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
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