A recent article in ScoreGolf magazine describes how pro golfers keep a journal of their experiences on the golf course. The idea is to record examples of excellent play, to serve as a reminder of things that worked well and to boost confidence. I realized that my own journal often focuses on things that went wrong, which of course has exactly the opposite effect. So I am resolving to be at least a little more positive in my reviews, beginning with my latest round at Emerald Hills Golf Club.
Teeing off on the first hole of the Forest nine, I hit a perfect drive high and straight, coming to rest beside the 150-yard marker. It was especially satisfying since it came from the gold tees, which are the tips at Emerald Hills. There are also plenty of trees on this hole to gobble up wayward drives. They don't call it the Forest nine for nothing. I proceeded to mis-hit a few shots en route to a triple-bogey, but we're trying to be positive here, so enough of that.
The next good moment came on hole #5, a par-4 measuring 406 yards. I hit a cut shot off the tee, leaving the ball in the middle of the fairway. I didn't intend for it to be a cut shot, but that's how it worked out. I hit an approach with the 5-iron, but caught it a little fat and as a result came up short of the green. From there I hit a little bump and run shot with the pitching wedge, leaving a medium length putt for par, which I calmly drained. Pars are nice.
The shot of the day took place on hole #8, an intimidating par-5 lined by forest on both sides of the fairway from tee box to green. I hit 5-wood off the tee in an attempt to keep the ball out of the woods. It didn't work. Luckily, the area was staked red, so I got to drop a ball near point of entry after taking a penalty. My third shot now was a medium iron to advance the ball down the fairway. It worked well, but I was still left with 205 yards to the green, which was perched on a plateau about twelve to fifteen feet above the fairway. The shot of the day was a spectacular 5-wood that travelled dead straight, bounced near the top of the plateau and came to rest within five feet of the cup. Luckily, I made the putt to make the great approach shot pay off. It was a great par save.
After finishing the Forest nine, we proceeded to the Valley nine, which offers a very different experience. On holes one and two, I hit some less than perfect shots, but also came into the greens with some nice approaches. On hole #1 it was with a sand wedge, while on hole #2 it was with a 9-iron. I wish I had an equally good approach on hole #3, but that wasn't the case. After a solid drive, I had 170 yards to the flag. Anything left of the green is into a hillside covered in fescue. Anything right of the green is into a steep mound that pushes balls further right into a hazard. I hit the mound and had to take a penalty, but it was a fun hole to play, probably my favourite of the Valley nine.
On hole #6, I hit a perfect 3-wood off the elevated tee, leaving 80 yards to a severely elevated green. I hit a solid sand wedge approach and two-putted for another solid par. Pars are nice. Hole #7 is also one of my favourites on the Valley nine. This is a par-3 measuring 181 yards. Players must carry a fescue-covered valley to a diagonal green that plays longer to the right hand side. When we played, the flag was at the back of the green, tempting players to take the more aggressive line. I settled for an intermediate line, starting the ball about 20 feet left of the flag. I hit what seemed like a perfect 5-iron, landing on the green exactly where I was aiming. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold the green and spilled over the back into a well-placed bunker. The combination of visual intimidation, distance, and strategic bunkering are what make this a nice hole. I failed to get out of the bunker with a single shot and ended up with a double-bogey.
Overall, it was a nice outing and I had enough positive takeaways to carry to my next round. The elevated score was mostly a result of penalty strokes after balls found the dense woods. I had eight penalty strokes in total.
Score: 108
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
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