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