Anticipating the next event of the Deepwoods championship, which will be played at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club, I invited a friend to join me in something of a practice round at the Fenwick, Ontario course.
Prior to the round, I had an opportunity to work on some things at the driving range. I began with my irons, working my way from pitching wedge to 3-iron. For most of the season, I have been hooking my irons. This time, I was pleased to see the ball travel consistently in a straight line. I concentrated on ball position relative to my stance. I also focused on club face angle, both at address and at impact. I find opening the face at address by a couple of degrees helps me keep it square at impact. My 4-iron and 3-iron were especially strong. It's funny because low irons were a nemesis of mine years ago. Today, they're my favourite irons to hit.
While my irons were working like a charm on the range, the same could not be said of my driving. I was searching for some consistency and just couldn't find it. For most of the year, I have been pulling my drives low and straight off the tee. On this occasion, I was hitting a lot of high, weak fades. I tried various adjustments, but was frankly at a loss for a solution. I wrapped up the practice session and set out to try my luck on the course.
Opening on the Quarry nine, I began with a trio of bogeys. A lovely approach with the 4-iron saved me on the first hole after I topped my second from a bad lie in the rough. On the third hole, I played a 3-iron off the tee, followed by another to the edge of the green. The long irons were certainly working well for me. The next few holes brought a few double-bogeys, for various reasons. On one hole, I accidentally picked a ball clean out of a greenside bunker. On another, I registered a dreaded 3-putt. On yet another, I topped my second shot from the rough. I finished the front nine with a score of 49, but felt pretty good about my game nevertheless.
Moving to the Orchard nine, my game continued in much the same fashion. Just as on the practice range, I was driving the ball poorly, but making up for it with nice long irons. The best example was hole #4, a par-5 measuring 532 yards. I hooked my drive terribly off the tee. Luckily, I caught the ball on the heel of the club, so it didn't travel far. Next, I hit a beautiful 5-iron out of the rough, sending the ball deep to the right side of the fairway. With 200 yards still remaining to the green, I hit a perfect 3-iron flag high and left of the pin. Par was the final result. The only real blemish on the back nine came on a couple of par-3 holes, where I needlessly found a couple of water hazards.
When it was all said and done, my final score was 96. While not great, that's the best score I've posted this year, so I can't complain. More importantly, it was a great day and I had a good time.
Score: 96
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
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