It was a busy year, with 46 rounds played from late April to mid November. That's one round more than last year and two more than each of the previous two years. I certainly can't complain about the number of rounds played. Weather was generally co-operative, though there were some notable exceptions.
Successful debut on GTA Amateur Tour
Competitively speaking, the highlight of the year was my participation on the GTA Amateur Tour. This was my first year on Tour and I enjoyed it thoroughly. From registration and sign-in, to officiating and prizes, organization of the events was impeccable. Competing on a high-calibre tour certainly improved my game. Above all, I learned to hang in there with every single shot, even when a round isn't going very well. The fact is, every golfer makes a bad shot from time to time. Instead of getting frustrated, figure out what caused the bad shot and try not to repeat the same mistake. Over the long haul, the golfer with the fewest errors is the one who wins. Every stroke counts - even the 5-foot putt to "save" triple-bogey.
I played a total of eleven different golf courses on the GTA Amateur Tour. Among them were some of the nicest courses I played all year. Topping the list of private courses was Georgian Bay Club, a spectacular Michael Hurdzan design. Other notables included Devil's Pulpit, Coppinwood, and Wildfire. Unfortunately, most of these were played early in the year, before I was able to shake off the winter rust. Topping the list of public courses played on Tour was The Hoot at Osprey Valley. Other greats included The Heathlands, also at Osprey Valley, and Grand Niagara. I fared much better at these events, probably because they took place later in the season. The Hoot yielded scores of 90 on Day One and 89 on Day Two, while I scored 95 at The Heathlands and 95 at Grand Niagara. My best result on Tour was an 89 at Brampton Golf Club, which was good enough for third place in my flight.
Relinquishing the Deepwoods trophy
In 2009, I also tried (unsuccessfully) to defend the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship. I played steadily to earn victory the previous year, but was unable to sustain that level of consistency this time around. I opened the season well at Copetown Woods and closed it solidly at Willow Valley, but had a couple of uninspiring efforts in between. My play at Peninsula Lakes was a downer, since I have played well there before, while Oakridge burned me for the second year in a row. The fifth Deepwoods event, held at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, was rained out after just six holes. Without the flexibility of dropping one low score, defending the title was not easy.
In terms of my handicap, I am relatively pleased with the progress made this year. I started the season with a handicap factor of 21.4 and ended at 17.0, for an improvement of over four. During the year, my factor dipped as low as 15.8, but it crept up as some good rounds faded into history. I attribute almost all of the improvement to better game management, rather than swing mechanics. Next year, I am aiming to reduce my handicap factor to 12.0, which will be pretty tough. There is still room to improve game management, but to reach the level I'm aiming for, I will need to address some obvious swing deficiencies.
The best and worst rounds of the year
Though I had a lot of fun competing in 2009, my best and most enjoyable rounds of the year came during friendly matches. In mid September, I put together back-to-back rounds in the mid 80's. The first of these was a pretty 85 at Lochness Links, a course I had been meaning to play for a while but never got around to. One week later, I improved my season low, registering a delightful 83 at Carlisle. Both of those rounds felt effortless. When you hit a decent number of fairways and are near or on the greens with your approach shots, golf is more fun than ever.
If I highlight the enjoyable rounds of the year, I suppose I should pay equal attention to the horrific rounds as well. These are very easy to pick. I had a complete debacle at Crosswinds, to the point that I didn't even bother keeping score. I played terribly while dealing with Mega Man at Indian Wells. Finally, I ruined unseasonably warm weather by playing a late season dud at Lionhead.
A host of courses played for the first time
In 2009, I played a number of courses that had been on my to-do list for some time. Besides Grand Niagara, Osprey Valley, and Lochness Links, which I've already mentioned, these included Wooden Sticks, Angus Glen North, and Battlefield at Legends on the Niagara. An unexpected treat came when I had a chance to play at St. George's Golf & Country Club, a Stanley Thompson designed classic that frequently makes the lists of top courses in Canada and even the world. I didn't play very well that day, but still enjoyed myself greatly.
Overall, I feel like it was a successful year. The fact that I saw improvement was the main reason I did not take any lessons this year. Don't get me wrong - lessons always help. It's just that I didn't have anything specific that I needed help with. As problems crept into my game, I seemed to make good adjustments. Mind you, as soon as one thing was fixed, something else would break, but that is the nature of golf. I did struggle with bunker shots for an extended period, which was very strange. Most amateurs decelerate the club head or intentinally try to pick the ball clean out of the sand, but my problem was neither of these. I was blasting the ball well past my target, either with a lot of accompanying sand or with no sand at all when I unintentionally hit the ball thin.
For next year, I have to maintain solid driving. I am not concerned very much about distance, as I have enough to play well. What I'm after is a consistent and controllable flight path. I also need to dial in my short iron approach shots to give myself more birdie opportunities. A huge opportunity is chipping and putting. While my chipping hasn't been bad, it hasn't been good enough to get up and down on most occasions. Similarly, I need to improve my putting. It seems like the simplest part of the game, but it really isn't. This will be my focus during the winter.
Looking forward to next season!
December 12, 2009
November 14, 2009
November at Hidden Lake
After nearly three weeks without playing, I headed to Hidden Lake Golf Club for a much needed round. I was worried that the time off might have a negative effect on my performance, but that wasn't the case.
My drive on the first hole gave me some confidence. Even though it was pulled left of target, the contact was good, as were the flight path and distance. My second shot, 200 yards into the green with a 3-iron, was also good. Hitting a long iron like that can give you a nice jolt of energy. When it comes early in a round, it can set the tone for the rest of the day.
I felt like I was striking the ball rather well on the front nine. I was concentrating intently on "finishing down the line" with each stroke. My tendency has always been to get steep at the top of my backswing. This can lead to an outside-in swing path, which produces a straight pull or a left-to-right slice. For me, thinking about finishing down the line seems to encourage a flatter swing plane. It also helps me transfer my weight to the left side, which is something I fail to do on occasion.
Though I was striking the ball well, I made a couple of mental mistakes. On one hole, I selected the wrong approach iron. As a result, my ball sailed clear past the green. On another hole, I took four putts to hole out after reaching the green in regulation. The green was quite sloped, but there really was no reason for such trouble. On yet another hole, I laid up 60 yards from a reachable green, thinking there was a small pond in front. As I approached the green, I realized there was no pond whatsoever. I must have been thinking about a hole on a diferent course!
On the back nine, I played at a similar level, but I felt like there were a few more mis-hits. A couple of these came with the driver, while a few others came with the wedges. With some good recovery shots, I was able to keep my scores in check.
At the end of the day, I tallied a 93, which is not bad for November golf.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
My drive on the first hole gave me some confidence. Even though it was pulled left of target, the contact was good, as were the flight path and distance. My second shot, 200 yards into the green with a 3-iron, was also good. Hitting a long iron like that can give you a nice jolt of energy. When it comes early in a round, it can set the tone for the rest of the day.
I felt like I was striking the ball rather well on the front nine. I was concentrating intently on "finishing down the line" with each stroke. My tendency has always been to get steep at the top of my backswing. This can lead to an outside-in swing path, which produces a straight pull or a left-to-right slice. For me, thinking about finishing down the line seems to encourage a flatter swing plane. It also helps me transfer my weight to the left side, which is something I fail to do on occasion.
Though I was striking the ball well, I made a couple of mental mistakes. On one hole, I selected the wrong approach iron. As a result, my ball sailed clear past the green. On another hole, I took four putts to hole out after reaching the green in regulation. The green was quite sloped, but there really was no reason for such trouble. On yet another hole, I laid up 60 yards from a reachable green, thinking there was a small pond in front. As I approached the green, I realized there was no pond whatsoever. I must have been thinking about a hole on a diferent course!
On the back nine, I played at a similar level, but I felt like there were a few more mis-hits. A couple of these came with the driver, while a few others came with the wedges. With some good recovery shots, I was able to keep my scores in check.
At the end of the day, I tallied a 93, which is not bad for November golf.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
October 26, 2009
The Bitter End at Pheasant Run
Weather was once again co-operative, so I headed out for an afternoon round at Pheasant Run Golf Club. Fall rates were in effect, and it turned out to be good value. With a lot of mature trees on the property, fallen leaves always threaten to put a damper on autumn rounds at Pheasant Run, even though staff does a great job clearing the fairways and greens. On this occasion, the leaves were not very troublesome at all.
I'm happy to say that I played much better than I did at my previous round. I registered three pars, eight bogeys, six double-bogeys, and one triple bogey, for a final score of 95. Given the cool conditions, that's really not bad at all.
I used the driver sparingly, opting for 3-wood or 3-iron off the tee most of the time. One exception was hole #5 on the Highlands course. I felt there was enough room between the forest on either side of the fairway, so I decided to have a rip with the big stick. It was my best drive of the day and set me up nicely for a satisfying par. Generally, my play off the tee was good, though I did lose a couple of tee shots in the forest.
Iron play was nothing to boast about, but also not bad. A few approach shots were what I call rattlers. These are shots where the ball misses the sweet spot of the club face, sending vibrations along the shaft and ultimately absorbed by the hands. You know it's getting cold when rattlers become more and more common.
Finally, my putting was pretty good, as I recorded 36 in total. There were three 3-putts, which nullified a trio of 1-putts.
This was round 45 of the year and we haven't reached November yet. With any luck, I'll get out a couple more times.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
I'm happy to say that I played much better than I did at my previous round. I registered three pars, eight bogeys, six double-bogeys, and one triple bogey, for a final score of 95. Given the cool conditions, that's really not bad at all.
I used the driver sparingly, opting for 3-wood or 3-iron off the tee most of the time. One exception was hole #5 on the Highlands course. I felt there was enough room between the forest on either side of the fairway, so I decided to have a rip with the big stick. It was my best drive of the day and set me up nicely for a satisfying par. Generally, my play off the tee was good, though I did lose a couple of tee shots in the forest.
Iron play was nothing to boast about, but also not bad. A few approach shots were what I call rattlers. These are shots where the ball misses the sweet spot of the club face, sending vibrations along the shaft and ultimately absorbed by the hands. You know it's getting cold when rattlers become more and more common.
Finally, my putting was pretty good, as I recorded 36 in total. There were three 3-putts, which nullified a trio of 1-putts.
This was round 45 of the year and we haven't reached November yet. With any luck, I'll get out a couple more times.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
October 24, 2009
Season Slipping Away
We had surprisingly balmy conditions for my last round, which was played on the Masters Course at Lionhead Golf & Country Club. It's a shame I wasted the good weather with extremely poor play - my worst of the season.
Beginning our round on the back nine, I blew up on the very first hole played. It's tough to stay focused when you know after a single hole that a good score for the round is no longer possible. I tried to concentrate on each shot and it worked for a few holes, but then I blew up on another one and was basically toast from that point forward.
While I was striking the ball terribly, both from the tee and elsewhere, I was actually putting very well. Through twelve holes, I had registered just 21 putts. After pointing that out to my playing partners, I proceeded to 3-putt the next three holes. So much for that silver lining.
I finished the round with my worst score of the season. The ony bright spot was the fact that I scored par on all four of the par-3 holes. Big whoop.
I hope this doesn't end up being the last round of the season, or it will surely leave a sour taste in my mouth all winter.
Score: 122
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Beginning our round on the back nine, I blew up on the very first hole played. It's tough to stay focused when you know after a single hole that a good score for the round is no longer possible. I tried to concentrate on each shot and it worked for a few holes, but then I blew up on another one and was basically toast from that point forward.
While I was striking the ball terribly, both from the tee and elsewhere, I was actually putting very well. Through twelve holes, I had registered just 21 putts. After pointing that out to my playing partners, I proceeded to 3-putt the next three holes. So much for that silver lining.
I finished the round with my worst score of the season. The ony bright spot was the fact that I scored par on all four of the par-3 holes. Big whoop.
I hope this doesn't end up being the last round of the season, or it will surely leave a sour taste in my mouth all winter.
Score: 122
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
October 11, 2009
Why Does Golf Always Feel Like a Battlefield?
You thought Jordin Sparks was singing about love? Perhaps she was, but golf is synonymous with love, isn't it? In any case, golf courses often do feel like a battlefield, so it was appropriate that I played one named as such. I'm speaking, of course, about the Doug Carrick designed course at Legends on the Niagara. I have been meaning to play Legends for a couple of years, but this was the first time I actually got around to it.
In order to reach the battlefield, I had to crawl through the trenches. In this case, that meant horrendous traffic getting out of Toronto. Special thanks to the city planners who decided it would be a good day to close down the Gardiner Expressway. I had a lot of fun during the hour and a half it took to travel eight kilometres. Needless to say, I arrived at the course late. Fortunately, the staff there was incredibly understanding and managed to get me on the first tee very quickly.
Besides traffic, the story of the day was weather. For mid-October, the temperature was actually pleasant. Wind was moderate, and there was no rain to speak of - except, of course, the rain that had fallen the night before. The fairways were completely saturated with water, ruining most approach shots. On long iron shots that were struck well, the ball would travel 20 yards less than usual. My theory is that soft ground prevents the ball from being fully compressed at impact. On short iron shots, I was frequently taking massive, beaver-tail divots. Under normal conditions, those would have been good shots. Under these conditions, I was coming up 10 or 20 yards short of the green.
The water-logged fairways didn't help my play off the tee either. I managed to hit seven fairways, but the ball would stop dead as soon as it hit the ground. This meant I was playing long irons into the greens, instead of more manageable short irons. I can't blame the water for all of my driving trouble however. I struggled early in the round to keep my swing on plane and to keep the club face square. Despite my best effort, I was swinging over the top with an open club face, resulting in the banana-shaped shots I know all too well from my early golfing days. Late in the round, I did manage to straighten out my drives, which provided some degree of consolation.
Ironically, the best part of my game was putting. All year long, I have struggled with the putter, typically collecting over 36 putts per round. On this day, I amassed merely 32 putts, thanks in part to five holes that required a single putt each. One of these was a 40-foot breaker on hole #8 to save par. It was easily the best shot of the day.
My last four rounds have been played in very poor conditions. Prime golf season is clearly over and it will be tough to do battle from this point forward.
You better go and get your armour.
Score: 101
Par: 72
Putts: 32
Fairways: 7
Greens: 0
October 05, 2009
Bad Karma at The Highlands
I'll have more to say about The Highlands in a little while. For now, here is a summary of some rounds I played earlier in the year, but didn't have a chance to write about until recently. It includes my two best rounds of the year!
Season Low at Lochness Links
New Season Low at Carlisle
Poor Start, Good Finish at Georgian Bay
UPDATE: OK, here's how it went down at The Highlands (Bradford, that is). It was cold and drizzly, but I managed to score eight over par for eight of the holes on the front nine. If you aren't very good at the maths, that equals bogey golf, which for me is pretty good. The problem is, I scored seven over par on the remaining hole. Read that again if you think you misunderstood. I'll wait.
Did you read it again? See? You understood perfectly. Your reading comprehension is clearly better than your maths. How, you may ask, is it possible to score seven over par on a single hole? Easy, just consult the nearest dictionary and look up the words "collapse" or "disaster" to find your answer. If you need a more vivd description, think rain, wind, out-of-bounds, twice, penalty strokes, fescue, pulled shot, short approach, bunker, missed green, chip, two-putt. Isn't it grand?
On the back nine, I managed to score six over par for seven of the holes. With your newly aquired maths expertise, you should realize that is even better than bogey golf. Wow, I'm good! The problem is, I scored a couple of triple-bogeys on the remaining two holes. And by the way, they happened to be the first and last holes on the back nine. The bookend holes. What better way to frame a better-than-bogey stretch of seven holes than with a pair of beautiful bookends?
Now, I don't want to give you too much maths at one time lest you strain your brain, but trust me when I say that adding up the front and back nines tells me that I played fifteen holes of better-than-bogey golf (awesome, dude!) and three holes of crap. For a better appreciation of the term "crap" please consult previously referenced dictionary.
Seriously, the two or three blow-up holes I seem to have during every round need to stop. They absolutely ruin an otherwise good performance.
Score: 99
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Season Low at Lochness Links
New Season Low at Carlisle
Poor Start, Good Finish at Georgian Bay
UPDATE: OK, here's how it went down at The Highlands (Bradford, that is). It was cold and drizzly, but I managed to score eight over par for eight of the holes on the front nine. If you aren't very good at the maths, that equals bogey golf, which for me is pretty good. The problem is, I scored seven over par on the remaining hole. Read that again if you think you misunderstood. I'll wait.
Did you read it again? See? You understood perfectly. Your reading comprehension is clearly better than your maths. How, you may ask, is it possible to score seven over par on a single hole? Easy, just consult the nearest dictionary and look up the words "collapse" or "disaster" to find your answer. If you need a more vivd description, think rain, wind, out-of-bounds, twice, penalty strokes, fescue, pulled shot, short approach, bunker, missed green, chip, two-putt. Isn't it grand?
On the back nine, I managed to score six over par for seven of the holes. With your newly aquired maths expertise, you should realize that is even better than bogey golf. Wow, I'm good! The problem is, I scored a couple of triple-bogeys on the remaining two holes. And by the way, they happened to be the first and last holes on the back nine. The bookend holes. What better way to frame a better-than-bogey stretch of seven holes than with a pair of beautiful bookends?
Now, I don't want to give you too much maths at one time lest you strain your brain, but trust me when I say that adding up the front and back nines tells me that I played fifteen holes of better-than-bogey golf (awesome, dude!) and three holes of crap. For a better appreciation of the term "crap" please consult previously referenced dictionary.
Seriously, the two or three blow-up holes I seem to have during every round need to stop. They absolutely ruin an otherwise good performance.
Score: 99
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Hanging in There at Angus Glen
The latest and final round of the 2009 GTA Amateur Tour kicked off on a very cold and wet Monday morning at Angus Glen Golf Club. My flight played the North Course, which I had never played before, but was familiar with from my experience as a standard-bearer at the 2007 Canadian Open. The round was a test of endurance, both physical and mental, as numerous rain delays, bitter cold, and strong wind challenged players to shoot good scores.
I started the round on the tenth hole, hit a driver and long iron into the wind, and still came up short of the green. No worries, as I chipped on and two-putt for bogey. On the eleventh hole, a par-5 that hugs the side of a large pond, I did very well to reach the green in regulation. Unfortunately, my first putt traveled right off the green, forcing me to chip back on. It ended up in double-bogey. Hole #12 featured one of my best shots on the day. After hitting the left side of the fairway, I hit a 5-iron over the edge of a pond and a greenside bunker, ending up flag high. I added three extra clubs to account for the headwind and it turned out to be precisely the right call. Too bad I missed the birdie and the par putt, settling for bogey. I also bogeyed the next three holes, hitting nice drives, one good recovery shot, but less than perfect putts. After a pair of double-bogeys on holes #16 and #17, I finally tallied a par on hole #18. My approach to the green was pulled slightly left, but I hit a great chip shot to within two feet and followed it up with the easy tap-in.
After nine holes, I had hit seven of seven fairways. They are fairly generous in width on the North Course, but with the severe wind on that day it was quite an accomplishment. If not for the twenty putts I took, the first half of the round would have been even better.
On the front nine of the course, I began with a trio of triple bogeys. My streak of fairways hit came to an end on hole #2. This is a par-4 measuring 409 yards, but I needed a driver, 4-iron, and pitching wedge to reach the green with the wind blasting directly into our faces. This is also when the weather was most severe. At one point, the rain turned into hail and lightning forced us off the course. After a brief delay, we returned with six holes to play, of which I bogeyed three and double-bogeyed the other three. The last hole was played once again in cold, driving rain.
Overall, I was happy with the way I played. Considering the conditions, I did well to score no worse than double-bogey on any single hole. It was the type of round where I played better than the final score would seem to indicate. I finished in 13th position in a field of 37 players, which is not bad. As usual, there was a tightly clustered group of players ahead of me. Had I been two strokes better, I would have been tied for 7th.
As for the GTA Amateur Tour season, I finished 19th out of 88 players. Granted, a lot of those guys did not play a full slate of rounds, but I still feel fairly good about the result.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 10
Greens: 4
I started the round on the tenth hole, hit a driver and long iron into the wind, and still came up short of the green. No worries, as I chipped on and two-putt for bogey. On the eleventh hole, a par-5 that hugs the side of a large pond, I did very well to reach the green in regulation. Unfortunately, my first putt traveled right off the green, forcing me to chip back on. It ended up in double-bogey. Hole #12 featured one of my best shots on the day. After hitting the left side of the fairway, I hit a 5-iron over the edge of a pond and a greenside bunker, ending up flag high. I added three extra clubs to account for the headwind and it turned out to be precisely the right call. Too bad I missed the birdie and the par putt, settling for bogey. I also bogeyed the next three holes, hitting nice drives, one good recovery shot, but less than perfect putts. After a pair of double-bogeys on holes #16 and #17, I finally tallied a par on hole #18. My approach to the green was pulled slightly left, but I hit a great chip shot to within two feet and followed it up with the easy tap-in.
After nine holes, I had hit seven of seven fairways. They are fairly generous in width on the North Course, but with the severe wind on that day it was quite an accomplishment. If not for the twenty putts I took, the first half of the round would have been even better.
On the front nine of the course, I began with a trio of triple bogeys. My streak of fairways hit came to an end on hole #2. This is a par-4 measuring 409 yards, but I needed a driver, 4-iron, and pitching wedge to reach the green with the wind blasting directly into our faces. This is also when the weather was most severe. At one point, the rain turned into hail and lightning forced us off the course. After a brief delay, we returned with six holes to play, of which I bogeyed three and double-bogeyed the other three. The last hole was played once again in cold, driving rain.
Overall, I was happy with the way I played. Considering the conditions, I did well to score no worse than double-bogey on any single hole. It was the type of round where I played better than the final score would seem to indicate. I finished in 13th position in a field of 37 players, which is not bad. As usual, there was a tightly clustered group of players ahead of me. Had I been two strokes better, I would have been tied for 7th.
As for the GTA Amateur Tour season, I finished 19th out of 88 players. Granted, a lot of those guys did not play a full slate of rounds, but I still feel fairly good about the result.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 10
Greens: 4
September 20, 2009
Mega Man Ruins Round at Indian Wells
Have you ever been to a golf course where grown men gather simply to horse around and get drunk? If you've played your share of public courses, you probably know the types I'm talking about. For these neanderthals, golf is an escape from the wife and kids, an excuse to act like an idiot, and a chance to imbibe great quantities of domestic beer. More often than not, they're also loud. You'll hear them talking smack or otherwise goofing off with their pot-bellied buddies while you're teeing off or trying to make a critical putt nearby. I've gotten fairly used to these boors over the years, and usually just look down my nose at them before moving along. However, on a recent visit to Indian Wells Golf Club I was stunned by the ignorance of one of these characters, a fellow my playing partners and I affectionately referred to as "Mega-Man".
Mega-Man was with a large group of players holding a tournament at Indian Wells. He couldn't play because of some health issues, so he thought it would be a hoot to heckle his pot-bellied buddies as they tackled the course - you know, they like that sort of thing. But Mega Man wasn't content to heckle at the top of his voice. He felt that he needed some acoustic assistance - in the form of a megaphone! Yes, he brought a flipping megaphone to the course. As his boorish buddies made their way along the fairways, he exhorted them to "Pick up the pace" and "Keep it moving." Boy, that Mega Man is hilarious, isn't he? The problem is, he could be heard on the entire course, not only by his beer-swigging, knuckle-dragging boys, but by all the respectable patrons who were not part of his illustrious group.
I played four holes with Mega-Man spewing his unique brand of comedy across the escarpment, before I finally encountered the course marshal. I asked him a couple of questions. Who is the guy with the megaphone? How can you possibly allow that? He sheepishly admitted looking the other way when he first encountered Mega-Man and promised to take action now that I brought it up. For the rest of the round, Mega-Man was relatively silent, but there were a few occasions where he continued his stupidity. Clearly, the marshal or other course staff did not give him a stern enough warning. Shame on Indian Wells! If Mega-Man didn't put the megaphone away after being warned, he should have been kicked off the course immediately.
Since the course did a terrible job at managing the situation, I felt I had to do the work for them. Following the round, I asked one of the tournament players to introduce me to the hilarious guy with the megaphone. It wasn't hard to find someone in the group, since they were all availing themselves of the alcoholic beverages in the clubhouse. When I found Mega-Man, I gave him and his nearby buddies a quick lesson in basic golf etiquette. I doubt they actually learned anything, but at least I did my part.
As for my game, it was my worst of the season. My driving was quite good, while chipping and putting was satisfactory. My bunker play was, once again, terrible. However, the real problem was my approach shots from inside 150 yards. I could not hit a green to save my life! I was in the fairway plenty of times, but it made no difference. When I happened to be in the rough, it was even worse. The rough at Indian Wells was extremely thick, if not very long. Since trouble came early in the round, it was very hard to stay motivated.
Score: 116
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Mega-Man was with a large group of players holding a tournament at Indian Wells. He couldn't play because of some health issues, so he thought it would be a hoot to heckle his pot-bellied buddies as they tackled the course - you know, they like that sort of thing. But Mega Man wasn't content to heckle at the top of his voice. He felt that he needed some acoustic assistance - in the form of a megaphone! Yes, he brought a flipping megaphone to the course. As his boorish buddies made their way along the fairways, he exhorted them to "Pick up the pace" and "Keep it moving." Boy, that Mega Man is hilarious, isn't he? The problem is, he could be heard on the entire course, not only by his beer-swigging, knuckle-dragging boys, but by all the respectable patrons who were not part of his illustrious group.
I played four holes with Mega-Man spewing his unique brand of comedy across the escarpment, before I finally encountered the course marshal. I asked him a couple of questions. Who is the guy with the megaphone? How can you possibly allow that? He sheepishly admitted looking the other way when he first encountered Mega-Man and promised to take action now that I brought it up. For the rest of the round, Mega-Man was relatively silent, but there were a few occasions where he continued his stupidity. Clearly, the marshal or other course staff did not give him a stern enough warning. Shame on Indian Wells! If Mega-Man didn't put the megaphone away after being warned, he should have been kicked off the course immediately.
Since the course did a terrible job at managing the situation, I felt I had to do the work for them. Following the round, I asked one of the tournament players to introduce me to the hilarious guy with the megaphone. It wasn't hard to find someone in the group, since they were all availing themselves of the alcoholic beverages in the clubhouse. When I found Mega-Man, I gave him and his nearby buddies a quick lesson in basic golf etiquette. I doubt they actually learned anything, but at least I did my part.
As for my game, it was my worst of the season. My driving was quite good, while chipping and putting was satisfactory. My bunker play was, once again, terrible. However, the real problem was my approach shots from inside 150 yards. I could not hit a green to save my life! I was in the fairway plenty of times, but it made no difference. When I happened to be in the rough, it was even worse. The rough at Indian Wells was extremely thick, if not very long. Since trouble came early in the round, it was very hard to stay motivated.
Score: 116
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Poor Start, Good Finish at Georgian Bay
The latest stop on the GTA Amateur Tour took me to Georgian Bay Club, located in Clarksburg, Ontario, just west of Collingwood. Nestled between the Blue Mountains and Georgian Bay, this was the most scenic course I've played this year, if not the best overall. Hole #3 and hole #14 are perhaps the most spectacular, featuring elevated tees, overlooking well-bunkered fairways and greens below. On the horizon, the deep blue water of Georgian Bay meets the light blue of the sky, framed on either side by towering trees. It truly is a magnificent location.
I got off to a terrible start, mostly because of the slippery greens, which were the fastest I've played this year. Coppinwood is the only course I played this season where the speed of the greens was comparable. To illustrate how quick they were, consider that I three-putted six of the first eight greens! Even short putts were tough, as the closely mown surface would punish putts that were out of alignment by just a fraction of a hair. The putting woes affected me mentally, causing some miscues off the tee on holes #6 and #7. After just seven holes, I had already amassed four quadruple-bogeys and one triple.
At that point, something clicked. I just got used to the speed of the greens and it no longer seemed to bother me. It's not surprising, really. When you're used to the relatively slower speeds of many public golf courses, it takes a few holes to adjust to greens that play fast. With my new-found confidence, I drained critical putts for par on holes #11, #16, and #17. The last one was especially satisfying, since I two-putt from the fringe, a considerable distance away from the cup. During the good stretch of play, I made my share of bad shots, but I always followed them up with very good recoveries. I shot 54 for the final eleven holes, which is better than bogey golf.
It took me seven holes to settle down, but I'm happy with my play from that point forward. If I return to Georgian Bay Club, I will be better prepared for certain.
Score: 103
Par: 71
Putts: 44
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
I got off to a terrible start, mostly because of the slippery greens, which were the fastest I've played this year. Coppinwood is the only course I played this season where the speed of the greens was comparable. To illustrate how quick they were, consider that I three-putted six of the first eight greens! Even short putts were tough, as the closely mown surface would punish putts that were out of alignment by just a fraction of a hair. The putting woes affected me mentally, causing some miscues off the tee on holes #6 and #7. After just seven holes, I had already amassed four quadruple-bogeys and one triple.
At that point, something clicked. I just got used to the speed of the greens and it no longer seemed to bother me. It's not surprising, really. When you're used to the relatively slower speeds of many public golf courses, it takes a few holes to adjust to greens that play fast. With my new-found confidence, I drained critical putts for par on holes #11, #16, and #17. The last one was especially satisfying, since I two-putt from the fringe, a considerable distance away from the cup. During the good stretch of play, I made my share of bad shots, but I always followed them up with very good recoveries. I shot 54 for the final eleven holes, which is better than bogey golf.
It took me seven holes to settle down, but I'm happy with my play from that point forward. If I return to Georgian Bay Club, I will be better prepared for certain.
Score: 103
Par: 71
Putts: 44
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
Deepwoods Finale at Willow Valley
The final round of the 2009 Deepwoods Championship took place at Willow Valley Golf Club, and I needed a perfect round just to have an outside chance at defending my title.
Through the first eight or nine holes, I gave myself a fighting chance. After bogeying the first hole, I nearly made birdie on the second. The birdie putt, from about five feet, just missed the edge of the cup. The story was the same on hole #3, but the missed putt was for par. On holes three and four, I recovered from terrible tee shots to save bogey. A great pitch shot and pair of putts did the trick on the par-3 fourth hole, while a 7-iron from the fescue near the forward tees and a great up and down from the greenside bunker did it on the par-4 fifth hole. I heated up on holes six through eight, recording three pars in a row. I was robbed of a birdie on hole #8 when my putt from eight feet burned the edge of the cup. After a good drive on the ninth hole, I topped my second shot and then struggled near the green. Triple-bogey was the only blemish on the front nine, but I still amassed 22 points - well on my way to the maximum of 40 points that can be earned in the Deepwoods scoring system.
Hole #10 was solid and resulted in bogey. Unfortunately, I had a bad stretch on holes eleven through fourteen. Except for hole #13, a par-5 that I made par on, those holes killed me. I pulled my second shot on hole #11 into a hazard, then missed a makeable putt en route to triple bogey. I duffed my second shot on the next hole, also sending it into a hazard. Frustration set in on the green and I missed a tap-in putt. I didn't realize a single point was still available at the time. A couple of bad tee shots ruined me on hole #14, a long par-3. Once again, triple bogey was the result. I settled down on hole #15 and recorded bogeys on the final four holes. Had I avoided the bad stretch, I would have easily earned the 40 points I was after. As it was, I finished up with 35 points.
At the end of the day, it didn't matter. With the extra five points, I would have finished in a tie for fourth, which is no different than finishing a few positions further down in the standings. I played reasonably well at Willow Valley. It was a couple of rounds earlier in the year (Peninsula Lakes, Oakridge) that sealed my fate.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
Through the first eight or nine holes, I gave myself a fighting chance. After bogeying the first hole, I nearly made birdie on the second. The birdie putt, from about five feet, just missed the edge of the cup. The story was the same on hole #3, but the missed putt was for par. On holes three and four, I recovered from terrible tee shots to save bogey. A great pitch shot and pair of putts did the trick on the par-3 fourth hole, while a 7-iron from the fescue near the forward tees and a great up and down from the greenside bunker did it on the par-4 fifth hole. I heated up on holes six through eight, recording three pars in a row. I was robbed of a birdie on hole #8 when my putt from eight feet burned the edge of the cup. After a good drive on the ninth hole, I topped my second shot and then struggled near the green. Triple-bogey was the only blemish on the front nine, but I still amassed 22 points - well on my way to the maximum of 40 points that can be earned in the Deepwoods scoring system.
Hole #10 was solid and resulted in bogey. Unfortunately, I had a bad stretch on holes eleven through fourteen. Except for hole #13, a par-5 that I made par on, those holes killed me. I pulled my second shot on hole #11 into a hazard, then missed a makeable putt en route to triple bogey. I duffed my second shot on the next hole, also sending it into a hazard. Frustration set in on the green and I missed a tap-in putt. I didn't realize a single point was still available at the time. A couple of bad tee shots ruined me on hole #14, a long par-3. Once again, triple bogey was the result. I settled down on hole #15 and recorded bogeys on the final four holes. Had I avoided the bad stretch, I would have easily earned the 40 points I was after. As it was, I finished up with 35 points.
At the end of the day, it didn't matter. With the extra five points, I would have finished in a tie for fourth, which is no different than finishing a few positions further down in the standings. I played reasonably well at Willow Valley. It was a couple of rounds earlier in the year (Peninsula Lakes, Oakridge) that sealed my fate.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
New Season Low at Carlisle
One week after posting a season low at Lochness Links, I repeated the feat at Carlisle Golf & Country Club. Lowering my season best by two strokes, I managed to post a score of 83. This was my third best score of all time, behind an 81 at Deer Creek South and an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt. The round was booked at the very last minute, so I'm definitely glad I managed to find a tee time.
The funny thing about great rounds is they don't always include remarkable or noteworthy shots. Instead, they usually consist of shots that are merely good, but which are sustained over the course of eighteen holes. That was certainly the case at Carlisle. On the North nine, I hit only four of seven fairways. While not bad, that's nothing to write home about. Similarly, I only hit one green in regulation. However, I had no penalty strokes and only 3-putt once. Basically, I avoided getting into trouble. One can easily find out of bounds on North #5 and #6, or have trouble on the tee shot on #7. I seemed to pick those times to hit good shots. The rest of the time, I placed balls somewhere near the greens, chipped on comfortably, and putt adequately. After nine holes, I was shooting a respectable 43.
Riding the confidence from the front nine, I proceeded to the East nine, which I had never played at Carlisle. i was told that the East nine is the easiest of the three, which psychologically must have helped me. In spite of a poor second shot on East #1, I managed to par the par-5 hole. A 3-putt led to bogey on the second hole, but this was followed by nice pars on holes #3 and #4. The third hole is a par-3 over water, which I barely cleared. Fortunately, I took advantage of the lucky break. The par on the fourth hole was of the textbook variety. It feels good when you don't have to scramble to save par. The sixth hole produced the only blemish on the East nine scorecard, resulting in a double bogey due to a pulled tee shot. No worries though, as I rattled off three impressive pars in a row to finish the round.
When all was said and done, I scored 40 on the East nine and 83 for the full round. It just goes to show that boring, consistent play produces the best scores. My ambition is to play like this every round.
Score: 83
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 9
Greens: 8
The funny thing about great rounds is they don't always include remarkable or noteworthy shots. Instead, they usually consist of shots that are merely good, but which are sustained over the course of eighteen holes. That was certainly the case at Carlisle. On the North nine, I hit only four of seven fairways. While not bad, that's nothing to write home about. Similarly, I only hit one green in regulation. However, I had no penalty strokes and only 3-putt once. Basically, I avoided getting into trouble. One can easily find out of bounds on North #5 and #6, or have trouble on the tee shot on #7. I seemed to pick those times to hit good shots. The rest of the time, I placed balls somewhere near the greens, chipped on comfortably, and putt adequately. After nine holes, I was shooting a respectable 43.
Riding the confidence from the front nine, I proceeded to the East nine, which I had never played at Carlisle. i was told that the East nine is the easiest of the three, which psychologically must have helped me. In spite of a poor second shot on East #1, I managed to par the par-5 hole. A 3-putt led to bogey on the second hole, but this was followed by nice pars on holes #3 and #4. The third hole is a par-3 over water, which I barely cleared. Fortunately, I took advantage of the lucky break. The par on the fourth hole was of the textbook variety. It feels good when you don't have to scramble to save par. The sixth hole produced the only blemish on the East nine scorecard, resulting in a double bogey due to a pulled tee shot. No worries though, as I rattled off three impressive pars in a row to finish the round.
When all was said and done, I scored 40 on the East nine and 83 for the full round. It just goes to show that boring, consistent play produces the best scores. My ambition is to play like this every round.
Score: 83
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 9
Greens: 8
Season Low at Lochness Links
My score has dipped into the 80's a few times this year, but just barely. Earlier in the season, I managed to register scores of 89 at Osprey Valley (Hoot), Crosswinds, and Brampton Golf Club. Breaking 90 is nice, but it feels so much better when I do so comfortably. Mind you, this has only happened a few times, ever. I'm happy to report that it happened once again, on my first-ever visit to Lochness Links, located in Welland, Ontario. As the name implies, this is a links-style course, featuring windswept fairways, bordered by nasty fescue and a few ponds here and there.
Traffic on the QEW was brutal, so it took over two hours to reach the course. With no time to practice or warm up, my group and I teed off on the first hole. Conscious of being stiff from the long drive over, I made sure to swing easy, and it worked like a charm. I hit the first fairway and went on to hit all the fairways on the front nine! I didn't hit a lot of greens in regulation, but the greenside rough is a lot tamer than the fescue off the fairways, so I didn't mind at all. I started hot, with a pair of bogeys and three pars, then cooled off with a trio of double-bogeys and a bogey on hole #9, which is arguably the nicest on the course.
On the back nine, I got extremely hot, collecting two bogeys, five pars, and a birdie! The lone blemish on the scorecard was a triple-bogey on hole #17, a long par-4. I missed three of seven fairways, but I hit a greater percentage of greens. One of these came on hole #12, a par-3 that was playing about 170 yards. Though I struggled on the green, I was very happy with my approach. The birdie came on hole #14, and it was the highlight of the day. I hit a beautiful drive, about 285 yards to the centre of the fairway. Feeling pumped about the great drive, I decided to go for the green with my second shot on this par-5. From 235 yards out, I hit an absolutely perfect 3-wood, right in the direction of the flag. At that point, I thought I would have a putt for eagle. As it turned out, I was actually a yard past the green. I really must have smoked that 3-wood! I chipped to within a foot of the cup and tapped in for the easy birdie. What a rush!
I played very well on this day, shooting 40 on the back nine and 85 overall. I wish these rounds happened more frequently.
Score: 85
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 10
Greens: 5
Traffic on the QEW was brutal, so it took over two hours to reach the course. With no time to practice or warm up, my group and I teed off on the first hole. Conscious of being stiff from the long drive over, I made sure to swing easy, and it worked like a charm. I hit the first fairway and went on to hit all the fairways on the front nine! I didn't hit a lot of greens in regulation, but the greenside rough is a lot tamer than the fescue off the fairways, so I didn't mind at all. I started hot, with a pair of bogeys and three pars, then cooled off with a trio of double-bogeys and a bogey on hole #9, which is arguably the nicest on the course.
On the back nine, I got extremely hot, collecting two bogeys, five pars, and a birdie! The lone blemish on the scorecard was a triple-bogey on hole #17, a long par-4. I missed three of seven fairways, but I hit a greater percentage of greens. One of these came on hole #12, a par-3 that was playing about 170 yards. Though I struggled on the green, I was very happy with my approach. The birdie came on hole #14, and it was the highlight of the day. I hit a beautiful drive, about 285 yards to the centre of the fairway. Feeling pumped about the great drive, I decided to go for the green with my second shot on this par-5. From 235 yards out, I hit an absolutely perfect 3-wood, right in the direction of the flag. At that point, I thought I would have a putt for eagle. As it turned out, I was actually a yard past the green. I really must have smoked that 3-wood! I chipped to within a foot of the cup and tapped in for the easy birdie. What a rush!
I played very well on this day, shooting 40 on the back nine and 85 overall. I wish these rounds happened more frequently.
Score: 85
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 10
Greens: 5
September 09, 2009
Game Disappears at St. George's
I was fortunate to play recently at St. George's Golf & Country Club, which has been ranked among the Top 3 courses in Canada and the Top 100 in the world. The course was designed by Stanley Thompson, one of the pre-eminent golf course architects of the last century, and opened in 1929. Rich in history, St. George's has hosted the Canadian Open on four occasions, and is preparing to host a fifth in 2010.
I began very well, hitting the fairway and then the green with my first two shots on hole #1. A long lag putt was well executed, but I missed a 4-foot putt for par and had to be content with bogey. Perhaps I was too pumped up, as I proceeded to pull one off the tee on the second hole, resulting in a lost ball. I was warned not to pull my approach shot, as the terrain falls off left of the green, but I did anyway. It was a poorly played hole that resulted in a quadruple-bogey. I got back on the bogey train on hole #3, a beautiful par-3 featuring an elevated tee and amphitheathre style green.
My best hole of the day was #4, a par-4 measuring 458 yards. My tee shot was long and straight, catching the downhill portion of a two-tiered fairway. From 200 yards out, I hit a beautiful 5-wood on the green, setting up an eagle putt. Unfortunately, my putt hit a ball mark on its way to the cup, leaving a testy length for birdie. I didn't make it and had to settle for par. I couldn't believe the effect the ball mark had; it was extremely untimely for me.
I pulled another tee shot on hole #5, losing my ball somewhere in the rough. Despite some good recovery shots, all I could muster was a triple-bogey. The same thing happened with my tee shot on hole #7. This time it faded too much and was lost in the rough right of the fairway. Luckily, the damage was only double-bogey. Holes #6 and #8 at St. George's are par-3 holes, which I managed to bogey. On hole #9, another par-5, I found myself in a couple of fairway bunkers. I got out of them fairly well, but the outcome was still double-bogey.
After nine holes, my score was 50. That's not very good, but a sub-100 round was still possible, so I was feeling optimistic.
Holes #10 through #12 all resulted in bogeys, giving me even greater reason to be optimistic. Hole #11 is a par-5 measuring 492 yards. After a good drve, I went for the green with 3-wood in hand. It was not as great as the 5-wood I hit on hole #4, but I was in the greenside bunker, which was not a bad result at all.
Holes #13 through #15 were simply disastrous, and erased any hope of a sub-100 round. On hole #13, another pretty par-3, I launched a ball out of the greenside bunker, finishing fifty yards past the green. Triple-bogey ensued. On hole #14, a long par-4 with a well-protected green, I launched another ball out of a greenside bunker, again finishing about fifty yards past the green. It was a waste of a great drive and solid approach shot. I also wasted a good drive on hole #15, when I pulled my second ball left of the fairway and lost it in the rough. I was also stunned on this hole when my approach shot, which appeared to reach the green, ended up 70 yards short! It actually rolled backwards that distance, thanks to a sloping fairway. I'll know beter next time. Quadruple bogeys were the result on both #14 and #15.
I finished the round with a couple of decent holes, before blowing up again for a quad on hole #18. Once again, I blasted a ball out of a bunker, flying well past the green. Bunker play has been a problem for me this season and I currently don't have any confidence playing those shots. Clearly, I should practice them more to get my feel back.
Overall, I was disappointed in my score, but I had a wonderful time playing this excellent course. I will be watching next year when the pros try their luck at St. George's during the Canadian Open.
Score: 107
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
I began very well, hitting the fairway and then the green with my first two shots on hole #1. A long lag putt was well executed, but I missed a 4-foot putt for par and had to be content with bogey. Perhaps I was too pumped up, as I proceeded to pull one off the tee on the second hole, resulting in a lost ball. I was warned not to pull my approach shot, as the terrain falls off left of the green, but I did anyway. It was a poorly played hole that resulted in a quadruple-bogey. I got back on the bogey train on hole #3, a beautiful par-3 featuring an elevated tee and amphitheathre style green.
My best hole of the day was #4, a par-4 measuring 458 yards. My tee shot was long and straight, catching the downhill portion of a two-tiered fairway. From 200 yards out, I hit a beautiful 5-wood on the green, setting up an eagle putt. Unfortunately, my putt hit a ball mark on its way to the cup, leaving a testy length for birdie. I didn't make it and had to settle for par. I couldn't believe the effect the ball mark had; it was extremely untimely for me.
I pulled another tee shot on hole #5, losing my ball somewhere in the rough. Despite some good recovery shots, all I could muster was a triple-bogey. The same thing happened with my tee shot on hole #7. This time it faded too much and was lost in the rough right of the fairway. Luckily, the damage was only double-bogey. Holes #6 and #8 at St. George's are par-3 holes, which I managed to bogey. On hole #9, another par-5, I found myself in a couple of fairway bunkers. I got out of them fairly well, but the outcome was still double-bogey.
After nine holes, my score was 50. That's not very good, but a sub-100 round was still possible, so I was feeling optimistic.
Holes #10 through #12 all resulted in bogeys, giving me even greater reason to be optimistic. Hole #11 is a par-5 measuring 492 yards. After a good drve, I went for the green with 3-wood in hand. It was not as great as the 5-wood I hit on hole #4, but I was in the greenside bunker, which was not a bad result at all.
Holes #13 through #15 were simply disastrous, and erased any hope of a sub-100 round. On hole #13, another pretty par-3, I launched a ball out of the greenside bunker, finishing fifty yards past the green. Triple-bogey ensued. On hole #14, a long par-4 with a well-protected green, I launched another ball out of a greenside bunker, again finishing about fifty yards past the green. It was a waste of a great drive and solid approach shot. I also wasted a good drive on hole #15, when I pulled my second ball left of the fairway and lost it in the rough. I was also stunned on this hole when my approach shot, which appeared to reach the green, ended up 70 yards short! It actually rolled backwards that distance, thanks to a sloping fairway. I'll know beter next time. Quadruple bogeys were the result on both #14 and #15.
I finished the round with a couple of decent holes, before blowing up again for a quad on hole #18. Once again, I blasted a ball out of a bunker, flying well past the green. Bunker play has been a problem for me this season and I currently don't have any confidence playing those shots. Clearly, I should practice them more to get my feel back.
Overall, I was disappointed in my score, but I had a wonderful time playing this excellent course. I will be watching next year when the pros try their luck at St. George's during the Canadian Open.
Score: 107
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
September 03, 2009
Kedron Monkey Off My Back
Those who read this blog regularly (all 1.5 of you) will know (OK, might know) that Kedron Dells Golf Course has been a bit of a nemesis for me over the years. I know the course well, having played there many times, but I always seem to score poorly there. In fact, I don't think I have ever broken 100 at the course.
Fortunately, that monkey is now off my back. On a recent visit, I scored a solid 96, which was good enough to erase a lot of bad memories. I thought it might be worthwhile to record what made the difference this time, in the event that I return to face the course some time in the future.
I thought I hit a good drive on hole #1, a long par-5 that plays straight as an arrow. The ball was cutting slightly toward the right side of the fairway. Apparently, it cut more than I thought, sice I found it under a tree right of the short grass. I was forced to chip the ball sideways, which led to a double-bogey. The key to this hole is to hit straight shots. There is no chance of being near the green in two, so three straight shots is the minimum required to reach the green.
On hole #2, my tee shot always seems to leak toward some trees on the right side, probably owing to the fact that the left side is out of bounds all the way to the green. Conscious of this, I chose a line that flirted with the left side more than I usually do, and ultimately paid the price. The ball clipped the branches of a mature tree just ahead of the teeing ground, which led to another double-bogey.
After two tough holes, #3 offers a chance to catch up a bit. I hit an aggressive drive to the left side of the fairway, which is the better side to approach the green from. My approach was left and short of the green, but that is the perfect place to miss, as there is trouble right and behind the green. I made a beautiful pitch shot and single putt to tally a par.
The respite provided by hole #3 is short, since #4 is a challenging par-4. A good drive puts golfers in position to go for the green with a long iron or wood, but I sliced my drive into the forest on the right side. I did well to chip back to the fairway and advance the ball to within 120 yards. I caught the approach shot fat and then struggled with the putter for a quadruple bogey. Things were looking bad.
Hole #5 is a long par-3 with small ponds and large bunkers coming into play. A long tee shot is better than short, so I hit an aggressive 5-wood. The ball flight was higher than normal, so I ended up just in front of the green. After a good chip shot, I had a chance to save par, but burned the edge of the cup and had to be content with bogey.
Hole #6 is another long and straight par-5. The length of par-5 and par-3 holes at Kedron Dells is really what makes it a challenge. My tee shot was pulled into the trees on the left, so I needed four shots to reach the green. From that position, I put together a couple of putts to record a bogey.
Hole #7 is not a long par-4, but tee shots have to be placed in the centre of the fairway if golfers are to have a clear approach to the green, which plays over a creek. Trees pinch the fairway on both sides near the creek, making approaches from the left or right sides very tricky. I was forced to approach from the right side, playing over the tree tops. I hit a good shot, but it came up five yards short of the green. Next, I hit a great shot with the putter. It reached the green and tracked right into the cup at the back of the putting surface. It was a great way to make birdie!
Hole #8 is a rarity as a short par-3, but golfers can easily get in trouble with woods on either side of the narrow green. The place to miss is short, which is where I ended up. I chipped on to the green, but inexplicably 3-putt for a double-bogey.
Hole #9 is only the second one on the front nine that I would classify as easy, so I was looking to make up some strokes there. I was on the green in three on this par-4, but once again a 3-putt killed me. Double bogey was the result on a hole where I should have done better.
At the turn, my score was 49 - barely on pace to break 100.
Golfers tee off from an elevated green on hole #10 and have to be careful to avoid a creek that crosses the fairway in the landing zone. I hit a 5-wood just short of the creek, giving me a chance to go for the green. My approach shot was straight, but short. I chipped on and two-putt for bogey, a good score on this hole.
Hole #11 is another straight-as-an-arrow par-5, of considerable length. My tee shot was perfect, but my second shot with the 3-wood drifted toward some trees right of the fairway. I had no backswing on my next two shots, so I was on the green after five. Unfortunately, I 4-putt for an ugly score of 9.
Hole #12 is another long par-3 at 197 yards. I was flag high with the 5-wood, but in the rough right of the green. I chipped on and almost saved par with a nice putt. The ball burned the edge of the cup, leaving a tap-in for bogey.
On hole #13, I hit a perfect drive to the centre of the fairway. I followed it up with a perfect iron to the right side of the green, which was actually not visible from my position in the fairway. The flag was on the opposite side of the green, so I needed a great couple of putts to make par. It didn't happen and I walked away with bogey.
Hole #14 is a monster of a par-3, measuring 232 yards. The left side of the green is out of bounds, while the right side is blanketed by thick forest. The smart play is to play for bogey, laying up in front of the green. With a good pitch shot, par is attainable. I layed up as planned, but was right of target. On my pitch shot, I was forced to go over a tall tree between me and the flag. I pulled it off, leaving a 4-foot putt for par, which I drained. Par is excellent on this hole!
Hole #15 is a tricky par-4 that bends strongly to the right, following the path of a nearby creek. I hit a 5-iron off the tee, but it ran through the left side of the fairway and came to rest underneath a tree. A low punch shot was required to get the ball back in the fairway in a position where I could attack the green. My approach shot from 100 yards was solid, leaving about 13 feet to the cup, which I navigated with a couple of putts for bogey. That is a good score on this hole.
Hole #16 is the first on the back nine that I would classify as easy. A good drive put me in the lower part of the fairway. From there, I hit a pitching wedge close to the flag. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in for par. To be successful at Kedron Dells, one must take advantage of the easy holes like this one.
Hole #17 is a tricky par-5 that requires two very good shots to set up an approach to the green. I hit my drive well right of the fairway, but that was by design. The fairway slopes severely to the left, making second shots from there very hard. From the top of the hill well right of the fairway, golfers have a much better lie. My second shot was perfect, leaving 130 yards to the green from a flat lie. I used an extra club to guarantee that I would carry the creek that crosses in front of the green. Despite the wise move, my ball failed to clear the creek. I must have mis-hit it slightly, since I got nowhere near my normal distance out of it. After a penalty and a drop, I pitched the ball over the creek to the green. It was too bad that I 3-putt for a triple bogey.
The final hole at Kedron Dells is an easy par-3, which is not something you find at most golf courses. By this time, the damage is usually done, so perhaps the course designer wanted golfers to end on a positive note. My tee shot was a yard short of the green. I chipped on and made two putts for a ho-hum bogey.
My final score was 96, so I was happy. The Kedron monkey is off my back!
Score: 96
Par: 71
Putts: 40
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Fortunately, that monkey is now off my back. On a recent visit, I scored a solid 96, which was good enough to erase a lot of bad memories. I thought it might be worthwhile to record what made the difference this time, in the event that I return to face the course some time in the future.
I thought I hit a good drive on hole #1, a long par-5 that plays straight as an arrow. The ball was cutting slightly toward the right side of the fairway. Apparently, it cut more than I thought, sice I found it under a tree right of the short grass. I was forced to chip the ball sideways, which led to a double-bogey. The key to this hole is to hit straight shots. There is no chance of being near the green in two, so three straight shots is the minimum required to reach the green.
On hole #2, my tee shot always seems to leak toward some trees on the right side, probably owing to the fact that the left side is out of bounds all the way to the green. Conscious of this, I chose a line that flirted with the left side more than I usually do, and ultimately paid the price. The ball clipped the branches of a mature tree just ahead of the teeing ground, which led to another double-bogey.
After two tough holes, #3 offers a chance to catch up a bit. I hit an aggressive drive to the left side of the fairway, which is the better side to approach the green from. My approach was left and short of the green, but that is the perfect place to miss, as there is trouble right and behind the green. I made a beautiful pitch shot and single putt to tally a par.
The respite provided by hole #3 is short, since #4 is a challenging par-4. A good drive puts golfers in position to go for the green with a long iron or wood, but I sliced my drive into the forest on the right side. I did well to chip back to the fairway and advance the ball to within 120 yards. I caught the approach shot fat and then struggled with the putter for a quadruple bogey. Things were looking bad.
Hole #5 is a long par-3 with small ponds and large bunkers coming into play. A long tee shot is better than short, so I hit an aggressive 5-wood. The ball flight was higher than normal, so I ended up just in front of the green. After a good chip shot, I had a chance to save par, but burned the edge of the cup and had to be content with bogey.
Hole #6 is another long and straight par-5. The length of par-5 and par-3 holes at Kedron Dells is really what makes it a challenge. My tee shot was pulled into the trees on the left, so I needed four shots to reach the green. From that position, I put together a couple of putts to record a bogey.
Hole #7 is not a long par-4, but tee shots have to be placed in the centre of the fairway if golfers are to have a clear approach to the green, which plays over a creek. Trees pinch the fairway on both sides near the creek, making approaches from the left or right sides very tricky. I was forced to approach from the right side, playing over the tree tops. I hit a good shot, but it came up five yards short of the green. Next, I hit a great shot with the putter. It reached the green and tracked right into the cup at the back of the putting surface. It was a great way to make birdie!
Hole #8 is a rarity as a short par-3, but golfers can easily get in trouble with woods on either side of the narrow green. The place to miss is short, which is where I ended up. I chipped on to the green, but inexplicably 3-putt for a double-bogey.
Hole #9 is only the second one on the front nine that I would classify as easy, so I was looking to make up some strokes there. I was on the green in three on this par-4, but once again a 3-putt killed me. Double bogey was the result on a hole where I should have done better.
At the turn, my score was 49 - barely on pace to break 100.
Golfers tee off from an elevated green on hole #10 and have to be careful to avoid a creek that crosses the fairway in the landing zone. I hit a 5-wood just short of the creek, giving me a chance to go for the green. My approach shot was straight, but short. I chipped on and two-putt for bogey, a good score on this hole.
Hole #11 is another straight-as-an-arrow par-5, of considerable length. My tee shot was perfect, but my second shot with the 3-wood drifted toward some trees right of the fairway. I had no backswing on my next two shots, so I was on the green after five. Unfortunately, I 4-putt for an ugly score of 9.
Hole #12 is another long par-3 at 197 yards. I was flag high with the 5-wood, but in the rough right of the green. I chipped on and almost saved par with a nice putt. The ball burned the edge of the cup, leaving a tap-in for bogey.
On hole #13, I hit a perfect drive to the centre of the fairway. I followed it up with a perfect iron to the right side of the green, which was actually not visible from my position in the fairway. The flag was on the opposite side of the green, so I needed a great couple of putts to make par. It didn't happen and I walked away with bogey.
Hole #14 is a monster of a par-3, measuring 232 yards. The left side of the green is out of bounds, while the right side is blanketed by thick forest. The smart play is to play for bogey, laying up in front of the green. With a good pitch shot, par is attainable. I layed up as planned, but was right of target. On my pitch shot, I was forced to go over a tall tree between me and the flag. I pulled it off, leaving a 4-foot putt for par, which I drained. Par is excellent on this hole!
Hole #15 is a tricky par-4 that bends strongly to the right, following the path of a nearby creek. I hit a 5-iron off the tee, but it ran through the left side of the fairway and came to rest underneath a tree. A low punch shot was required to get the ball back in the fairway in a position where I could attack the green. My approach shot from 100 yards was solid, leaving about 13 feet to the cup, which I navigated with a couple of putts for bogey. That is a good score on this hole.
Hole #16 is the first on the back nine that I would classify as easy. A good drive put me in the lower part of the fairway. From there, I hit a pitching wedge close to the flag. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in for par. To be successful at Kedron Dells, one must take advantage of the easy holes like this one.
Hole #17 is a tricky par-5 that requires two very good shots to set up an approach to the green. I hit my drive well right of the fairway, but that was by design. The fairway slopes severely to the left, making second shots from there very hard. From the top of the hill well right of the fairway, golfers have a much better lie. My second shot was perfect, leaving 130 yards to the green from a flat lie. I used an extra club to guarantee that I would carry the creek that crosses in front of the green. Despite the wise move, my ball failed to clear the creek. I must have mis-hit it slightly, since I got nowhere near my normal distance out of it. After a penalty and a drop, I pitched the ball over the creek to the green. It was too bad that I 3-putt for a triple bogey.
The final hole at Kedron Dells is an easy par-3, which is not something you find at most golf courses. By this time, the damage is usually done, so perhaps the course designer wanted golfers to end on a positive note. My tee shot was a yard short of the green. I chipped on and made two putts for a ho-hum bogey.
My final score was 96, so I was happy. The Kedron monkey is off my back!
Score: 96
Par: 71
Putts: 40
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
September 01, 2009
Field Goes Low at Copetown
My latest GTA Amateur Tour event was a major held at Copetown Woods Golf Club. Fifty percent more points are available at majors, so I was keen to do well in order to improve my position in the Order of Merit standings.
Things went quite well through the first eight holes. I hit a nice drive on the first hole from the unfamiliar back tees. I nearly chipped in for birdie on the second hole, then made a very nice putt for par. On the third hole, I played well out of the greenside bunker to salvage bogey. I hit a terrible tee shot on hole #4, a short par-3. A solid pitch shot and a great putt helped me save bogey. I duffed a bunker shot on hole #5, then followed it up with a beauty to get up and down for another bogey. My second shot on hole #6 was from a waste bunker and I did fairly well to get near the green. Sure, I was now in a greenside bunker, but I was able to get another bogey from there. Hole #7 resulted in par and it came in textbook fashion. I hit the green on this par-3, then lagged a putt near the hole and tapped in to finish. After another bogey on the eighth hole, I was in good position at seven over par.
Unfortunately, the ninth hole was a disaster. I pulled my drive straight off the tee and watched it bounce repeatedly along the driveway parallel to the fairway. I managed to find the ball in some long fescue, 300 yards from the teeing ground, but it was a gnarly lie and I decided to declare the ball unplayable. I was able to drop in a good spot after the penalty, but I had a blind shot to the green and was very unsure about the distance. I figured an 80% sand wedge would get me there. In hindsight, 90% would have been better, as I was a yard short of carrying a bunker fronting the left side of the green. I barely got out of the bunker, then mis-hit a tricky chip shot to a mound that carried my ball away from the hole. When all was said and done, I scored an 8 for the hole. Terrible!
The back nine started well, with a bogey from the back tees on hole #10, followed by two more bogeys and a par on holes #11 through #13. By this time, my group had been given a red card and put on the clock, since we had fallen off pace a bit. While rushing to make up time, I turned in a triple-bogey on hole #14 and a double-bogey on #15. After #15 we were taken off the clock and I settled down with a bogey on hole #16, a par-5. Lousy putting led to a double-bogey on hole #17, a very short par-3. I finished nicely with a bogey on the final hole.
Except when I was rushing, I played fairly well. Unfortunately for me, the rest of the field played very well. Two players managed to score 79, which is extremely good for the flight I play in (13.2 handicap and above). There were quite a few players in the low and mid 80's, and a whole group bunched together at 90. When the field goes that low, a 95 simply doesn't cut it.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
Things went quite well through the first eight holes. I hit a nice drive on the first hole from the unfamiliar back tees. I nearly chipped in for birdie on the second hole, then made a very nice putt for par. On the third hole, I played well out of the greenside bunker to salvage bogey. I hit a terrible tee shot on hole #4, a short par-3. A solid pitch shot and a great putt helped me save bogey. I duffed a bunker shot on hole #5, then followed it up with a beauty to get up and down for another bogey. My second shot on hole #6 was from a waste bunker and I did fairly well to get near the green. Sure, I was now in a greenside bunker, but I was able to get another bogey from there. Hole #7 resulted in par and it came in textbook fashion. I hit the green on this par-3, then lagged a putt near the hole and tapped in to finish. After another bogey on the eighth hole, I was in good position at seven over par.
Unfortunately, the ninth hole was a disaster. I pulled my drive straight off the tee and watched it bounce repeatedly along the driveway parallel to the fairway. I managed to find the ball in some long fescue, 300 yards from the teeing ground, but it was a gnarly lie and I decided to declare the ball unplayable. I was able to drop in a good spot after the penalty, but I had a blind shot to the green and was very unsure about the distance. I figured an 80% sand wedge would get me there. In hindsight, 90% would have been better, as I was a yard short of carrying a bunker fronting the left side of the green. I barely got out of the bunker, then mis-hit a tricky chip shot to a mound that carried my ball away from the hole. When all was said and done, I scored an 8 for the hole. Terrible!
The back nine started well, with a bogey from the back tees on hole #10, followed by two more bogeys and a par on holes #11 through #13. By this time, my group had been given a red card and put on the clock, since we had fallen off pace a bit. While rushing to make up time, I turned in a triple-bogey on hole #14 and a double-bogey on #15. After #15 we were taken off the clock and I settled down with a bogey on hole #16, a par-5. Lousy putting led to a double-bogey on hole #17, a very short par-3. I finished nicely with a bogey on the final hole.
Except when I was rushing, I played fairly well. Unfortunately for me, the rest of the field played very well. Two players managed to score 79, which is extremely good for the flight I play in (13.2 handicap and above). There were quite a few players in the low and mid 80's, and a whole group bunched together at 90. When the field goes that low, a 95 simply doesn't cut it.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
August 26, 2009
Not Exactly a Dragon Slayer
An earlier visit to Dragon’s Fire Golf Club was cut short by thunderstorms, so I returned with a 9-hole rain check in hand to get the complete experience. Things began fairly well, but I was just a little inconsistent with my iron play. After hitting the centre of the fairway on hole #1, I pulled the approach shot from 115 yards, just missing the green. Bogey was the result. I followed that up by hitting the green on hole #2, a par-3 measuring 170 yards. This time, a par ensued. After slicing my drive on hole #3, I made another excellent iron shot. From the right rough, 180 yards away from the green, I placed the ball flag high, enabling me to save bogey. However, on the very next hole I wasted a perfect drive by pulling an approach shot just left of the green. I had some trouble emerging from the fescue cleanly, resulting in a double-bogey. A pulled approach shot, albeit through an opening between two trees, was the cause of a bogey on hole #5. All things considered, I did well to remain five over par through five holes.
On the sixth hole, I hit my 3-wood thin off the tee, sending the ball into a hazard in front of the fairway. I recovered well, but my fourth shot into the green came up a bit short and landed in a bunker. I made a decent out, but 3-putted for an ugly score of 8. Looking back, I just couldn’t afford to be in the bunker after that bad tee shot. When mistakes add up, so does your score! Sand also gave me trouble on hole #7, the first of back-to-back par-5 holes. My third shot into the green found the left side bunker. I came out too hot and crossed the entire green into the right side bunker. It all led to a double-bogey. Fortunately, I had some positives on the next hole. My tee shot trickled into the fescue left of the fairway. I whacked the ball loose with the pitching wedge, but this left 225 yards to the green. Next, I hit an absolutely gorgeous 3-wood straight onto the putting surface. Nice! I 3-putted the hole, but bogey was a decent result. A 3-putt on hole #9 was harder to take and it resulted in a double bogey. After 9 holes, I had a score of 50. That’s certainly not great, but I felt like I could still salvage a respectable result.
On holes #10 and #11, my approach shots came up a tad short and landed in bunkers. On both occasions I got out of the sand cleanly, but still required two putts to hole out. A pulled tee shot gave me some trouble on hole #11, a par-3 measuring 146 yards, but I managed to save bogey with a nice chip and putt. On hole #14, I caught my approach shot a little fat, coming up short of the green as a result. The same thing happened twice on the next hole, leading to a double-bogey. It seems I was either pulling my approach shots just a hair, or catching them a tad fat. These weren’t disastrous mistakes, but when they happen consistently, they add up to a few strokes over the course of eighteen holes.
The last three holes at Dragon’s Fire consist of a tricky par-3 sandwiched between two par-5 holes. I made a textbook par on hole #16 before taking a double-bogey on #17. I played my tee shot too cautiously, sending the ball to a left side bunker. The other three sides of the green are surrounded by water. I then picked the ball clean out of the trap, almost sending it into the water on the other side. Fortunately, I closed out the round with a solid bogey on hole #18. This was thanks to an incredible lag putt from 90 feet, which missed the cup by a mere two inches.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
On the sixth hole, I hit my 3-wood thin off the tee, sending the ball into a hazard in front of the fairway. I recovered well, but my fourth shot into the green came up a bit short and landed in a bunker. I made a decent out, but 3-putted for an ugly score of 8. Looking back, I just couldn’t afford to be in the bunker after that bad tee shot. When mistakes add up, so does your score! Sand also gave me trouble on hole #7, the first of back-to-back par-5 holes. My third shot into the green found the left side bunker. I came out too hot and crossed the entire green into the right side bunker. It all led to a double-bogey. Fortunately, I had some positives on the next hole. My tee shot trickled into the fescue left of the fairway. I whacked the ball loose with the pitching wedge, but this left 225 yards to the green. Next, I hit an absolutely gorgeous 3-wood straight onto the putting surface. Nice! I 3-putted the hole, but bogey was a decent result. A 3-putt on hole #9 was harder to take and it resulted in a double bogey. After 9 holes, I had a score of 50. That’s certainly not great, but I felt like I could still salvage a respectable result.
On holes #10 and #11, my approach shots came up a tad short and landed in bunkers. On both occasions I got out of the sand cleanly, but still required two putts to hole out. A pulled tee shot gave me some trouble on hole #11, a par-3 measuring 146 yards, but I managed to save bogey with a nice chip and putt. On hole #14, I caught my approach shot a little fat, coming up short of the green as a result. The same thing happened twice on the next hole, leading to a double-bogey. It seems I was either pulling my approach shots just a hair, or catching them a tad fat. These weren’t disastrous mistakes, but when they happen consistently, they add up to a few strokes over the course of eighteen holes.
The last three holes at Dragon’s Fire consist of a tricky par-3 sandwiched between two par-5 holes. I made a textbook par on hole #16 before taking a double-bogey on #17. I played my tee shot too cautiously, sending the ball to a left side bunker. The other three sides of the green are surrounded by water. I then picked the ball clean out of the trap, almost sending it into the water on the other side. Fortunately, I closed out the round with a solid bogey on hole #18. This was thanks to an incredible lag putt from 90 feet, which missed the cup by a mere two inches.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
August 20, 2009
Just a Few Glitches at Osprey Valley Heathlands
I drew an unfortunate tee-time for my latest event on the GTA Amateur Tour. Playing the much-admired Heathlands course at Osprey Valley, I teed off at 7:40 am in the second group of the day. At that particular time, the course was being pelted by rain. Literally two seconds after putting my umbrella down, my club, glove, and everything else was soaked. A stiff wind was driving the cold rain horizontally against my back. It was also very dark. Any shot off the fairway would surely be lost, if not due to darkness then certainly due to the gnarly fescue that covers most of the Heathlands course. Sure enough, I topped my tee shot, sending the ball just past the teeing ground. On a downhill lie in wet rough, with water between me and the fairway, all I could do was chip the ball a few yards ahead to the forward teeing area. From there, I hit a nice 5-wood to the fairway, followed by a good 4-iron and equally good 9-iron to the green. On the water-logged green, I did well to three-putt and escape with a triple-bogey.
At this point, a Tour official notified us that play was being suspended momentarily to allow the rain to pass through. Ten minutes later, the rain stopped and weather was beautiful for the rest of the day. Had they suspended play 20 minutes earlier, my group and the one ahead of me would have teed off under good conditions. As it was, we played a hole under ridiculous circumstances, while everybody behind us escaped completely unscathed. Luck is definitely a factor in golf, and the first two groups got a huge dose of the bad variety on this particular occasion.
After the rain, I settled into a nice groove over the next six holes. The stretch included three pars, two bogeys and one double-bogey. The double came on a par-5 after my approach from 110 yards finished left of the green. I tried a putt through a long stretch of fringe and barely got on the green. Unfortunately, I took three putts to hole out from that position. Overall, my driver was working well and the rest of my game was satisfactory. Given that the driver was working well, I had no hesitation pulling it out on hole #8, a par-4 measuring 372 yards. It ended up being the wrong decision, as I promptly sliced two drives into the trees right of the fairway. For a hole of that length, I could certainly use a 3-wood or 5-wood off the tee, perhaps even a 3-iron. As it was, I tallied a grim total of 10 for the hole.
On the back nine, I played well enough to salvage a respectable score overall. A birdie on hole #10 helped greatly. After hitting the fairway with a 5-wood, I attacked the green with a 9-iron. I caught the ball a tad thin, but it cozied up nicely to within five feet of the pin. I recovered well on hole #14 after losing my tee shot in the right fescue. Hitting three from the tee, I put another ball in the fescue on the opposite side of the fairway. Luckily, I was able to find it. I hit a good out to get the ball back in the fairway, but the final approach from 190 yards was the one that helped me save triple-bogey. I hit the green and made two putts to hole out. The hole could have been much worse.
Pars on a couple of par-3 holes helped me close out strong. After hitting the green on hole #16, a 111-yard carry entirely over water, my birdie putt just missed, leaving an easy tap-in. Hole #18 is also a carry entirely over water, though a little longer at 138 yards. The flag was on the lower tier of the green, a small segment at the very front of the putting surface. My tee shot rolled just past the cup, but climbed the ridge and ended up on the upper tier. I made a very nice birdie attempt on the hard breaker, missing the cup by mere inches. The easy tap-in was a nice way to earn par.
This could have been a good round, if not for the 10 on hole #8. Still, I enjoyed myself and the result was satisfactory.
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 6
At this point, a Tour official notified us that play was being suspended momentarily to allow the rain to pass through. Ten minutes later, the rain stopped and weather was beautiful for the rest of the day. Had they suspended play 20 minutes earlier, my group and the one ahead of me would have teed off under good conditions. As it was, we played a hole under ridiculous circumstances, while everybody behind us escaped completely unscathed. Luck is definitely a factor in golf, and the first two groups got a huge dose of the bad variety on this particular occasion.
After the rain, I settled into a nice groove over the next six holes. The stretch included three pars, two bogeys and one double-bogey. The double came on a par-5 after my approach from 110 yards finished left of the green. I tried a putt through a long stretch of fringe and barely got on the green. Unfortunately, I took three putts to hole out from that position. Overall, my driver was working well and the rest of my game was satisfactory. Given that the driver was working well, I had no hesitation pulling it out on hole #8, a par-4 measuring 372 yards. It ended up being the wrong decision, as I promptly sliced two drives into the trees right of the fairway. For a hole of that length, I could certainly use a 3-wood or 5-wood off the tee, perhaps even a 3-iron. As it was, I tallied a grim total of 10 for the hole.
On the back nine, I played well enough to salvage a respectable score overall. A birdie on hole #10 helped greatly. After hitting the fairway with a 5-wood, I attacked the green with a 9-iron. I caught the ball a tad thin, but it cozied up nicely to within five feet of the pin. I recovered well on hole #14 after losing my tee shot in the right fescue. Hitting three from the tee, I put another ball in the fescue on the opposite side of the fairway. Luckily, I was able to find it. I hit a good out to get the ball back in the fairway, but the final approach from 190 yards was the one that helped me save triple-bogey. I hit the green and made two putts to hole out. The hole could have been much worse.
Pars on a couple of par-3 holes helped me close out strong. After hitting the green on hole #16, a 111-yard carry entirely over water, my birdie putt just missed, leaving an easy tap-in. Hole #18 is also a carry entirely over water, though a little longer at 138 yards. The flag was on the lower tier of the green, a small segment at the very front of the putting surface. My tee shot rolled just past the cup, but climbed the ridge and ended up on the upper tier. I made a very nice birdie attempt on the hard breaker, missing the cup by mere inches. The easy tap-in was a nice way to earn par.
This could have been a good round, if not for the 10 on hole #8. Still, I enjoyed myself and the result was satisfactory.
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 6
Bad Start at Oakridge
My last round of golf was the fourth event in the season-long run for the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship. Returning to Oakridge Golf Club for the second year in a row, I was anxious to improve on a bad performance last year. Unfortunately, I dug a hole for myself very early on and spent the rest of the round playing catch up. That approach doesn’t really work in golf, which rewards patience and control.
Just as I did last year, I put a couple of approach shots in the water on hole #1 after hitting a respectable drive. Adding penalty strokes for each failed attempt, the result was four strokes without even advancing the ball! I simply hit the ball fat and didn’t get the distance I should have with the given clubs. On hole #2, I also repeated the mistake I made last year. Teeing off with a 4-iron on the 186-yard par-3, I pulled the ball straight into some trees left of the green. Hole #3 was equally disastrous. I hit a decent 5-wood off the tee, but pulled it a tad too much and landed out of bounds. After re-teeing and finding the fairway, I chunked another approach shot that barely avoided the water on the right side of the fairway. After three holes, I had scored zero points in the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods.
On holes #4 through #9, I actually played well. I wisely left my tee shot below the hole on the par-3 fourth. With the flag at the front of the green, that meant I was chipping from just off the fringe. I wanted to keep the chip shot below the hole, but I left it well below the hole, requiring two putts to hole out for bogey. On hole #5 I hit a fantastic drive to the middle of the fairway, leaving 110 yards to the flag. I pulled the approach shot with my gap wedge, but chipped on and two-putt for another bogey. On hole #6 I hit an even better drive, avoiding ponds on either side of the fairway in the landing zone. From 120 yards out, I hit the ball near the pin, leaving a legitimate birdie opportunity. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in easily for par. On hole #7, a solid drive was followed by a very nice 4-iron into the green. This is a par-5, so I was putting for eagle from the fringe. I made a nice lag putt and tapped in for birdie! Hole #9, a par-4 measuring just 321 yards, was also notable. I hit a great drive over the bunkers on the left side of the fairway. As I approached the green, I spotted my ball in the bunker right of the green. I had the distance to be on the putting surface, but just missed. After splashing out of the bunker I took two putts to hole out for par.
At this point, I felt like I had turned my game around, but I still felt like I needed to make up for points lost on the first three holes. That’s why I hit driver on hole #11, a par-4 measuring just 311 yards. The plan worked, as I hit a beauty right down the pipe, leaving a 70-yard approach to the green. What followed was utter disaster. I hit a lazy approach with the sand wedge, finding a bunker in front of the green. Then I picked the ball clean out of the trap, sending it sailing way past the green into a hazard. A penalty stroke ensued, followed by a chip shot. I ended up three-putting to finish it all off. The hole killed me and took some of the wind out of my sails.
On holes #12 through #16, I once again played reasonably. There were disappointing moments, including my drive on #12, my chipping and putting on #13, and my approach on #15. Despite these moments, I managed to recuperate and was scoring a decent number of points. On hole #16, a par-3 measuring 132 yards, I hit a nice tee shot directly in line with the flag. It came up a tad short, stopping in the fringe, but I made a great putt for birdie. Had I been able to hang on for a couple more holes, I would have escaped with a decent number of points for the round. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #17, leading to a triple-bogey. On hole #18, I cut the corner too aggressively with my tee shot and ended up with a lost ball. Trying to make up for the lost ball and associated penalty, I tried driving the green of this par-5 in two shots. To do so, players have to carry a pond in front of the green. I didn’t clear the water and that was the end of it. I finished with another triple-bogey.
I will need a miracle in the final Deepwoods event in order to defend my title from last year.
Score: 105
Par: 71
Putts: 42
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Just as I did last year, I put a couple of approach shots in the water on hole #1 after hitting a respectable drive. Adding penalty strokes for each failed attempt, the result was four strokes without even advancing the ball! I simply hit the ball fat and didn’t get the distance I should have with the given clubs. On hole #2, I also repeated the mistake I made last year. Teeing off with a 4-iron on the 186-yard par-3, I pulled the ball straight into some trees left of the green. Hole #3 was equally disastrous. I hit a decent 5-wood off the tee, but pulled it a tad too much and landed out of bounds. After re-teeing and finding the fairway, I chunked another approach shot that barely avoided the water on the right side of the fairway. After three holes, I had scored zero points in the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods.
On holes #4 through #9, I actually played well. I wisely left my tee shot below the hole on the par-3 fourth. With the flag at the front of the green, that meant I was chipping from just off the fringe. I wanted to keep the chip shot below the hole, but I left it well below the hole, requiring two putts to hole out for bogey. On hole #5 I hit a fantastic drive to the middle of the fairway, leaving 110 yards to the flag. I pulled the approach shot with my gap wedge, but chipped on and two-putt for another bogey. On hole #6 I hit an even better drive, avoiding ponds on either side of the fairway in the landing zone. From 120 yards out, I hit the ball near the pin, leaving a legitimate birdie opportunity. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in easily for par. On hole #7, a solid drive was followed by a very nice 4-iron into the green. This is a par-5, so I was putting for eagle from the fringe. I made a nice lag putt and tapped in for birdie! Hole #9, a par-4 measuring just 321 yards, was also notable. I hit a great drive over the bunkers on the left side of the fairway. As I approached the green, I spotted my ball in the bunker right of the green. I had the distance to be on the putting surface, but just missed. After splashing out of the bunker I took two putts to hole out for par.
At this point, I felt like I had turned my game around, but I still felt like I needed to make up for points lost on the first three holes. That’s why I hit driver on hole #11, a par-4 measuring just 311 yards. The plan worked, as I hit a beauty right down the pipe, leaving a 70-yard approach to the green. What followed was utter disaster. I hit a lazy approach with the sand wedge, finding a bunker in front of the green. Then I picked the ball clean out of the trap, sending it sailing way past the green into a hazard. A penalty stroke ensued, followed by a chip shot. I ended up three-putting to finish it all off. The hole killed me and took some of the wind out of my sails.
On holes #12 through #16, I once again played reasonably. There were disappointing moments, including my drive on #12, my chipping and putting on #13, and my approach on #15. Despite these moments, I managed to recuperate and was scoring a decent number of points. On hole #16, a par-3 measuring 132 yards, I hit a nice tee shot directly in line with the flag. It came up a tad short, stopping in the fringe, but I made a great putt for birdie. Had I been able to hang on for a couple more holes, I would have escaped with a decent number of points for the round. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #17, leading to a triple-bogey. On hole #18, I cut the corner too aggressively with my tee shot and ended up with a lost ball. Trying to make up for the lost ball and associated penalty, I tried driving the green of this par-5 in two shots. To do so, players have to carry a pond in front of the green. I didn’t clear the water and that was the end of it. I finished with another triple-bogey.
I will need a miracle in the final Deepwoods event in order to defend my title from last year.
Score: 105
Par: 71
Putts: 42
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
August 17, 2009
Brampton Yields Another 89
Coming off scores of 90 and 89 in two consecutive rounds at Osprey Valley Hoot, I was primed for my next event on the GTA Amateur Tour. This one was held at Brampton Golf Club, a classic parkland course in the heart of Brampton. The threat of thunderstorms loomed all day, but we managed to play the round shower free, except for a single hole during the back nine. It was hot and humid all day however.
I started the round with two bogeys, followed by two pars. The bogeys were a bit unlucky, as I was playing well, but found myself in some tough spots. On hole #1, my approach to the green was partially blocked by a lone tree on the left edge of the fairway. I tried to avoid it altogether, but clipped some branches and had to pay the price. On hole #2, a par-5 with OB on both sides of the fairway, I was in excellent position after two shots. In the middle of the fairway 120 yards away from the flag, I caught the approach shot fat, which sent the ball left of my target line and into a greenside pond. After taking a penalty stroke, I made a nice up and down from 75 yards away! Holes #3 and #4 were textbook pars.
All the trouble in this round came on holes #5 through #8. I made par on hole #7, a par-3 measuring 164 yards, so actually the trouble came on the other three holes. A tough side hill lie caused problems for my second shot on hole #5. A skulled chip shot and a duffed chip shot later on in the hole led to a triple-bogey. An errant tee shot on the next hole led to a lost ball and subsequent penalty stroke. My approach to the green was actually struck very well, but the result was terrible. The approach was right at the flag, which was hidden behind a cluster of spruce trees. When I approached the flag, I discovered that a bunker lay between the trees and the green. Sure enough, I was a yard short of clearing the bunker. My first shot from the sand was fat, while my second was thin, sending the ball to the fringe on the opposite side of the green. A three-putt was almost inevitable from there, leading to a score of 9 for the hole. On hole #8, I thought I could get my second shot over a short pine tree on the right side of the fairway. I smacked the trunk of the tree and then struggled with a couple more approach shots. I was also in a bunker on this hole and hit a mediocre out. The result was a score of 8 for the hole.
It seems as though I got all the bad shots out of my system on the eighth hole, as I played extremely well for the rest of the round. In fact, I shot a remarkable 38 on the back nine! A clutch putt saved bogey on the par-4 tenth. A good tee shot and two putts were good enough for par on hole #11. Hole #12 is when the rain came, leading to double-bogey. After the rain passed, I made a beautiful birdie on hole #13. The tee shot on this par-3 must carry water all the way to the green. I picked the right club and struck it well, leaving a straight 12 foot putt, which I drained.
A good putt from the front of the green set up a tap-in par on hole #14. I had hit a solid drive and pair of approach shots to get things going. I made an even better putt from the front of the green on hole #15. The flag was at the back of the green, so this one traveled a good 90 feet to get there. The ball stopped just inches from the cup. It was another tap-in par on hole #16, a beautiful par-3 from an elevated teeing ground. This one was set up by an excellent 4-iron off the tee into the wind. The par streak continued on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 456 yards. After a shaky second shot, I hit a nice 6-iron to the edge of the green. A good lag putt set up the easy tap-in. The par streak ended with a bogey on hole #18, but I broke 90 for the second consecutive round, so I didn’t mind at all. I finished fourth for the tournament, which was my best finish so far on the GTA Amateur Tour.
Score: 89
Par: 71
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
I started the round with two bogeys, followed by two pars. The bogeys were a bit unlucky, as I was playing well, but found myself in some tough spots. On hole #1, my approach to the green was partially blocked by a lone tree on the left edge of the fairway. I tried to avoid it altogether, but clipped some branches and had to pay the price. On hole #2, a par-5 with OB on both sides of the fairway, I was in excellent position after two shots. In the middle of the fairway 120 yards away from the flag, I caught the approach shot fat, which sent the ball left of my target line and into a greenside pond. After taking a penalty stroke, I made a nice up and down from 75 yards away! Holes #3 and #4 were textbook pars.
All the trouble in this round came on holes #5 through #8. I made par on hole #7, a par-3 measuring 164 yards, so actually the trouble came on the other three holes. A tough side hill lie caused problems for my second shot on hole #5. A skulled chip shot and a duffed chip shot later on in the hole led to a triple-bogey. An errant tee shot on the next hole led to a lost ball and subsequent penalty stroke. My approach to the green was actually struck very well, but the result was terrible. The approach was right at the flag, which was hidden behind a cluster of spruce trees. When I approached the flag, I discovered that a bunker lay between the trees and the green. Sure enough, I was a yard short of clearing the bunker. My first shot from the sand was fat, while my second was thin, sending the ball to the fringe on the opposite side of the green. A three-putt was almost inevitable from there, leading to a score of 9 for the hole. On hole #8, I thought I could get my second shot over a short pine tree on the right side of the fairway. I smacked the trunk of the tree and then struggled with a couple more approach shots. I was also in a bunker on this hole and hit a mediocre out. The result was a score of 8 for the hole.
It seems as though I got all the bad shots out of my system on the eighth hole, as I played extremely well for the rest of the round. In fact, I shot a remarkable 38 on the back nine! A clutch putt saved bogey on the par-4 tenth. A good tee shot and two putts were good enough for par on hole #11. Hole #12 is when the rain came, leading to double-bogey. After the rain passed, I made a beautiful birdie on hole #13. The tee shot on this par-3 must carry water all the way to the green. I picked the right club and struck it well, leaving a straight 12 foot putt, which I drained.
A good putt from the front of the green set up a tap-in par on hole #14. I had hit a solid drive and pair of approach shots to get things going. I made an even better putt from the front of the green on hole #15. The flag was at the back of the green, so this one traveled a good 90 feet to get there. The ball stopped just inches from the cup. It was another tap-in par on hole #16, a beautiful par-3 from an elevated teeing ground. This one was set up by an excellent 4-iron off the tee into the wind. The par streak continued on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 456 yards. After a shaky second shot, I hit a nice 6-iron to the edge of the green. A good lag putt set up the easy tap-in. The par streak ended with a bogey on hole #18, but I broke 90 for the second consecutive round, so I didn’t mind at all. I finished fourth for the tournament, which was my best finish so far on the GTA Amateur Tour.
Score: 89
Par: 71
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Break 90 on Return to Crosswinds
Earlier in the year, I played a very frustrating round of golf at Crosswinds Golf & Country Club. In fact, I played so poorly that I stopped keeping score halfway through the round. Looking back, that round was a bit of a turning point in my season. It reminded me to examine the technical flaws in my swing and to work on specific techniques to fix them. The renewed focus must have worked, as I went on to score eleven consecutive rounds under 100. Nine of those rounds were 95 or better, while three of them were 90 or better. My handicap factor also dropped by almost four points.
I returned to Crosswinds recently, looking to make up for the poor round on my previous visit. I got off to a poor start on hole #1, a short par-4 measuring 272 yards. I pulled my tee shot just left of the fairway, under a spruce tree. I was forced to play a low chip just to get the ball back in the fairway. After my approach shot came up short, I used the putter from the fringe. With no putts under my belt yet, I struggled to get the right weight and finished with a triple-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was excellent – the kind of golf I know I can play, but don’t seem to do it consistently enough. Over the remaining eight holes, I was four over par. This pretty stretch included four pars and four bogeys. One of the bogeys was the result of a three-putt on hole #2. Another was the result of hitting an approach shot fat on hole #7. Aside from those two minor mistakes, there was nothing else I could criticize. I hit some fairways and some greens, chipped well when I had to, and made some putts. The game seems so easy when you avoid mis-hits and penalty strokes.
A par on hole #10 was followed by a trio of holes that tested my resilience. On holes #11 through #13, I went double-bogey, triple-bogey, double-bogey. On each of these holes, a big problem was getting out of bunkers. I picked a couple of balls way too clean, sending them sailing over the other side of the green. When I tried to adjust, I over-compensated, leaving the ball in the bunker after hitting it fat. Hole #14 provided a brief respite as I registered bogey, but this was followed by a disastrous triple-bogey on #15. I spent a lot of time on the teeing ground waiting for the beverage cart girl to drive away, and then duffed one into the weeds left of the fairway.
To salvage a good round, I needed to finish strong on the last three holes and I did exactly that. Playing aggressively on hole #16, a short par-4 measuring 305 yards, I hit driver straight down the pipe, leaving an approach of 65 yards to the flag. I placed the approach flag high, and then took two putts to hole out for par. On hole #17, a par-3 measuring 145 yards, my approach came up five yards short of the green. It turned out to be no problem, as I hit a perfect chip shot that tracked directly into the cup for birdie! Finally, I finished with a par on hole # 18. My drive found the fairway, while my approach landed just in front of the green. I lagged one near the hole with the putter, and then tapped in to finish with a score of 89. Nice!
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
I returned to Crosswinds recently, looking to make up for the poor round on my previous visit. I got off to a poor start on hole #1, a short par-4 measuring 272 yards. I pulled my tee shot just left of the fairway, under a spruce tree. I was forced to play a low chip just to get the ball back in the fairway. After my approach shot came up short, I used the putter from the fringe. With no putts under my belt yet, I struggled to get the right weight and finished with a triple-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was excellent – the kind of golf I know I can play, but don’t seem to do it consistently enough. Over the remaining eight holes, I was four over par. This pretty stretch included four pars and four bogeys. One of the bogeys was the result of a three-putt on hole #2. Another was the result of hitting an approach shot fat on hole #7. Aside from those two minor mistakes, there was nothing else I could criticize. I hit some fairways and some greens, chipped well when I had to, and made some putts. The game seems so easy when you avoid mis-hits and penalty strokes.
A par on hole #10 was followed by a trio of holes that tested my resilience. On holes #11 through #13, I went double-bogey, triple-bogey, double-bogey. On each of these holes, a big problem was getting out of bunkers. I picked a couple of balls way too clean, sending them sailing over the other side of the green. When I tried to adjust, I over-compensated, leaving the ball in the bunker after hitting it fat. Hole #14 provided a brief respite as I registered bogey, but this was followed by a disastrous triple-bogey on #15. I spent a lot of time on the teeing ground waiting for the beverage cart girl to drive away, and then duffed one into the weeds left of the fairway.
To salvage a good round, I needed to finish strong on the last three holes and I did exactly that. Playing aggressively on hole #16, a short par-4 measuring 305 yards, I hit driver straight down the pipe, leaving an approach of 65 yards to the flag. I placed the approach flag high, and then took two putts to hole out for par. On hole #17, a par-3 measuring 145 yards, my approach came up five yards short of the green. It turned out to be no problem, as I hit a perfect chip shot that tracked directly into the cup for birdie! Finally, I finished with a par on hole # 18. My drive found the fairway, while my approach landed just in front of the green. I lagged one near the hole with the putter, and then tapped in to finish with a score of 89. Nice!
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
August 03, 2009
Mill Run Outing Eases The Pain
Okay, I feel better now. I visited Uxbridge and played the Grist / Wheel combination on the Championship Course at Mill Run Golf Club. There were a couple of bad holes, but overall I played quite consistently and managed to finish with a respectable score of 95.
A couple of par-3 holes on Grist got the better of me. On hole #3, measuring 212 yards, my second shot from the greenside bunker traveled over the green and bounced into a water hazard. I chipped on and two-putted for triple-bogey. On hole #5, my tee shot came to rest in some weeds short and right of the green. It wasn't a terrible lie, but my pitch shot travelled no more than a couple of yards. Determined to pop the ball out the second time, I flew the green and found my ball in a wooded ravine. I opted to replay the last shot (under penalty of stroke and distance). This time, I made a nice up and one-putt to save a triple-bogey.
The only other hole that gave me trouble was Wheel #1, a par-5 measuring 546 yards. It is rated as the most difficult hole on the Wheel nine, and deservedly so. Thick woods line the entire fairway on both sides. It's not narrow, but the woods still intimidate. I sliced my drive into the woods on the right side. The second shot on this hole is key. Ideally, players should advance their ball close to the end of the fairway, inside 150 yards. This is because the final approach must cross two streams to an elevated green. If players leave 170 yards to the green, as I did, it makes the final approach much more difficult. From that position, I hit the ball into the hazard, chalking up another penalty stroke. I had to settle for a score of 9 on this tough hole.
As I said, all the other holes were played quite consistently. I wasn't happy with my driving, as I was cutting the ball far too much. There were perhaps three drives that I really liked. I was happy with my iron play, though a couple of shots that I thought I hit well came up short of target. My chipping was good, including a couple that left me with easy one-putts. And finally, my putting was satisfactory, except for a two-footer that I missed on the second-last hole. Doh!
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
I should mention that the round prior to this one followed the third round of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. Held at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, located in Carlisle, Ontario, the round was suspended due to bad weather. Before play stopped, I was six over par through six holes. It's too bad we couldn't finish, because I felt like I could score well that day. Oh well.
A couple of par-3 holes on Grist got the better of me. On hole #3, measuring 212 yards, my second shot from the greenside bunker traveled over the green and bounced into a water hazard. I chipped on and two-putted for triple-bogey. On hole #5, my tee shot came to rest in some weeds short and right of the green. It wasn't a terrible lie, but my pitch shot travelled no more than a couple of yards. Determined to pop the ball out the second time, I flew the green and found my ball in a wooded ravine. I opted to replay the last shot (under penalty of stroke and distance). This time, I made a nice up and one-putt to save a triple-bogey.
The only other hole that gave me trouble was Wheel #1, a par-5 measuring 546 yards. It is rated as the most difficult hole on the Wheel nine, and deservedly so. Thick woods line the entire fairway on both sides. It's not narrow, but the woods still intimidate. I sliced my drive into the woods on the right side. The second shot on this hole is key. Ideally, players should advance their ball close to the end of the fairway, inside 150 yards. This is because the final approach must cross two streams to an elevated green. If players leave 170 yards to the green, as I did, it makes the final approach much more difficult. From that position, I hit the ball into the hazard, chalking up another penalty stroke. I had to settle for a score of 9 on this tough hole.
As I said, all the other holes were played quite consistently. I wasn't happy with my driving, as I was cutting the ball far too much. There were perhaps three drives that I really liked. I was happy with my iron play, though a couple of shots that I thought I hit well came up short of target. My chipping was good, including a couple that left me with easy one-putts. And finally, my putting was satisfactory, except for a two-footer that I missed on the second-last hole. Doh!
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
I should mention that the round prior to this one followed the third round of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. Held at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, located in Carlisle, Ontario, the round was suspended due to bad weather. Before play stopped, I was six over par through six holes. It's too bad we couldn't finish, because I felt like I could score well that day. Oh well.
August 01, 2009
Agony at RedCrest
I've never been stabbed in the heart, but I imagine it feels like my last round of golf at RedCrest, a new course that opened this summer at Cardinal Golf Club.
Through the first six holes, I was even par! My scorecard read par, bogey, birdie, birdie, par, bogey. The par on hole #1 was utter perfection. Hit the fairway, nail the green, lag a putt and tap another in. The bogey on hole #2 was the result of a 3-putt after a good tee shot. The birdie on hole #3 was of the scramble variety. After a pulled tee shot, trees blocked me from going at the flag. All I could do was place the ball about eight yards in front of the green. It worked out well, as I knocked one in from there using the putter!
The bogey on hole #4 was no scramble. It was more like a thing of beauty. Hit the fairway, stick the approach right beside the flag, and sink the putt. Nice! Par on hole #5 was equally fulfilling. Hit the fairway bunker with a tee shot, knock it out 15 yards in front of the green, chip to within three feet and sink the putt. I was robbed a little bit on hole #6, a par-5. I drove the ball into the fairway, then hit a good 3-wood to a bunker fronting the green. The bunker shot sailed way past the flag. I then had another 3-putt for bogey.
The stab to the heart came on hole #7, another par-5. Actually, it was more like eleven stabs to the heart in quick succession. That's how many shots I took to complete the hole. Quickly, here's how it played out: worm-burner off the tee to the start of the fairway, topped 3-wood to a fairway bunker, barely get the ball out, pulled 5-wood to a puddle in a muddy area left of the fairway, penalty stroke for an unplayable ball, approach to a greenside bunker, launched over the green, duffed chip after being informed that my aim is off, chip past the flag, and two putts. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
Of course, I get a triple bogey on the very next hole, a par-5 measuring 148 yards. I hit a good tee shot, but could have used an extra club as my ball failed to clear a bunker fronting the green by a mere yard. It took me three shots to get out of the bunker! The sand in the bunkers at RedCrest is unlike any sand I've played in before. It's very loose and fluffy, but different from the fluffy varieties I've seen before. It seems somewhat unnatural, almost like a manufactured gravel.
I settled down on holes #9 through #13, averaging bogey golf. It wasn't the magic that I experienced through the first six holes, but continuing at that pace would put me near the 90 mark for the round, even with the adventures on holes #7 and #8.
Then came more stabs to the heart, and these would continue for the remainder of the round. I found water off the tee on hole #14, as well as the greenside hazard. Chalk up a couple of penalty strokes and a triple-bogey. An atrocious drive on the next hole, along with a short approach shot and a chip shot that I can't even describe led to a quadruple-bogey. Water came into play twice on hole #16. Two penalty strokes and a triple-bogey was again the result. Oh hole #17, a par-3 measuring 201 yards, I added another penalty stroke en route to a double-bogey. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
And then the cruelty got really bad. I hit a drive on hole #18 that was just three or four yards right of the fairway. When the ball landed, it veered right almost 90 degrees into some rough vegetation! When I walked over to the landing area, I was looking for mounds or other features that might have caused the ball to veer off like that. There was nothing that could possibly cause that, except for a little sign on the cart path at the 200 yard mark. These signs are on every hole at RedCrest, usually at the 100, 150, or 200 yard mark. They are raised wooden signs attached to the cart path. Why they didn't simpy paint the numbers on the path is beyond me. Paint doesn't deflect balls. Geez! I was forced to take a penalty stroke, after which I hit a 5-iron to the side of the green and chipped on.
Now, all I needed was two putts from about 13 feet to salvage a score of 99. I wouldn't be happy with that, but I could live with it. However, one extra stroke (and a score of 100) and I would be livid. I really thought there was no chance I would 3-putt. My first putt was 5 feet short! At that point, I still felt like I would make the next putt. I didn't. I tapped in stroke #100, then promptly tossed my ball into the bushes.
After being bludgeoned repeatedly over five holes, the golf gods decided to inflict one final stab wound. For their final act of violence, they stabbed me deep in the heart, then gave the knife a good wrench to make sure I was done.
I am reeling right now, but don't worry. I'll be back.
UPDATE: A reader pointed out that I should not have taken a penalty stroke on hole #7 after my ball was found in the puddle left of the fairway. The puddle was casual water, from which a player can take relief without penalty. He is absolutely right! As a result, my correct score was actually 99 and all is well in the universe again.
Score: 99
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Through the first six holes, I was even par! My scorecard read par, bogey, birdie, birdie, par, bogey. The par on hole #1 was utter perfection. Hit the fairway, nail the green, lag a putt and tap another in. The bogey on hole #2 was the result of a 3-putt after a good tee shot. The birdie on hole #3 was of the scramble variety. After a pulled tee shot, trees blocked me from going at the flag. All I could do was place the ball about eight yards in front of the green. It worked out well, as I knocked one in from there using the putter!
The bogey on hole #4 was no scramble. It was more like a thing of beauty. Hit the fairway, stick the approach right beside the flag, and sink the putt. Nice! Par on hole #5 was equally fulfilling. Hit the fairway bunker with a tee shot, knock it out 15 yards in front of the green, chip to within three feet and sink the putt. I was robbed a little bit on hole #6, a par-5. I drove the ball into the fairway, then hit a good 3-wood to a bunker fronting the green. The bunker shot sailed way past the flag. I then had another 3-putt for bogey.
The stab to the heart came on hole #7, another par-5. Actually, it was more like eleven stabs to the heart in quick succession. That's how many shots I took to complete the hole. Quickly, here's how it played out: worm-burner off the tee to the start of the fairway, topped 3-wood to a fairway bunker, barely get the ball out, pulled 5-wood to a puddle in a muddy area left of the fairway, penalty stroke for an unplayable ball, approach to a greenside bunker, launched over the green, duffed chip after being informed that my aim is off, chip past the flag, and two putts. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
Of course, I get a triple bogey on the very next hole, a par-5 measuring 148 yards. I hit a good tee shot, but could have used an extra club as my ball failed to clear a bunker fronting the green by a mere yard. It took me three shots to get out of the bunker! The sand in the bunkers at RedCrest is unlike any sand I've played in before. It's very loose and fluffy, but different from the fluffy varieties I've seen before. It seems somewhat unnatural, almost like a manufactured gravel.
I settled down on holes #9 through #13, averaging bogey golf. It wasn't the magic that I experienced through the first six holes, but continuing at that pace would put me near the 90 mark for the round, even with the adventures on holes #7 and #8.
Then came more stabs to the heart, and these would continue for the remainder of the round. I found water off the tee on hole #14, as well as the greenside hazard. Chalk up a couple of penalty strokes and a triple-bogey. An atrocious drive on the next hole, along with a short approach shot and a chip shot that I can't even describe led to a quadruple-bogey. Water came into play twice on hole #16. Two penalty strokes and a triple-bogey was again the result. Oh hole #17, a par-3 measuring 201 yards, I added another penalty stroke en route to a double-bogey. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
And then the cruelty got really bad. I hit a drive on hole #18 that was just three or four yards right of the fairway. When the ball landed, it veered right almost 90 degrees into some rough vegetation! When I walked over to the landing area, I was looking for mounds or other features that might have caused the ball to veer off like that. There was nothing that could possibly cause that, except for a little sign on the cart path at the 200 yard mark. These signs are on every hole at RedCrest, usually at the 100, 150, or 200 yard mark. They are raised wooden signs attached to the cart path. Why they didn't simpy paint the numbers on the path is beyond me. Paint doesn't deflect balls. Geez! I was forced to take a penalty stroke, after which I hit a 5-iron to the side of the green and chipped on.
Now, all I needed was two putts from about 13 feet to salvage a score of 99. I wouldn't be happy with that, but I could live with it. However, one extra stroke (and a score of 100) and I would be livid. I really thought there was no chance I would 3-putt. My first putt was 5 feet short! At that point, I still felt like I would make the next putt. I didn't. I tapped in stroke #100, then promptly tossed my ball into the bushes.
After being bludgeoned repeatedly over five holes, the golf gods decided to inflict one final stab wound. For their final act of violence, they stabbed me deep in the heart, then gave the knife a good wrench to make sure I was done.
I am reeling right now, but don't worry. I'll be back.
UPDATE: A reader pointed out that I should not have taken a penalty stroke on hole #7 after my ball was found in the puddle left of the fairway. The puddle was casual water, from which a player can take relief without penalty. He is absolutely right! As a result, my correct score was actually 99 and all is well in the universe again.
Score: 99
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
July 21, 2009
Break 90 on Return to Hoot
After stringing together a series of solid rounds over the past month, I finally managed to break the 90 barrier. Playing The Hoot at Osprey Valley for the second consecutive day, I had plenty of confidence to start the round.
Following a bogey on the opening hole, I took a triple bogey on hole #2, which would be one of my worst holes of the round. My tee shot landed in a waste bunker on the left side of the fairway and I was left with a terrible lie. All I could do was punch the ball back in the fairway to the 100-yard marker. Unfortunately my approach landed short of the green and after chipping on, I took three putts to hole out.
I made up some of those lost strokes with two consecutive pars on holes #3 and #4. A rare chip and single putt saved par on the par-4 third, while a nice tee shot set up the textbook par on the par-3 fourth. A beautiful tee shot from an elevated teeing ground was wasted on hole #5, when I duffed my second shot with a mid-iron. The subsequent approach came to rest on the fringe, but I had a lot of green between myself and the pin. Three putts and double-bogey was a reasonable finish from that position.
The last four holes on the front nine were played very well and as a result, I collected two pars and two bogeys. On hole #6, a par-5 measuring 440 yards, I drove the ball 250 yards to the left edge of the fairway. The day before, I drove the ball to virtually the same place, but some trees near the fairway blocked me from going for the green in two. This time, I had an opening, so I hit 4-iron with visions of an eagle putt dancing in my head. As it turned out, the ball came up five yards short of the green. I chipped on and two-putt for par.
Bogey was the result on hole #7, which was good considering I took a triple-bogey on the same hole a day earlier. Experience paid off as I approached the hole very conservatively. Aggressive play is only recommended on this hole if you are hitting your targets very consistently. Trees and fescue pinch the front of this elevated green and putts from above the hole are very treacherous. On the par-3 eighth hole, another good tee shot produced the textbook par. On the par-4 ninth hole, my approach came up short of the green, setting up a rather non-descript bogey.
A pair of bogeys started things off on the back nine, the second of those resulting from a disappointing three-putt. I played hole #11 more conservatively than I did the day before, since I got burned trying to reach the green in two. I suppose the srtategy paid off, but I really should have made par there.
Hole #12, a short par-4 measuring 330 yards from the white tees, was my best hole of the day. The fairway wraps around a large pond that borders the entire right side. Distance from the tee directly to the green is somewhat less than 330 yards, tempting players to hit driver into the green. It is a classic risk / reward hole, since the straight line to the green forces players to carry the ball about 200 yards directly over the water. I was feeling good, so I went for it. The shot came off exactly as I envisioned, landing in the fairway running up to the green, and stopping in the centre of the green, about 20 feet from the pin. What a great feeling! Not wanting to leave the eagle putt short, I blew past the hole by about five feet. The bridie putt was no gimmie, but I managed to make it.
Hole #13, a short par-5 at 464 yards, gave me trouble for the second day in a row. The type of trouble was completely different though. This time, I cut the corner on my drive a little too much, losing my ball somewhere left of the fairway. Shooting my third from the tee, I hit the middle of the fairway. From that position, I would normally take two shots to follow the fairway around the large pond that fronts the green. Feeling like I needed to make up for the lost ball and penalty stroke however, I decided to carry the water and go for glory. My 5-iron came up about five yards short, so the result was another penalty stroke. I ended up taking a triple-bogey.
Hole #16, a par-4 with water flanking the right side of the fairway from tee to green, also tripped me up for the second day in a row. I had just come off a bogey and a par on holes #14 and #15 respectively, so I was feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, I hit a very tentative 3-wood off the tee, just as I did the day before. This time, my ball popped up high and dribbled right into the water hazard. Standing on the tee, it appears as though there is trouble left of the fairway in the form of clustered trees. However, as I walked toward the green, I realized that there is a lot of room past the trees. Next time I play the hole, I will play to miss left of the fairway, instead of right.
Hole #17, one of the prettiest at The Hoot with a tee shot over water and its green nestled near a lovely waterfall, resulted in a solid par. This was followed by a regrettable double-bogey on hole #18. I hit a fantastic drive 275 yards to the middle of the fairway. A bit of a downslope helped me get a few more yards than I usually do on my drives. From 80 yards away, I hit my approach a little thin, sending the ball just behind the green. I then skulled my chip, blowing the ball past the hole to the opposite side of the green. And then I three-putt! Can you believe it?
If that mistake had put my score into the nineties, I would have been pretty upset. As it was, I didn't mind so much.
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 9
Greens: 6
Following a bogey on the opening hole, I took a triple bogey on hole #2, which would be one of my worst holes of the round. My tee shot landed in a waste bunker on the left side of the fairway and I was left with a terrible lie. All I could do was punch the ball back in the fairway to the 100-yard marker. Unfortunately my approach landed short of the green and after chipping on, I took three putts to hole out.
I made up some of those lost strokes with two consecutive pars on holes #3 and #4. A rare chip and single putt saved par on the par-4 third, while a nice tee shot set up the textbook par on the par-3 fourth. A beautiful tee shot from an elevated teeing ground was wasted on hole #5, when I duffed my second shot with a mid-iron. The subsequent approach came to rest on the fringe, but I had a lot of green between myself and the pin. Three putts and double-bogey was a reasonable finish from that position.
The last four holes on the front nine were played very well and as a result, I collected two pars and two bogeys. On hole #6, a par-5 measuring 440 yards, I drove the ball 250 yards to the left edge of the fairway. The day before, I drove the ball to virtually the same place, but some trees near the fairway blocked me from going for the green in two. This time, I had an opening, so I hit 4-iron with visions of an eagle putt dancing in my head. As it turned out, the ball came up five yards short of the green. I chipped on and two-putt for par.
Bogey was the result on hole #7, which was good considering I took a triple-bogey on the same hole a day earlier. Experience paid off as I approached the hole very conservatively. Aggressive play is only recommended on this hole if you are hitting your targets very consistently. Trees and fescue pinch the front of this elevated green and putts from above the hole are very treacherous. On the par-3 eighth hole, another good tee shot produced the textbook par. On the par-4 ninth hole, my approach came up short of the green, setting up a rather non-descript bogey.
A pair of bogeys started things off on the back nine, the second of those resulting from a disappointing three-putt. I played hole #11 more conservatively than I did the day before, since I got burned trying to reach the green in two. I suppose the srtategy paid off, but I really should have made par there.
Hole #12, a short par-4 measuring 330 yards from the white tees, was my best hole of the day. The fairway wraps around a large pond that borders the entire right side. Distance from the tee directly to the green is somewhat less than 330 yards, tempting players to hit driver into the green. It is a classic risk / reward hole, since the straight line to the green forces players to carry the ball about 200 yards directly over the water. I was feeling good, so I went for it. The shot came off exactly as I envisioned, landing in the fairway running up to the green, and stopping in the centre of the green, about 20 feet from the pin. What a great feeling! Not wanting to leave the eagle putt short, I blew past the hole by about five feet. The bridie putt was no gimmie, but I managed to make it.
Hole #13, a short par-5 at 464 yards, gave me trouble for the second day in a row. The type of trouble was completely different though. This time, I cut the corner on my drive a little too much, losing my ball somewhere left of the fairway. Shooting my third from the tee, I hit the middle of the fairway. From that position, I would normally take two shots to follow the fairway around the large pond that fronts the green. Feeling like I needed to make up for the lost ball and penalty stroke however, I decided to carry the water and go for glory. My 5-iron came up about five yards short, so the result was another penalty stroke. I ended up taking a triple-bogey.
Hole #16, a par-4 with water flanking the right side of the fairway from tee to green, also tripped me up for the second day in a row. I had just come off a bogey and a par on holes #14 and #15 respectively, so I was feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, I hit a very tentative 3-wood off the tee, just as I did the day before. This time, my ball popped up high and dribbled right into the water hazard. Standing on the tee, it appears as though there is trouble left of the fairway in the form of clustered trees. However, as I walked toward the green, I realized that there is a lot of room past the trees. Next time I play the hole, I will play to miss left of the fairway, instead of right.
Hole #17, one of the prettiest at The Hoot with a tee shot over water and its green nestled near a lovely waterfall, resulted in a solid par. This was followed by a regrettable double-bogey on hole #18. I hit a fantastic drive 275 yards to the middle of the fairway. A bit of a downslope helped me get a few more yards than I usually do on my drives. From 80 yards away, I hit my approach a little thin, sending the ball just behind the green. I then skulled my chip, blowing the ball past the hole to the opposite side of the green. And then I three-putt! Can you believe it?
If that mistake had put my score into the nineties, I would have been pretty upset. As it was, I didn't mind so much.
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 9
Greens: 6
July 20, 2009
Finally Visit Osprey Valley
After hearing people rave about it for years, I finally played at Osprey Valley. Playing Hoot, which is a wasteland style course, I had an absolutely wonderful time. I now understand why people enjoy the course so much. A few holes are very receptive to driver off the tee, while others make you think twice if you're not hitting the big stick straight.
There's plenty of water, especially on the back nine, but it's laid out to provide great variety. On some holes, water must be carried off the tee, while on others, it flanks the side of the fairway. On others still, water must be carried to reach the green, or it is tucked to the side of the green, forcing a careful approach.
The other main impediment throughout the course are dramatic waste bunkers, which give the course much of its character. As with water, waste bunkers are used to provide a variety of experiences. Some holes force you to carry the waste bunker off the tee, while others feature a gnarly waste bunker near the green. Fescue abounds near the edges of the waste bunkers, giving the course a rugged look.
Some of the holes cut through a spruce forest, which looks spectacular. The fairways roll gently throughout the course. The greens are nicely sized and fair.
This was the first round of a 2-day tournament on the GTA Amateur Tour. I was satisifed to shoot 90, equalling my best score of the season so far, but the truth is I tacked on a couple of unnecessary strokes, mostly with the putter. After splashing out of a greenside waste bunker brilliantly on hole #3, I missed a par putt from within three feet. On holes #4 and #13, I hit downhill putts too firmly, blowing the ball well past the cup. On a couple of other occasions, I picked a good putting line, but came up short of the hole. With better putting, this round could have been in the mid 80's.
Hole #11, a par-5 measuring 430 yards from the white tees, made me shake my head in disappointment. I hit a perfect drive, 260 yards to the middle of the fairway. With 170 yards to the flag, I felt I could get on in two quite easily. Unfortunately, my approach shot drifted slightly right, hitting a cluster of trees near the green. I was able to find my ball under a tree at the edge of the cluster. I made a difficult out to get the ball in the open, just short of the green. Then I messed up a chip shot, leaving the ball on the fringe at the front of the green. I made a couple of decent putts, but burned the edge of the cup on the second, resulting in a dreaded double-bogey. After my drive, I was thinking possible eagle, so it was quite disappointing. Such is the game.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 11
Greens: 6
There's plenty of water, especially on the back nine, but it's laid out to provide great variety. On some holes, water must be carried off the tee, while on others, it flanks the side of the fairway. On others still, water must be carried to reach the green, or it is tucked to the side of the green, forcing a careful approach.
The other main impediment throughout the course are dramatic waste bunkers, which give the course much of its character. As with water, waste bunkers are used to provide a variety of experiences. Some holes force you to carry the waste bunker off the tee, while others feature a gnarly waste bunker near the green. Fescue abounds near the edges of the waste bunkers, giving the course a rugged look.
Some of the holes cut through a spruce forest, which looks spectacular. The fairways roll gently throughout the course. The greens are nicely sized and fair.
This was the first round of a 2-day tournament on the GTA Amateur Tour. I was satisifed to shoot 90, equalling my best score of the season so far, but the truth is I tacked on a couple of unnecessary strokes, mostly with the putter. After splashing out of a greenside waste bunker brilliantly on hole #3, I missed a par putt from within three feet. On holes #4 and #13, I hit downhill putts too firmly, blowing the ball well past the cup. On a couple of other occasions, I picked a good putting line, but came up short of the hole. With better putting, this round could have been in the mid 80's.
Hole #11, a par-5 measuring 430 yards from the white tees, made me shake my head in disappointment. I hit a perfect drive, 260 yards to the middle of the fairway. With 170 yards to the flag, I felt I could get on in two quite easily. Unfortunately, my approach shot drifted slightly right, hitting a cluster of trees near the green. I was able to find my ball under a tree at the edge of the cluster. I made a difficult out to get the ball in the open, just short of the green. Then I messed up a chip shot, leaving the ball on the fringe at the front of the green. I made a couple of decent putts, but burned the edge of the cup on the second, resulting in a dreaded double-bogey. After my drive, I was thinking possible eagle, so it was quite disappointing. Such is the game.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 11
Greens: 6
July 19, 2009
Finding Some Consistency
After twenty rounds at twenty different golf courses, I finally paid a return visit to one of them this season. A week after shooting a solid 90 on the Cobalt Course at Granite Ridge, I returned to fire a respectable 92.
Teeing off on the back nine first, I started the round with two consecutive pars. On both holes, I hit the fairway, hit the green, then 2-putted. It all seemed so simple and I was feeling good. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #12, which brought me back to reality. It seemed as though I exaggerated my forearm turn, sending a low dribbler to the left less than 100 yards. It was a mistake I made a couple more times during the round, including two holes later on #14. This time, I ended up beneath a spruce tree, which cost me a couple of strokes.
Through the first nine holes, I hit a number of really good wedges and high iron shots. A couple of these were struck after not-so-good shots, when I was just trying to advance the ball down the fairway. In the past, I may have tried to hit 3-wood or 5-wood in those situations, but I relaize now it's simply not worth it. I am more likely to make an error with those long clubs, so it's better to hit a couple of controlled shots instead. Some of those shots were struck so pure, it felt effortless. When the ball pops off the club face like that it's a great feeling.
Even though I was playing fairly well, I still had a score of 48 at the turn, thanks to one very bad hole. I had to turn it around on the back nine in order to salvage a good round. I made par on hole #1, but had to settle for double-bogey on #2 after my tee shot came to rest directly behind a tree trunk right of the fairway. I struck a beautiful shot off the tee on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 139 yards, but the wind fooled me. I added two extra clubs because of a gusting headwind. The gusts must have stopped just as I took my swing and my ball bounced off the back of the green. From thick fescue, I hit a nice wedge to the front of the green, but messed up some putts en route to a triple-bogey.
Luckily, four pars would ensue on the remaining six holes. The key was great iron shots like the ones I already described. When you can hit a green from 100-160 yards out, it makes such a huge difference. Each of the four pars came after hitting the green in regulation with a solid approach shot. Chipping was satisfactory on the day, as was putting. I would really like to improve these aspects of the game, as I feel I can gain three to six strokes almost every round. That would go a long way toward breaking the 90 barrier.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
Teeing off on the back nine first, I started the round with two consecutive pars. On both holes, I hit the fairway, hit the green, then 2-putted. It all seemed so simple and I was feeling good. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #12, which brought me back to reality. It seemed as though I exaggerated my forearm turn, sending a low dribbler to the left less than 100 yards. It was a mistake I made a couple more times during the round, including two holes later on #14. This time, I ended up beneath a spruce tree, which cost me a couple of strokes.
Through the first nine holes, I hit a number of really good wedges and high iron shots. A couple of these were struck after not-so-good shots, when I was just trying to advance the ball down the fairway. In the past, I may have tried to hit 3-wood or 5-wood in those situations, but I relaize now it's simply not worth it. I am more likely to make an error with those long clubs, so it's better to hit a couple of controlled shots instead. Some of those shots were struck so pure, it felt effortless. When the ball pops off the club face like that it's a great feeling.
Even though I was playing fairly well, I still had a score of 48 at the turn, thanks to one very bad hole. I had to turn it around on the back nine in order to salvage a good round. I made par on hole #1, but had to settle for double-bogey on #2 after my tee shot came to rest directly behind a tree trunk right of the fairway. I struck a beautiful shot off the tee on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 139 yards, but the wind fooled me. I added two extra clubs because of a gusting headwind. The gusts must have stopped just as I took my swing and my ball bounced off the back of the green. From thick fescue, I hit a nice wedge to the front of the green, but messed up some putts en route to a triple-bogey.
Luckily, four pars would ensue on the remaining six holes. The key was great iron shots like the ones I already described. When you can hit a green from 100-160 yards out, it makes such a huge difference. Each of the four pars came after hitting the green in regulation with a solid approach shot. Chipping was satisfactory on the day, as was putting. I would really like to improve these aspects of the game, as I feel I can gain three to six strokes almost every round. That would go a long way toward breaking the 90 barrier.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
July 14, 2009
Grand Niagara
I played in a GTA Amateur Tour event today at Grand Niagara. If not for a couple of silly plays, this would have been quite a good scoring round.
The first trouble surfaced on hole #4, a par-5 measuring 550 yards. Two good shots left me on the right side of the fairway with only 135 yards left to the flag. From that position, the approach is all carry over water. I hit a 9-iron to be sure I would carry the wet stuff. A 9-iron for me usually travels 140 yards. I struck the shot perfectly, but it carried to the back of the green. I thought it was just behind the green, but when I walked up I discovered that the ball had bounced out of bounds. There is a cart path there, which is where carts loop around. Once the ball hit the asphalt, there really was no chance to stay in bounds. It's silly, because it really wasn't a bad shot.
I returned to where my previous shot was played and dropped a ball. Since I carried the ball so far with a 9-iron, I clubbed down to a 52-degree wedge, which I usually hit 115 yards. Again, I struck the shot perfectly. Howver, this time the ball failed to clear the water! I dropped another ball and now split the difference with a pitching wedge, which landed on the green safely. I then 2-putted for an ugly score of nine.
The second silly play took place on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 510 yards. I hit a beautiful drive to the right fairway, leaving 240 yards to the flag. There seemed to be enough room leading up to the green, so I tried to hit a 3-wood to the front of the green. It was a tentative swing - the kind you take when you fear something bad might happen. Sure enough, I didn't make good contact and the ball pushed right into the fescue. The area was staked red, so I was able to drop near point of entry. I then caught my sand wedge thin and sent the ball behind the green. I made a nice chip shot back, but the green runs away when shooting from back there. I did well just to stay on the green. From 70 feet, I hit perfect weight but pulled the ball left of the hole. Next I burned the edge of the cup on a 5-footer, so I walked away with triple-bogey. Why did I try to hit the 3-wood? From 240 yards out, all I needed was a pitching wedge, sand wedge combination to reach the green in regulation. In hindsight, it was a bad decision.
I said in a recent post that I wouldn't focus on the negatives, and here I've just outlined in great detail, the two worst moments of the round. Oh well. Apart from these two plays, the round was very good. I figured out a way to keep my driver on plane during my backswing and I hit a few beauties with it. For example, on holes #10 and #11, I hit drives that travelled about 270 yards. It's no surprise I made par on both of those holes. I also hit many good irons throughout the day. I must say however, that my worst iron shots came off the tee on par-3 holes. It's a weird thing. From the fairway 150 yards out I hit some nice approaches, but from the same distance off the tee, I made some mis-hits. It's completely a mental lapse.
My chipping was excellent on the day. I don't remember making a single bad chip shot. My putting was also good, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my total number of putts - 39. It seems I have been putting pretty well, but the number of putts says otherwise. I either have to chip better to make more 1-putts, or I have to lag the first putts better in order to avoid the 3-putts after a burned edge.
My handicap is back over 20 now, but the good news is I have strung together quite a few good rounds recently
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
The first trouble surfaced on hole #4, a par-5 measuring 550 yards. Two good shots left me on the right side of the fairway with only 135 yards left to the flag. From that position, the approach is all carry over water. I hit a 9-iron to be sure I would carry the wet stuff. A 9-iron for me usually travels 140 yards. I struck the shot perfectly, but it carried to the back of the green. I thought it was just behind the green, but when I walked up I discovered that the ball had bounced out of bounds. There is a cart path there, which is where carts loop around. Once the ball hit the asphalt, there really was no chance to stay in bounds. It's silly, because it really wasn't a bad shot.
I returned to where my previous shot was played and dropped a ball. Since I carried the ball so far with a 9-iron, I clubbed down to a 52-degree wedge, which I usually hit 115 yards. Again, I struck the shot perfectly. Howver, this time the ball failed to clear the water! I dropped another ball and now split the difference with a pitching wedge, which landed on the green safely. I then 2-putted for an ugly score of nine.
The second silly play took place on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 510 yards. I hit a beautiful drive to the right fairway, leaving 240 yards to the flag. There seemed to be enough room leading up to the green, so I tried to hit a 3-wood to the front of the green. It was a tentative swing - the kind you take when you fear something bad might happen. Sure enough, I didn't make good contact and the ball pushed right into the fescue. The area was staked red, so I was able to drop near point of entry. I then caught my sand wedge thin and sent the ball behind the green. I made a nice chip shot back, but the green runs away when shooting from back there. I did well just to stay on the green. From 70 feet, I hit perfect weight but pulled the ball left of the hole. Next I burned the edge of the cup on a 5-footer, so I walked away with triple-bogey. Why did I try to hit the 3-wood? From 240 yards out, all I needed was a pitching wedge, sand wedge combination to reach the green in regulation. In hindsight, it was a bad decision.
I said in a recent post that I wouldn't focus on the negatives, and here I've just outlined in great detail, the two worst moments of the round. Oh well. Apart from these two plays, the round was very good. I figured out a way to keep my driver on plane during my backswing and I hit a few beauties with it. For example, on holes #10 and #11, I hit drives that travelled about 270 yards. It's no surprise I made par on both of those holes. I also hit many good irons throughout the day. I must say however, that my worst iron shots came off the tee on par-3 holes. It's a weird thing. From the fairway 150 yards out I hit some nice approaches, but from the same distance off the tee, I made some mis-hits. It's completely a mental lapse.
My chipping was excellent on the day. I don't remember making a single bad chip shot. My putting was also good, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my total number of putts - 39. It seems I have been putting pretty well, but the number of putts says otherwise. I either have to chip better to make more 1-putts, or I have to lag the first putts better in order to avoid the 3-putts after a burned edge.
My handicap is back over 20 now, but the good news is I have strung together quite a few good rounds recently
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
July 12, 2009
Handicap Factor Dips Into Teens - For Now
I played a very consistent round on the Cobalt Course at Granite Ridge Golf Club. Playing from the blue tees, I managed to score 90. It was enough to push my handicap factor down to 19.5 (which as far as I can remember, is the lowest it has ever been since I started keeping track).
It will be hard to keep my factor below 20 after the next round, since my best round ever (an 81, also on Granite Ridge Cobalt) will drop off the list of my last twenty rounds played. Unless I have a great round at Grand Niagara (the site of my next round, which I have never played before) my factor will rise back to about 21.
I'm feeling good about my game right now. That happens when you string together a few good rounds. If I could get hot with the putter, a round in the 80's is not impossible.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
It will be hard to keep my factor below 20 after the next round, since my best round ever (an 81, also on Granite Ridge Cobalt) will drop off the list of my last twenty rounds played. Unless I have a great round at Grand Niagara (the site of my next round, which I have never played before) my factor will rise back to about 21.
I'm feeling good about my game right now. That happens when you string together a few good rounds. If I could get hot with the putter, a round in the 80's is not impossible.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
July 06, 2009
Could Have Gone Lower at Angus Glen
I played my latest GTA Amateur Tour event on the South Course at Angus Glen Golf Club - home of the 2002 Canadian Open. I got off to a good start. If not for a couple of near misses with the putter and a mis-hit into the green on hole #9, I could have made the turn about three strokes better than 45.
Hole #13 killed me. I amassed three penalty strokes on that hole alone, leading to a score of 9. I only had one other penalty stroke for the entire round. Nevertheless, I made three pars on the back nine, just as I did on the front. I finished with a score of 94, which is pretty good.
I figure a sub-90 round was within reach, but a couple of missed putts, a couple of mis-hit approaches from close in, and a couple of penalties did me in.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Hole #13 killed me. I amassed three penalty strokes on that hole alone, leading to a score of 9. I only had one other penalty stroke for the entire round. Nevertheless, I made three pars on the back nine, just as I did on the front. I finished with a score of 94, which is pretty good.
I figure a sub-90 round was within reach, but a couple of missed putts, a couple of mis-hit approaches from close in, and a couple of penalties did me in.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
July 04, 2009
Solid Round at Deer Creek
I usually approach a round at Deer Creek Golf Club with some anticipation, since it is the site of my lowest golf round ever - a 10-over-par 81 registered a couple of years ago. If not for a pointless triple-bogey on the very last hole, that score could easily have been a 79.
My latest visit began in horrific fashion. Teeing off on Sapphire #1, I took a very tentative swing which sent the ball to the trees right of the fairway. That one was lost for sure. After re-teeing, I over-compensated far too much and sent the ball into the trees left of the fairway. After getting the ball back close to the fairway, I had a medium-sized tree between me and the green. I hit an 8-iron flush, but it smacked the very top of the tree trunk. Unfortunately, I did not see where the ball went. Another lost ball meant another penalty stroke. My next attempt made it to the front of the green, where I was able to chip and 1-putt for a score of 9. Yikes! How does one clear his mind after a start like this?
A good way to start is to make a birdie on the next hole. I hit a good 3-wood off the tee, followed by an equally good 6-iron. I followed that up with a perfect putt of about 13 feet. Par would have been a good result on hole #3, but because I hit my first tee shot out-of-bounds, double-bogey was the result. Still, I made a very good approach shot of about 60 yards, followed by a putt from about five feet. I've had success in the past on hole #4, a short par-3 measuring 137 yards over water. This time, I had the club face way too open on my tee shot, sending the ball right of the water. On the subsequent pitch shot, I failed to carry the water by about two yards. It ended up as a triple-bogey, which effectively nullified the birdie a couple holes earlier. How does one get back on a roll after a roller-coaster ride like this?
One way is to make a solid bogey, followed by a brilliant birdie. At 473 yards in length, hole #6 is a shot-maker's par-5. Players must hit a straight tee shot, no longer than about 200 yards, in order to set up a second shot that angles almost 90 degrees in a different direction. The second shot is over a creek, ideally to the 100 yard marker. From there, players can attack the green with a wedge, flying over the creek once more as it loops back in front of the putting surface. I executed all the shots, leaving a 15-foot putt which I also drained.
I closed out the front nine with a triple-bogey, bogey and par, for a score of 49 at the turn. It was an up and down nine holes for sure.
The Emerald nine was a completely different experience, as I seemed to settle down and played very consistently. I tallied two pars, six bogeys, and one triple-bogey. The triple was the result of an errant tee shot and the associated penalty stroke. After re-teeing, I effectively scored bogey on the hole.
This round was similar to the last round at Hidden Lake in many ways. My driver was extremely unpredictable, but the rest of my game was great. Full irons were struck well, and I didn't make any mistakes chipping. Putting was also pretty good.
If I could get my driver back in check and gain some confidence, I feel like I can break 90. My next round is a GTA Amateur Tour event at Angus Glen South - that would be a great place to do it!
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
My latest visit began in horrific fashion. Teeing off on Sapphire #1, I took a very tentative swing which sent the ball to the trees right of the fairway. That one was lost for sure. After re-teeing, I over-compensated far too much and sent the ball into the trees left of the fairway. After getting the ball back close to the fairway, I had a medium-sized tree between me and the green. I hit an 8-iron flush, but it smacked the very top of the tree trunk. Unfortunately, I did not see where the ball went. Another lost ball meant another penalty stroke. My next attempt made it to the front of the green, where I was able to chip and 1-putt for a score of 9. Yikes! How does one clear his mind after a start like this?
A good way to start is to make a birdie on the next hole. I hit a good 3-wood off the tee, followed by an equally good 6-iron. I followed that up with a perfect putt of about 13 feet. Par would have been a good result on hole #3, but because I hit my first tee shot out-of-bounds, double-bogey was the result. Still, I made a very good approach shot of about 60 yards, followed by a putt from about five feet. I've had success in the past on hole #4, a short par-3 measuring 137 yards over water. This time, I had the club face way too open on my tee shot, sending the ball right of the water. On the subsequent pitch shot, I failed to carry the water by about two yards. It ended up as a triple-bogey, which effectively nullified the birdie a couple holes earlier. How does one get back on a roll after a roller-coaster ride like this?
One way is to make a solid bogey, followed by a brilliant birdie. At 473 yards in length, hole #6 is a shot-maker's par-5. Players must hit a straight tee shot, no longer than about 200 yards, in order to set up a second shot that angles almost 90 degrees in a different direction. The second shot is over a creek, ideally to the 100 yard marker. From there, players can attack the green with a wedge, flying over the creek once more as it loops back in front of the putting surface. I executed all the shots, leaving a 15-foot putt which I also drained.
I closed out the front nine with a triple-bogey, bogey and par, for a score of 49 at the turn. It was an up and down nine holes for sure.
The Emerald nine was a completely different experience, as I seemed to settle down and played very consistently. I tallied two pars, six bogeys, and one triple-bogey. The triple was the result of an errant tee shot and the associated penalty stroke. After re-teeing, I effectively scored bogey on the hole.
This round was similar to the last round at Hidden Lake in many ways. My driver was extremely unpredictable, but the rest of my game was great. Full irons were struck well, and I didn't make any mistakes chipping. Putting was also pretty good.
If I could get my driver back in check and gain some confidence, I feel like I can break 90. My next round is a GTA Amateur Tour event at Angus Glen South - that would be a great place to do it!
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
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