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
