Ever since a late season round last year at Silver Lakes Golf & Country Club, I've been meaning to buy a new putter. It's not that my putting was bad that day, just that my putter was bent out of shape, which I discovered on the first green. I squared it up as much as I could and it served relatively well for the next eleven rounds. On Friday, I finally ponied up for a replacement. After a visit to my local Golf Town, I emerged with a new Odyssey White Steel #1 putter.
To christen the new hardware, I headed out to Lakeview Golf Course in Mississauga, a track which I've played before, but not for a couple of years. The weather was perfect and the century old golf course was in pretty good condition for this early in the season. It will look nicer when leaves fill out the trees, but playability was fine. Too bad I could not say the same for my game.
Things got off to a rough start on some of Lakeview's sloped greens. I began with two double-bogeys and a bogey on holes one through three, thanks to a trio of 3-putts. Pin positions were tough and if you took a run at the hole and missed, the ball kept going and going and going. Back-to-back pars on holes four and five settled me down a little bit, but the wheels came off on number six.
Measuring 434 yards from the white tees, this par-4 is rated as the toughest hole on the course. I hit a drive to the middle of the fairway, but only about 225 yards. Facing 210 yards to reach the green, I thought about using the 3-wood. Since I haven't been hitting that club consistently, I opted instead for a 3-iron, even though it might leave me ten to twenty yards short. I figured being ten yards in front of the green in the fairway would be better than being ten yards to the side of the green in the rough. It was a good idea, but I overswung badly, perhaps trying to reach the green subconsciously. The ball dribbled to the side of the fairway and I still had 130 yards to go. I pulled an 8-iron well left of the green, then had a pitch shot hang up on the green collar. A nice chip shot missed by about an inch, but the ball caught a downhill slope and travelled well past the hole. I needed two putts to walk away with a triple-bogey.
On the next two holes, I made two very ugly drives. These put me in a bad position right off the bat and it was a challenge to recover. I actually made some nice shots to limit the damage to a pair of double-bogeys. A bogey was entirely possible on the second of these holes, but an impossibly sloped green and tough pin position spawned another 3-putt. On the ninth hole, a par-3 measuring 197 yards, I spoiled a fantastic shot with a 3-iron off the tee by 3-putting once again.
I added two more 3-putts on the back nine, for a total of seven on the day. The only nice putt I made during the round was on number twelve, a tricky hole that doglegs around a couple of apartment buildings that cut into the golf course's property. A late-breaking 15-foot stroke found the bottom of the cup to salvage bogey.
When all was said and done, my scorecard said 97, which isn't terrible. However, this was one of those cases where the scorecard doesn't tell the whole story. Yes, I made some good shots at various points throughout the round. Unfortunately, I also made some bad ones. The inconsistency is what concerns me. I will have better putting days, I'm sure. For now, I have to straighten out my drives and make sure I hit down on the ball with my irons.
Score: 97
Par: 71
Putts: 42
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
April 27, 2008
April 20, 2008
Play it Hyper, Pay the Piper
It was a gorgeous Saturday in Greater Toronto. Temperatures climbed into the twenties (for those in the United States, Liberia and Myanmar, which have yet to embrace the metric system, that's degrees Celsius) and there was no precipitation in sight. It was perfect golf weather, really.
On this particular day, the track of choice was Piper's Heath Golf Club, located in Milton, Ontario. This was the site of my penultimate round last year, a cold and bitter introduction to this Graham Cooke designed, links-style course. The cold conspired with fierce wind that day to inflate my score to 112, so I was eager to get back under better conditions to make things right.
As I pulled into the driveway, I could see some construction taking place on and near the clubhouse. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing closed. The driving range was also shut down, so warming up with a bucket of balls was not an option. I paid for the round in a trailer that had been set up in the parking lot and walked over to the first tee.
I was a little worried that early season work might spill over to the course after playing holes two and three. My drive on number two was picture perfect, landing on the left side of the fairway, which offers the best approach to the green. However, nearly the entire width of the fairway in the landing zone was roped off, due to repair work. A narrow 5-yard strip of fairway on the right side was all that remained, so I dropped my ball there and attacked the green. The ball rolled to the fringe at the back of the dance floor and after a chip and putt I walked away with par. On the third hole, we found about eighty percent of the green covered by a massive tarp. The pin was located right at the front of the green, the only part that remained exposed. My approach skidded off the tarp and came to rest behind the green. I made a nice chip back across the tarp surface and two-putted for bogey. Luckily, the rest of the course was not under repair, so I was able to enjoy it fully.
I played bogey golf for the remainder of the front nine, including one on the seventh hole, a par-5 measuring 465 yards from the white tees. A beautiful drive travelled about 240 yards, coming to rest on the carpet, just past an ominous bunker which pinches the fairway on the left side. A well-struck 3-wood drifted a little further right than I had hoped for, hitting an embankment and rolling into a pond beside the green. I was forced to take a penalty stroke, but managed to chip and two-putt to finish the hole solidly.
The back nine was much like the front nine, as far as scoring was concerned. I triple-bogeyed the tenth hole, then averaged bogey the rest of the way. The back nine at Piper's Heath is rather enjoyable, featuring three par-3 holes and three par-5 holes. I managed a par on each of the par-3 holes, hitting two of those greens in regulation, including a 187-yard gem of a tee shot on number eleven. I didn't fare so well on the par-5 holes, racking up the triple-bogey I already mentioned, along with a pair of doubles.
The shot of the day might have been my third on hole number twelve, a 345-yard par-4. I had yanked my tee shot left of target and followed it up with a 9-iron that drifted well right of the green. I found my ball lodged right up against the tree line, under the leafless branches of a bush. Since I had no backswing and no angle to the green, I thought seriously about declaring the ball unplayable. Instead, I aimed right of the green and closed the clubface dramatically. Aiming to the right afforded me a tiny bit of a backswing, while the closed clubface would theoretically launch the ball in the direction of the green. I wasn't even hoping to get on the green, since it was a good distance away, but that's exactly what happened. I punched the ball out and it skidded right across the grassy hollow, a common feature at Piper's Heath. The ensuing par putt was on line but a few inches short, so I settled for bogey.
Overall, it was a good round for me. Some avoidable mistakes added about nine strokes to my final score. Four of these were poor chip shots, three were balls that I topped from the fairway with the 3-wood, one was a mis-hit from a fairway bunker, and one was a bad putt. The topped balls were somewhat unusual, since the 3-wood is probably the club I feel most comfortable with. Oh well. On a positive note, my driving was much better than the previous week, though the ball was still fading more than I wanted it to, forcing me to start shots left of the intended target.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
On this particular day, the track of choice was Piper's Heath Golf Club, located in Milton, Ontario. This was the site of my penultimate round last year, a cold and bitter introduction to this Graham Cooke designed, links-style course. The cold conspired with fierce wind that day to inflate my score to 112, so I was eager to get back under better conditions to make things right.
As I pulled into the driveway, I could see some construction taking place on and near the clubhouse. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing closed. The driving range was also shut down, so warming up with a bucket of balls was not an option. I paid for the round in a trailer that had been set up in the parking lot and walked over to the first tee.
I was a little worried that early season work might spill over to the course after playing holes two and three. My drive on number two was picture perfect, landing on the left side of the fairway, which offers the best approach to the green. However, nearly the entire width of the fairway in the landing zone was roped off, due to repair work. A narrow 5-yard strip of fairway on the right side was all that remained, so I dropped my ball there and attacked the green. The ball rolled to the fringe at the back of the dance floor and after a chip and putt I walked away with par. On the third hole, we found about eighty percent of the green covered by a massive tarp. The pin was located right at the front of the green, the only part that remained exposed. My approach skidded off the tarp and came to rest behind the green. I made a nice chip back across the tarp surface and two-putted for bogey. Luckily, the rest of the course was not under repair, so I was able to enjoy it fully.
I played bogey golf for the remainder of the front nine, including one on the seventh hole, a par-5 measuring 465 yards from the white tees. A beautiful drive travelled about 240 yards, coming to rest on the carpet, just past an ominous bunker which pinches the fairway on the left side. A well-struck 3-wood drifted a little further right than I had hoped for, hitting an embankment and rolling into a pond beside the green. I was forced to take a penalty stroke, but managed to chip and two-putt to finish the hole solidly.
The back nine was much like the front nine, as far as scoring was concerned. I triple-bogeyed the tenth hole, then averaged bogey the rest of the way. The back nine at Piper's Heath is rather enjoyable, featuring three par-3 holes and three par-5 holes. I managed a par on each of the par-3 holes, hitting two of those greens in regulation, including a 187-yard gem of a tee shot on number eleven. I didn't fare so well on the par-5 holes, racking up the triple-bogey I already mentioned, along with a pair of doubles.
The shot of the day might have been my third on hole number twelve, a 345-yard par-4. I had yanked my tee shot left of target and followed it up with a 9-iron that drifted well right of the green. I found my ball lodged right up against the tree line, under the leafless branches of a bush. Since I had no backswing and no angle to the green, I thought seriously about declaring the ball unplayable. Instead, I aimed right of the green and closed the clubface dramatically. Aiming to the right afforded me a tiny bit of a backswing, while the closed clubface would theoretically launch the ball in the direction of the green. I wasn't even hoping to get on the green, since it was a good distance away, but that's exactly what happened. I punched the ball out and it skidded right across the grassy hollow, a common feature at Piper's Heath. The ensuing par putt was on line but a few inches short, so I settled for bogey.
Overall, it was a good round for me. Some avoidable mistakes added about nine strokes to my final score. Four of these were poor chip shots, three were balls that I topped from the fairway with the 3-wood, one was a mis-hit from a fairway bunker, and one was a bad putt. The topped balls were somewhat unusual, since the 3-wood is probably the club I feel most comfortable with. Oh well. On a positive note, my driving was much better than the previous week, though the ball was still fading more than I wanted it to, forcing me to start shots left of the intended target.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
April 14, 2008
I Saw Wet at Saw-Whet
Last November, I proclaimed this blog dead. That may have been a little premature. You see, after playing my first round of the 2008 season today, I felt so invigorated that I decided the blog should be resurrected. To give it a fighting chance at survival in its second life, I resolve to keep entries short and to the point. They may not be as well written as those of the past, but at least they will be regular. So here we go.
After a long and snowy winter, golf season is finally back in the Greater Toronto Area. Originally, I was not going to play this weekend, since the forecast earlier in the week was calling for rain. It actually rained quite a bit on Saturday, but when I emerged from my slumber on Sunday morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find blue skies and moderate temperatures. That was all I needed. I called some local golf courses to check for openings and off I went.
The choice for the season opener was Saw-Whet Golf Club, located in Oakville. Knowing that most courses would be pretty soggy, I didn't want to drive very far from home. Saw-Whet is also fairly wide open, which is good when you haven't swung a club for five months. It turned out to be a good choice. Yes, it was soggy, but other than that it was in pretty decent shape.
The first hole of the day turned out to be the worst. A sliced drive, an ill-advised shot with the ball at the base of a pine tree, a penalty as a result of an unplayable lie, and a questionable approach shot preceded a decent pitch and two-putt for triple-bogey. Thankfully, I did no worse than double-bogey the rest of the way.
Holes two through eight were very solid, though not spectacular. I struggled with the driver, slicing consistently. Fortunately, my iron play was good, as was my short game. When I straightened my drives on the sixth and seventh holes, the result was a couple of pars. The sixth hole was absolutely textbook. Drive to the middle of the fairway, hit an iron twelve feet past the hole, lag a putt to within two feet, then tap in like it's this easy every time.
The back nine was not without difficulty, but every time I was in trouble, I seemed to limit the damage to double-bogey. Whether I was under a pine tree on the tenth hole, topping my second shot on the eleventh, pulling my second shot into the bushes on the thirteenth, under another pine tree on the fourteenth, or messing up my tee shot on the eighteenth, I never strung two mistakes together.
I even managed a par on the sixteenth hole, a par-5 that plays much longer than the 409 yards indicated on the scorecard. Players tee off from an elevated tee and have to carry a stream at the bottom of the valley below. Only the longest hitters can reach the top of the hill on the other side. Shorter hitters will not get any carry as their ball will land on the upslope. This is precisely where I found myself after my first shot. My second shot was a well-struck 3-wood, which drifted just right of the fairway and came to rest 120 yards from the green. My approach with a pitching wedge was the perfect distance, landing just off the green but near the flag. From there it was a chip and a putt for par. Yay.
Bottom line: The iron play and short game were there today. The driver needs lots of work after the long winter. I need to hit the driving range in order to get my rhythm back with the big stick.
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 30
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
After a long and snowy winter, golf season is finally back in the Greater Toronto Area. Originally, I was not going to play this weekend, since the forecast earlier in the week was calling for rain. It actually rained quite a bit on Saturday, but when I emerged from my slumber on Sunday morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find blue skies and moderate temperatures. That was all I needed. I called some local golf courses to check for openings and off I went.
The choice for the season opener was Saw-Whet Golf Club, located in Oakville. Knowing that most courses would be pretty soggy, I didn't want to drive very far from home. Saw-Whet is also fairly wide open, which is good when you haven't swung a club for five months. It turned out to be a good choice. Yes, it was soggy, but other than that it was in pretty decent shape.
The first hole of the day turned out to be the worst. A sliced drive, an ill-advised shot with the ball at the base of a pine tree, a penalty as a result of an unplayable lie, and a questionable approach shot preceded a decent pitch and two-putt for triple-bogey. Thankfully, I did no worse than double-bogey the rest of the way.
Holes two through eight were very solid, though not spectacular. I struggled with the driver, slicing consistently. Fortunately, my iron play was good, as was my short game. When I straightened my drives on the sixth and seventh holes, the result was a couple of pars. The sixth hole was absolutely textbook. Drive to the middle of the fairway, hit an iron twelve feet past the hole, lag a putt to within two feet, then tap in like it's this easy every time.
The back nine was not without difficulty, but every time I was in trouble, I seemed to limit the damage to double-bogey. Whether I was under a pine tree on the tenth hole, topping my second shot on the eleventh, pulling my second shot into the bushes on the thirteenth, under another pine tree on the fourteenth, or messing up my tee shot on the eighteenth, I never strung two mistakes together.
I even managed a par on the sixteenth hole, a par-5 that plays much longer than the 409 yards indicated on the scorecard. Players tee off from an elevated tee and have to carry a stream at the bottom of the valley below. Only the longest hitters can reach the top of the hill on the other side. Shorter hitters will not get any carry as their ball will land on the upslope. This is precisely where I found myself after my first shot. My second shot was a well-struck 3-wood, which drifted just right of the fairway and came to rest 120 yards from the green. My approach with a pitching wedge was the perfect distance, landing just off the green but near the flag. From there it was a chip and a putt for par. Yay.
Bottom line: The iron play and short game were there today. The driver needs lots of work after the long winter. I need to hit the driving range in order to get my rhythm back with the big stick.
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 30
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
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