Decent Vibes at Granite Ridge
Sixteen good holes. Two bad ones. A score just over 90. That summarizes my typical round this season. Shooting in the low nineties is not bad, but I want to take my game to the next level, and that means shooting in the eighties regularly. Right now, two or three bad holes are preventing me from getting there. It amazes me how I can play bogey or better golf, even without hitting the ball particularly crisp. Over the last couple of years, I have gotten better at putting the ball in play, advancing it with each shot, missing to the safe side, and more. Despite this maturing process, I still have a couple of blowup holes (triple bogey or worse) every single round. My mechanics simply have to improve, in order to help remedy the situation. Game management can only go so far.
Score: 91
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 8
Penalties: 2
Pattern Repeats at Twenty Valley
I have a habit of playing fifteen or sixteen solid holes of golf, accompanied by two or three holes that are just plain terrible. The pattern continued at my latest round on the GTA Amateur Tour. I was eight over par through the first eight holes, then went six over par for the ninth hole alone! It's hard to understand. For eight holes, I made good contact with the ball and managed my game well. Then all of a sudden, I mis-hit two balls off the tee, sending them into a hazard. On the back nine, I was five over par for seven of the holes. That's pretty good. Problem was, the two remaining holes resulted in triple bogeys. A pesky tree between me and the tenth green, as well as some fierce wind on the seventeenth tee were to blame. I really wish I could avoid the two or three bad holes I seem to have per round. Without them, I would be scoring in the eighties much more regularly.
Score: 97
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
Heartbreak at Deepwoods Final
I was the leader going into the final Deepwoods event of the year, and I could almost taste victory. I was the champion in 2008, so I know what it takes to close the deal in the season finale. One player was a point behind me and two others were behind by two points. If I could outplay them, the championship was mine. A pair of other players were four points behind, but I felt they would have to play perfectly just to force a playoff.
My opponents struggled over the first few holes, helping me pad my lead. On hole #5, I trickled into some lush fescue and could not hack the ball out. I also struggled a bit on hole #9, thanks to more fescue near the green. With my opponents recovering nicely, it was once again anybody's game. Over the next four holes, among the hardest at Willow Valley, I started to pull away once again. I made two pars and two bogeys, while the others struggled. Down the stretch, I knew I had them beat. I just had to make sure that I left no room for the longshot contenders in the other group. Unfortunately, I missed some critical putts. On hole #17, I stuck my approach three feet from the pin. I then missed two putts of three feet or less. I had the feeling that I had just given the championship away. Indeed, one of the longshots had a perfect game, registering a maximum of 40 points. The two putts I missed on hole #17 were the margin of victory.
I played well overall, but it wasn't enough. I was the runner-up for the second time in four years. Fortunately, I have one championship in that same time span to ease some of the pain.
Score: 93
Putts: 40
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
Grand Garbage at Niagara
A day after the debacle at Piper's Heath, I was looking for retribution. Those plans were destroyed on the very first hole at Grand Niagara. My approach shot found a bunker and as it turned out, I could not hit a bunker shot to save my life! I hit some fat, picked others clean, all leading to a score of 12, or eight over par. On one hole! I could have given up at that point, but I had already done that the day before, so I decided to soldier on. I thought perhaps I could recover, as I did not long ago at Carlisle. Well, it didn't happen. I was not driving the ball straight and I continued to struggle from bunkers, which gave me fits. On hole #12, a par-3, I picked two balls clean from a bunker, losing them in weeds 40 yards past the green. It was laughable. I had a few good moments during the day, but this was easily my worst round of the year - the kind you just erase from memory.
Score: 120
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 0
Penalties: 9
Piper's Curse Continues
Aside from the opening round of the year, a balmy Easter Sunday, I have had no luck whatsoever at Piper's Heath Golf Club. Every time I go there, it seems to rain. It rained again this time, but the real problem was 60 km/hr gusts of wind. Quite simply, it was impossible to play in those conditions. Somehow, I managed to play the front nine in a score of 52. Given the wind, that was actually pretty good. It would have been better too, if not for an approach on hole #9 that sailed over the green. On a couple of occasions this year, I have launched approach shots with my 60 degree wedge that sail 30 yards more than expected. I seem to hit the ball a little thin with that club from a tight fairway lie. Next time, I will take the ground route with a less lofted club. On hole #10, the wind was ridiculous, and I struggled to even make contact. I did not finish the hole and while I played the rest of the round, I treated it as practice and didn't bother to keep score.
Score: 52 (9 holes)
Putts: 20
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
Penalties: 1
Damage Control at Carlisle
I played most of this round as a single, breezing past a couple of groups who were nice enough to let me play through. Playing alone, I caught myself rushing a bit on the front nine, which was bizarre. I played reasonably well on the North nine, including a beautiful birdie on hole #8, thanks to a spectacular 50-foot putt. However, I blew up for a ridiculous score of 12 on hole #6. My first tee shot hit a cart path and bounced out of bounds. From 135 yards out, I also pulled two balls out of bounds. After nine holes, my score was unimpressive at 53. On the back (East) nine, I slowed down and started to make some pars. In fact, I made five pars on my way to a score of 43. I was glad that I salvaged a respectable score after the disaster on hole #6. I must avoid those blowup holes to score well!
Score: 96
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 5
The Big Choke at Cedar Brae
This was a GTA Amateur Tour event and boy, did I get off to a great start! I pulled my first tee shot, but found my ball and managed to save par with a great up and down from 40 yards. Through the first five holes I was even par, thanks in part to a magnificent approach and birdie putt on hole #5. After a trio of bogeys and another par, I was shooting 38 at the turn. I knew I was likely leading my flight through the first nine holes, which I confirmed after the round. Things started to go bad on hole #11, a par-3. I shanked an iron off the tee en route to a triple bogey. An equally poor tee shot produced another triple on hole #13, a par-5. Double bogeys were the result on a few of the back nine holes, as the nerves of leading clearly got to me. I shot a terrible 55 on the back nine, ruining a great start.
Score: 93
Putts: 36
Fairways: 2
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
Good Focus at Oakridge
After some questionable performances, I finally had a round I can be proud of, and it came during a Deepwoods event. It would have been even better, if not for one horrific hole that marred an otherwise solid scorecard. I opened with a pair of double bogeys, followed by a hole where I was six over par. Hole #3 is the number one handicap at Oakridge, for good reason. I put the terrible hole behind me and managed eight over par for the remaining 15 holes. It was a fantastic stretch, including one birdie, five pars, and nine bogeys. I was very satisfied with my mental fortitude. This round proved to me that I can shoot in the 80's consistently if I find a way to avoid one or two holes that plague many of my outings.
Score: 89
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
