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!
