Looking forward to the opening round of the 2011 Deepwoods Championship and feeling like I hadn't played enough this year to properly evaluate my game, I decided to try one of these "play all day" deals that a number of golf courses offer. The club I chose was Westview, a 27-hole facility that has been serving Greater Toronto Area patrons for over fifty years.
I've played almost every 18-hole golf course in the GTA, or at least those that are full length (6,000+ yards) and open to the public. For whatever reason however, I had never played Westview. Thus, it was with some anticipation that I ventured to the Aurora area course. Arriving at 7:30 am, I decided I would squeeze 54 holes out of the day, provided I didn't get slowed down by a throng of other patrons.
Homestead / Middle
Playing as a single, I opened with a round on the Homestead and Middle nines, in that order. We've had a lot of rain over the past month, which has left a lot of local courses somewhat soggy. Grass has been growing faster than most homeowners could cut it, so I'm sure golf courses have been struggling with the same issue. The grass cutting crews at Westview were out in full force, but much of my first round was played before they were able to finish the job. As a result, it was very tough going. Playing from the fairways was fine, but hitting anything out of the rough was a monumental task.
I held my own, playing bogey golf for six of the first nine holes. The remaining holes, a couple of which were of the par-5 variety, resulted in triple-bogeys. In each case, my drive found the rough and I struggled to hack the ball out safely. I was forced to use highly lofted clubs, thereby giving up a lot of distance. My drives were generally pulled, while my irons were hooking more than desired. Putting was fine. It was more of the same on the back nine, with a triple-bogey and a couple of doubles ruining an otherwise decent stretch of bogey golf. Putting faltered a bit as I racked up a trio of 3-putts.
Score: 102
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
Lakeland / Homestead
With 18 holes under my belt, I moved on to the next round over the Lakeland and Homestead nines, in that order. Lakeland is the toughest of the nines at Westview, featuring a pair of par-5 holes that are particularly tricky. Hole #3, which measures 592 yards from the white tees, demands length off the tee and in the setup to the approach. Thick woods swallow up any errant shots. I sliced my tee shot into the woods on the right, forcing a second attempt. After making my way to the 200-yard marker, I foolishly decided to go for the green with a 3-iron. It was foolish because the fairway narrows approaching the green, pinched on the right side by a large pond. Sure enough, my ball found the water and I took my second penalty of the hole, which I finished with a score of 10. Nasty!
My score on the Lakeland nine was a despicable 60, so I needed my second look at the Homestead nine to be good in order to salvage a respectable 18-hole score. Thankfully, I proceeded to play my best nine holes of the day. By this time, the crews had cut most of the grass. The sun also made an appearance, helping to dry out the course substantially. I made one par and one double-bogey while registering bogey on the rest of the holes. I hit four of seven fairways thanks to some much better drives. I stopped analyzing my drives and just hit the ball. I also got my irons to straighten out slightly. Chipping and putting was excellent.
Score: 105
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 6
Middle / Lakeland
The last round of the day took place with my second look at the Middle and Lakeland nines, in that order. By this time, my feet were getting pretty sore. I should mention that I walked and carried my bag for all 54 holes. I changed socks and shoes after 27 holes, so at least my sore feet were dry. Anyway, my score on the Middle nine actually got worse the second time around. It was a Jekyll and Hyde period, as I played some really solid holes along with some stinkers. On one hole, I striped my best drive of the day, leaving just 115 yards to the green. Par was the result. On the very next hole, I pulled my drive 30 degrees left of target, smacking a cluster of trees 50 yards from the teeing area. Notably, two stinkers came on holes #8 and #9, as I started to fatigue in earnest.
I won't lie. The last nine holes of the day were a struggle, as I hobbled along on my sore feet. I could tell my swing was also getting sloppy. It didn't help that these were played on the tough Lakeland nine. Even so, I improved my score over Lakeland by four strokes. Two of those strokes were saved on hole #5, the second of the tricky par-5 holes that I mentioned earlier. At just 480 yards from the white tees, the hole is not long. However, it features two carries over water and a dogleg left. I hit a great 3-wood off the tee and survived a bad second shot to reach the green in four. Even with a silly 3-putt, the result was better than the first time around.
Score: 109
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Penalties: 6
Overall, it was an interesting experience. I don't think I'll be playing 54 holes again in a single day any time soon though. If I ever do it again, I'll probably take a cart! I'm not happy with my scores, but I have to take them with a grain of salt. I had never played this course before and the long, wet grass early on was difficult. That's not saying anything about the fact that I played three rounds in a row! A few times when I played through groups I also rushed way too much. You want to maintain your focus, but at the same time, you don't want to hold up people who are generous enough to let you play through.
Ready or not, Deepwoods here I come!
May 25, 2011
May 21, 2011
Turnberry Debut
With rain in the forecast for the upcoming week, I decided to get out for a round of golf while I still could. Looking for something close to home, I opted for Turnberry Golf Club, located in Brampton, Ontario. Featuring 16 par-3 holes, bookended by a pair of par-4's, Turnberry is not your average golf course. What the design lacks in length, it makes up for in beauty and layout. Massive dunes define each hole, providing the sense of isolation one feels on a much larger property. Elevation changes add interest and challenge, as do a couple of ponds and a meandering stream. Most importantly, holes are of varying lengths, giving golfers a chance to use nearly every club in the bag. In terms of feel, Turnberry is every bit the equal of its famous sister course, Eagle's Nest.
This was my first ever visit to Turnberry and the timing couldn't have been better. I had been struggling with par-3 holes, so what better way to fix that than to play 16 of them in a row? I got off to a poor start on the opening par-4 as a result of a very poor drive. I caught the ball low on the club face, sending it to a steep, fescue-covered embankment opposite a stream. It took a couple hacks to get out, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Certainly, this wasn't the start I had envisioned. On hole #2, my tee shot hooked slightly, finding the stream left of the green. After a penalty stroke, I landed on the green, but proceeded to 3-putt my way to a triple-bogey. Another terrible result, but at least I was moving in the right direction!
At this point I began to settle down. My first par of the day came on hole #4, a short one at 120 yards. My tee shot was pin high, about ten feet left of the hole. The approach even garnered a compliment from a couple of groundskeepers who were working in the area. The birdie attempt slid just past the hole, but a tap-in for par is always good. While I settled down, I still wasn't hitting a lot of greens. Almost all of my tee shots were hooking more than I wanted them to. I don't mind a nice little draw, but when a draw becomes a hook, you've got a problem. So I basically spent the day trying to correct the hook. With each hole, I got a little straighter. I played the ball a little further back in my stance with more of a forward press. I also thought of "finishing down the line," which keeps me from shutting the club face too much. These things all seemed to help.
Overall, it was an enjoyable and productive round. Once again, my score left a lot to be desired, but I wasn't very disappointed since I felt like I made some useful discoveries. As far as the course goes, I'll definitely be back.
Score: 83 (par 56)
Putts: 37
Fairways: 1 (of 2)
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
This was my first ever visit to Turnberry and the timing couldn't have been better. I had been struggling with par-3 holes, so what better way to fix that than to play 16 of them in a row? I got off to a poor start on the opening par-4 as a result of a very poor drive. I caught the ball low on the club face, sending it to a steep, fescue-covered embankment opposite a stream. It took a couple hacks to get out, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Certainly, this wasn't the start I had envisioned. On hole #2, my tee shot hooked slightly, finding the stream left of the green. After a penalty stroke, I landed on the green, but proceeded to 3-putt my way to a triple-bogey. Another terrible result, but at least I was moving in the right direction!
At this point I began to settle down. My first par of the day came on hole #4, a short one at 120 yards. My tee shot was pin high, about ten feet left of the hole. The approach even garnered a compliment from a couple of groundskeepers who were working in the area. The birdie attempt slid just past the hole, but a tap-in for par is always good. While I settled down, I still wasn't hitting a lot of greens. Almost all of my tee shots were hooking more than I wanted them to. I don't mind a nice little draw, but when a draw becomes a hook, you've got a problem. So I basically spent the day trying to correct the hook. With each hole, I got a little straighter. I played the ball a little further back in my stance with more of a forward press. I also thought of "finishing down the line," which keeps me from shutting the club face too much. These things all seemed to help.
Overall, it was an enjoyable and productive round. Once again, my score left a lot to be desired, but I wasn't very disappointed since I felt like I made some useful discoveries. As far as the course goes, I'll definitely be back.
Score: 83 (par 56)
Putts: 37
Fairways: 1 (of 2)
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
May 11, 2011
Cruel Introduction to Turtle Creek
I found a pretty good deal for Turtle Creek Golf Club, located in Campbelville, Ontario, so I decided to give it a try. The course opened in 2008, but I had never played it. I read some favourable reviews shortly after it opened, but wasn't interested in playing a short course, which Turtle Creek most definitely is.
The club's website describes it as a 6,000 yard layout. That is stretching the truth considerably. From the back tees, the course measures a mere 5,678 yards. I never understood why courses lie about their length - it only sets new visitors up for disappointment.
Course designers clearly had little land to work with when they put this track together. Everything about it feels cramped. Besides the short holes, the course features narrow fairways and tiny greens. The front nine in particular feels like a mini-putt. A few of the tee boxes are dangerously close to the previous greens. On this day the course was pretty empty, so it wasn't a problem. The back nine is quite a bit better, featuring a surprising amount of water for such a tight property.
I started the round and was uncomfortable right off the bat. Hole #1 is a dog-leg par-5 measuring 468 yards. The problem is that you can't see the landing zone for your tee shot. Someone who has played the course before would know the proper line and distance, but a newcomer is left guessing. I guessed wrong and it set me up badly for the remainder of the hole. I tried a long carry over a pond fronting the green, but hit some rocks on the opposite bank and was forced to take my first of many penalty strokes on the day.
Over the next few holes, I struggled with the postage-stamp sized greens, resulting in a couple of triple-bogeys. Pitching and chipping from the vicinity of the greens, I had trouble just stopping the ball on the putting surface. It was like being short-sided, no matter where the flag was. There simply was never much green to work with. You really need to be a short game wizard to do well. On holes #5 and #6, I started getting used to this and converted a pair of up-and-downs for my only pars of the day.
Things got silly on hole #9, a respectable par-5 at 538 yards. The entire left side of the hole is out of bounds, where I promptly launched two balls off the tee. That's four strokes on my scorecard without even advancing the ball! You just can't expect to score well when stuff like that happens.
I started playing more consistently at this point, recording bogey on seven of the back nine holes. Hole #10 produced a triple-bogey, but I can't really beat myself up over it. In a greenside bunker after my first two shots, I hit a good looking sand shot. Unfortunately, the ball failed to hold the tiny green. My return chip also failed to hold and I was in the bunker once again. Sheesh!
Hole #13, perhaps the signature hole at Turtle Creek, was the other one that gave me problems. A par-5 at 473 yards, golfers must carry a pond with their tee shot to a hill on the other side. Long hitters may reach the crest of the hill, but most will end up with a blind second shot. I popped my tee shot way up, failing to even clear the pond. After adding a penalty stroke, my third shot came up just shy of the crest. My fourth shot was a layup to about the 130-yard zone. The last 130 yards of this hole is a narrow peninsula surrounded on all sides by water. In fact, my layup almost trickled into the water on the left side. I had a terrible lie and my next shot hit a big rock right in front of me. The ball ricocheted backwards and to the middle of the fairway, leaving 160 yards to the green. My sixth shot was an 8-iron
that I pushed into the water on the right side. After another penalty, I hit the green with my eighth shot. After three putts (insult to injury) I carded a score of eleven. Ouch!
Overall, I finished with a disgusting score of 108. I blame part of that on the fact that it was an unfamiliar, tight course. However, there's no denying that I also hit some bad shots. On a positive note, I hit a decent amount of good shots too, so it wasn't a complete loss.
Score: 108
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
Penalties: 7
The club's website describes it as a 6,000 yard layout. That is stretching the truth considerably. From the back tees, the course measures a mere 5,678 yards. I never understood why courses lie about their length - it only sets new visitors up for disappointment.
Course designers clearly had little land to work with when they put this track together. Everything about it feels cramped. Besides the short holes, the course features narrow fairways and tiny greens. The front nine in particular feels like a mini-putt. A few of the tee boxes are dangerously close to the previous greens. On this day the course was pretty empty, so it wasn't a problem. The back nine is quite a bit better, featuring a surprising amount of water for such a tight property.
I started the round and was uncomfortable right off the bat. Hole #1 is a dog-leg par-5 measuring 468 yards. The problem is that you can't see the landing zone for your tee shot. Someone who has played the course before would know the proper line and distance, but a newcomer is left guessing. I guessed wrong and it set me up badly for the remainder of the hole. I tried a long carry over a pond fronting the green, but hit some rocks on the opposite bank and was forced to take my first of many penalty strokes on the day.
Over the next few holes, I struggled with the postage-stamp sized greens, resulting in a couple of triple-bogeys. Pitching and chipping from the vicinity of the greens, I had trouble just stopping the ball on the putting surface. It was like being short-sided, no matter where the flag was. There simply was never much green to work with. You really need to be a short game wizard to do well. On holes #5 and #6, I started getting used to this and converted a pair of up-and-downs for my only pars of the day.
Things got silly on hole #9, a respectable par-5 at 538 yards. The entire left side of the hole is out of bounds, where I promptly launched two balls off the tee. That's four strokes on my scorecard without even advancing the ball! You just can't expect to score well when stuff like that happens.
I started playing more consistently at this point, recording bogey on seven of the back nine holes. Hole #10 produced a triple-bogey, but I can't really beat myself up over it. In a greenside bunker after my first two shots, I hit a good looking sand shot. Unfortunately, the ball failed to hold the tiny green. My return chip also failed to hold and I was in the bunker once again. Sheesh!
Hole #13, perhaps the signature hole at Turtle Creek, was the other one that gave me problems. A par-5 at 473 yards, golfers must carry a pond with their tee shot to a hill on the other side. Long hitters may reach the crest of the hill, but most will end up with a blind second shot. I popped my tee shot way up, failing to even clear the pond. After adding a penalty stroke, my third shot came up just shy of the crest. My fourth shot was a layup to about the 130-yard zone. The last 130 yards of this hole is a narrow peninsula surrounded on all sides by water. In fact, my layup almost trickled into the water on the left side. I had a terrible lie and my next shot hit a big rock right in front of me. The ball ricocheted backwards and to the middle of the fairway, leaving 160 yards to the green. My sixth shot was an 8-iron
that I pushed into the water on the right side. After another penalty, I hit the green with my eighth shot. After three putts (insult to injury) I carded a score of eleven. Ouch!
Overall, I finished with a disgusting score of 108. I blame part of that on the fact that it was an unfamiliar, tight course. However, there's no denying that I also hit some bad shots. On a positive note, I hit a decent amount of good shots too, so it wasn't a complete loss.
Score: 108
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
Penalties: 7
May 08, 2011
Old Ways at King's Forest
I played my second round of the season on a sunny day at King's Forest Golf Club in Hamilton. The course was in decent shape, albeit a bit damp from all of the rain we got in April. The greens were punched, though not bad for this time of year. My biggest problem was the fact that, owing to the weather, I hadn't played in almost four weeks! So it was like starting the season all over again. This was just my second visit to King's Forest, the first coming a few years ago when I managed to pull off a victory in a Duffer's Dream event.
I shot 52 on the front nine, followed by 51 on the back. As the scores suggest, both nines were almost identical. In both cases, I put together six good holes along with three disastrous ones.
On the very first hole, I hit a good drive to the right centre of the fairway. My approach shot came out low and skidded just off the back of the green, with a front pin placement. I made a nice chip, giving myself a chance at par. However, I missed the 8-footer and settled for bogey.
On the second hole, a decent drive put me into the rough, about two yards left of the fairway. The branches of a large tree were impeding my approach, forcing a low punch shot. I made great contact, but smacked the trunk of the tree, ricocheting back into the fairway. Bad luck. I hit the next one onto the green, but a bad lag lead to a 3-putt and double-bogey.
The third hole is where things started going badly. I hit a great drive right down the pipe. It was actually too good, as I rolled through the end of the fairway. I was left with a 90-yard approach over a river to the green. My lie was not great, as the grass was sparse and the ground muddy. Using a 60-degree wedge, I hit my next shot fat and of course landed in the river. After a penalty stroke I reached the green, but proceeded to 3-putt for triple-bogey.
The fourth hole was even worse. Teeing off with a pond directly in front, I hit the ball off the heel and landed in the water. After re-teeing, I hit a good one to the left edge of the fairway. The next two shots were very disappointing. I topped the ball twice with the 3-wood. I hit my woods very well in the season opener, so it was painful to struggle with them, as I had throughout the entire 2010 season. I finished the hole with a quadruple-bogey. Ouch!
The woes continued on hole #5, the first par-3 of the day. I pulled my tee shot left, as I did on most of the par-3 holes in my previous round. This was despite the fact that I reminded myself the shot was no different than an approach from a fairway. Obviously, the reminder didn't work. I found myself behind a couple small trees left of the green and had a heck of a time recovering. The hole ended with another triple-bogey.
After this, I settled down and played well for the remaining holes on the front nine. I made par on hole #6, a par-5, followed by three consecutive bogeys. The bogey on hole #7 was a bit disappointing because I 3-putt after finally hitting a par-3 green in regulation.
The back nine began with brilliant pars on holes #10 and #11, both of which are of the par-4 variety. The par on hole #10 was close to textbook, while that on #11 was much more of a scramble. A sloping fairway on #10 carried my ball about one yard into the rough. From there I hit an iron pin-high but a couple yards left of the green. I was short sided, so the chip was tricky. I was left with a 5-footer for par, which I drained.
From a severely elevated tee on hole #11, I pulled the ball into some pine trees. Luckily, the trees were fairly sparse and I had a good lie. I punched a low shot toward the green, judging it perfectly as the ball came to rest in the centre of the putting surface. I faced a long lag putt, but it worked out perfectly, leaving an easy tap-in.
After the great start to the back nine, I felt like I could salvage a respectable score. Unfortunately, holes #12 and #13 killed me, as I played them 8 over par collectively. Hole #12 is a tight par-4, with thick forest lining both sides of the fairway from tee to green. I was in the forest twice and was forced to chip out sideways just to get the ball back in play. You could say I Kevin Na'd the hole. OK, it wasn't that bad.
Hole #13 is the number two handicap on the course, so it is fairly challenging. I pulled my tee shot badly, resulting in a lost ball. When I got a new ball in play, I was forced to lay up in front of the river that crosses the fairway 150 yards in front of the green. After reaching the green, a well judged putt lipped out, adding insult to injury.
The rest of the round was played fairly well, but the damage had already been done. I finished with a score of 103, which I can not emphasize enough, is truly brutal. I should never be at or over 100, period. Even a miserable round should end up in the nineties.
I will have to lick my wounds and try again. It won't be the first time.
Score: 103
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
I shot 52 on the front nine, followed by 51 on the back. As the scores suggest, both nines were almost identical. In both cases, I put together six good holes along with three disastrous ones.
On the very first hole, I hit a good drive to the right centre of the fairway. My approach shot came out low and skidded just off the back of the green, with a front pin placement. I made a nice chip, giving myself a chance at par. However, I missed the 8-footer and settled for bogey.
On the second hole, a decent drive put me into the rough, about two yards left of the fairway. The branches of a large tree were impeding my approach, forcing a low punch shot. I made great contact, but smacked the trunk of the tree, ricocheting back into the fairway. Bad luck. I hit the next one onto the green, but a bad lag lead to a 3-putt and double-bogey.
The third hole is where things started going badly. I hit a great drive right down the pipe. It was actually too good, as I rolled through the end of the fairway. I was left with a 90-yard approach over a river to the green. My lie was not great, as the grass was sparse and the ground muddy. Using a 60-degree wedge, I hit my next shot fat and of course landed in the river. After a penalty stroke I reached the green, but proceeded to 3-putt for triple-bogey.
The fourth hole was even worse. Teeing off with a pond directly in front, I hit the ball off the heel and landed in the water. After re-teeing, I hit a good one to the left edge of the fairway. The next two shots were very disappointing. I topped the ball twice with the 3-wood. I hit my woods very well in the season opener, so it was painful to struggle with them, as I had throughout the entire 2010 season. I finished the hole with a quadruple-bogey. Ouch!
The woes continued on hole #5, the first par-3 of the day. I pulled my tee shot left, as I did on most of the par-3 holes in my previous round. This was despite the fact that I reminded myself the shot was no different than an approach from a fairway. Obviously, the reminder didn't work. I found myself behind a couple small trees left of the green and had a heck of a time recovering. The hole ended with another triple-bogey.
After this, I settled down and played well for the remaining holes on the front nine. I made par on hole #6, a par-5, followed by three consecutive bogeys. The bogey on hole #7 was a bit disappointing because I 3-putt after finally hitting a par-3 green in regulation.
The back nine began with brilliant pars on holes #10 and #11, both of which are of the par-4 variety. The par on hole #10 was close to textbook, while that on #11 was much more of a scramble. A sloping fairway on #10 carried my ball about one yard into the rough. From there I hit an iron pin-high but a couple yards left of the green. I was short sided, so the chip was tricky. I was left with a 5-footer for par, which I drained.
From a severely elevated tee on hole #11, I pulled the ball into some pine trees. Luckily, the trees were fairly sparse and I had a good lie. I punched a low shot toward the green, judging it perfectly as the ball came to rest in the centre of the putting surface. I faced a long lag putt, but it worked out perfectly, leaving an easy tap-in.
After the great start to the back nine, I felt like I could salvage a respectable score. Unfortunately, holes #12 and #13 killed me, as I played them 8 over par collectively. Hole #12 is a tight par-4, with thick forest lining both sides of the fairway from tee to green. I was in the forest twice and was forced to chip out sideways just to get the ball back in play. You could say I Kevin Na'd the hole. OK, it wasn't that bad.
Hole #13 is the number two handicap on the course, so it is fairly challenging. I pulled my tee shot badly, resulting in a lost ball. When I got a new ball in play, I was forced to lay up in front of the river that crosses the fairway 150 yards in front of the green. After reaching the green, a well judged putt lipped out, adding insult to injury.
The rest of the round was played fairly well, but the damage had already been done. I finished with a score of 103, which I can not emphasize enough, is truly brutal. I should never be at or over 100, period. Even a miserable round should end up in the nineties.
I will have to lick my wounds and try again. It won't be the first time.
Score: 103
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
Season Opener at Woodington Lake
Here we go again. My 2011 golf season got under way with a round at Woodington Lake Golf Club on Saturday during the Masters. Considering it was early April, the weather was remarkably good, as was the condition of the Legend course. After a winter of simulator golf, I was ready for the real thing. There were both positives and negatives concerning my play, so let's break it down, starting with the negatives.
Driving. My golf swing has always been less than ideal. I have a tendency to take the club up very steeply during my backswing. This takes the club off plane, forcing me to come back to plane during the downstroke if I am to hit the ball squarely. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Since the driver is the longest club in the bag, it is the hardest to control in this fashion. I shortened my backstroke in an effort to stay on plane, but this being somewhat foreign to me, I mis-hit many shots off the tee. Usually, I caught the ball on the heel of the club, sending it dribbling a few yards forward and to the left.
Par 3 holes. Apart from four triple-bogeys, my scorecard actually looked quite good. Of course, one can always say that. In golf, we simply don't have the luxury of dropping three or four of our worst holes. The thing is, three of those four triples came on par-3 holes. In each case, I pulled my tee shot well left of target. I have experienced this before and believe the problem is psychological. There is something about par-3 holes that feels so tantalizing. The green is right there in front of you and you can tee the ball up from level ground. In that situation, it's easy to get overly pumped up about the upcoming shot. Next time, I will try to think of those shots as no different than a par-4 approach from the fairway. We'll see if that helps.
Putting. My putting was more of a mixed bag than it was a negative. The fact is that I had four 3-putts over the course of the round. This was offset by five 1-putts, but that is little consolation. One cannot have any 3-putts in a round if one is to score well. Sometimes you find yourself in legitimate 3-putt territory, but that wasn't the case this time around. I need to buckle down and hit every lag putt close.
And now for the positives.
Fairway woods. What? Can it truly be possible? Last year, I could not hit a fairway wood well enough to save my life! In prior years, I had much confidence with the woods, whether off the tee or off the deck. For some reason, this disappeared entirely in 2010. The upside is that my long irons got better, but I became much less versatile. Thankfully, the woods were working well in this year's debut. Whenever I messed up a drive, my fairway woods came to the rescue on the very next shot. It was a great feeling.
Irons. Apart from the tee shots on par-3 holes, my irons were feeling very good. On hole #1, a tough opener, I hit a solid 6-iron from the fairway that trickled off the back of the green. On hole #5, I hit a wonderful 7-iron from the rough that found the centre of the green. The same club helped me find green #9, while the 3-iron helped me recover after a weak drive on hole #10. Overall, I just felt good about my irons.
Mental composure. Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much out of the season opener, I remained composed even when things were going poorly. The greatest example came on the last hole of the round. A triple-bogey and double-bogey respectively on holes #16 and #17 left me with a score of 93 going into the finishing hole, a par-4 that has ruined many a round for players at Woodington Lake. Any sort of penalty on this hole and I knew I would surpass the century mark. I began by nailing the centre of the fairway with my drive, a rare occurrence on this day. Next, I hit an easy 8-iron to a flat area 50 yards short of the green. This was critical because challenging the green meant a very long iron shot to a putting surface surrounded on three sides by water. In other words, a sure penalty stroke. Disaster struck when my pitch shot came up five yards short of the green, but I followed up with a good chip and putt for bogey. Game management was key.
Score: 98
Putts: 35
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
Driving. My golf swing has always been less than ideal. I have a tendency to take the club up very steeply during my backswing. This takes the club off plane, forcing me to come back to plane during the downstroke if I am to hit the ball squarely. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Since the driver is the longest club in the bag, it is the hardest to control in this fashion. I shortened my backstroke in an effort to stay on plane, but this being somewhat foreign to me, I mis-hit many shots off the tee. Usually, I caught the ball on the heel of the club, sending it dribbling a few yards forward and to the left.
Par 3 holes. Apart from four triple-bogeys, my scorecard actually looked quite good. Of course, one can always say that. In golf, we simply don't have the luxury of dropping three or four of our worst holes. The thing is, three of those four triples came on par-3 holes. In each case, I pulled my tee shot well left of target. I have experienced this before and believe the problem is psychological. There is something about par-3 holes that feels so tantalizing. The green is right there in front of you and you can tee the ball up from level ground. In that situation, it's easy to get overly pumped up about the upcoming shot. Next time, I will try to think of those shots as no different than a par-4 approach from the fairway. We'll see if that helps.
Putting. My putting was more of a mixed bag than it was a negative. The fact is that I had four 3-putts over the course of the round. This was offset by five 1-putts, but that is little consolation. One cannot have any 3-putts in a round if one is to score well. Sometimes you find yourself in legitimate 3-putt territory, but that wasn't the case this time around. I need to buckle down and hit every lag putt close.
And now for the positives.
Fairway woods. What? Can it truly be possible? Last year, I could not hit a fairway wood well enough to save my life! In prior years, I had much confidence with the woods, whether off the tee or off the deck. For some reason, this disappeared entirely in 2010. The upside is that my long irons got better, but I became much less versatile. Thankfully, the woods were working well in this year's debut. Whenever I messed up a drive, my fairway woods came to the rescue on the very next shot. It was a great feeling.
Irons. Apart from the tee shots on par-3 holes, my irons were feeling very good. On hole #1, a tough opener, I hit a solid 6-iron from the fairway that trickled off the back of the green. On hole #5, I hit a wonderful 7-iron from the rough that found the centre of the green. The same club helped me find green #9, while the 3-iron helped me recover after a weak drive on hole #10. Overall, I just felt good about my irons.
Mental composure. Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much out of the season opener, I remained composed even when things were going poorly. The greatest example came on the last hole of the round. A triple-bogey and double-bogey respectively on holes #16 and #17 left me with a score of 93 going into the finishing hole, a par-4 that has ruined many a round for players at Woodington Lake. Any sort of penalty on this hole and I knew I would surpass the century mark. I began by nailing the centre of the fairway with my drive, a rare occurrence on this day. Next, I hit an easy 8-iron to a flat area 50 yards short of the green. This was critical because challenging the green meant a very long iron shot to a putting surface surrounded on three sides by water. In other words, a sure penalty stroke. Disaster struck when my pitch shot came up five yards short of the green, but I followed up with a good chip and putt for bogey. Game management was key.
Score: 98
Putts: 35
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
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