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
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