It's the middle of November and I haven't golfed in two months. I took advantage of some mild weather today to install winter tires on my car. That's as good a sign as any that the golf season is finished here in southern Ontario, so let's take a look back at how the year transpired.
It was a very different year, to say the least. To begin with, I played just 31 rounds, which is my lowest total since 2005, when I started taking golf more seriously and managed to tally 30 rounds. For comparison, consider that in the intervening years from 2006-2010, I played 44, 44, 45, 46, and 56 rounds respectively. I'm still averaging about 44 rounds over the last two years, but clearly there was a dip this season.
One reason for the dip was the fact that I played less competitive golf this year. In 2008, I played on the now defunct Duffer's Dream Tour, while the last couple of years I played about ten rounds per season on the GTA Amateur Tour. I had hoped to play at least a few times on the GTA Amateur Tour this season, but life got in the way, not to mention the fact that my game went south for much of the season. Unless I can be competitive on any given day, there really isn't much point to playing on the tour.
The only competitive golf I played this year was with the Deepwoods Golf Association. As the Deepwoods champion in 2008 and a runner-up in both 2007 and 2010, I felt like I knew how to compete in this league. Unfortunately, I got off to a poor start in the opening round at Copetown Woods. I fired an encouraging 89 in Round 2 at Peninsula Lakes, but faltered again in Round 3 at Oakridge. One can survive a bad round in Deepwoods, but two bad ones are enough to put you out of the running.
While I lost a chance to compete for the crown, Deepwoods was not a complete loss for me. In the final round of the season at Willow Valley, I shot a really nice score of 83, easily my best of the year. In fact, it was my best round of the last three seasons and only two strokes off my personal best. That saved my whole year, no question about it. The fact that it came after a woeful performance on the Deepwoods Tour at Dragon's Fire made it even more special. My round of 126 at Dragon's Fire was a real low point. It was the worst score I posted since starting this blog in 2006. It may even be my worst ever, but I don't have the records to verify that.
Every year, I like to seek out a few new courses to play. In 2011, I made my first ever visits to Turtle Creek, Turnberry, Westview, and Humber Valley. Turtle Creek and Turnberry are relatively new courses, so it's no surprise that I hadn't played them before. I probably won't be back to Turtle Creek, but I will definitely play at Turnberry again. Yes, it's a par-3 course, but from a design perspective it's as nice as almost any course out there.
Westview and Humber Valley are old courses, so it was somewhat surprising that I had never played there. Humber Valley was never on my list because of its short length, but it is a decent track. Westview is a championship calibre course with 54 holes. I'll be back for the right price.
Actually, Westview was the course I played most often this year. I played eight rounds there, including 3 rounds (or 54 holes) in a single day! That truly was a marathon and, I suppose, a highlight of the season. My next most-visited courses this year were King's Forest and Century Pines, where I played 3 rounds apiece. Hidden Lake and Peninsula Lakes were the only other courses I played more than once, each hosting a pair of visits.
Overall, I was disappointed with the season. Instead of improving, my game got worse. My handicap factor, which leveled off in 2010 after dropping steadily for a couple of seasons, shot back up to the high teens. I closed the season with a 17.4R factor, the R representing the fact that the factor is reduced due to some good tournament scores on my scoring record. Those happened late in 2010, so they will soon fall off my record and my factor will inch up a point or so.
It's hard to pinpoint why my game took a turn for the worse. Mostly, I was hooking irons and pulling my drives. I missed very few shots to the right side this year. I can't even remember a single sliced shot or one that was pushed to the right side. I know that my tendency is still to come over the top with my swing. In my early golf days, I would pair that over-the-top swing with an open club face, producing a consistent slice. These days, I am more likely to pair it with a closed face. There were times when I straightened things out, but I was battling this all season. Perhaps the best adjustment I made was to add some wrist cock to my backswing. I did this late in the year and it seemed to help me keep the club on plane. It allowed me to shorten the backswing while maintaining the same power. That will be my swing thought next year.
So, that's about it. Let's hope that 2012 turns out better than 2011.
Peace.
November 13, 2011
September 16, 2011
Joyride Ends at Century Pines
It was good while it lasted, which is a way of saying it didn't last very long at all. The joyride that followed my season best round at Willow Valley came to a screeching halt just four days later at Century Pines Golf Club. This round was supposed to provide retribution for the injustice that took place at the same course one week earlier. The intervening triumph at Willow Valley had emboldened me to seek revenge. As it turned out, I emerged with even more injustice, instead of the requital I so desperately sought.
My last visit to Century Pines produced a massive blowup on hole #1, which immediately ruined the entire round. I spent the drive to the course devising a strategy to prevent this from happening again. I was thrown for a loop, therefore, when the gentleman in the pro shop informed me that I would be playing the back nine first. I resolved to treat this as a positive, figuring I could warm up fully on the back nine before applying my strategy to hole #1.
I got off to a shaky start over the first three holes, but recovered remarkably well in each case to salvage a bogey. On hole #10, my 5-iron off the tee failed to reach the fairway. My next shot stopped short of a bunker fronting the green. I pitched on and 2-putt to finish. On hole #11, I hooked a 5-iron into the woods. I found the ball, but it was unplayable, so I took a penalty. Next, I hit a beautiful 7-iron very near the flag. Once again, I 2-putt to finish. On hole #12, I pulled a drive slightly left, ending up in a hazard. After another penalty, I hit a great 6-iron to the front edge of the green. Two putts later, I had my third bogey of the day.
Hole #13 was a disaster. This is a par-3 measuring 155 yards entirely over water. I added an extra club as the wind had picked up and was directly in my face. I should have added two clubs, as my tee shot hit the embankment on the other side of the water and rolled backwards into the drink. After a penalty stroke, I duffed a pitch attempt from a side-hill lie. A second pitch was required to reach the putting surface and two putts finished things up for a triple-bogey.
No sooner did things go bad, than they got right back on track. Hole #14 is a par-5 measuring 475 yards from the blue tees. The tee shot does not suit me because the fairway bends slightly to the left, with mature trees protecting the inside corner. Without a draw, it's very easy to hit those trees or run out of fairway on the right side. I hit a laser, skirting the edge of the protective trees and propelling down the fairway. In fact, I ran through the fairway, ending up a yard or two in the right rough, which was quite sparse. From 200 yards out, I hit a 3-iron down the fairway, ending up 20 yards short of the green. The next two shots were picture perfect. The first was a crafty pitch that utilized the slope of the green to funnel the ball near the hole. The second was a beautiful 8-foot putt for birdie!
At this point, I was playing bogey golf through the first five holes. A greenside bunker gave me some mild trouble on the next hole, resulting in a double-bogey. Still, one third of the way through the round, I was just one stroke off of bogey pace. Considering I had amassed three penalty strokes already, I was pretty happy.
Hole #16 put bogey pace in jeopardy with a triple-bogey, but it wasn't until hole #17 that those hopes were entirely extinguished. More on that in a moment. Sixteen is a killer hole, the hardest of the course in my opinion. Your tee shot has to be perfect in order to set up a chance at the green. A slight miss off the tee forces a pitch shot, just to get the ball in a position to go at the green. If your miss off the tee is more than slight, you may need two more shots just to reach the "go" zone. That's exactly what happened to me. With the green in your sights, you have to contend with a meandering creek in front, trees and other shrubs left, and water in back and to the right. My approach was hit thin, somehow finding the creek. After a penalty and successful approach, I made a single putt to earn a triple-bogey.
Now, the hole that ruined my round and was the cause of the injustice I spoke of earlier. Seventeen is a long par-4 at 440 yards, but that's not the problem. Much like hole #14, this one features a fairway that bends ever so gently to the left. The inside of this bend is protected by a single tree, not very large, which sits fifty yards in front of the teeing ground, on the edge of a pond. The tree has been dead, or close to dead, for as long as I can remember. A few branches, bereft of any leaves extend outward, just enough to make players think twice about aiming to the left side. After a bit of pondering, most players wouldn't feel too threatened by it. After all, this is really a miserable excuse for a tree. An arborist would get rid of it without hesitation. Yet there it stands, year after year, and visit after visit, it interferes with my game. It is truly a "Vince" tree (inside joke).
As I did the last time I stood before the miserable stump, I made great contact with the driver. When the ball flew off the tee, I immediately thought, "Wow, this is going to be a fantastic drive!" A fraction of a second later, the ball smacked one of those extending branches, a mere 2 inches in diameter. It could have been just a glancing blow, but against the odds it struck squarely, sending the ball backwards and into the pond. Aaaargh! That bloody tree is an uncanny force of nature. Anyway, this was just the start of a horrific hole.
I took a penalty and dropped behind the pond, right at the foot of the offensive freak. Next, I topped a 5-wood right into the pond again. One more penalty stroke and another attempt later, I hit the ball to a cluster of trees on the right side of the fairway. My sixth shot was a chip through the trees to get back to the fairway, but I defied all odds again by smacking a thin trunk squarely, sending the ball backwards. At this point, I was better off playing down the adjacent fairway. I hit to a location where there was a break in the trees. Unfortunately, the ball carried about five yards too far and a tree cluster was again blocking my advance. Again, I tried the punch through the trees, only to smack a thin trunk squarely, sending the ball backwards and to the left. The only good news was I now had an open path to the green, which I hit with my ninth shot. After a good lag, I missed a short putt, probably due to the mounting frustration. I finished with a 3-putt and score of 12.
I went into great detail describing that hole, because it was clearly the turning point for my round. I bogeyed hole #18 and made the turn with a score of 55. With a good back nine, I could still keep my score under 100. Things started out well on hole #1, the one I had planned with such great care. I hit my drive right into the adjacent fairway, which is far better than hitting it left and out of bounds. I hit a massive 5-wood into the wind, 10 yards in front of the 150-yard stick. Next, I hit a very poor 7-iron, hooking it left of the green to a chain link fence bounding the property. I had no stance or swing due to the fence, so I tried a one-handed swing with my back to the target. This is a useful shot sometimes, but I was too near the fence with a bad lie. Two attempts failed, before I smartened up and declared the ball unplayable. I made a nice chip after the penalty and tapped in for a triple-bogey. Obviously, the strategy wasn't to take a triple, but these were extenuating circumstances.
I made a beautiful par on the next hole, judging my approach to the green over a pond perfectly. My birdie putt, a slippery downhill type, stopped four inches short of the hole. That was the last hurrah. At this point, the wind picked up something fierce and I didn't have the focus to deal with it. I felt like the round was already lost, so I really just went through the motions. I made one more par on a medium length par-3 hole, but I also dropped some balls into hazards, leading to a pair of quadruple bogeys.
Overall, this was a frustrating round. The joy over my good play at Willow Valley was short-lived and I failed to get revenge on Century Pines. The "Vince" tree was the cause of it all, in my mind.
Score: 111
Putts: 36
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 9
My last visit to Century Pines produced a massive blowup on hole #1, which immediately ruined the entire round. I spent the drive to the course devising a strategy to prevent this from happening again. I was thrown for a loop, therefore, when the gentleman in the pro shop informed me that I would be playing the back nine first. I resolved to treat this as a positive, figuring I could warm up fully on the back nine before applying my strategy to hole #1.
I got off to a shaky start over the first three holes, but recovered remarkably well in each case to salvage a bogey. On hole #10, my 5-iron off the tee failed to reach the fairway. My next shot stopped short of a bunker fronting the green. I pitched on and 2-putt to finish. On hole #11, I hooked a 5-iron into the woods. I found the ball, but it was unplayable, so I took a penalty. Next, I hit a beautiful 7-iron very near the flag. Once again, I 2-putt to finish. On hole #12, I pulled a drive slightly left, ending up in a hazard. After another penalty, I hit a great 6-iron to the front edge of the green. Two putts later, I had my third bogey of the day.
Hole #13 was a disaster. This is a par-3 measuring 155 yards entirely over water. I added an extra club as the wind had picked up and was directly in my face. I should have added two clubs, as my tee shot hit the embankment on the other side of the water and rolled backwards into the drink. After a penalty stroke, I duffed a pitch attempt from a side-hill lie. A second pitch was required to reach the putting surface and two putts finished things up for a triple-bogey.
No sooner did things go bad, than they got right back on track. Hole #14 is a par-5 measuring 475 yards from the blue tees. The tee shot does not suit me because the fairway bends slightly to the left, with mature trees protecting the inside corner. Without a draw, it's very easy to hit those trees or run out of fairway on the right side. I hit a laser, skirting the edge of the protective trees and propelling down the fairway. In fact, I ran through the fairway, ending up a yard or two in the right rough, which was quite sparse. From 200 yards out, I hit a 3-iron down the fairway, ending up 20 yards short of the green. The next two shots were picture perfect. The first was a crafty pitch that utilized the slope of the green to funnel the ball near the hole. The second was a beautiful 8-foot putt for birdie!
At this point, I was playing bogey golf through the first five holes. A greenside bunker gave me some mild trouble on the next hole, resulting in a double-bogey. Still, one third of the way through the round, I was just one stroke off of bogey pace. Considering I had amassed three penalty strokes already, I was pretty happy.
Hole #16 put bogey pace in jeopardy with a triple-bogey, but it wasn't until hole #17 that those hopes were entirely extinguished. More on that in a moment. Sixteen is a killer hole, the hardest of the course in my opinion. Your tee shot has to be perfect in order to set up a chance at the green. A slight miss off the tee forces a pitch shot, just to get the ball in a position to go at the green. If your miss off the tee is more than slight, you may need two more shots just to reach the "go" zone. That's exactly what happened to me. With the green in your sights, you have to contend with a meandering creek in front, trees and other shrubs left, and water in back and to the right. My approach was hit thin, somehow finding the creek. After a penalty and successful approach, I made a single putt to earn a triple-bogey.
Now, the hole that ruined my round and was the cause of the injustice I spoke of earlier. Seventeen is a long par-4 at 440 yards, but that's not the problem. Much like hole #14, this one features a fairway that bends ever so gently to the left. The inside of this bend is protected by a single tree, not very large, which sits fifty yards in front of the teeing ground, on the edge of a pond. The tree has been dead, or close to dead, for as long as I can remember. A few branches, bereft of any leaves extend outward, just enough to make players think twice about aiming to the left side. After a bit of pondering, most players wouldn't feel too threatened by it. After all, this is really a miserable excuse for a tree. An arborist would get rid of it without hesitation. Yet there it stands, year after year, and visit after visit, it interferes with my game. It is truly a "Vince" tree (inside joke).
As I did the last time I stood before the miserable stump, I made great contact with the driver. When the ball flew off the tee, I immediately thought, "Wow, this is going to be a fantastic drive!" A fraction of a second later, the ball smacked one of those extending branches, a mere 2 inches in diameter. It could have been just a glancing blow, but against the odds it struck squarely, sending the ball backwards and into the pond. Aaaargh! That bloody tree is an uncanny force of nature. Anyway, this was just the start of a horrific hole.
I took a penalty and dropped behind the pond, right at the foot of the offensive freak. Next, I topped a 5-wood right into the pond again. One more penalty stroke and another attempt later, I hit the ball to a cluster of trees on the right side of the fairway. My sixth shot was a chip through the trees to get back to the fairway, but I defied all odds again by smacking a thin trunk squarely, sending the ball backwards. At this point, I was better off playing down the adjacent fairway. I hit to a location where there was a break in the trees. Unfortunately, the ball carried about five yards too far and a tree cluster was again blocking my advance. Again, I tried the punch through the trees, only to smack a thin trunk squarely, sending the ball backwards and to the left. The only good news was I now had an open path to the green, which I hit with my ninth shot. After a good lag, I missed a short putt, probably due to the mounting frustration. I finished with a 3-putt and score of 12.
I went into great detail describing that hole, because it was clearly the turning point for my round. I bogeyed hole #18 and made the turn with a score of 55. With a good back nine, I could still keep my score under 100. Things started out well on hole #1, the one I had planned with such great care. I hit my drive right into the adjacent fairway, which is far better than hitting it left and out of bounds. I hit a massive 5-wood into the wind, 10 yards in front of the 150-yard stick. Next, I hit a very poor 7-iron, hooking it left of the green to a chain link fence bounding the property. I had no stance or swing due to the fence, so I tried a one-handed swing with my back to the target. This is a useful shot sometimes, but I was too near the fence with a bad lie. Two attempts failed, before I smartened up and declared the ball unplayable. I made a nice chip after the penalty and tapped in for a triple-bogey. Obviously, the strategy wasn't to take a triple, but these were extenuating circumstances.
I made a beautiful par on the next hole, judging my approach to the green over a pond perfectly. My birdie putt, a slippery downhill type, stopped four inches short of the hole. That was the last hurrah. At this point, the wind picked up something fierce and I didn't have the focus to deal with it. I felt like the round was already lost, so I really just went through the motions. I made one more par on a medium length par-3 hole, but I also dropped some balls into hazards, leading to a pair of quadruple bogeys.
Overall, this was a frustrating round. The joy over my good play at Willow Valley was short-lived and I failed to get revenge on Century Pines. The "Vince" tree was the cause of it all, in my mind.
Score: 111
Putts: 36
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 9
September 12, 2011
Wonderful at Willow Valley
Sometimes I wonder if bipolar disorder is more prevalent among golfers than non-golfers. I'm half kidding, but it's not a huge stretch of the imagination to link the ups and downs of the game to the mood swings of a manic-depressive. Golf can beat you up mentally. When things go badly, it chews you up, spits you out, and stomps on you just for good measure. Then, without warning, it can suddenly reverse course. When things go well, golf generates elevated focus and a rush of euphoria.
I've had my share of disappointing golf rounds this season. None was more upsetting than the fourth installment of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. The debacle at Dragon's Fire cost me 126 strokes, but the toll taken on my ego was much heavier. In stark contrast, the fifth and final round of the Deepwoods season, which was contested at Willow Valley Golf Club, produced my best score of the season. In fact, it equalled my best score of the last three seasons and fell shy of my all-time personal best by just two strokes. That's good enough in my book for a hole-by-hole account, so here it goes:
Hole # 1 - Par 4, 345 yards
A straight tee shot of 200-210 yards is ideal on the opening hole. Anything left brings bunkers and a pond into play, while the right side is out of bounds. Long shots run out of fairway on this dog-leg to the left. I mis-hit a 3-iron, sending the ball straight, but only 135 yards. I could have gone for the green over the water, but opted to play a pitching wedge to the 100-yard stick. In retrospect, I should have played an 8-iron, as I just failed to clear a bunker that pinches the fairway. Beyond the bunker, the fairway widens considerably. With a high bunker lip in front of me, it was going to be very tough to reach the green. I hit one out to the fairway, leaving about 40 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, I duffed my next shot into a greenside bunker. Next, I hit the sand shot thin, sending the ball clear past the green. I finally pitched on and 2-putt for a quadruple-bogey.
Hole # 2 - Par 5, 480 yards
After a rough start, I needed something good to happen. I pulled my drive left, but distance was good and the ball ended up just two yards off the fairway. A large, nasty hazard crosses the fairway in front of this green, so the prudent play was to lay up to the 100-yard stick. The hazard and 100-yard marker were not actually visible from my position, but I nevertheless hit a pitching wedge directly at my target. Next, I hit a beautiful sand wedge over the bunkers fronting the green, which stopped about eight feet from the cup. I took my time reading the putt and drained it for birdie!
Hole # 3 - Par 4, 365 yards
Once again, I pulled my drive slightly to the left, but with decent distance. I missed the fairway by about four yards, but my lie in the rough was good. From 140 yards out, I pulled a pitching wedge flag-high, left of the green. With the ball below my feet, I pitched one onto the green and then 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 4 - Par 3, 145 yards
The pin was at the back of this large green, so it was playing more like 160 yards. I hit a 7-iron which came out low. Nevertheless, the ball came to rest a little short of the flag, on the right fringe. A long putt from the fringe is never easy, and this one had a lot of break, but I read it well and cozied one up nicely. A tap-in gave me a satisfactory par.
Hole # 5 - Par 4, 350 yards
This is only the #9 handicap hole on the course, but I consider it one of the hardest. Featuring a near 90-degree dog-leg to the right, there is a large pond covering the inside corner and out-of-bounds protecting the other side from tee to green. Deep fescue and mounding adds to the danger. To avoid penalties, you need to be straight on every shot. I played 5-wood off the tee, clearing the corner of the pond and finding the right side of the fairway at the 100-yard marker. The pin was tucked in a small section of green at the back right. It was a bold shot to go right at it, as bunkers line the front, while water guards the right. I hit a perfect gap wedge, leaving just a five-footer for birdie. The putt looked straight, so I must have pulled it a hair, burning the left edge. This should have been birdie, but I had to settle for par.
Hole # 6 - Par 3, 105 yards
The hole is short to begin with, but the tees were playing up, making this an awkward 90-yard hole. The green is surrounded on three sides by water. I hit my 60-degree wedge well, probably twelve feet behind the hole. I looked at the putt carefully, but didn't take a peek from the other side of the cup. Had I done that, I would have seen that the putt was more downhill than I first thought. I hit the left edge, but too much speed sent the ball well past. Facing a knee-knocker coming the other way, I managed to drain the putt for par. Whew!
Hole # 7 - Par 5, 465 yards
Knowing I had pulled a couple of drives slightly, I cheated to the right side of this fairway. Sure enough, the ball went dead straight, coming to rest two or three yards right of the fairway. I was 215 yards away from the green with a decent lie, so I went for it with a 5-wood. I caught the ball very thin, sending it skipping through a bunker directly in front of me. I still had 190 yards to the green, but a huge mound topped with a cluster of small trees made it a blind shot. I hit a pure 4-iron high over the trees and deep. I thought my ball would be on the green, but it ended up in a greenside bunker. I made a nice out and 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 8 - Par 3, 130 yards
This is a fun par-3, featuring an elevated tee, along with a carry over a large pond and bunker. The pin was tucked at the very back of the green, very near the edge of the property. Despite the scariness of the pin position, I went right after it. I hit a 9-iron, which drew a little more than I intended. The first bounce was on the green, but the ball trickled into the rough just behind. Next, I hit a chip shot with the 60-degree wedge. This was a mistake. I was on a bit of an upslope, so I didn't need nearly that much loft. I came up well short and 2-putt for a slightly disappointing bogey.
Hole # 9 - Par 5, 505 yards
I hit a low drive off the heel of the club, but the ball landed safely in the left fairway. The next shot was a blind one over the crest of a hill. I tried 3-iron, but didn't make good contact. The ball travelled a very short distance and nestled down in the left rough. I was too far from the green to go for it and the lie didn't help matters. I resolved to hit a 7-iron to the middle of the fairway and did exactly that. Next, I hit a loft wedge to the green, but I was well past the hole. I made a good long-bomb putt, but burned the edge of the cup. Once again, I had failed to look at the putt from below the hole, and didn't realize how much of a downhill putt it was. I burned the edge coming back the other way, leading to a 3-putt and double-bogey. I gave away a stroke, for sure.
Hole # 10 - Par 4, 340 yards
A tough stretch begins with this hole, which features a forced carry off the tee, a hazard lining the entire left side of the fairway, and a green pinched by water and woods. I hit a perfect drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving 110 yards to the green. Knowing the depth of the green, and seeing that the pin was tucked right at the back, I estimated the distance to the flag as 125 yards. A full pitching wedge would go over the back, so I took a little off it. It was absolute perfection. The ball hit the back of the green and spun back a couple of feet. I just missed the 8-footer for birdie, leaving with par.
Hole # 11 - Par 4, 370 yards
I've learned from experience that you don't want to go left on this tee shot. A slope on that side carries balls into a hazard with alarming regularity. My drive was to the right, about six or seven yards off the fiarway. This put me behind a small tree, eliminating the chance of challenging the green. Instead, I punched a 5-iron below the tree branches to the fairway, about 20 yards short of the green. From there, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 12 - Par 4, 360 yards
This is the #2 handicap hole and deservedly so. Wetlands pinch the fairway severely on the right side and continue right up to the side of the green. If you lay up with your tee shot in front of the wetlands, you face a scary second shot over the large expanse of bullrushes. If you drive the ball left of the wetlands, you're going after a narrow fairway and will be pinched out by trees left of the green on your approach. I opted to go left. The ball faded more than I had hoped for, but the result was perfect. The ball came to rest a foot into the right rough, but I had an unobstructed path to the flag. The trees on the left were not a factor. From 140 yards out, I hit pitching wedge to the front edge of the green. My birdie putt came up two feet short, but I made the par.
Hole # 13 - Par 5, 445 yards
Normally reachable from the white tee position, the hole was playing even shorter this time. I had visions of an eagle putt dancing through my head as I reached for the driver. My opening shot was not bad, but I pushed it slightly and a fade carried the ball well right of the fairway. Luckily, the ball stopped in the rough a few feet before the wetlands. The lie was good, so I decided to have a go at the hidden green from 215 yards out. I hit a great 5-wood, but ended up in the fairway, 20 yards short of target. My pitch shot was mediocre, failing to reach the pin at the back of the green. I burned the edge of the cup on the birdie putt, but had way too much speed. I went well past the hole, then missed the comebacker. A 3-putt produced a disappointing bogey. Gave one away here for sure!
Hole # 14 - Par 3, 185 yards
The hole was playing a little longer, but luckily there was no wind. I hit a weak slicing 4-iron short and right of the green. Standing with a severe side-hill lie, I choked down on the loft wedge and pitched one over a bunker and onto the green. I must have been very concerned about the bunker as I went way too far, leaving a monstrously long, breaking putt. I made an amazing lag and a two-foot finish to earn bogey. Whew!
Hole # 15 - Par 5, 515 yards
I opened with a lovely drive to the left side of the fairway. A valley pinches the fairway on that side, so I actually ended up a foot in the rough, but my lie was good. Next, I hit a useful 5-iron to the right side of the fairway, 80 yards from the green. Despite the fact I was comfortably in the fairway, the path to the pin was blocked by mounds low and an overhanging tree high. I figured the tree was the lesser of two evils and took aim with the loft wedge. The ball came out a little low, but got through the tree branches, settling just off the right edge of the green. I duffed a chip attempt next, which cost me a stroke. Finally, I 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 16 - Par 4, 295 yards
A short one, but danger in the form of bunkers is all concentrated where those who challenge the green are likely to land. I took it easy, driving one a foot off the right edge of the fairway, leaving 70 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, the ball was well above my feet and I duffed my first approach. Facing the same shot, albeit a bit shorter now, I executed well to hit the green. After a careful analysis of the putting surface, I made a lovely 15-foot putt to salvage par!
Hole # 17 - Par 3, 105 yards
Last year I gave away the Deepwoods championship on this very hole. After sticking my tee shot to within 3 feet of the cup, I missed two putts and finished with bogey. With the memories of that episode running through my head, I hit a sand wedge to about 8-feet from the cup. This was actually a nicer approach than the one made the previous year, as the pin was tucked in a much more precarious position, guarded by bunkers and water. The putting was way better, as I calmly drained this one for birdie. Revenge is sweet!
Hole # 18 - Par 4, 310 yards
I hit one of my best drives of the day over the pond stretching out beyond the teeing ground and coming to rest in the fairway, 80 yards from the green. Next, I hit one with the loft wedge. The ball was all over the flag, coming to rest about eight feet in behind. The birdie putt was a downhill breaker that I just missed. I finished with a very satisfactory par.
When all was said and done, I shot 83, my best of the season. By comparison, my best last year was an 85 at Osprey Valley Heathlands. In 2009, my best was an 83 at Carlisle. I had an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt in 2008 and an 81 at Deer Creek South in 2007, which remain the only rounds I've had that were better than this one.
I may have to pop some champagne and enjoy the rush that accompanies this result. After all, it won't be long before this game punches me in the gut once again.
Score: 83
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 9
Penalties: 0
I've had my share of disappointing golf rounds this season. None was more upsetting than the fourth installment of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. The debacle at Dragon's Fire cost me 126 strokes, but the toll taken on my ego was much heavier. In stark contrast, the fifth and final round of the Deepwoods season, which was contested at Willow Valley Golf Club, produced my best score of the season. In fact, it equalled my best score of the last three seasons and fell shy of my all-time personal best by just two strokes. That's good enough in my book for a hole-by-hole account, so here it goes:
Hole # 1 - Par 4, 345 yards
A straight tee shot of 200-210 yards is ideal on the opening hole. Anything left brings bunkers and a pond into play, while the right side is out of bounds. Long shots run out of fairway on this dog-leg to the left. I mis-hit a 3-iron, sending the ball straight, but only 135 yards. I could have gone for the green over the water, but opted to play a pitching wedge to the 100-yard stick. In retrospect, I should have played an 8-iron, as I just failed to clear a bunker that pinches the fairway. Beyond the bunker, the fairway widens considerably. With a high bunker lip in front of me, it was going to be very tough to reach the green. I hit one out to the fairway, leaving about 40 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, I duffed my next shot into a greenside bunker. Next, I hit the sand shot thin, sending the ball clear past the green. I finally pitched on and 2-putt for a quadruple-bogey.
Hole # 2 - Par 5, 480 yards
After a rough start, I needed something good to happen. I pulled my drive left, but distance was good and the ball ended up just two yards off the fairway. A large, nasty hazard crosses the fairway in front of this green, so the prudent play was to lay up to the 100-yard stick. The hazard and 100-yard marker were not actually visible from my position, but I nevertheless hit a pitching wedge directly at my target. Next, I hit a beautiful sand wedge over the bunkers fronting the green, which stopped about eight feet from the cup. I took my time reading the putt and drained it for birdie!
Hole # 3 - Par 4, 365 yards
Once again, I pulled my drive slightly to the left, but with decent distance. I missed the fairway by about four yards, but my lie in the rough was good. From 140 yards out, I pulled a pitching wedge flag-high, left of the green. With the ball below my feet, I pitched one onto the green and then 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 4 - Par 3, 145 yards
The pin was at the back of this large green, so it was playing more like 160 yards. I hit a 7-iron which came out low. Nevertheless, the ball came to rest a little short of the flag, on the right fringe. A long putt from the fringe is never easy, and this one had a lot of break, but I read it well and cozied one up nicely. A tap-in gave me a satisfactory par.
Hole # 5 - Par 4, 350 yards
This is only the #9 handicap hole on the course, but I consider it one of the hardest. Featuring a near 90-degree dog-leg to the right, there is a large pond covering the inside corner and out-of-bounds protecting the other side from tee to green. Deep fescue and mounding adds to the danger. To avoid penalties, you need to be straight on every shot. I played 5-wood off the tee, clearing the corner of the pond and finding the right side of the fairway at the 100-yard marker. The pin was tucked in a small section of green at the back right. It was a bold shot to go right at it, as bunkers line the front, while water guards the right. I hit a perfect gap wedge, leaving just a five-footer for birdie. The putt looked straight, so I must have pulled it a hair, burning the left edge. This should have been birdie, but I had to settle for par.
Hole # 6 - Par 3, 105 yards
The hole is short to begin with, but the tees were playing up, making this an awkward 90-yard hole. The green is surrounded on three sides by water. I hit my 60-degree wedge well, probably twelve feet behind the hole. I looked at the putt carefully, but didn't take a peek from the other side of the cup. Had I done that, I would have seen that the putt was more downhill than I first thought. I hit the left edge, but too much speed sent the ball well past. Facing a knee-knocker coming the other way, I managed to drain the putt for par. Whew!
Hole # 7 - Par 5, 465 yards
Knowing I had pulled a couple of drives slightly, I cheated to the right side of this fairway. Sure enough, the ball went dead straight, coming to rest two or three yards right of the fairway. I was 215 yards away from the green with a decent lie, so I went for it with a 5-wood. I caught the ball very thin, sending it skipping through a bunker directly in front of me. I still had 190 yards to the green, but a huge mound topped with a cluster of small trees made it a blind shot. I hit a pure 4-iron high over the trees and deep. I thought my ball would be on the green, but it ended up in a greenside bunker. I made a nice out and 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 8 - Par 3, 130 yards
This is a fun par-3, featuring an elevated tee, along with a carry over a large pond and bunker. The pin was tucked at the very back of the green, very near the edge of the property. Despite the scariness of the pin position, I went right after it. I hit a 9-iron, which drew a little more than I intended. The first bounce was on the green, but the ball trickled into the rough just behind. Next, I hit a chip shot with the 60-degree wedge. This was a mistake. I was on a bit of an upslope, so I didn't need nearly that much loft. I came up well short and 2-putt for a slightly disappointing bogey.
Hole # 9 - Par 5, 505 yards
I hit a low drive off the heel of the club, but the ball landed safely in the left fairway. The next shot was a blind one over the crest of a hill. I tried 3-iron, but didn't make good contact. The ball travelled a very short distance and nestled down in the left rough. I was too far from the green to go for it and the lie didn't help matters. I resolved to hit a 7-iron to the middle of the fairway and did exactly that. Next, I hit a loft wedge to the green, but I was well past the hole. I made a good long-bomb putt, but burned the edge of the cup. Once again, I had failed to look at the putt from below the hole, and didn't realize how much of a downhill putt it was. I burned the edge coming back the other way, leading to a 3-putt and double-bogey. I gave away a stroke, for sure.
Hole # 10 - Par 4, 340 yards
A tough stretch begins with this hole, which features a forced carry off the tee, a hazard lining the entire left side of the fairway, and a green pinched by water and woods. I hit a perfect drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving 110 yards to the green. Knowing the depth of the green, and seeing that the pin was tucked right at the back, I estimated the distance to the flag as 125 yards. A full pitching wedge would go over the back, so I took a little off it. It was absolute perfection. The ball hit the back of the green and spun back a couple of feet. I just missed the 8-footer for birdie, leaving with par.
Hole # 11 - Par 4, 370 yards
I've learned from experience that you don't want to go left on this tee shot. A slope on that side carries balls into a hazard with alarming regularity. My drive was to the right, about six or seven yards off the fiarway. This put me behind a small tree, eliminating the chance of challenging the green. Instead, I punched a 5-iron below the tree branches to the fairway, about 20 yards short of the green. From there, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 12 - Par 4, 360 yards
This is the #2 handicap hole and deservedly so. Wetlands pinch the fairway severely on the right side and continue right up to the side of the green. If you lay up with your tee shot in front of the wetlands, you face a scary second shot over the large expanse of bullrushes. If you drive the ball left of the wetlands, you're going after a narrow fairway and will be pinched out by trees left of the green on your approach. I opted to go left. The ball faded more than I had hoped for, but the result was perfect. The ball came to rest a foot into the right rough, but I had an unobstructed path to the flag. The trees on the left were not a factor. From 140 yards out, I hit pitching wedge to the front edge of the green. My birdie putt came up two feet short, but I made the par.
Hole # 13 - Par 5, 445 yards
Normally reachable from the white tee position, the hole was playing even shorter this time. I had visions of an eagle putt dancing through my head as I reached for the driver. My opening shot was not bad, but I pushed it slightly and a fade carried the ball well right of the fairway. Luckily, the ball stopped in the rough a few feet before the wetlands. The lie was good, so I decided to have a go at the hidden green from 215 yards out. I hit a great 5-wood, but ended up in the fairway, 20 yards short of target. My pitch shot was mediocre, failing to reach the pin at the back of the green. I burned the edge of the cup on the birdie putt, but had way too much speed. I went well past the hole, then missed the comebacker. A 3-putt produced a disappointing bogey. Gave one away here for sure!
Hole # 14 - Par 3, 185 yards
The hole was playing a little longer, but luckily there was no wind. I hit a weak slicing 4-iron short and right of the green. Standing with a severe side-hill lie, I choked down on the loft wedge and pitched one over a bunker and onto the green. I must have been very concerned about the bunker as I went way too far, leaving a monstrously long, breaking putt. I made an amazing lag and a two-foot finish to earn bogey. Whew!
Hole # 15 - Par 5, 515 yards
I opened with a lovely drive to the left side of the fairway. A valley pinches the fairway on that side, so I actually ended up a foot in the rough, but my lie was good. Next, I hit a useful 5-iron to the right side of the fairway, 80 yards from the green. Despite the fact I was comfortably in the fairway, the path to the pin was blocked by mounds low and an overhanging tree high. I figured the tree was the lesser of two evils and took aim with the loft wedge. The ball came out a little low, but got through the tree branches, settling just off the right edge of the green. I duffed a chip attempt next, which cost me a stroke. Finally, I 2-putt for bogey.
Hole # 16 - Par 4, 295 yards
A short one, but danger in the form of bunkers is all concentrated where those who challenge the green are likely to land. I took it easy, driving one a foot off the right edge of the fairway, leaving 70 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, the ball was well above my feet and I duffed my first approach. Facing the same shot, albeit a bit shorter now, I executed well to hit the green. After a careful analysis of the putting surface, I made a lovely 15-foot putt to salvage par!
Hole # 17 - Par 3, 105 yards
Last year I gave away the Deepwoods championship on this very hole. After sticking my tee shot to within 3 feet of the cup, I missed two putts and finished with bogey. With the memories of that episode running through my head, I hit a sand wedge to about 8-feet from the cup. This was actually a nicer approach than the one made the previous year, as the pin was tucked in a much more precarious position, guarded by bunkers and water. The putting was way better, as I calmly drained this one for birdie. Revenge is sweet!
Hole # 18 - Par 4, 310 yards
I hit one of my best drives of the day over the pond stretching out beyond the teeing ground and coming to rest in the fairway, 80 yards from the green. Next, I hit one with the loft wedge. The ball was all over the flag, coming to rest about eight feet in behind. The birdie putt was a downhill breaker that I just missed. I finished with a very satisfactory par.
When all was said and done, I shot 83, my best of the season. By comparison, my best last year was an 85 at Osprey Valley Heathlands. In 2009, my best was an 83 at Carlisle. I had an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt in 2008 and an 81 at Deer Creek South in 2007, which remain the only rounds I've had that were better than this one.
I may have to pop some champagne and enjoy the rush that accompanies this result. After all, it won't be long before this game punches me in the gut once again.
Score: 83
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 9
Penalties: 0
September 10, 2011
Cliff Clavin Appears at Century Pines
"It's a little known fact that golf has its origins in the highlands of Central America. Contrary to popular belief, the game was not invented in 15th century Scotland. Centuries earlier, it was part of an elaborate religious ritual performed by the ancient Mayans. Using stone balls and wooden clubs, the Mayans used the ritual to pay equal homage to the gods of the earth, from which the balls were played, the heavens, through which the balls flew, and the underworld, where the balls ultimately came to rest. Constellations representing each of the gods, or more specifically the number of stars making up each constellation, determined whether a hole was to be played in three, four, or five strokes. Since each of the three gods was to be appeased for all six segments of the Mayan calendar, 3x6, or 18 holes were to be completed during each ceremony."
Of course, everything in the preceding paragraph is bunk. It's the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from Cliff Clavin, the likeable, but nevertheless annoying, know-it-all who traded bar room tales with a cast of other characters on Cheers, the popular sitcom that ran on NBC for much of the eighties and early nineties. For those who didn't follow the show, here's a clip of Cliff that hints at his rather unique personality.
If I didn't know any better, I would say that I ran into Cliff Clavin himself at Century Pines Golf Club, the site of my latest round of golf. You see, I went as a single and was paired up with a couple of other players. One was a quiet, friendly guy who turned out to be great company. His friend was a likeable, but nevertheless annoying sort, who I frankly had trouble tolerating. Don't get me wrong; there wasn't an ounce of bad in this guy. He just happened to be a chatterbox of epic proportions. From the start of the round to the finish, he described the minutiae of local golf courses, schooled me on historic golf events, even peppered me with obscure golf trivia. Add to this the fact that he had a penchant for exaggerated reactions to every shot taken as we played. I swear, he was Cliff Clavin reincarnated.
Before "Cliff" even got to me, I shot my round to pieces. Teeing off shortly after sunrise on a September morning, it was cold and misty. The best weather for golf is now behind us and I really felt it at that moment. I pulled my first ball out of bounds, then blocked my third off the tee across the opposite fairway. What happened next was a string of truly horrific mis-hits. With a tree disrupting my backswing, I barely advanced the ball. Next, I hit four duffs in a row, ending with a ball in a pond. After a second penalty stroke, I hooked one straight across the first fairway. Two chips later I was on the green, only to finish with a 3-putt. My score on the hole was 15. I could not believe it!
Cliff was not responsible in any way for my opening hole fiasco. In fact, perhaps it was the miserable start that soured me to his myriad stories. When you blow up on a hole like that, the last thing you feel like doing is to exchange pleasantries. In any case, I abandoned any hope of getting a good score for the round. All I hoped for was to play well on the remaining holes and to salvage whatever score I could.
I went on to struggle for about three more holes, before settling down into something more typical of my recent performances. I made a quadruple-bogey, bogey, and triple-bogey on holes #2 through #4, before stringing together four bogeys in a row. On hole #9 however, I was back to the nonsense, registering another quad. My score at the turn was an embarassing 63.
I don't know what happened. My driving, which had been so encouraging at Hockley Valley and Indian Wells, went off the rails again. A couple of short irons were shanked when I was attempting seemingly simple shots. My putting wasn't terrrible, but I still collected three 3-putts.
The back nine was mostly a different story. I drove the ball a little better and avoided shanks or duffs. This helped me collect a couple of pars, to go along with a series of bogeys. Hole #16, the #2 handicap on the course, finally ended the good streak. I pushed a 3-iron off the tee into a hazard. I hooked my approach to the green into another hazard. Poor shots on this hole are hard to recover from, due to the abundant hazards and out of bounds. I finished the hole with a quad. This took some of the wind out of my sails and I stumbled a bit to finish the round. I shot 49 on the back nine, which isn't great, but is a heck of a lot better than 63!
What can I say? This round was like a punch in the stomach. It was two steps back, after taking a step forward at the previous round. The season is winding down and my game is grim. Sigh.
Score: 112
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
Of course, everything in the preceding paragraph is bunk. It's the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from Cliff Clavin, the likeable, but nevertheless annoying, know-it-all who traded bar room tales with a cast of other characters on Cheers, the popular sitcom that ran on NBC for much of the eighties and early nineties. For those who didn't follow the show, here's a clip of Cliff that hints at his rather unique personality.
If I didn't know any better, I would say that I ran into Cliff Clavin himself at Century Pines Golf Club, the site of my latest round of golf. You see, I went as a single and was paired up with a couple of other players. One was a quiet, friendly guy who turned out to be great company. His friend was a likeable, but nevertheless annoying sort, who I frankly had trouble tolerating. Don't get me wrong; there wasn't an ounce of bad in this guy. He just happened to be a chatterbox of epic proportions. From the start of the round to the finish, he described the minutiae of local golf courses, schooled me on historic golf events, even peppered me with obscure golf trivia. Add to this the fact that he had a penchant for exaggerated reactions to every shot taken as we played. I swear, he was Cliff Clavin reincarnated.
Before "Cliff" even got to me, I shot my round to pieces. Teeing off shortly after sunrise on a September morning, it was cold and misty. The best weather for golf is now behind us and I really felt it at that moment. I pulled my first ball out of bounds, then blocked my third off the tee across the opposite fairway. What happened next was a string of truly horrific mis-hits. With a tree disrupting my backswing, I barely advanced the ball. Next, I hit four duffs in a row, ending with a ball in a pond. After a second penalty stroke, I hooked one straight across the first fairway. Two chips later I was on the green, only to finish with a 3-putt. My score on the hole was 15. I could not believe it!
Cliff was not responsible in any way for my opening hole fiasco. In fact, perhaps it was the miserable start that soured me to his myriad stories. When you blow up on a hole like that, the last thing you feel like doing is to exchange pleasantries. In any case, I abandoned any hope of getting a good score for the round. All I hoped for was to play well on the remaining holes and to salvage whatever score I could.
I went on to struggle for about three more holes, before settling down into something more typical of my recent performances. I made a quadruple-bogey, bogey, and triple-bogey on holes #2 through #4, before stringing together four bogeys in a row. On hole #9 however, I was back to the nonsense, registering another quad. My score at the turn was an embarassing 63.
I don't know what happened. My driving, which had been so encouraging at Hockley Valley and Indian Wells, went off the rails again. A couple of short irons were shanked when I was attempting seemingly simple shots. My putting wasn't terrrible, but I still collected three 3-putts.
The back nine was mostly a different story. I drove the ball a little better and avoided shanks or duffs. This helped me collect a couple of pars, to go along with a series of bogeys. Hole #16, the #2 handicap on the course, finally ended the good streak. I pushed a 3-iron off the tee into a hazard. I hooked my approach to the green into another hazard. Poor shots on this hole are hard to recover from, due to the abundant hazards and out of bounds. I finished the hole with a quad. This took some of the wind out of my sails and I stumbled a bit to finish the round. I shot 49 on the back nine, which isn't great, but is a heck of a lot better than 63!
What can I say? This round was like a punch in the stomach. It was two steps back, after taking a step forward at the previous round. The season is winding down and my game is grim. Sigh.
Score: 112
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
September 02, 2011
Confidence Swells at Indian Wells
In a post written last year, I described Indian Wells Golf Club as my new nemesis. After my latest round there, I may have to rescind the comment.
Employing the wrist cock that seemed to help my driving at Hockley Valley, I opened with a nice, straight drive on hole #1. I pushed my second shot way right into the fescue, but recovered nicely for a bogey on this par-5. I went on to hit six of seven fairways on the front nine holes. That included a 260-yard laser to the 150-yard stick on hole #2. Hitting the fairway on this hole is a must if one is to reach the green in regulation. The entire left side is out-of-bounds, while the rough on the right side makes it difficult to carry a large pond that bisects the fairway. I hit the green with an 8-iron and went on to make par.
A fairway and green in regulation was also the result on hole #3, which features two forced carries over ponds. I used driver and pitching wedge to accomplish the feat. My first putt was a bit short and as a result, I finished with a 3-putt bogey. I didn't let that happen on hole #5, another par-4. This time, I used driver and sand wedge to set up a birdie chance. The putt broke just behind the hole, so I settled for a tap-in par.
The only fairway I missed on the front half of the course was on hole #6, an uphill par-5. I pulled that one a couple of yards into the fescue on the left side. I soon recovered, hitting the fairway on the next two opportunities. The last of these was on hole #9, which can be very intimidating from the tee. A narrow and elevated fairway is lined by thick woods on both sides. I hit a 255-yard drive to the centre of the carpet, followed by a gap wedge to the green. Par was the final result.
Besides being happy with my driver, I was also very pleased with my irons. In addition to hitting six fairways, I hit six greens in regulation on the front nine. This helped me earn five pars. If anything let me down, it was my putting. I would have had two more pars, if not for a 3-putt and 4-putt that resulted in a bogey and double-bogey respectively. Even with these miscues, I made the turn with a healthy score of 42.
I started the back nine playing well, but strung together a bunch of bogeys, rather than pars. I was no longer hitting the fairways with regularity, though a couple of those misses came with the 3-iron. I wasn't striking the ball badly, but everything was a little less precise. I also seemed to make one bad shot on each hole. On hole #11, for example, a pitch from 65 yards landed ten yards short of the green. On hole #13, a par-3, I missed a short putt for par. On hole #14, I mis-hit my second shot from a side-hill lie on the sloped fairway. Despite all this, I was in great shape with four holes to play. Indeed, I was on track to break 90.
A pulled tee shot and penalty stroke contributed to a double-bogey on hole #15, a challenging par-5. Still, if I played bogey golf through the final three holes, I would break 90. Unfortunately, that was not possible after hole #16. At 325 yards, this is a short par-4, but don't let that fool you. Players tee off from the top of a ridge to a narrow fairway below. Thick woods line both sides of the fairway, while rough vegetation covers the slope directly in front. The hole is a dog-leg, so players must control their length, as well as direction. A long ball can easily run out of fairway and into the woods. To top it all off, a creek meanders along the left side of the fairway. If you manage to navigate all this with your tee shot, you face an approach to a severely elevated green. The challenge however, is really in the tee shot. I topped my first into the weed-covered slope. After a penalty stroke, my third was a hook to the edge of the woods. With no backswing available, I plunked my fourth into the creek. I played my fifth from a muddy creek bed, sending the ball skidding into the woods across the fairway. With little backswing and a terrible lie, I barely managed to get the ball loose with my sixth. From a side-hill lie, I hit my seventh to the slope fronting the green. My eighth was a short pitch to the putting surface. My ninth was a 13-foot putt, my best of the day, which found the bottom of the cup. Talk about irony!
After the disaster hole, I finished with a double-bogey and bogey to record a final tally of 93. Of course, a better performance on hole #16 would have given me a chance to break 90, but once I made a couple of bad tee shots, there really was no recovery. I did all I could do from the positions I was in. There were enough miscues elsewhere that could have been avoided, helping to shave a few strokes off my score. Most of those were putts. I calculate that I gave away five strokes in putts alone. Avoid those mistakes and I finish with a score of 88, even with the blowup hole. That's typical of this game. As soon as you get your driving and irons to a level you're happy with, the flat stick abandons you.
Score: 93
Putts: 39
Fairways: 8
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
Employing the wrist cock that seemed to help my driving at Hockley Valley, I opened with a nice, straight drive on hole #1. I pushed my second shot way right into the fescue, but recovered nicely for a bogey on this par-5. I went on to hit six of seven fairways on the front nine holes. That included a 260-yard laser to the 150-yard stick on hole #2. Hitting the fairway on this hole is a must if one is to reach the green in regulation. The entire left side is out-of-bounds, while the rough on the right side makes it difficult to carry a large pond that bisects the fairway. I hit the green with an 8-iron and went on to make par.
A fairway and green in regulation was also the result on hole #3, which features two forced carries over ponds. I used driver and pitching wedge to accomplish the feat. My first putt was a bit short and as a result, I finished with a 3-putt bogey. I didn't let that happen on hole #5, another par-4. This time, I used driver and sand wedge to set up a birdie chance. The putt broke just behind the hole, so I settled for a tap-in par.
The only fairway I missed on the front half of the course was on hole #6, an uphill par-5. I pulled that one a couple of yards into the fescue on the left side. I soon recovered, hitting the fairway on the next two opportunities. The last of these was on hole #9, which can be very intimidating from the tee. A narrow and elevated fairway is lined by thick woods on both sides. I hit a 255-yard drive to the centre of the carpet, followed by a gap wedge to the green. Par was the final result.
Besides being happy with my driver, I was also very pleased with my irons. In addition to hitting six fairways, I hit six greens in regulation on the front nine. This helped me earn five pars. If anything let me down, it was my putting. I would have had two more pars, if not for a 3-putt and 4-putt that resulted in a bogey and double-bogey respectively. Even with these miscues, I made the turn with a healthy score of 42.
I started the back nine playing well, but strung together a bunch of bogeys, rather than pars. I was no longer hitting the fairways with regularity, though a couple of those misses came with the 3-iron. I wasn't striking the ball badly, but everything was a little less precise. I also seemed to make one bad shot on each hole. On hole #11, for example, a pitch from 65 yards landed ten yards short of the green. On hole #13, a par-3, I missed a short putt for par. On hole #14, I mis-hit my second shot from a side-hill lie on the sloped fairway. Despite all this, I was in great shape with four holes to play. Indeed, I was on track to break 90.
A pulled tee shot and penalty stroke contributed to a double-bogey on hole #15, a challenging par-5. Still, if I played bogey golf through the final three holes, I would break 90. Unfortunately, that was not possible after hole #16. At 325 yards, this is a short par-4, but don't let that fool you. Players tee off from the top of a ridge to a narrow fairway below. Thick woods line both sides of the fairway, while rough vegetation covers the slope directly in front. The hole is a dog-leg, so players must control their length, as well as direction. A long ball can easily run out of fairway and into the woods. To top it all off, a creek meanders along the left side of the fairway. If you manage to navigate all this with your tee shot, you face an approach to a severely elevated green. The challenge however, is really in the tee shot. I topped my first into the weed-covered slope. After a penalty stroke, my third was a hook to the edge of the woods. With no backswing available, I plunked my fourth into the creek. I played my fifth from a muddy creek bed, sending the ball skidding into the woods across the fairway. With little backswing and a terrible lie, I barely managed to get the ball loose with my sixth. From a side-hill lie, I hit my seventh to the slope fronting the green. My eighth was a short pitch to the putting surface. My ninth was a 13-foot putt, my best of the day, which found the bottom of the cup. Talk about irony!
After the disaster hole, I finished with a double-bogey and bogey to record a final tally of 93. Of course, a better performance on hole #16 would have given me a chance to break 90, but once I made a couple of bad tee shots, there really was no recovery. I did all I could do from the positions I was in. There were enough miscues elsewhere that could have been avoided, helping to shave a few strokes off my score. Most of those were putts. I calculate that I gave away five strokes in putts alone. Avoid those mistakes and I finish with a score of 88, even with the blowup hole. That's typical of this game. As soon as you get your driving and irons to a level you're happy with, the flat stick abandons you.
Score: 93
Putts: 39
Fairways: 8
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
August 26, 2011
Hockley Valley Score Not Representative
Golf can be weird. Sometimes you play poorly and score relatively well. At other times, you play well and score poorly. My latest round at Hockley Valley Resort offers an example of the latter.
I teed off late in the afternoon and was paired with a couple of guys who turned out to be pretty good company. On the opening hole, a par 4 playing 386 yards, I hit a sweet drive 250 yards to the centre of the fairway. The swing was so smooth and the result so perfect, that I actually heard gasps of admiration from my playing partners.
I added a bit of wrist cock to the swing and that made all the difference. It allowed me to keep the backswing short, while feeling like I was fully coiled to unleash some fury on the ball. In the past, whenever I consciously added wrist cock to my swing, I would lose control. It resulted in topped balls, shots hit fat, shanks or smotherings. I think I would simply overdo it. The key is to make these adjustments in moderation. Only a slight wrist cock is necessary. It seems to help me keep the backswing short and, more importantly, on plane.
I followed up my opening shot with a pitching wedge that ended up a couple yards in front of the green. We had a lot of rain the day before and the fairway was still saturated with water. I sliced through it like butter. Conscious of the moisture, I didn't want to duff my chip attempt, so I caught the ball a bit thin and sent it well past the hole. I would have been happy with a 2-putt bogey, but after a decent lag, I missed a short putt, settling for double-bogey.
On the second hole, a par-4 measuring 397 yards, I hit another 250-yard beauty off the tee. The ball faded slightly, which is the ideal shape for this hole, coming to rest in the middle of the fairway at the 150-yard stick. With a sharp rise to the green that I wanted to carry, I opted for a 7-iron on my next shot. I trapped the ball nicely, hitting the very front of the green. Unfortunately, the ball released all the way to the back of the green. A very poor lag putt resulted in another 3-putt and bogey. My playing partners were rather excited about my first two shots, which felt good.
Hole # 3 was a 146-yard par-3, featuring a severely elevated tee, as do all but one of the par-3 holes at Hockley Valley. I hit a pitching wedge and it landed on the green like a dart. I was feeling the mojo at this point and relishing it. I finished up with a routine 2-putt for par.
I hit another fairway on hole #4, a challenging par-5. My approach to the green, which is blind, was caught thin and settled in the rough 20 yards short. I made the perfect pitch shot, flopping the ball past a mound to the very front of the green, but once again it released to the back. I 2-putt from there and walked away with bogey.
Bogey golf through the first four holes had me feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, I scored an 8 on the next hole, a 185-yard par-3. This illustrates how quickly things can go bad at Hockley Valley. When you miss a shot on this course, the consequences are extremely penal. There are many forced carries off the tee and anything off the fairways finds long fescue and vicious weeds. Balls in those areas are almost always lost. If you do manage to find your ball, it is almost always unplayable. Add to this the fact that wayward balls can disappear behind large mounds, so you can't even track their flight path. I hit my tee shot off the heel of the club, hooking it over a large mound on the left side. Two unplayable balls resulted in a pair of penalty strokes. It was truly an adventure getting to the green after the miscue on the tee.
As bad as the last hole was, I wasn't really perturbed. I made just one mistake off the tee, albeit an extremely costly one. The inflated score had more to do with the impossibility of recovering from a bad position on this course than it did with my ball striking ability. I bogeyed hole #6, a pretty par-5, and all seemed well again.
On hole #7, my tee shot was a few yards left of the fairway. Unfortunately, this put me up against some large vegetation, which interfered with my backswing. I took my medicine and hit a half-swing 8-iron to the 100-yard stick. From there, I hit a very pure sand wedge, but the ball didn't stay on the green. The green is angled, with the left side short and the right side long. The pin was right at the back. I was aiming for the centre of the green, which I nailed. However, the ball released off the back. Had I gone right at the pin, the result would have been perfect. With the green sloping away from me, I faced a delicate chip shot. I got too delicate and left the ball in the rough a few feet ahead of me. My second attempt rolled well past the hole, but I still managed a 2-putt. With the exception of the first chip attempt, I felt like I played the hole very well. Nevertheless, triple-bogey was the outcome.
I rounded out the front nine with a bogey and double-bogey. They bogey came after I was robbed on a par putt. The double came on hole #9, which I really don't like at all. In fact, I described it as a Mickey Mouse hole in an old post.
The back nine was a contrast in results. I made 3 pars and one bogey on the par-3 holes, but exploded for big scores on two out of three par-5 holes. If not for a missed short putt on hole #17, I would have made par on all of the par-3's. Some of my approaches on these holes were breathtaking. On hole #10, my pitching wedge helped me hit the back of the green like a dart. On hole #12, a beast of a hole measuring 201 yards with danger everywhere but the green, I hit a laser 3-iron into the wind. It ended up flag-high, 15 feet left of the pin. On hole #17, I hit another laser 180 yards right at the pin. I was surprised that the ball spun back a yard, as I was expecting it to release forward.
As I mentioned, success on th par-3 holes was tempered by difficulties on the par-5's. On hole #11, my tee shot was pulled slightly, ending up lost in fescue and weeds. En route to the green, I hit one shot fat and pulled another into the woods off a side hill lie. I finished that hole with two penalty strokes and a score of 10. On hole #16, I layed up to the top of a ridge with my second shot. My third, from 200 yards out, was a wicked pull into the woods. A subsequent approach from 100 yards was hit so pure that it trickled into more vegetation behind the green. The final damage on that hole was two more penalty strokes and a score of 9.
The last hole was played after sunset and it was difficult to see anything. We should have been done much earlier, but a tournament was being played and pace along the course was slow. Nevertheless, we played through the darkness and managed to complete the round in its entirety.
At the end of it all, I feel good about this round, but the score doesn't show it. The wrist cock adjustment helped my driving greatly, I hit some excellent irons from intimidating positions, as well as some excellent wedges. If there's a part of my game that let me down it was putting. I had too many 3-putts and missed too many short ones.
Score: 102
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
Penalties: 7
I teed off late in the afternoon and was paired with a couple of guys who turned out to be pretty good company. On the opening hole, a par 4 playing 386 yards, I hit a sweet drive 250 yards to the centre of the fairway. The swing was so smooth and the result so perfect, that I actually heard gasps of admiration from my playing partners.
I added a bit of wrist cock to the swing and that made all the difference. It allowed me to keep the backswing short, while feeling like I was fully coiled to unleash some fury on the ball. In the past, whenever I consciously added wrist cock to my swing, I would lose control. It resulted in topped balls, shots hit fat, shanks or smotherings. I think I would simply overdo it. The key is to make these adjustments in moderation. Only a slight wrist cock is necessary. It seems to help me keep the backswing short and, more importantly, on plane.
I followed up my opening shot with a pitching wedge that ended up a couple yards in front of the green. We had a lot of rain the day before and the fairway was still saturated with water. I sliced through it like butter. Conscious of the moisture, I didn't want to duff my chip attempt, so I caught the ball a bit thin and sent it well past the hole. I would have been happy with a 2-putt bogey, but after a decent lag, I missed a short putt, settling for double-bogey.
On the second hole, a par-4 measuring 397 yards, I hit another 250-yard beauty off the tee. The ball faded slightly, which is the ideal shape for this hole, coming to rest in the middle of the fairway at the 150-yard stick. With a sharp rise to the green that I wanted to carry, I opted for a 7-iron on my next shot. I trapped the ball nicely, hitting the very front of the green. Unfortunately, the ball released all the way to the back of the green. A very poor lag putt resulted in another 3-putt and bogey. My playing partners were rather excited about my first two shots, which felt good.
Hole # 3 was a 146-yard par-3, featuring a severely elevated tee, as do all but one of the par-3 holes at Hockley Valley. I hit a pitching wedge and it landed on the green like a dart. I was feeling the mojo at this point and relishing it. I finished up with a routine 2-putt for par.
I hit another fairway on hole #4, a challenging par-5. My approach to the green, which is blind, was caught thin and settled in the rough 20 yards short. I made the perfect pitch shot, flopping the ball past a mound to the very front of the green, but once again it released to the back. I 2-putt from there and walked away with bogey.
Bogey golf through the first four holes had me feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, I scored an 8 on the next hole, a 185-yard par-3. This illustrates how quickly things can go bad at Hockley Valley. When you miss a shot on this course, the consequences are extremely penal. There are many forced carries off the tee and anything off the fairways finds long fescue and vicious weeds. Balls in those areas are almost always lost. If you do manage to find your ball, it is almost always unplayable. Add to this the fact that wayward balls can disappear behind large mounds, so you can't even track their flight path. I hit my tee shot off the heel of the club, hooking it over a large mound on the left side. Two unplayable balls resulted in a pair of penalty strokes. It was truly an adventure getting to the green after the miscue on the tee.
As bad as the last hole was, I wasn't really perturbed. I made just one mistake off the tee, albeit an extremely costly one. The inflated score had more to do with the impossibility of recovering from a bad position on this course than it did with my ball striking ability. I bogeyed hole #6, a pretty par-5, and all seemed well again.
On hole #7, my tee shot was a few yards left of the fairway. Unfortunately, this put me up against some large vegetation, which interfered with my backswing. I took my medicine and hit a half-swing 8-iron to the 100-yard stick. From there, I hit a very pure sand wedge, but the ball didn't stay on the green. The green is angled, with the left side short and the right side long. The pin was right at the back. I was aiming for the centre of the green, which I nailed. However, the ball released off the back. Had I gone right at the pin, the result would have been perfect. With the green sloping away from me, I faced a delicate chip shot. I got too delicate and left the ball in the rough a few feet ahead of me. My second attempt rolled well past the hole, but I still managed a 2-putt. With the exception of the first chip attempt, I felt like I played the hole very well. Nevertheless, triple-bogey was the outcome.
I rounded out the front nine with a bogey and double-bogey. They bogey came after I was robbed on a par putt. The double came on hole #9, which I really don't like at all. In fact, I described it as a Mickey Mouse hole in an old post.
The back nine was a contrast in results. I made 3 pars and one bogey on the par-3 holes, but exploded for big scores on two out of three par-5 holes. If not for a missed short putt on hole #17, I would have made par on all of the par-3's. Some of my approaches on these holes were breathtaking. On hole #10, my pitching wedge helped me hit the back of the green like a dart. On hole #12, a beast of a hole measuring 201 yards with danger everywhere but the green, I hit a laser 3-iron into the wind. It ended up flag-high, 15 feet left of the pin. On hole #17, I hit another laser 180 yards right at the pin. I was surprised that the ball spun back a yard, as I was expecting it to release forward.
As I mentioned, success on th par-3 holes was tempered by difficulties on the par-5's. On hole #11, my tee shot was pulled slightly, ending up lost in fescue and weeds. En route to the green, I hit one shot fat and pulled another into the woods off a side hill lie. I finished that hole with two penalty strokes and a score of 10. On hole #16, I layed up to the top of a ridge with my second shot. My third, from 200 yards out, was a wicked pull into the woods. A subsequent approach from 100 yards was hit so pure that it trickled into more vegetation behind the green. The final damage on that hole was two more penalty strokes and a score of 9.
The last hole was played after sunset and it was difficult to see anything. We should have been done much earlier, but a tournament was being played and pace along the course was slow. Nevertheless, we played through the darkness and managed to complete the round in its entirety.
At the end of it all, I feel good about this round, but the score doesn't show it. The wrist cock adjustment helped my driving greatly, I hit some excellent irons from intimidating positions, as well as some excellent wedges. If there's a part of my game that let me down it was putting. I had too many 3-putts and missed too many short ones.
Score: 102
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
Penalties: 7
August 22, 2011
Shell Shocked at Dragon's Fire
It was Round 4 of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship and I turned in a complete stinker. Already out of contention for the overall title, I just wanted to show up and put in a decent performance. I failed miserably, shooting a demoralizing score of 126. To put that in perspective, consider that anything over 99 is a loser in my books. I've had far too many rounds of 100 or more this season, including one as high as 109. As bad as that was, this round was 17 strokes worse!
Opening on hole #10, my drive was pulled slightly. With some luck, it would have cleared a bunker and come to rest in the fairway, 150 yards from the flag. With my luck however, it failed to clear the bunker and came to rest close to the front lip. I tried to play the next shot as you generaly play from a fairway bunker: contact the ball first, taking a divot in front of the ball. I used a loft wedge to ensure the ball would get up quickly over the edge. Two attempts at this shot failed, both hitting the lip. I was forced to play like one generally does in a greenside bunker: hit behind the ball, lifting the ball up and out of the bunker on a cushion of sand. It worked, but of course I had already wasted two strokes. After an approach to the green and two putts, I finished with a triple-bogey.
I hit my drive on hole #11 to a perfect position on the left side of the fairway, just 120 yards to the flag. The only real danger was a bunker right of the green. Of course, I pushed the approach shot slightly, just enough to find the sand. I hit a good shot out and 2-putt for bogey, but the pattern had been set. I would find fairway and greenside bunkers with disturbing regularity for the remainder of the round. Hole #12 is a medium length par-3 with a large bunker on the front left side. I avoided the bunker this time, hitting the right edge of the green. I was far from the hole, but manged a 2-putt for par.
Hole #13 is a long par-5, not reachable in two unless you're a pro. In fact, even a pro would be challenged to reach the green in under regulation. I pulled my drive into a bunker, but the ball skipped over the front edge, leaving me with a flat lie in the rough. That was the good part. The bad part was that trees were blocking my advance toward the green. I tried to hit a low hook around the trees. The ball hooked slightly, but not enough to avoid another bunker on the right side of the fairway. Recalling my experience on the first hole of the day, I decided not to flirt with the lip of this bunker, which was fairly close. I opted to play the greenside bunker shot, just to get the ball into the fairway. It worked in the sense that I got out of the bunker easily. It failed in the sense that the ball travelled to the right of my target line, landing in another bunker just a few yards ahead. With no lip threatening my advance this time, I took aim at the green 180 yards away with my 5-iron. I hit a fabulous shot flag high, but on the opposite side of the green. With the cup on a hard-to-read slope, I 3-putt for double-bogey.
With everything that went wrong so far, the round was still far from lost. In retrospect however, my next shot was the one that sent me on a downward spiral from which I would not recover. On a par-3 measuring 186 yards, I hit a 5-iron thin, sending the ball to some fescue just ahead of the forward teeing ground. I extracted the ball with a good pitching wedge, but it bounded toward and into a front right bunker. My first attempt out of the bunker was fat, while my second was fine. I then 3-putt for a quadruple bogey.
Hole #15, a par-4 that is reachable from the tee, provided an opportunity for a quick turnaround. Unfortunately, I hit my tee shot thin once again. The ball travelled 120 yards, coming to rest just behind the 150-yard marker. I considered myself lucky as I reached for a 7-iron. I duffed my next shot to the edge of a fairway bunker. I was not in the bunker, but the ball was well below my feet. I caught the ball fat and now I was in the bunker proper. One fat shot later, I was still in the bunker. The next attempt was over the back of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for another quad.
That was pretty much it as far as this round was concerned. I scored an 11 on the ensuing par-5, with a penalty stroke mixed in. To be honest, it's a day later and I don't even remember how the hole played out. At this point, it got really cold and the skies opened up. After a brief delay, I made par on hole #17, a par-3. On hole #18 I was back to my regular antics. I duffed a tee shot as a wet grip slipped in my hands. I hit a great 7-iron out of the fescue to advance the ball, but then things got silly. I poured three consecutive balls into the water on the right side of the fairway. I finished with a score of 12 for the hole.
And so it continued for the entire back nine. The lone bright spot was a par on hole #2, a par-3 that was playing about 160 yards long. I would find bunkers again on holes #3 and #5. The one on #3 was not bad, as I splashed out nicely onto the green and proceeded to 2-putt. The one on #5 was much worse. I striped a 3-iron from 215 yards out and it looked like the ball would roll onto the green. However, it just caught the left edge of the bunker and dove inside. Surprise, surprise. After another rain delay, my bunker shot (from wet sand) carried clear past the green, landing in some horific weeds. I tried to play the ball as it lay, but it squirted right into another hazard. After a penalty stroke, my pitch shot almost went in, but I needed one more tap-in for a triple bogey.
At this point, I think I gave up. I sliced my drive on hole #6, but found the ball in the rough 160 yards from the flag. Tall trees stood between me and the green, but since I had nothing to play for, I decided to go for it. I proceeded to pour three consecutive balls into the woods. I finished with a score of 10 on this par-4. I had some good shots on hole #7, a par-5, that resulted in a rare bogey. The respite was short, as I limped into the finish with scores of 10 and 6 on the final two holes, a par-5 followed by a par-3.
I am hoping this is rock-bottom. Only time will tell.
Score: 126
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 11
Opening on hole #10, my drive was pulled slightly. With some luck, it would have cleared a bunker and come to rest in the fairway, 150 yards from the flag. With my luck however, it failed to clear the bunker and came to rest close to the front lip. I tried to play the next shot as you generaly play from a fairway bunker: contact the ball first, taking a divot in front of the ball. I used a loft wedge to ensure the ball would get up quickly over the edge. Two attempts at this shot failed, both hitting the lip. I was forced to play like one generally does in a greenside bunker: hit behind the ball, lifting the ball up and out of the bunker on a cushion of sand. It worked, but of course I had already wasted two strokes. After an approach to the green and two putts, I finished with a triple-bogey.
I hit my drive on hole #11 to a perfect position on the left side of the fairway, just 120 yards to the flag. The only real danger was a bunker right of the green. Of course, I pushed the approach shot slightly, just enough to find the sand. I hit a good shot out and 2-putt for bogey, but the pattern had been set. I would find fairway and greenside bunkers with disturbing regularity for the remainder of the round. Hole #12 is a medium length par-3 with a large bunker on the front left side. I avoided the bunker this time, hitting the right edge of the green. I was far from the hole, but manged a 2-putt for par.
Hole #13 is a long par-5, not reachable in two unless you're a pro. In fact, even a pro would be challenged to reach the green in under regulation. I pulled my drive into a bunker, but the ball skipped over the front edge, leaving me with a flat lie in the rough. That was the good part. The bad part was that trees were blocking my advance toward the green. I tried to hit a low hook around the trees. The ball hooked slightly, but not enough to avoid another bunker on the right side of the fairway. Recalling my experience on the first hole of the day, I decided not to flirt with the lip of this bunker, which was fairly close. I opted to play the greenside bunker shot, just to get the ball into the fairway. It worked in the sense that I got out of the bunker easily. It failed in the sense that the ball travelled to the right of my target line, landing in another bunker just a few yards ahead. With no lip threatening my advance this time, I took aim at the green 180 yards away with my 5-iron. I hit a fabulous shot flag high, but on the opposite side of the green. With the cup on a hard-to-read slope, I 3-putt for double-bogey.
With everything that went wrong so far, the round was still far from lost. In retrospect however, my next shot was the one that sent me on a downward spiral from which I would not recover. On a par-3 measuring 186 yards, I hit a 5-iron thin, sending the ball to some fescue just ahead of the forward teeing ground. I extracted the ball with a good pitching wedge, but it bounded toward and into a front right bunker. My first attempt out of the bunker was fat, while my second was fine. I then 3-putt for a quadruple bogey.
Hole #15, a par-4 that is reachable from the tee, provided an opportunity for a quick turnaround. Unfortunately, I hit my tee shot thin once again. The ball travelled 120 yards, coming to rest just behind the 150-yard marker. I considered myself lucky as I reached for a 7-iron. I duffed my next shot to the edge of a fairway bunker. I was not in the bunker, but the ball was well below my feet. I caught the ball fat and now I was in the bunker proper. One fat shot later, I was still in the bunker. The next attempt was over the back of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for another quad.
That was pretty much it as far as this round was concerned. I scored an 11 on the ensuing par-5, with a penalty stroke mixed in. To be honest, it's a day later and I don't even remember how the hole played out. At this point, it got really cold and the skies opened up. After a brief delay, I made par on hole #17, a par-3. On hole #18 I was back to my regular antics. I duffed a tee shot as a wet grip slipped in my hands. I hit a great 7-iron out of the fescue to advance the ball, but then things got silly. I poured three consecutive balls into the water on the right side of the fairway. I finished with a score of 12 for the hole.
And so it continued for the entire back nine. The lone bright spot was a par on hole #2, a par-3 that was playing about 160 yards long. I would find bunkers again on holes #3 and #5. The one on #3 was not bad, as I splashed out nicely onto the green and proceeded to 2-putt. The one on #5 was much worse. I striped a 3-iron from 215 yards out and it looked like the ball would roll onto the green. However, it just caught the left edge of the bunker and dove inside. Surprise, surprise. After another rain delay, my bunker shot (from wet sand) carried clear past the green, landing in some horific weeds. I tried to play the ball as it lay, but it squirted right into another hazard. After a penalty stroke, my pitch shot almost went in, but I needed one more tap-in for a triple bogey.
At this point, I think I gave up. I sliced my drive on hole #6, but found the ball in the rough 160 yards from the flag. Tall trees stood between me and the green, but since I had nothing to play for, I decided to go for it. I proceeded to pour three consecutive balls into the woods. I finished with a score of 10 on this par-4. I had some good shots on hole #7, a par-5, that resulted in a rare bogey. The respite was short, as I limped into the finish with scores of 10 and 6 on the final two holes, a par-5 followed by a par-3.
I am hoping this is rock-bottom. Only time will tell.
Score: 126
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 11
Two-Glove to One-Eye at Lochness Links
Years ago, I used to play wearing both a left and right golf glove, which earned me the nickname "Two-Glove" from a couple of my playing partners. I went back to a single glove for some time, before abandoning the gloves completely. "No-Glove" would be a more appropriate moniker for me these days. After my latest round, played at Lochness Links in Welland, Ontario, I thought of a completely different nickname altogether. I was spending a week nearby and happened to lose one of my contact lenses. I didn't bring any spares, so I was forced to make do with a single lens. "One-Eye" seemed to be an apropos nickname as I stood on the first tee early in the morning.
I had only played Lochness Links once before, scoring 85 in one of my best rounds ever. A triple-bogey on hole #17 and double-bogeys on holes #6 through #8 were the only blemish on a scorecard that also featured five bogeys, eight pars, and one birdie. With fond memories of a previous visit and a true appreciation for the course design, I was really looking forward to this round.
Unfortunately, the start was pretty rough. My opening drive drifted slightly right, but it was enough to find the gnarly fescue that abounds at Lochness. My attempt to advance the ball failed, with the ball landing in a hazard that crosses the fairway. After a penalty stroke and drop, my approach to the green was pushed well right. I required a pitch shot to reach the green, then 3-putt for an ugly quadruple-bogey.
After a bogey on hole #2, a par-3 measuring 189 yards from the white tees, I exploded for another quad on hole #3. My drive on this par-5 found the left edge of the fairway, 250 yards from the flag. Now it was decision time. A large pond hugs the left side of the fairway from 150 yards out all the way to the green. The last time I played this hole, I tried to lay up near the 150-yard marker. I pulled the ball slightly and quickly ended up in the pond. This time, I opted to blast the ball over the water. Gripping my 5-wood, I took a swing at my target, but caught the ball a little fat and ended up wet once again. It got worse from here, as my approach to the green after taking a drop was short and right, landing in some fescue. The ball was unplayable, meaning another penalty stroke. Poor chips ensued and the final tally is something you already know.
The rest of my round was really a mixed bag, which is a phrase I've used frequently to describe my game this year. My driving was the best it has been all season. I hit eight fairways in my previous round at Ussher's Creek. That was my best tally of the year, until I eclipsed it with nine fairways hit at Lochness. I was swinging calmly but freely. I was making contact at the centre of the clubface, propelling the ball straight and deep. It was a wonderful feeling, but perplexing at the same time. My driver had been so bad at times this season, how could it be so good now? Even missed fairways were not really misses. On hole #13, a dog-leg right, I piped a beauty so straight and so deep, that it ran through the end of the fairway 270 yards away. Driving was definitely not the problem on this day.
The problem was with my irons, specifically short irons and wedges. I hit some nice long irons, inlcuding a 3-iron off the tee on hole #8 that travelled 215 yards to finish flag-high on this par-3. After a fantastic chip, I missed a 3-footer for par, but that's besides the point. Long irons were working well. The same could not be said for my short irons. I pushed a 7-iron into a greenside bunker on hole #7, leading to a triple-bogey. My bunker shot sailed across the green into some bad fescue. Two shots were required to get out of there. On hole #9, I hooked my second shot with the 7-iron into the water, leading to double-bogey. On a couple of occasions, I sculled an approach shot with a wedge well past the green. On hole #10 for example, my approach with a sand wedge from 100 yards actually travelled 180 yards. I managed to save bogey, but that represents a lost stroke. The way I was driving the ball, I should have hit many more greens in regulation.
Going into the final hole, I had a chance to break 100 with a par. My driving finally abandoned me, as I pulled one well left of target. Still, I should have been able to recover from there. The lie was not bad, but I pushed my 7-iron clear across the fairway and into some water. After a drop, I once again found the water, which wraps to the front of the green. I ended up with a quadruple-bogey and easily over the century mark.
I was not happy with the score, but there was enough good in this round that I felt encouraged.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 9
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
I had only played Lochness Links once before, scoring 85 in one of my best rounds ever. A triple-bogey on hole #17 and double-bogeys on holes #6 through #8 were the only blemish on a scorecard that also featured five bogeys, eight pars, and one birdie. With fond memories of a previous visit and a true appreciation for the course design, I was really looking forward to this round.
Unfortunately, the start was pretty rough. My opening drive drifted slightly right, but it was enough to find the gnarly fescue that abounds at Lochness. My attempt to advance the ball failed, with the ball landing in a hazard that crosses the fairway. After a penalty stroke and drop, my approach to the green was pushed well right. I required a pitch shot to reach the green, then 3-putt for an ugly quadruple-bogey.
After a bogey on hole #2, a par-3 measuring 189 yards from the white tees, I exploded for another quad on hole #3. My drive on this par-5 found the left edge of the fairway, 250 yards from the flag. Now it was decision time. A large pond hugs the left side of the fairway from 150 yards out all the way to the green. The last time I played this hole, I tried to lay up near the 150-yard marker. I pulled the ball slightly and quickly ended up in the pond. This time, I opted to blast the ball over the water. Gripping my 5-wood, I took a swing at my target, but caught the ball a little fat and ended up wet once again. It got worse from here, as my approach to the green after taking a drop was short and right, landing in some fescue. The ball was unplayable, meaning another penalty stroke. Poor chips ensued and the final tally is something you already know.
The rest of my round was really a mixed bag, which is a phrase I've used frequently to describe my game this year. My driving was the best it has been all season. I hit eight fairways in my previous round at Ussher's Creek. That was my best tally of the year, until I eclipsed it with nine fairways hit at Lochness. I was swinging calmly but freely. I was making contact at the centre of the clubface, propelling the ball straight and deep. It was a wonderful feeling, but perplexing at the same time. My driver had been so bad at times this season, how could it be so good now? Even missed fairways were not really misses. On hole #13, a dog-leg right, I piped a beauty so straight and so deep, that it ran through the end of the fairway 270 yards away. Driving was definitely not the problem on this day.
The problem was with my irons, specifically short irons and wedges. I hit some nice long irons, inlcuding a 3-iron off the tee on hole #8 that travelled 215 yards to finish flag-high on this par-3. After a fantastic chip, I missed a 3-footer for par, but that's besides the point. Long irons were working well. The same could not be said for my short irons. I pushed a 7-iron into a greenside bunker on hole #7, leading to a triple-bogey. My bunker shot sailed across the green into some bad fescue. Two shots were required to get out of there. On hole #9, I hooked my second shot with the 7-iron into the water, leading to double-bogey. On a couple of occasions, I sculled an approach shot with a wedge well past the green. On hole #10 for example, my approach with a sand wedge from 100 yards actually travelled 180 yards. I managed to save bogey, but that represents a lost stroke. The way I was driving the ball, I should have hit many more greens in regulation.
Going into the final hole, I had a chance to break 100 with a par. My driving finally abandoned me, as I pulled one well left of target. Still, I should have been able to recover from there. The lie was not bad, but I pushed my 7-iron clear across the fairway and into some water. After a drop, I once again found the water, which wraps to the front of the green. I ended up with a quadruple-bogey and easily over the century mark.
I was not happy with the score, but there was enough good in this round that I felt encouraged.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 9
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
Average at Ussher's Creek
I spent a week in the Niagara region, so I booked a couple of golf rounds at nearby courses. The first of these was a late afternoon outing at Ussher's Creek.
Things started well enough with a drive just off the fairway and a green in regulation on the opening par-4 hole. Unfortunately, I 3-putt from about twelve feet for a bogey. I had not taken any practice putts and as a result, blasted my first well past the hole. Shaking it off, I managed to par the next hole, which was a par-5. My drive hit the fairway and I was once again on the green in regulation. This time, I judged the speed of my lag putt correctly, leaving just a tap-in.
I was playing bogey golf through the first three holes, but the wheels came off on holes #4 and #5. I shanked my drive on #4, then pushed another off the tee into the woods right of the fairway. After tacking on my second penalty stroke of the hole, I hit two bad pitch attempts. I was just trying to get back to the fairway, but still found myself behind a tree. I reached the right side of the green with my next attempt, but followed that up with a sculled chip that ended up on the left side. I actually chipped the next one in from this position for a score of nine. On hole #5 I had different problems. My drive found a bunker and I needed two more shots just to get out. My fourth barely reached the green and I followed this up with a 3-putt for triple-bogey.
As quickly as my game went bad, it suddenly reversed course and turned good once again. I piped my drive on hole #6 to the centre of the fairway. This was a great shot, considering the pond that hugs the left side of this hole from tee to green. I missed the green to the right, but chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Thus began a stretch of better-than-bogey golf, which lasted for twelve holes. Over this stretch, I recorded four pars, six bogeys, and two double-bogeys. Thick rough was the cause of the double bogeys, giving me trouble with my second shot on hole #15 and with my third just off the green on hole #17. Aside from that, everything was going well. I hit seven of nine fairways with the driver dialed in nicely. I added four greens in regulation, while the short game remained steady.
The streak came to an end on the final hole, which produced a triple bogey. This is a straight, 394-yard par-4. A wide creek bed crosses directly in front of the green, with severe mounding behind. My drive was a yard or two into the right rough, so I decided to take no chances. I chipped the ball to the middle of the fairway, leaving 80 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, I caught my next shot fat, sending the ball into the creek. For all of my caution, designed to avoid going into the creek, I ended up there anyway. Golf can be so unfair! After a penalty stroke, I found the green with my next shot and 2-putt to finish the round.
Overall, I was happy that I recovered from two horrific holes early. The 12-hole stretch from #6 to #17 was lots of fun. This was spoiled somewhat by what transpired on #18, but on the back of my previous round, this is another decent result.
Score: 96
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
Penalties: 3
Things started well enough with a drive just off the fairway and a green in regulation on the opening par-4 hole. Unfortunately, I 3-putt from about twelve feet for a bogey. I had not taken any practice putts and as a result, blasted my first well past the hole. Shaking it off, I managed to par the next hole, which was a par-5. My drive hit the fairway and I was once again on the green in regulation. This time, I judged the speed of my lag putt correctly, leaving just a tap-in.
I was playing bogey golf through the first three holes, but the wheels came off on holes #4 and #5. I shanked my drive on #4, then pushed another off the tee into the woods right of the fairway. After tacking on my second penalty stroke of the hole, I hit two bad pitch attempts. I was just trying to get back to the fairway, but still found myself behind a tree. I reached the right side of the green with my next attempt, but followed that up with a sculled chip that ended up on the left side. I actually chipped the next one in from this position for a score of nine. On hole #5 I had different problems. My drive found a bunker and I needed two more shots just to get out. My fourth barely reached the green and I followed this up with a 3-putt for triple-bogey.
As quickly as my game went bad, it suddenly reversed course and turned good once again. I piped my drive on hole #6 to the centre of the fairway. This was a great shot, considering the pond that hugs the left side of this hole from tee to green. I missed the green to the right, but chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Thus began a stretch of better-than-bogey golf, which lasted for twelve holes. Over this stretch, I recorded four pars, six bogeys, and two double-bogeys. Thick rough was the cause of the double bogeys, giving me trouble with my second shot on hole #15 and with my third just off the green on hole #17. Aside from that, everything was going well. I hit seven of nine fairways with the driver dialed in nicely. I added four greens in regulation, while the short game remained steady.
The streak came to an end on the final hole, which produced a triple bogey. This is a straight, 394-yard par-4. A wide creek bed crosses directly in front of the green, with severe mounding behind. My drive was a yard or two into the right rough, so I decided to take no chances. I chipped the ball to the middle of the fairway, leaving 80 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, I caught my next shot fat, sending the ball into the creek. For all of my caution, designed to avoid going into the creek, I ended up there anyway. Golf can be so unfair! After a penalty stroke, I found the green with my next shot and 2-putt to finish the round.
Overall, I was happy that I recovered from two horrific holes early. The 12-hole stretch from #6 to #17 was lots of fun. This was spoiled somewhat by what transpired on #18, but on the back of my previous round, this is another decent result.
Score: 96
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
Penalties: 3
August 21, 2011
Getting the Hang of Things at Westview
I played with a couple of old golf buddies who booked the round at a familiar club: Westview, where I've played a good chunk of my golf this season. It was a quiet Sunday morning when we tackled the Middle / Lakeland combination.
I played solid, but unspectacular, golf on the Middle nine. I hit only the first and last fairways, but drove the ball to workable positions nevertheless. My irons were not always crisp, but they were good enough to advance the ball comfortably. Near the greens, I was able to make some good pitch and chip shots. I was very comfortable with the flat stick, registering a trio of 1-putts, while 2-putting the rest. I finished with seven bogeys and two double-bogeys for a score of 47 at the turn. It goes to show that you don't have to strike the ball perfectly to play bogey golf. All you need to do is avoid the wasted shots: duffs that fail to advance the ball, and wayward shots that result in penalty strokes. If you can do that while chipping and putting reasonably well, then things should be okay.
I opened the Lakeland nine with a very satisfying par on hole #1, an uphill par-4 that was playing about 410 yards. I hit my drive straight, but not very far. I caught the ball low on the clubface, producing a low trajectory that failed to reach the top of the hill. From 195 yards, I hit perhaps the best shot of the day: a blind 3-iron that started right as it crested over the hill, then drew slightly left in the direction of the flag. The ball stopped about 12 feet past the hole, setting up a conventional 2-putt for the par result.
The remainder of the round was less steady than the beginning, but a couple more pars seemed to smooth things out. I collected a penalty stroke on each of holes #3, #5, and #9. On hole #3, a par-5, my approach to the green was pulled left into the woods. On hole #5, another par-5, my second shot was fat, sending the ball into a hazard that crosses the fairway. On hole #9, a par-3, I topped my tee shot, sending the ball dribbling into a pond just right of the teeing ground. Despite these mistakes, I still managed to shoot 48 on the back nine.
Overall, a decent round I could build on.
Score: 95
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
I played solid, but unspectacular, golf on the Middle nine. I hit only the first and last fairways, but drove the ball to workable positions nevertheless. My irons were not always crisp, but they were good enough to advance the ball comfortably. Near the greens, I was able to make some good pitch and chip shots. I was very comfortable with the flat stick, registering a trio of 1-putts, while 2-putting the rest. I finished with seven bogeys and two double-bogeys for a score of 47 at the turn. It goes to show that you don't have to strike the ball perfectly to play bogey golf. All you need to do is avoid the wasted shots: duffs that fail to advance the ball, and wayward shots that result in penalty strokes. If you can do that while chipping and putting reasonably well, then things should be okay.
I opened the Lakeland nine with a very satisfying par on hole #1, an uphill par-4 that was playing about 410 yards. I hit my drive straight, but not very far. I caught the ball low on the clubface, producing a low trajectory that failed to reach the top of the hill. From 195 yards, I hit perhaps the best shot of the day: a blind 3-iron that started right as it crested over the hill, then drew slightly left in the direction of the flag. The ball stopped about 12 feet past the hole, setting up a conventional 2-putt for the par result.
The remainder of the round was less steady than the beginning, but a couple more pars seemed to smooth things out. I collected a penalty stroke on each of holes #3, #5, and #9. On hole #3, a par-5, my approach to the green was pulled left into the woods. On hole #5, another par-5, my second shot was fat, sending the ball into a hazard that crosses the fairway. On hole #9, a par-3, I topped my tee shot, sending the ball dribbling into a pond just right of the teeing ground. Despite these mistakes, I still managed to shoot 48 on the back nine.
Overall, a decent round I could build on.
Score: 95
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
August 11, 2011
Ready to Snap at Hidden Lake
I booked an early morning round on the Old Course at Hidden Lake. While taking my clubs out of the car, I realized that I left my golf shoes at home. I was forced to play in running shoes. That was fine, except that my feet were soaked by the morning dew after playing just one hole.
My game sucked. I bogeyed the opening hole after a drive to the intermediate rough right of the fairway and a 120-yard approach to a greenside bunker. I actually made a decent out from the bunker, but settled for a 2-putt. On hole #2, a short par-3, I hit a pull-hook into the hazard left of the green, leading to a double-bogey. I've played this course many times and never been that far left, ever!
A pulled drive on hole #3 put me in the opposite fairway. My recovery shot clipped a treetop, deflecting the ball to the 100-yard stick. My third shot found a greenside bunker, which in retrospect, was the start of my collapse. I didn't catch enough sand, sending the ball 40 yards past the green. With trees in my way, it took two more shots to reach the putting surface. I added two putts for a quadruple bogey. Can you feel the rage?
I finished the remainder of the opening nine with three bogeys and three double-bogeys. A couple of the bogeys came on par-5 holes. I made a mistake on each of these, but the rest of the shots were good enough to save a decent score. A couple of the double-bogeys came on par-3 holes. In both cases, it was a 3-putt that killed me. Those were not timely at all!
The back nine began with another bogey on a par-5. At this point, there was still a chance to salvage a satisfactory round. That chance vanished on hole #11, a par-4 measuring 406 yards from the gold tees. I hit a nice straight drive, though it was a bit low. A creek bed crosses the fairway 210 yards out, but it looked like my ball carried safely. Well, looks can be deceiving. I could not find my ball. The only place it could get lost was the creek bed. I was forced to take a penalty. My third shot was right of the green, but then things got really ugly. I duffed a pitch shot into a bunker, then barely got out with my next one. I was on the green in six and finished with a quadruple bogey.
I never recovered from that episode. I bogeyed the next hole, a par-4, but it was a 3-putt bogey. On hole #13 I hit five bad shots in a row, en route to a triple-bogey. Pulled drive off the tee to a bunker near the third green, followed by a wedge that hit the base of a tree, a duffed punch shot from the rough, a fat wedge from the fairway, and a sculled pitch that rolled off the back of the green. Pathetic stuff, really.
A bogey and par on the next two holes fooled me into thinking I could still break 100. Incidentally, the par came on another par-5. On the 16th tee, I hit another brutal pull with the driver, smacking a tree 100 yards away. Not content to lay up, I hit a 5-wood into a hazard on the right side. Next, my pitch shot came up short in another bunker. The bunker shot was another one that carried over the green. Yadda, yadda, yadda...chalk up another quad.
With no chance to break 100, I mailed it in for the final two holes. Why bother?
Through the end of 2009, my game was improving slowly, but steadily. In 2010, my game hit a plateau. I didn't get better, but I didn't get worse either. This year, I am taking a big step backwards. At least I tell it like it is.
Oh yeah, go to hell.
Score: 106
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
My game sucked. I bogeyed the opening hole after a drive to the intermediate rough right of the fairway and a 120-yard approach to a greenside bunker. I actually made a decent out from the bunker, but settled for a 2-putt. On hole #2, a short par-3, I hit a pull-hook into the hazard left of the green, leading to a double-bogey. I've played this course many times and never been that far left, ever!
A pulled drive on hole #3 put me in the opposite fairway. My recovery shot clipped a treetop, deflecting the ball to the 100-yard stick. My third shot found a greenside bunker, which in retrospect, was the start of my collapse. I didn't catch enough sand, sending the ball 40 yards past the green. With trees in my way, it took two more shots to reach the putting surface. I added two putts for a quadruple bogey. Can you feel the rage?
I finished the remainder of the opening nine with three bogeys and three double-bogeys. A couple of the bogeys came on par-5 holes. I made a mistake on each of these, but the rest of the shots were good enough to save a decent score. A couple of the double-bogeys came on par-3 holes. In both cases, it was a 3-putt that killed me. Those were not timely at all!
The back nine began with another bogey on a par-5. At this point, there was still a chance to salvage a satisfactory round. That chance vanished on hole #11, a par-4 measuring 406 yards from the gold tees. I hit a nice straight drive, though it was a bit low. A creek bed crosses the fairway 210 yards out, but it looked like my ball carried safely. Well, looks can be deceiving. I could not find my ball. The only place it could get lost was the creek bed. I was forced to take a penalty. My third shot was right of the green, but then things got really ugly. I duffed a pitch shot into a bunker, then barely got out with my next one. I was on the green in six and finished with a quadruple bogey.
I never recovered from that episode. I bogeyed the next hole, a par-4, but it was a 3-putt bogey. On hole #13 I hit five bad shots in a row, en route to a triple-bogey. Pulled drive off the tee to a bunker near the third green, followed by a wedge that hit the base of a tree, a duffed punch shot from the rough, a fat wedge from the fairway, and a sculled pitch that rolled off the back of the green. Pathetic stuff, really.
A bogey and par on the next two holes fooled me into thinking I could still break 100. Incidentally, the par came on another par-5. On the 16th tee, I hit another brutal pull with the driver, smacking a tree 100 yards away. Not content to lay up, I hit a 5-wood into a hazard on the right side. Next, my pitch shot came up short in another bunker. The bunker shot was another one that carried over the green. Yadda, yadda, yadda...chalk up another quad.
With no chance to break 100, I mailed it in for the final two holes. Why bother?
Through the end of 2009, my game was improving slowly, but steadily. In 2010, my game hit a plateau. I didn't get better, but I didn't get worse either. This year, I am taking a big step backwards. At least I tell it like it is.
Oh yeah, go to hell.
Score: 106
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
August 09, 2011
Looking for Revenge at King's Forest
Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but my last round at King's Forest left such a foul taste in my mouth that I was inclined to serve some up while it was still piping hot. Thus, I returned to King's Forest for my very next round.
It rained all morning, but stopped before I teed off in the early afternoon. The course was deserted when I arrived, which was kind of nice. In fact, I was the first person they sent off after the rainstorm. I spent a few minutes on the practice green before being joined by another single. We played the round together under cloudy skies, but it stayed dry the entire time.
I hit a 230-yard drive to the middle of the fairway on hole #1, leaving 200 yards to the pin. Focused on avoiding pull or hook shots, I blocked my approach with the 3-iron to the right, finding a hazard. After taking a drop and penalty stroke, I punched a low shot under some trees toward the green. Another shot was then required to find the putting surface. From above the hole, I blasted my first putt way too far. I thought the wet greens might require some extra power, but I went overboard. I ended up with a 3-putt and quadruple bogey. This was not the start I was looking for.
I'm happy to say that I didn't let the opening hole fiasco ruin my composure. I was nine over par for the remainder of the front nine, thanks to some serviceable drives, respectable iron shots, and workmanlike chipping and putting. I hit just one additional fairway and two greens in regulation, but most of the misses were slight. On hole #3, a short par-4 measuring 346 yards, I took a half swing with the driver, to avoid running through the end of the fairway. The drive was pulled off line, but I was surprised at how the ball jumped off the face of the club. Contact was really crisp and distance was fine. This set the tone for the remainder of the round. With the driver, as well as the irons, I resolved to swing smooth and easy. It's a great feeling when a controlled, compact swing produces good trajectory and distance. I realized I may have been overswinging the clubs in recent rounds.
The back nine is where King's Forest really shows it's teeth, particularly holes #10 through #13. I'm sad to say that these holes got the best of me on this occasion. Hole #10 is long, with a severely sloped fairway that funnels all balls to the left rough. My third shot into the elevated green carried over the back, leading to a chip and two putts for double bogey. Hole #11 plays from a severely elevated tee. My drive drifted slightly to the right, leaving a small pine tree in my backswing. I attempted to punch the ball to the end of the fairway, but it rolled much further than I expected and into a hazard. After a penalty stroke and two shots to get on the green, I tacked on a couple of putts for a triple bogey.
Hole #12 is a tight dog-leg right. How it is the #10 handicap on the course is beyond me. I consider it the hardest. Looking to avoid a pull or hook, I blocked my 3-iron off the tee, finding the woods like many do on this hole. It took two shots to get out to the fairway, 160 yards from the pin. There isn't much room near the green on this hole. My approach was a couple yards to the left, leaving a chip to reach the putting surface. My first putt was pretty good, but lipped out due to an abundance of pace. Another triple bogey resulted.
Hole #13 is my nemesis. The hole does not suit my eye at all. A river crosses the fairway, but does so at an awkward angle. Drives to the left side can reach the hazard margin, while the margin on the right side is substantially further away. For some reason, I always pull a low drive, either into the hazard or to a position where I'm blocked out by trees. It was no different this time. I was forced to pitch out to the centre of the fairway. From 190 yards out, I duffed the 4-iron. It seems I always duff a shot from this position! It must be the raging river directly in front that plays games with my mind. My fourth shot came up short of the green. Worse yet, I 3-putt after chipping on, missing a shortie that broke hard. The final damage was a quadruple bogey.
With the difficult stretch of holes behind me, I resumed the solid play that I exhibited on most of the front nine. I was three over par for the last five holes, including a birdie on hole #14, a medium-length par-3. A par on hole #17 was also impressive. This par-3 measures 168 yards from the white tees. My 7-iron off the tee caught a front bunker, with the ball coming to rest right up against the lip. Using my most lofted wedge and closing the face severely, I took a mighty swing, allowing the club head to die right in the sand. The ball popped up almost vertically, stopping five feet from the cup. Thankfully, I drained the straight uphill putt.
A par on the last hole, a par-5, would have produced a score of 99. Unfortunately, I made bogey, finishing at the ever-disappointing and annoying century mark. I came for revenge and with a triple digit score, I didn't get it. Nevertheless, I felt a lot of positives. My scorecard looked pretty good, with the exception of hole #1 and the stretch from #11 to #13. It's the same old story - three holes or so that kill me while the rest looks pretty decent. That's golf. I'll get it done next time.
Score: 100
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
It rained all morning, but stopped before I teed off in the early afternoon. The course was deserted when I arrived, which was kind of nice. In fact, I was the first person they sent off after the rainstorm. I spent a few minutes on the practice green before being joined by another single. We played the round together under cloudy skies, but it stayed dry the entire time.
I hit a 230-yard drive to the middle of the fairway on hole #1, leaving 200 yards to the pin. Focused on avoiding pull or hook shots, I blocked my approach with the 3-iron to the right, finding a hazard. After taking a drop and penalty stroke, I punched a low shot under some trees toward the green. Another shot was then required to find the putting surface. From above the hole, I blasted my first putt way too far. I thought the wet greens might require some extra power, but I went overboard. I ended up with a 3-putt and quadruple bogey. This was not the start I was looking for.
I'm happy to say that I didn't let the opening hole fiasco ruin my composure. I was nine over par for the remainder of the front nine, thanks to some serviceable drives, respectable iron shots, and workmanlike chipping and putting. I hit just one additional fairway and two greens in regulation, but most of the misses were slight. On hole #3, a short par-4 measuring 346 yards, I took a half swing with the driver, to avoid running through the end of the fairway. The drive was pulled off line, but I was surprised at how the ball jumped off the face of the club. Contact was really crisp and distance was fine. This set the tone for the remainder of the round. With the driver, as well as the irons, I resolved to swing smooth and easy. It's a great feeling when a controlled, compact swing produces good trajectory and distance. I realized I may have been overswinging the clubs in recent rounds.
The back nine is where King's Forest really shows it's teeth, particularly holes #10 through #13. I'm sad to say that these holes got the best of me on this occasion. Hole #10 is long, with a severely sloped fairway that funnels all balls to the left rough. My third shot into the elevated green carried over the back, leading to a chip and two putts for double bogey. Hole #11 plays from a severely elevated tee. My drive drifted slightly to the right, leaving a small pine tree in my backswing. I attempted to punch the ball to the end of the fairway, but it rolled much further than I expected and into a hazard. After a penalty stroke and two shots to get on the green, I tacked on a couple of putts for a triple bogey.
Hole #12 is a tight dog-leg right. How it is the #10 handicap on the course is beyond me. I consider it the hardest. Looking to avoid a pull or hook, I blocked my 3-iron off the tee, finding the woods like many do on this hole. It took two shots to get out to the fairway, 160 yards from the pin. There isn't much room near the green on this hole. My approach was a couple yards to the left, leaving a chip to reach the putting surface. My first putt was pretty good, but lipped out due to an abundance of pace. Another triple bogey resulted.
Hole #13 is my nemesis. The hole does not suit my eye at all. A river crosses the fairway, but does so at an awkward angle. Drives to the left side can reach the hazard margin, while the margin on the right side is substantially further away. For some reason, I always pull a low drive, either into the hazard or to a position where I'm blocked out by trees. It was no different this time. I was forced to pitch out to the centre of the fairway. From 190 yards out, I duffed the 4-iron. It seems I always duff a shot from this position! It must be the raging river directly in front that plays games with my mind. My fourth shot came up short of the green. Worse yet, I 3-putt after chipping on, missing a shortie that broke hard. The final damage was a quadruple bogey.
With the difficult stretch of holes behind me, I resumed the solid play that I exhibited on most of the front nine. I was three over par for the last five holes, including a birdie on hole #14, a medium-length par-3. A par on hole #17 was also impressive. This par-3 measures 168 yards from the white tees. My 7-iron off the tee caught a front bunker, with the ball coming to rest right up against the lip. Using my most lofted wedge and closing the face severely, I took a mighty swing, allowing the club head to die right in the sand. The ball popped up almost vertically, stopping five feet from the cup. Thankfully, I drained the straight uphill putt.
A par on the last hole, a par-5, would have produced a score of 99. Unfortunately, I made bogey, finishing at the ever-disappointing and annoying century mark. I came for revenge and with a triple digit score, I didn't get it. Nevertheless, I felt a lot of positives. My scorecard looked pretty good, with the exception of hole #1 and the stretch from #11 to #13. It's the same old story - three holes or so that kill me while the rest looks pretty decent. That's golf. I'll get it done next time.
Score: 100
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
August 05, 2011
Playing the Jester at King's Forest
After an encouraging showing at Westview, I was pumped up to return to King's Forest for my latest round. It ended up being a colossal waste of time. Every aspect of my game was poor, producing one of the worst results of the year.
I hit good drives on the first three holes, only to waste them with woeful iron shots. On hole #1, I smothered and hooked an attempted approach with the 6-iron. On hole #2, I hit more dirt than ball with the 7-iron. On hole #3, I hit the 60-degree wedge a little thin, sending the ball over the green. On hole #4, my driver abandoned me as well. Over the remainder of the round, I smothered and hooked two drives, while pulling the rest straight off the tee. These pull shots had good contact and distance, but no direction whatsoever. Apparently, straightening out the left elbow and opening up the clubface are not the cure to my driving ailment.
As I've already hinted, my irons were pathetic. I hit some good ones every now and then, but the bottom line is there were far too many mis-hits. I was struggling to keep all my iron shots from hooking. A perfect example is hole #5, a par-3 measuring 203 yards from the white tees. I have never played this hole without hooking or pulling my tee shot, either into some fescue short of the green or to the bottom of a hill flanking the green. There is absolutely no need for this! The hole plays straight away from an elevated tee and there is lots of room available. This problem with the irons surfaced earlier in the year, but I had it under control for a good chunk of the season. Now, it's back. The only clubs I can seem to shoot straight with right now are my wedges.
Pitching and chipping were okay, but still not as consistent as I would like. Many of my pitch shots worked perfectly, but there were a couple that I hit short. On a day when nothing else is working, okay just isn't good enough.
My putting left a lot to be desired. I 3-putt three of the first four holes, producing double-bogeys when bogeys should have been the result. In fact, I started the day with five consecutive double-bogeys. This had the effect of ratcheting up the pressure, which inevitably blew up with a quadruple-bogey on hole #6. The putting stayed poor for the entire round. Long lag putts were short, medium length putts just burned the edge, and a couple of short putts were also missed.
Mentally, it was a frustrating round. Nothing ever went my way. Though I had quite a few decent holes on the back nine, it was not enough to overcome the poor start, combined with a couple of blowups.
Score: 107
Putts: 41
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
I hit good drives on the first three holes, only to waste them with woeful iron shots. On hole #1, I smothered and hooked an attempted approach with the 6-iron. On hole #2, I hit more dirt than ball with the 7-iron. On hole #3, I hit the 60-degree wedge a little thin, sending the ball over the green. On hole #4, my driver abandoned me as well. Over the remainder of the round, I smothered and hooked two drives, while pulling the rest straight off the tee. These pull shots had good contact and distance, but no direction whatsoever. Apparently, straightening out the left elbow and opening up the clubface are not the cure to my driving ailment.
As I've already hinted, my irons were pathetic. I hit some good ones every now and then, but the bottom line is there were far too many mis-hits. I was struggling to keep all my iron shots from hooking. A perfect example is hole #5, a par-3 measuring 203 yards from the white tees. I have never played this hole without hooking or pulling my tee shot, either into some fescue short of the green or to the bottom of a hill flanking the green. There is absolutely no need for this! The hole plays straight away from an elevated tee and there is lots of room available. This problem with the irons surfaced earlier in the year, but I had it under control for a good chunk of the season. Now, it's back. The only clubs I can seem to shoot straight with right now are my wedges.
Pitching and chipping were okay, but still not as consistent as I would like. Many of my pitch shots worked perfectly, but there were a couple that I hit short. On a day when nothing else is working, okay just isn't good enough.
My putting left a lot to be desired. I 3-putt three of the first four holes, producing double-bogeys when bogeys should have been the result. In fact, I started the day with five consecutive double-bogeys. This had the effect of ratcheting up the pressure, which inevitably blew up with a quadruple-bogey on hole #6. The putting stayed poor for the entire round. Long lag putts were short, medium length putts just burned the edge, and a couple of short putts were also missed.
Mentally, it was a frustrating round. Nothing ever went my way. Though I had quite a few decent holes on the back nine, it was not enough to overcome the poor start, combined with a couple of blowups.
Score: 107
Putts: 41
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
August 03, 2011
Encouraging Signs at Westview
It was the Tuesday after a long weekend, which meant I could "play all day" at Westview Golf Club. I set out to complete 36 holes, looking to improve upon my earlier appearances at the Aurora area club.
Middle / Homestead
Kicking things off on the Middle nine, I got a huge monkey off my back by bogeying hole #1. As I've disussed previously, the opening holes on the Middle and Lakeland nines are true beasts. That said, it's always a nice boost to start out with bogey or better there. Riding the positive vibe, I played quite well over the next eight holes. I hit just a single fairway and only one green in regulation, but my misses were to reasonably safe areas from which I could recover. On hole #2, my second shot was a great punch through an alley of trees and back to the fairway. On hole #3, my third shot was a solid out from a greenside bunker. Whenever I found myself in trouble, I reminded myself to focus even more than usual. The goal was not to make two errors in a row. It also helped that my putting was very good. I had no 3-putts over the Middle nine and made quite a few 2-putts from a healthy distance to the cup. At the turn, I was shooting a respectable 46.
On the Homestead nine, my driver got hot. I hit four fairways on the five occasions when I teed off with the big boy. This included a 270-yard smash on the par-5 third hole and another of the same length on the par-4 fifth. The former was wasted somewhat after I topped my second shot. At 195 yards from the green, I was licking my lips in anticipation of reaching the putting surface in two. Oh well. The latter was not wasted at all, as I went on to par the hole, just missing a birdie putt. Nearly half of the ball was hanging over the edge of the hole when it came to rest, but close only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades, as the cliche goes. I played Homestead with 44 strokes, to finish the first round of the day at 90. This was my third-best score of the year, but probably my best in terms of overall play.
The turnaround with the driver actually began inadvertently with Middle #6. This is a medium length par-4 with a sharp dog-leg to the right. I set up to hit a big fade off the tee. My feet, hips and shoulders were pointed straight down the fairway, while I opened the club face a couple of degrees to produce the desired fade. You can imagine my surprise when the ball was piped straight in the direction that my body was pointed. It was the wrong hit for this particular hole, as I ran well past the end of the dog-leg. However, it was something I could reproduce (and did) later on when the situation called for a straight drive down the fairway. Along with the straightening out of my left elbow, which I tinkered with at my previous round, this opening of the club face seemed to restore my driving confidence. For a while there, I really felt in control with the big stick - something I haven't felt for most of this season.
Score: 90
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 0
Lakeland / Middle
The second round of the day began on the Lakeland nine. This time, I failed to overcome the opening hole challenge, finishing with a double-bogey. An approach that kicked just a foot off the green, followed by a dubious putt, clinched my fate. A 3-putt on the next hole produced another double. On hole #3, I finally hit a drive that put me in serious trouble. This one looked like it would finish just right of the fairway, but it faded enough to find the forest lining the right side. Due to unplayable balls, I would collect my first two penalty strokes of the day on this hole, leading to a quadruple bogey.
After a terrible tee shot on hole #4, a par-3 measuring 161 yards from the white tees, it looked like the ugliness would continue. I hit my 7-iron fat, sending the ball to the edge of a creek bed, short of the green. With my feet in the creek bed and the ball nestled a foot and a half higher in some long vegetation, I choked down on my 60 degree wedge. The ball was so high above my feet that I actually had to grasp the club below the grip. I managed to pop the ball on the green, then drained a lengthy putt for an unconventional par. It was a turning point, as I managed to play the rest of Lakeland under much control, as I had played during the first round of the day. I was five over par for the last six holes, finishing with a 49 at the turn.
Moving to the Middle nine, the dreaded first hole got the best of me once again. My third shot, from 110 yards out, was the cause of my undoing. I caught the ball very thin, rolling it to a position short of the green. Next, I sculled a chip shot off the back of the green. From above the hole, this position is treacherous. Despite a good chip that challenged the hole, I finished with a triple bogey. As a testament to my renewed focus, I regouped immediately and went on a solid run. I played the next six holes six over par, recovering whenever I needed to with excellent shots. I hit a great punch shot from a wooded area left of the green on hole #4. After an errant tee shot, I hit a nice pitch on hole #5, a par-3.
The challenge over the last few holes was a bit of fatigue. It was a hot day and I was carrying my clubs, so that was to be expected. I hit the wall after my 34th hole of the day. My tee shot on the second-last hole to be played was a big hook with the driver. I shut the club face and smothered the ball, while reverse-pivoting in the process. My left foot came right off the ground. I was unlucky on my next shot, as I attempted to punch the ball back into the fairway. An overhanging branch deflected the ball, stopping it short of the fairway, in a position that was still blocked out by trees. I tried to draw a 5-iron around the trees, but the ball flew straight, nestling against a tree root on the other side of the fairway. I struggled to a triple-bogey on this par-5.
Looking at my scorecard, I did some math before playing the last hole, and I really shouldn't have. I was sitting at 93 for the round, so all I needed was a double-bogey or better on the last hole to break 100. I hooked a 5-iron off the tee, then duffed an attempted chip shot trying to get back to the fairway. Still blocked out partially by trees, I then played a great low punch shot that skidded to just in front of the green. All I needed now was to get on the green and 2-putt. Easy breezy, right? Well, I decided to putt the ball through the 10 feet or so of fringe between me and the green. I totally misjudged the speed, blasting the ball 15 feet past the hole. Still, I thought there was no problem. After all, I could 2-putt from 15 feet, no problem. Well, my first putt came up six feet short. Now I really had a problem. Six feet is no "gimme" and this one had some break to it. Of course, I missed it and had to settle for a final score of 100. I hate that!
Overall, it was a good performance on the day. The first round was great and the second was only marred by some sloppiness on the opening and closing holes. The eleventh hour collapse was no doubt caused by some mental fatigue, so there's no need to get too upset. Incidentally, my handicap dipped to 20.0 after the first round, only to jump back to 20.5 after the second. That's cruel!
Score: 100
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
Middle / Homestead
Kicking things off on the Middle nine, I got a huge monkey off my back by bogeying hole #1. As I've disussed previously, the opening holes on the Middle and Lakeland nines are true beasts. That said, it's always a nice boost to start out with bogey or better there. Riding the positive vibe, I played quite well over the next eight holes. I hit just a single fairway and only one green in regulation, but my misses were to reasonably safe areas from which I could recover. On hole #2, my second shot was a great punch through an alley of trees and back to the fairway. On hole #3, my third shot was a solid out from a greenside bunker. Whenever I found myself in trouble, I reminded myself to focus even more than usual. The goal was not to make two errors in a row. It also helped that my putting was very good. I had no 3-putts over the Middle nine and made quite a few 2-putts from a healthy distance to the cup. At the turn, I was shooting a respectable 46.
On the Homestead nine, my driver got hot. I hit four fairways on the five occasions when I teed off with the big boy. This included a 270-yard smash on the par-5 third hole and another of the same length on the par-4 fifth. The former was wasted somewhat after I topped my second shot. At 195 yards from the green, I was licking my lips in anticipation of reaching the putting surface in two. Oh well. The latter was not wasted at all, as I went on to par the hole, just missing a birdie putt. Nearly half of the ball was hanging over the edge of the hole when it came to rest, but close only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades, as the cliche goes. I played Homestead with 44 strokes, to finish the first round of the day at 90. This was my third-best score of the year, but probably my best in terms of overall play.
The turnaround with the driver actually began inadvertently with Middle #6. This is a medium length par-4 with a sharp dog-leg to the right. I set up to hit a big fade off the tee. My feet, hips and shoulders were pointed straight down the fairway, while I opened the club face a couple of degrees to produce the desired fade. You can imagine my surprise when the ball was piped straight in the direction that my body was pointed. It was the wrong hit for this particular hole, as I ran well past the end of the dog-leg. However, it was something I could reproduce (and did) later on when the situation called for a straight drive down the fairway. Along with the straightening out of my left elbow, which I tinkered with at my previous round, this opening of the club face seemed to restore my driving confidence. For a while there, I really felt in control with the big stick - something I haven't felt for most of this season.
Score: 90
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 0
Lakeland / Middle
The second round of the day began on the Lakeland nine. This time, I failed to overcome the opening hole challenge, finishing with a double-bogey. An approach that kicked just a foot off the green, followed by a dubious putt, clinched my fate. A 3-putt on the next hole produced another double. On hole #3, I finally hit a drive that put me in serious trouble. This one looked like it would finish just right of the fairway, but it faded enough to find the forest lining the right side. Due to unplayable balls, I would collect my first two penalty strokes of the day on this hole, leading to a quadruple bogey.
After a terrible tee shot on hole #4, a par-3 measuring 161 yards from the white tees, it looked like the ugliness would continue. I hit my 7-iron fat, sending the ball to the edge of a creek bed, short of the green. With my feet in the creek bed and the ball nestled a foot and a half higher in some long vegetation, I choked down on my 60 degree wedge. The ball was so high above my feet that I actually had to grasp the club below the grip. I managed to pop the ball on the green, then drained a lengthy putt for an unconventional par. It was a turning point, as I managed to play the rest of Lakeland under much control, as I had played during the first round of the day. I was five over par for the last six holes, finishing with a 49 at the turn.
Moving to the Middle nine, the dreaded first hole got the best of me once again. My third shot, from 110 yards out, was the cause of my undoing. I caught the ball very thin, rolling it to a position short of the green. Next, I sculled a chip shot off the back of the green. From above the hole, this position is treacherous. Despite a good chip that challenged the hole, I finished with a triple bogey. As a testament to my renewed focus, I regouped immediately and went on a solid run. I played the next six holes six over par, recovering whenever I needed to with excellent shots. I hit a great punch shot from a wooded area left of the green on hole #4. After an errant tee shot, I hit a nice pitch on hole #5, a par-3.
The challenge over the last few holes was a bit of fatigue. It was a hot day and I was carrying my clubs, so that was to be expected. I hit the wall after my 34th hole of the day. My tee shot on the second-last hole to be played was a big hook with the driver. I shut the club face and smothered the ball, while reverse-pivoting in the process. My left foot came right off the ground. I was unlucky on my next shot, as I attempted to punch the ball back into the fairway. An overhanging branch deflected the ball, stopping it short of the fairway, in a position that was still blocked out by trees. I tried to draw a 5-iron around the trees, but the ball flew straight, nestling against a tree root on the other side of the fairway. I struggled to a triple-bogey on this par-5.
Looking at my scorecard, I did some math before playing the last hole, and I really shouldn't have. I was sitting at 93 for the round, so all I needed was a double-bogey or better on the last hole to break 100. I hooked a 5-iron off the tee, then duffed an attempted chip shot trying to get back to the fairway. Still blocked out partially by trees, I then played a great low punch shot that skidded to just in front of the green. All I needed now was to get on the green and 2-putt. Easy breezy, right? Well, I decided to putt the ball through the 10 feet or so of fringe between me and the green. I totally misjudged the speed, blasting the ball 15 feet past the hole. Still, I thought there was no problem. After all, I could 2-putt from 15 feet, no problem. Well, my first putt came up six feet short. Now I really had a problem. Six feet is no "gimme" and this one had some break to it. Of course, I missed it and had to settle for a final score of 100. I hate that!
Overall, it was a good performance on the day. The first round was great and the second was only marred by some sloppiness on the opening and closing holes. The eleventh hour collapse was no doubt caused by some mental fatigue, so there's no need to get too upset. Incidentally, my handicap dipped to 20.0 after the first round, only to jump back to 20.5 after the second. That's cruel!
Score: 100
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
July 29, 2011
Hello Humber Valley
I've probably played one hundred different golf courses in southern Ontario, but until yesterday, I had never visited a City of Toronto municipal course, of which there are five. Considering that I live in Toronto, this was somewhat unusual. I don't have anything against city-run courses; some that I've played in other municipalities include: Lakeview and Braeben in Mississauga, Tyandaga in Burlington, King's Forest in Hamilton, and Grey Silo in Waterloo (before it was taken over by a private firm). A provincial government agency runs Whirlpool and Legends on the Niagara in Niagara Falls, which I've played as well.
Primarily, I've stayed away from the Toronto courses because they're not particularly long. With the exception of Tyandaga, which I played earlier in my golfing days, the other munis that I listed can all play to a length of at least 6,300 yards, which I consider an important cutoff. Some of them stretch well over 7,000 yards from the back tees. By contrast, the longest of the Toronto courses (Don Valley) maxes out at 6,109 yards. Tam O'Shanter is close behind at 6,083 yards, followed by Humber Valley, well back at 5,446 yards.
Putting the length issue aside, I decided to venture out to Humber Valley. On a day when rain seemed to be making things miserable, the proximity of the course and the price tag were both right. Teeing off late in the afternoon ended up being a smart choice. By that time, a fine mist that had persisted all morning and early afternoon finally subsided, making for a pleasant round as far as the weather was concerned. This being a short course, my strategy for the day was to use the driver sparingly, perhaps only on hole #14, a 392-yard par-4, as well as #16 and #17, a pair of par-5 holes each measuring about 515 yards. Since my driver has been wild recently, this seemed like a sound approach.
My strategy was tested with the very first shot of the day, a mis-hit with the 3-iron. The ball travelled just a few yards ahead of the tee box, nestling into some lush, wet rough. My next shot barely got out of the rough and after two shots I was already behind the proverbial 8-ball. I struggled to a triple bogey on the first hole. On the second hole, I decided to see if the 5-wood might work better off the tee and it sure did. I piped the ball 235 yards straight down the fairway from a slightly elevated tee. What a beauty! A pitching wedge from 130 yards out landed on the front of the green, but released and trickled off the back edge. I was close to the back pin position and made a great chip, followed by a tap-in for par.
Hole #3 is a par-4 measuring only 249 yards, so I couldn't resist hitting the driver. I caught a bit of the ground in front of the ball, which scrubbed some distance off of a very straight hit. From a bunker position, I managed to get on the green in regulation, then 2-putt for another par. After this, it was back to my iron strategy off the tee. With the exception of a couple of par-3 holes, where I hit decent first shots to collect a bogey and par, this strategy was not working at all. On holes #5, #7, and #8, my 6-iron off the tee developed into a big duck hook. On two of these holes, I scrambled back to save bogey. On the third, I struggled with a green side bunker en route to a quadruple-bogey. Yech!
On hole #9, I abandoned irons off the tee in favour of the driver. It was an approach I would stick with for the remainder of the round. It helped me earn par on the last of the front nine and birdie on the first of the back. I missed the fairway in both cases, but was just a few yards into the rough and could attack the greens with lofted clubs. The approach on hole #10 was perhaps the shot of the day. The pin was tucked at the back right of the green, 130 yards away. Coming from the right rough, it was blocked by a tall, mature tree. I hit a perfect pitching wedge, which sent the ball clear over the highest branches. It barely reached the green, then released forward straight at the pin. It missed by a foot to the right, stopping some six feet past the hole. It was a brave shot, rewarded by the subsequent birdie putt.
On hole #11, I hit my best drive of the day and made an important discovery in the process. The ball travelled 250 yards straight as an arrow, leaving a 60-yard pitch to the green. I messed up the pitch shot, leading to a bogey, but that's not the point. Before I hit that drive, I realized that my left elbow was bent slightly at address. My best shots are hit when my left elbow is kept straight, both at setup and at impact. In other words, my arm and club shaft form a straight line from shoulder to club head. Since the arm and club are fully extended, the position of the club head at impact matches that at address. I had gotten away from this all season long. Could this be the solution to my driving woes?
I put the theory to the test on the next hole, a 296-yard par-4. I sliced this one into the opposite fairway, but wasn't upset because contact was good and the swing felt comfortable. Sitting 90 yards from the green, I used a 60 degree wedge to clear a massive tree blocking my way and stuck the ball on the putting surface. What a great shot! This one had some serious air and left a massive mark where it hit the green. Don't worry, I fixed it. It was too bad I missed a short second putt and had to settle for bogey. Some retribution came in the form of par on the very next hole. Yay!
Beginning with hole #14, Humber Valley stretches out into true championship calibre. There is no comparing the final stretch of this course with the miniaturized beginning. The Humber river borders #14 along the entire right side. At 392 yards, two good shots are required to hit the green, which is fronted by mounds and features fall-offs to the back and right. The green itself has a number of undulations that make putting tricky. After a good drive, my approach was a couple of yards short, so I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Hole #15 is a par-3 measuring 167 yards. The green is tucked in front of some trees with the river on the right from tee to hole. Visually, it's a bit intimidating, though one can bail out short and left. I caught my tee shot thin and put it in the hazard 50 yards in front of the teeing ground. After a penalty stroke, I hit a great 9-iron to the green. Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance, as the ball carried all the way to the back of the green. It was legitimate 3-putt territory and that's exactly what happened. I was forced to mark a triple-bogey on my scorecard.
Holes #16 and #17, a pair of back-to-back par-5 holes, offer a great challenge. After a sliced drive on #16, I smartly played down the opposite fairway. My third shot got me flag-high, but 40 yards right of the green. I managed to hole out with three more shots for a bogey. My drive on #17 was better, finding the centre of the fairway. Next, I hit a rare 3-wood to the left rough, leaving just 100 yards to the green. The 60-degree wedge got me there safely and two putts finished things up for par. I also made par on hole #18, a 197-yard par-3. My 4-iron off the tee stopped in the rough at the front right of the green, very near the flag. I made a great chip and tap-in to close things out.
Overall, I think I played to my current potential. I finished with a score of 86, which is okay, but not great for this particular course. With one or two errors avoided, I could have been at about 80, as a single error often adds two or three strokes to one's score. More importantly, I think I may have found something to help my driver. We'll see how it goes at the next round!
Score: 86
Putts: 32
Fairways: 3
Greens: 7
Penalties: 1
Primarily, I've stayed away from the Toronto courses because they're not particularly long. With the exception of Tyandaga, which I played earlier in my golfing days, the other munis that I listed can all play to a length of at least 6,300 yards, which I consider an important cutoff. Some of them stretch well over 7,000 yards from the back tees. By contrast, the longest of the Toronto courses (Don Valley) maxes out at 6,109 yards. Tam O'Shanter is close behind at 6,083 yards, followed by Humber Valley, well back at 5,446 yards.
Putting the length issue aside, I decided to venture out to Humber Valley. On a day when rain seemed to be making things miserable, the proximity of the course and the price tag were both right. Teeing off late in the afternoon ended up being a smart choice. By that time, a fine mist that had persisted all morning and early afternoon finally subsided, making for a pleasant round as far as the weather was concerned. This being a short course, my strategy for the day was to use the driver sparingly, perhaps only on hole #14, a 392-yard par-4, as well as #16 and #17, a pair of par-5 holes each measuring about 515 yards. Since my driver has been wild recently, this seemed like a sound approach.
My strategy was tested with the very first shot of the day, a mis-hit with the 3-iron. The ball travelled just a few yards ahead of the tee box, nestling into some lush, wet rough. My next shot barely got out of the rough and after two shots I was already behind the proverbial 8-ball. I struggled to a triple bogey on the first hole. On the second hole, I decided to see if the 5-wood might work better off the tee and it sure did. I piped the ball 235 yards straight down the fairway from a slightly elevated tee. What a beauty! A pitching wedge from 130 yards out landed on the front of the green, but released and trickled off the back edge. I was close to the back pin position and made a great chip, followed by a tap-in for par.
Hole #3 is a par-4 measuring only 249 yards, so I couldn't resist hitting the driver. I caught a bit of the ground in front of the ball, which scrubbed some distance off of a very straight hit. From a bunker position, I managed to get on the green in regulation, then 2-putt for another par. After this, it was back to my iron strategy off the tee. With the exception of a couple of par-3 holes, where I hit decent first shots to collect a bogey and par, this strategy was not working at all. On holes #5, #7, and #8, my 6-iron off the tee developed into a big duck hook. On two of these holes, I scrambled back to save bogey. On the third, I struggled with a green side bunker en route to a quadruple-bogey. Yech!
On hole #9, I abandoned irons off the tee in favour of the driver. It was an approach I would stick with for the remainder of the round. It helped me earn par on the last of the front nine and birdie on the first of the back. I missed the fairway in both cases, but was just a few yards into the rough and could attack the greens with lofted clubs. The approach on hole #10 was perhaps the shot of the day. The pin was tucked at the back right of the green, 130 yards away. Coming from the right rough, it was blocked by a tall, mature tree. I hit a perfect pitching wedge, which sent the ball clear over the highest branches. It barely reached the green, then released forward straight at the pin. It missed by a foot to the right, stopping some six feet past the hole. It was a brave shot, rewarded by the subsequent birdie putt.
On hole #11, I hit my best drive of the day and made an important discovery in the process. The ball travelled 250 yards straight as an arrow, leaving a 60-yard pitch to the green. I messed up the pitch shot, leading to a bogey, but that's not the point. Before I hit that drive, I realized that my left elbow was bent slightly at address. My best shots are hit when my left elbow is kept straight, both at setup and at impact. In other words, my arm and club shaft form a straight line from shoulder to club head. Since the arm and club are fully extended, the position of the club head at impact matches that at address. I had gotten away from this all season long. Could this be the solution to my driving woes?
I put the theory to the test on the next hole, a 296-yard par-4. I sliced this one into the opposite fairway, but wasn't upset because contact was good and the swing felt comfortable. Sitting 90 yards from the green, I used a 60 degree wedge to clear a massive tree blocking my way and stuck the ball on the putting surface. What a great shot! This one had some serious air and left a massive mark where it hit the green. Don't worry, I fixed it. It was too bad I missed a short second putt and had to settle for bogey. Some retribution came in the form of par on the very next hole. Yay!
Beginning with hole #14, Humber Valley stretches out into true championship calibre. There is no comparing the final stretch of this course with the miniaturized beginning. The Humber river borders #14 along the entire right side. At 392 yards, two good shots are required to hit the green, which is fronted by mounds and features fall-offs to the back and right. The green itself has a number of undulations that make putting tricky. After a good drive, my approach was a couple of yards short, so I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Hole #15 is a par-3 measuring 167 yards. The green is tucked in front of some trees with the river on the right from tee to hole. Visually, it's a bit intimidating, though one can bail out short and left. I caught my tee shot thin and put it in the hazard 50 yards in front of the teeing ground. After a penalty stroke, I hit a great 9-iron to the green. Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance, as the ball carried all the way to the back of the green. It was legitimate 3-putt territory and that's exactly what happened. I was forced to mark a triple-bogey on my scorecard.
Holes #16 and #17, a pair of back-to-back par-5 holes, offer a great challenge. After a sliced drive on #16, I smartly played down the opposite fairway. My third shot got me flag-high, but 40 yards right of the green. I managed to hole out with three more shots for a bogey. My drive on #17 was better, finding the centre of the fairway. Next, I hit a rare 3-wood to the left rough, leaving just 100 yards to the green. The 60-degree wedge got me there safely and two putts finished things up for par. I also made par on hole #18, a 197-yard par-3. My 4-iron off the tee stopped in the rough at the front right of the green, very near the flag. I made a great chip and tap-in to close things out.
Overall, I think I played to my current potential. I finished with a score of 86, which is okay, but not great for this particular course. With one or two errors avoided, I could have been at about 80, as a single error often adds two or three strokes to one's score. More importantly, I think I may have found something to help my driver. We'll see how it goes at the next round!
Score: 86
Putts: 32
Fairways: 3
Greens: 7
Penalties: 1
July 26, 2011
Hacking Away at Hidden Lake
If there was a twelve-step program for disconsolate golfers, it would probably begin with each participant acknowledging that he is a hack. Well, sign me up for the first available program, because I fully admit it. Where I stand today is not the result of bad luck, faulty equipment, tricked-up courses, poor weather, or stupid playing partners. It is a reflection of my current skill level and ability (or lack thereof). There is a reason my handicap factor has jumped almost five points over the past two years. I'm simply not as good as I was back then.
I just finished my latest round on the Old Course at Hidden Lake Golf Club. Having played a few rounds on less familiar territory this season, I was looking forward to playing a course I know very well. My last three visits to the Old Course produced scores of 92, 90, and 87. At that rate, I was on pace to shoot about 85, right? Well, let's just say it didn't work out that way. Though conditions were ideal, I struggled all day long and had to grind hard just to break 100. It was a good thing I broke the century mark, otherwise authorities may have had to pull a body from the bottom of Hidden Lake - mine! Drowning would be a cakewalk compared to the suffering I endure at the hands of this wretched game.
I won't bore you with any shot by shot accounts. Instead, allow me to analyse the major components of the game, with the inclusion of a few examples to add some colour.
Driver. This has been the worst part of my game this season, by far. Early in the year, I was pulling a lot of drives left. There was no hook to the ball flight, just a straight pull off the tee. Occasionally, I would pipe a beauty deep and straight down the fairway. These good shots actually made it harder to determine what I was doing wrong on the bad ones. To me, they all felt the same. Sometimes, a reverse pivot was the obvious culprit. I could feel my left foot lose traction or even come off the ground, while my weight shifted violently to the right foot. However, this only explains a small percentage of the misses.
Over the last few rounds, my misses with the driver have become more varied. The full variety was on display at Hidden Lake. Of twelve shots taken with the driver, four were straight pulls, one was a pull-hook, three were fades or slices, and one was a topped ball. Only three of the drives were well struck. Many of the pulls involved trees just ahead of the teeing ground. These trees intimidate players who can only hit the ball from left to right. Hole #15 is a classic example, and I fell into the trap sure as God made little green apples. Hole #17 is another example, so I opted to play a 3-iron for safety. Too bad that shot was a complete duff that didn't even reach the forward tees.
I am at a complete loss with the driver right now. I'm all over the place, looking for a swing that I can control, but I'm not finding it. Maybe I should start from the beginning and try to build it out piece by piece. Look at ball position at address, posture, grip, takeaway, swing plane, swing length, tempo, balance, etc. I don't know.
Fairway woods. These used to be a strength of my game, but I completely lost any feel I had with them beginning two years ago. It hasn't been a huge problem, since my long irons improved substantially and I use them when I might have used a fairway wood in the past. Still, it's nice to have options. Surprisingly, my woods worked well at Hidden Lake. I hit 5-wood a couple of times after duffed or topped tee shots to good effect.
Irons. Early in the season, I was hooking my irons too much for my liking. The problem was more pronounced with the short irons, say 7-iron and up. This was disappointing because these are supposed to be your scoring clubs. It was also more pronounced off the tee, for reasons I can't explain. After working on this during a round at Tunberry, I largely corrected the problem. At Hidden Lake, my irons were only so-so. Actually, I didn't have a lot of iron shots that I could hit full out. Most of the time, I was using them to punch low shots underneath tree branches. With the exception of a 195-yard tee shot on the par-3 eighth hole, my tee shots with irons were a letdown. I came up short on hole #2, while hooking the approach to holes #4, #14, and #18.
Wedges. Full wedge shots have been satisfactory this season, but they could have been better. While I can't recall any disastrous wedge shots, I can recall a few that missed the green when they really shouldn't have. At Hidden Lake, wedge shots were the best part of my game. Out of position on holes #1, #6, #7, and #16, I used the 52 degree club to clear high trees while advancing the ball in the direction of the green. It was the right call each time and execution was flawless. On the other hand, I topped the ball with the same club on my approach to hole #13. I also sculled the ball with the 56 degree club on my approach to hole #9. Nobody's perfect.
Pitching & chipping. My short game has been less than stellar a couple of times this season, but overall, I've been quite pleased. I'd love to get up and down more routinely, but as long as no egregious errors are committed, I'm generally happy. My pitching and chipping worked pretty well at Hidden Lake. I was able to get up and down four times. On many other occasions, I chipped reasonably well, but left the ball outside of single-putt range. On three separate occasions, I had a pitch shot land shorter than I wanted it to. Two of those resulted in a 3-putt, while one required an additional chip to get on the green.
Bunkers. Two years ago, my bunker play went to pieces. I used to have no trouble with sand near the green, then all of a sudden, I was vacillating between picking balls clean and catching too much sand. I lost my confidence and I'm still trying to get it back. I only had one bunker shot at Hidden Lake, my second on hole #18, a par-3. It was a good one, even though it rolled well past the hole.
Putting. I have no complaints with my putting this year. Some days are better than others, that's just the way it goes. My putting at Hidden Lake was solid, though I did have a pair of 3-putts. One of these came on hole #1, before I had an opportunity to feel the speed of the greens. The other came on hole #10, where my second putt was a short miss. This miss, along with another short one, were the only putts that left me disappointed.
Score: 99
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 0
I just finished my latest round on the Old Course at Hidden Lake Golf Club. Having played a few rounds on less familiar territory this season, I was looking forward to playing a course I know very well. My last three visits to the Old Course produced scores of 92, 90, and 87. At that rate, I was on pace to shoot about 85, right? Well, let's just say it didn't work out that way. Though conditions were ideal, I struggled all day long and had to grind hard just to break 100. It was a good thing I broke the century mark, otherwise authorities may have had to pull a body from the bottom of Hidden Lake - mine! Drowning would be a cakewalk compared to the suffering I endure at the hands of this wretched game.
I won't bore you with any shot by shot accounts. Instead, allow me to analyse the major components of the game, with the inclusion of a few examples to add some colour.
Driver. This has been the worst part of my game this season, by far. Early in the year, I was pulling a lot of drives left. There was no hook to the ball flight, just a straight pull off the tee. Occasionally, I would pipe a beauty deep and straight down the fairway. These good shots actually made it harder to determine what I was doing wrong on the bad ones. To me, they all felt the same. Sometimes, a reverse pivot was the obvious culprit. I could feel my left foot lose traction or even come off the ground, while my weight shifted violently to the right foot. However, this only explains a small percentage of the misses.
Over the last few rounds, my misses with the driver have become more varied. The full variety was on display at Hidden Lake. Of twelve shots taken with the driver, four were straight pulls, one was a pull-hook, three were fades or slices, and one was a topped ball. Only three of the drives were well struck. Many of the pulls involved trees just ahead of the teeing ground. These trees intimidate players who can only hit the ball from left to right. Hole #15 is a classic example, and I fell into the trap sure as God made little green apples. Hole #17 is another example, so I opted to play a 3-iron for safety. Too bad that shot was a complete duff that didn't even reach the forward tees.
I am at a complete loss with the driver right now. I'm all over the place, looking for a swing that I can control, but I'm not finding it. Maybe I should start from the beginning and try to build it out piece by piece. Look at ball position at address, posture, grip, takeaway, swing plane, swing length, tempo, balance, etc. I don't know.
Fairway woods. These used to be a strength of my game, but I completely lost any feel I had with them beginning two years ago. It hasn't been a huge problem, since my long irons improved substantially and I use them when I might have used a fairway wood in the past. Still, it's nice to have options. Surprisingly, my woods worked well at Hidden Lake. I hit 5-wood a couple of times after duffed or topped tee shots to good effect.
Irons. Early in the season, I was hooking my irons too much for my liking. The problem was more pronounced with the short irons, say 7-iron and up. This was disappointing because these are supposed to be your scoring clubs. It was also more pronounced off the tee, for reasons I can't explain. After working on this during a round at Tunberry, I largely corrected the problem. At Hidden Lake, my irons were only so-so. Actually, I didn't have a lot of iron shots that I could hit full out. Most of the time, I was using them to punch low shots underneath tree branches. With the exception of a 195-yard tee shot on the par-3 eighth hole, my tee shots with irons were a letdown. I came up short on hole #2, while hooking the approach to holes #4, #14, and #18.
Wedges. Full wedge shots have been satisfactory this season, but they could have been better. While I can't recall any disastrous wedge shots, I can recall a few that missed the green when they really shouldn't have. At Hidden Lake, wedge shots were the best part of my game. Out of position on holes #1, #6, #7, and #16, I used the 52 degree club to clear high trees while advancing the ball in the direction of the green. It was the right call each time and execution was flawless. On the other hand, I topped the ball with the same club on my approach to hole #13. I also sculled the ball with the 56 degree club on my approach to hole #9. Nobody's perfect.
Pitching & chipping. My short game has been less than stellar a couple of times this season, but overall, I've been quite pleased. I'd love to get up and down more routinely, but as long as no egregious errors are committed, I'm generally happy. My pitching and chipping worked pretty well at Hidden Lake. I was able to get up and down four times. On many other occasions, I chipped reasonably well, but left the ball outside of single-putt range. On three separate occasions, I had a pitch shot land shorter than I wanted it to. Two of those resulted in a 3-putt, while one required an additional chip to get on the green.
Bunkers. Two years ago, my bunker play went to pieces. I used to have no trouble with sand near the green, then all of a sudden, I was vacillating between picking balls clean and catching too much sand. I lost my confidence and I'm still trying to get it back. I only had one bunker shot at Hidden Lake, my second on hole #18, a par-3. It was a good one, even though it rolled well past the hole.
Putting. I have no complaints with my putting this year. Some days are better than others, that's just the way it goes. My putting at Hidden Lake was solid, though I did have a pair of 3-putts. One of these came on hole #1, before I had an opportunity to feel the speed of the greens. The other came on hole #10, where my second putt was a short miss. This miss, along with another short one, were the only putts that left me disappointed.
Score: 99
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 0
July 18, 2011
Oakridge Result Typical for Season
Deepwoods events have been a special part of my golf season dating back to 2006, when I first joined the association. This year, I have looked forward to these events even more than usual, as I have yet to play any other organized events during 2011. After a poor showing in the season opener at Copetown Woods, I bounced back with a decent performance at Peninsula Lakes, which remains my best result of the 2011 season. Unfortunately, any hope of recapturing the Deepwoods championship went out the window with my latest effort at Oakridge Golf Club.
On a hot and humid Sunday afternoon, I teed off determined to survive the first three holes at Oakridge. My 5-wood on the opening hole was struck well, but the ball was pulled left, ending up in some fescue and pine trees. Lost ball. Hitting three from the tee, my next shot with the 5-wood was perfect, leaving a 130-yard approach from the right edge of the fairway. I curled a pitching wedge just past the flag at the back of the green and 2-putt for double-bogey. If not for the opening miscue, this would have been a pretty par. On hole #2, a 182-yard par-3, my tee shot landed in the rough two yards left of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Not bad.
Hole #3 was the real killer. Then again, it usually is. At 377 yards from the gold tees, the hole is not overly long. However, an elevated tee and a small landing zone bordered by out-of bounds, a pond and some forest conspire to make the opening shot very challenging. Hitting 5-wood, my first attempt was struck well, but a little too far left for my liking. Fearing that I had gone out of bounds, I hit a provisional ball. This one was also a tad left, but not in danger of being OB. Approaching the landing zone, I saw that my first ball was indeed OB by about five yards. My provisional ball was in play, but directly behind a small, low bush. With my fourth shot, I was forced to chip sideways to the fairway. My next shot, 125 yards from the green, was a shank into the pond. The ball was below my feet in a drainage ditch of sorts. Taking a penalty, I hit my seventh shot pin high, but off the green. After a chip and two putts, I recorded an ugly 10 on my scorecard. Of all the shots I took, I felt like only the shank was a truly bad shot. Nevertheless, the rest were bad enough that they added up to a horrific score for the hole.
I bogeyed the next hole, a short par-3, in much the same fashion as I had the previous par-3. Tee shot just off the green, followed by a chip and two putts. In contrast to hole #3, I played hole #5 like a pro. Driver off the tee was straight and plenty deep, leaving a pitching wedge to the green. My approach rolled off the back of the green, but was very near the pin. I hit a great chip and tap-in for an easy-looking up and down. Par seems so simple at times. In fact, my short game was strong all day. After topping some balls en route to green #6, I finished with a chip and tap-in. It was for a triple-bogey, but the finish was strong. The same thing happened on hole #7, though this time the chip and tap-in were for bogey. Actually, I did very well to bogey that hole after my tee shot was lost in a hazard and my third was a chip to the fairway from a cluster of trees. On hole #8, a chip and a putt once again helped me earn bogey. The up-and-down streak ended at four consecutive holes, as I earned par on hole #9 with a conventional green in regulation, followed by two putts.
Half way through the round my score was at 50 even. Considering I scored 10 on a single hole, I felt like I was playing decently.
Unfortunately, I managed to "out-do" that score of 10 on hole #10. At just 324 yards from the gold tees, you would think that this hole should not pose a problem. My 4-iron off the tee was pulled left into a cluster of trees and fescue. The ball was unplayable, so I was forced to take a penalty. With my third shot, I tried to advance the ball through an opening in the trees. I smacked a tree trunk and had no idea where the ball deflected. Add another penalty. With my fifth shot, I successfully executed the chip through the opening. My sixth shot, 130 yards from the flag in the right fairway, found a bunker fronting the right edge of the green. Next, I picked the ball too clean, overshooting the green into another bunker. Of course, this bunker shot was too fat, stopping in the rough near the green edge. After a chip and two putts, the final damage was 11 on the scorecard. It seems almost impossible, yet it happened.
Over the next few holes, I was back to playing bogey golf. Once again, a chip and putt earned that result on hole #12. However, whenever I hit a bad shot, it turned out to be very costly. My tee shot on hole #13, a par-3 over water was struck thin and found the drink. My drive on hole #14 faded a tad too much into the forest. Hitting three from the tee, I finished that hole with a double bogey. Much like hole #1, if not for the opening error, this would have been a pretty par. A bad tee shot on hole #15 put me into a temporary mental funk that ruined the hole. I smothered the ball off the tee, then topped a couple more shots en route to the green. A two putt would have salvaged double-bogey, but after a great lag, I missed an easy two-footer. It was my only 3-putt of the day and I promptly threw the offending ball into the woods.
The highlight of the day came on hole #16, a par-3 measuring 130 yards from the gold tees. The flag was at the back of the green, adding about 15 yards of distance. In addition, there was a 2-club wind directly in our face. I hit an 8-iron pure and straight, landing on the green about 15 feet short of the cup. The birdie putt was slightly uphill, with little break. Thankfully, I drained it. I almost made another birdie on the next hole, after a thundering drive to the fairway and an 88-yard approach to within 8 feet. The birdie putt burned the right edge of the cup, so I walked away with par.
The final hole of the day produced another great shot, even though the result wasn't perfect. This par-5 measures just 446 yards, but getting to the green in two is tough, due to a bend in the fairway, which is bordered by many trees, as well as a pond that protects the front of the green. I aimed my tee shot over the trees on the left, hoping to get over them entirely, or at least to a place where I could punch out to the fairway. Sure enough, I was among the trees. My punch attempt hit the base of a tree trunk and I was left in the trees and in the rough. However, there was enough of an opening or chute that I could see the area just right of the green. I was 160 yards away and my swing was unimpeded. My next shot with the 7-iron was a thing of beauty. Contact was crisp. The ball jumped off the club face and exited the opening in the trees. It then started drawing left, toward the centre of the green. It missed a large tree that fronts the green. For a moment, it looked like I would be putting for birdie. However, the ball carried to the back of the green, ending up in a shallow bunker sitting above the putting surface. I used the putter to get out of the bunker then hit two more traditional putts to finish with a bogey. So while the final result was nothing special, that shot with the 7-iron felt really good.
Wen all was said and done, I finished with a disappointing score of 102. Overlook the two holes where I shot 10 and 11 however, and things don't look all that bad. An 81 through 16 holes is pretty good for me. Then again, you have to play all 18 holes in golf. You don't have the luxury of dropping your two worst holes. So, I'm left with a mixed bag once again. Drives that alternate between excellent and horrific. A couple of blowup holes mixed in with quite a few good ones. Poor sand play, along with great chipping and putting. I need to put it all together to save this season. If I do however, it will be too late to earn the Deepwoods crown.
Score: 102
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 8
On a hot and humid Sunday afternoon, I teed off determined to survive the first three holes at Oakridge. My 5-wood on the opening hole was struck well, but the ball was pulled left, ending up in some fescue and pine trees. Lost ball. Hitting three from the tee, my next shot with the 5-wood was perfect, leaving a 130-yard approach from the right edge of the fairway. I curled a pitching wedge just past the flag at the back of the green and 2-putt for double-bogey. If not for the opening miscue, this would have been a pretty par. On hole #2, a 182-yard par-3, my tee shot landed in the rough two yards left of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Not bad.
Hole #3 was the real killer. Then again, it usually is. At 377 yards from the gold tees, the hole is not overly long. However, an elevated tee and a small landing zone bordered by out-of bounds, a pond and some forest conspire to make the opening shot very challenging. Hitting 5-wood, my first attempt was struck well, but a little too far left for my liking. Fearing that I had gone out of bounds, I hit a provisional ball. This one was also a tad left, but not in danger of being OB. Approaching the landing zone, I saw that my first ball was indeed OB by about five yards. My provisional ball was in play, but directly behind a small, low bush. With my fourth shot, I was forced to chip sideways to the fairway. My next shot, 125 yards from the green, was a shank into the pond. The ball was below my feet in a drainage ditch of sorts. Taking a penalty, I hit my seventh shot pin high, but off the green. After a chip and two putts, I recorded an ugly 10 on my scorecard. Of all the shots I took, I felt like only the shank was a truly bad shot. Nevertheless, the rest were bad enough that they added up to a horrific score for the hole.
I bogeyed the next hole, a short par-3, in much the same fashion as I had the previous par-3. Tee shot just off the green, followed by a chip and two putts. In contrast to hole #3, I played hole #5 like a pro. Driver off the tee was straight and plenty deep, leaving a pitching wedge to the green. My approach rolled off the back of the green, but was very near the pin. I hit a great chip and tap-in for an easy-looking up and down. Par seems so simple at times. In fact, my short game was strong all day. After topping some balls en route to green #6, I finished with a chip and tap-in. It was for a triple-bogey, but the finish was strong. The same thing happened on hole #7, though this time the chip and tap-in were for bogey. Actually, I did very well to bogey that hole after my tee shot was lost in a hazard and my third was a chip to the fairway from a cluster of trees. On hole #8, a chip and a putt once again helped me earn bogey. The up-and-down streak ended at four consecutive holes, as I earned par on hole #9 with a conventional green in regulation, followed by two putts.
Half way through the round my score was at 50 even. Considering I scored 10 on a single hole, I felt like I was playing decently.
Unfortunately, I managed to "out-do" that score of 10 on hole #10. At just 324 yards from the gold tees, you would think that this hole should not pose a problem. My 4-iron off the tee was pulled left into a cluster of trees and fescue. The ball was unplayable, so I was forced to take a penalty. With my third shot, I tried to advance the ball through an opening in the trees. I smacked a tree trunk and had no idea where the ball deflected. Add another penalty. With my fifth shot, I successfully executed the chip through the opening. My sixth shot, 130 yards from the flag in the right fairway, found a bunker fronting the right edge of the green. Next, I picked the ball too clean, overshooting the green into another bunker. Of course, this bunker shot was too fat, stopping in the rough near the green edge. After a chip and two putts, the final damage was 11 on the scorecard. It seems almost impossible, yet it happened.
Over the next few holes, I was back to playing bogey golf. Once again, a chip and putt earned that result on hole #12. However, whenever I hit a bad shot, it turned out to be very costly. My tee shot on hole #13, a par-3 over water was struck thin and found the drink. My drive on hole #14 faded a tad too much into the forest. Hitting three from the tee, I finished that hole with a double bogey. Much like hole #1, if not for the opening error, this would have been a pretty par. A bad tee shot on hole #15 put me into a temporary mental funk that ruined the hole. I smothered the ball off the tee, then topped a couple more shots en route to the green. A two putt would have salvaged double-bogey, but after a great lag, I missed an easy two-footer. It was my only 3-putt of the day and I promptly threw the offending ball into the woods.
The highlight of the day came on hole #16, a par-3 measuring 130 yards from the gold tees. The flag was at the back of the green, adding about 15 yards of distance. In addition, there was a 2-club wind directly in our face. I hit an 8-iron pure and straight, landing on the green about 15 feet short of the cup. The birdie putt was slightly uphill, with little break. Thankfully, I drained it. I almost made another birdie on the next hole, after a thundering drive to the fairway and an 88-yard approach to within 8 feet. The birdie putt burned the right edge of the cup, so I walked away with par.
The final hole of the day produced another great shot, even though the result wasn't perfect. This par-5 measures just 446 yards, but getting to the green in two is tough, due to a bend in the fairway, which is bordered by many trees, as well as a pond that protects the front of the green. I aimed my tee shot over the trees on the left, hoping to get over them entirely, or at least to a place where I could punch out to the fairway. Sure enough, I was among the trees. My punch attempt hit the base of a tree trunk and I was left in the trees and in the rough. However, there was enough of an opening or chute that I could see the area just right of the green. I was 160 yards away and my swing was unimpeded. My next shot with the 7-iron was a thing of beauty. Contact was crisp. The ball jumped off the club face and exited the opening in the trees. It then started drawing left, toward the centre of the green. It missed a large tree that fronts the green. For a moment, it looked like I would be putting for birdie. However, the ball carried to the back of the green, ending up in a shallow bunker sitting above the putting surface. I used the putter to get out of the bunker then hit two more traditional putts to finish with a bogey. So while the final result was nothing special, that shot with the 7-iron felt really good.
Wen all was said and done, I finished with a disappointing score of 102. Overlook the two holes where I shot 10 and 11 however, and things don't look all that bad. An 81 through 16 holes is pretty good for me. Then again, you have to play all 18 holes in golf. You don't have the luxury of dropping your two worst holes. So, I'm left with a mixed bag once again. Drives that alternate between excellent and horrific. A couple of blowup holes mixed in with quite a few good ones. Poor sand play, along with great chipping and putting. I need to put it all together to save this season. If I do however, it will be too late to earn the Deepwoods crown.
Score: 102
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 8
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