. A slight fade only compounded the problem. If I got lucky, my second shot was a wide open one from an adjacent fairway or a punch shot through some trees to get back to the fairway. If I got unlucky, I was penalized stroke and distance for a lost ball. The driver was clearly not working.
My iron play, on the other hand, was actually quite good. I mis-hit very few balls and had good control of my distances. I didn’t hit a lot of greens, but I put the ball close, frequently providing a chance to chip and putt out. As it turns out, I usually two-putted after my chip shots, but chipping is tough to get a feel for after a four-month layoff, so I wasn’t too disappointed. My putting on the day could be described as average.
Overall, it was an enjoyable round of golf, if for no other reason than it was a real round, not a simulated one. It’s nice to be back on the links!
Score: 114
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
Fortunately, there was no snow to contend with on my trip to Florida in early April. While I was there, the Sunshine State managed to avoid a rash of bad weather that plagued much of the eastern United States and Canada. While others were dealing with cold temperatures and precipitation, I was enjoying balmy and breezy conditions. Against this backdrop, I managed to play three rounds of golf.
The first of these was at the Grand Palms Golf Resort in Pembroke Pines. Featuring 27 championship holes, the Grand Palms offers plenty of variety and a reasonable test of skill. Water is a factor on most of the holes, but cautious golfers could avoid the wet stuff by making use of the generous bail out areas. Playing the Grand and Royal nines, I avoided the water on most occasions, but had trouble keeping the ball in bounds.
The biggest problem was my play off the tee. In fact, I hit just a single fairway. On every other occasion, I pushed the ball to the right of the intended target line. A slight fade only compounded the problem. If I got lucky, my second shot was a wide open one from an adjacent fairway or a punch shot through some trees to get back to the fairway. If I got unlucky, I was penalized stroke and distance for a lost ball. The driver was clearly not working.
My iron play, on the other hand, was actually quite good. I mis-hit very few balls and had good control of my distances. I didn’t hit a lot of greens, but I put the ball close, frequently providing a chance to chip and putt out. As it turns out, I usually two-putted after my chip shots, but chipping is tough to get a feel for after a four-month layoff, so I wasn’t too disappointed. My putting on the day could be described as average.
Overall, it was an enjoyable round of golf, if for no other reason than it was a real round, not a simulated one. It’s nice to be back on the links!
Score: 114
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
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