2012: Year in Review

I woke up this morning and looked out the window to find that the rooftops nearby were lightly dusted with snow. That's a sure sign that golf season is finished here in southern Ontario, so let's take a look back at the year that was.

In many ways, the season transpired like the one that preceded it. I played a total of 30 golf rounds, compared to 31 the year before. The rounds this year took place over 30 separate outings, while last year's total took place over just 27 outings. That's because I played 36 holes on two occasions last year, plus a remarkable 54 holes on another. Those particular outings came on “all you can play” days at Westview Golf Club, which I failed to play even once this year. Whether you look at rounds played or at outings, I've played much less over the past two years than I did from 2006-2010. During that time, I averaged 47 rounds per year. The reduced playing time is perhaps the main reason my skill level has dropped significantly.

Once again, I did not play much competitive golf this season. Years past included stints on various tours, including the GTA Amateur Tour, but there was none of that this season. For the second year in a row, the only competitive golf I played was with the Deepwoods Golf Association. My second best score of the year (94) came in the Deepwoods opener at Copetown Woods, but in reality, this was one of the most disappointing rounds of the season. That's because I was on pace to challenge my personal best of 81, but collapsed in epic fashion late in the round. To put it in perspective, consider this: I was just 5 over par through 14 holes, then went 17 over on the last four holes! I had a decent score of 95 in Round Two at Peninsula Lakes, but my point total with the modified Stableford system was nothing special. I struggled over the final three rounds, registering scores of 103, 103, and 102. When all was said and done, I finished the season in the middle of the pack, well behind the leaders.

As I try to do every year, I managed to find a couple of new courses to play in 2012. In June, I visited Victoria Park East for the first time, and was happy to finish below the century mark with a score of 99. I enjoyed the course enough to return in August, when I registered my best score of the season (93). I also broke the century mark on my debut visit to Tarandowah, scoring 98 despite a terrible start. The course was fine, but in retrospect probably not worth the lengthy drive to get there.

I didn't play any other new courses, but did return to a few that I had played sparingly in the past. In March, I returned to Tangle Creek for my second ever visit after a 6-year hiatus. I had a pretty good round for that early in the season, but there were just enough mistakes that led to a score of 100 even. I returned to Tangle Creek later in the season and fared better with a score of 95. My second ever visit to Royal Ashburn, albeit just a year after my debut, also produced a score of 100. Other courses that hosted my second ever visit in 2012 were Horseshoe Resort (Highlands Course), Bond Head (South Course), and Turnberry. The result at Bond Head (115) was easily my worst of the season. Wind on the front nine absolutely ate me up, as did the much-contoured greens. I played well on the back nine, but it was too little, too late.

The course I played most in 2012 was King's Forest, with a total of three visits. The second of these was the most successful (97), while the remaining results left something to be desired (102, 104). Like a lot of my rounds, I had long stretches of good golf, but a few blowup holes destroyed my scores. Nevertheless, King's Forest was always enjoyable, as I quite like the routing, layout and overall design. The courses that I played twice this year were: Century Pines, Tangle Creek, Granite Ridge, Lowville, Victoria Park East, Hidden Lake (Old Course), and The Highlands.

In terms of performance, my game slipped even further than it did last year. My handicap factor shot up from 17.4 at the start of the season all the way to 22.2 by the end. What a huge disappointment! Golf is a struggle to improve, so you never want to give up ground that you worked so hard to attain. At one time, my handicap factor was as low as 15.7, so I've given up quite a bit of ground indeed.

My average score this year (not counting the final round at Turnberry) was 101.4 – in other words, pretty pathetic. Of 29 rounds played (again, not counting Turnberry), just 11 (or 37.9%) were below the century mark. For me, anything below 100 is adequate, while anything at or above that level just doesn't cut it. I scored 100 even on three occasions, but even if I were to consider those rounds satisfactory, I was adequate just 48.3% of the time.

Delving further into my stats, I averaged 35.3 putts per round. I hit 30.8% of fairways and 15.9% of greens in regulation. I also averaged 3.8 penalty strokes per round. The putting numbers are not at all surprising. In a typical round, I have a large number of 2-putts, accompanied by as many 3-putts as there are 1-putts. Some of the 3-putts are not terrible – for example, when I reach a green in regulation, but have 100 feet remaining to the cup and finish with a bogey. The real problem is that some of those 2-putts should be 1-putts. Typically, these come after mediocre or poor chip shots. I really have to improve my chipping so that I get up-and-down a lot more often.

The percentage of fairways hit doesn't concern me so much. Often times, I hit a good drive that is just a yard or two into the rough. Those fairways are officially missed, but with most rough that I play, those drives are just as good as a fairway hit. What concerns me more is the low percentage of greens in regulation. All season long, I made inadequate approach shots into greens. Many of these came from the fairway, or from tame rough, with an unobstructed path to the target. Distance is not even the issue. I missed so many greens from 50-150 yards away that it's not even funny. How I manage to miss a green with a wedge in my hands is beyond me. Sometimes, I hook the ball slightly. Other times, I duff the ball completely, hitting a very fat shot that dribbles a few yards ahead. Those are wasted shots!

At this stage in my golf career, I really have to address the fundamental flaws with my swing. For a while, I improved merely by managing my game better. However, this will only take you so far. You could make all the right decisions, but if your swing is fundamentally flawed, you're not going to score well. The problem with my swing is that it varies so much. If I'm swinging over the top, or with an outside-in swing path, I can pretty easily make an adjustment. Unfortunately, I usually over-do the correction. Soon after addressing an outside-in move, I will find myself coming too far from the inside. Thus, I find myself oscillating back and forth wildly. Sometimes, I find something that seems to help with a particular shot. It may be shortening my backswing, weakening my grip, hinging more at the wrists, or focusing on my weight shift. Whatever it is, it lasts for a certain amount of time, before a new problem seems to emerge. Often, the very adjustment that previously helped is now the culprit, because I've gradually taken it too far. Without practice, it's hard to be consistent.

I'm not giving up – that's never been in my makeup – but the truth is, my golf game faces a  serious challenge right now. I have to take the disappointments of this year and use them as fuel for next season. I am going to work on fundamentals over the winter and come back strong next spring. My immediate goal is to start shooting in the eighties once again and to never shoot 100 or more again...EVER!

Turnberry Treat

The treat, in this case, was simply the fact that I was able to get out and play some golf. It was just a day after my last round at Hidden Lake, but days like this are rare for late November. The venue was Turnberry, a par-3 course that I played once before. I prefer to play a full-length course, but the round was booked at the last minute and choices were slim. I thought quite highly of Turnberry after my first visit, but this time around, I found it merely satisfactory. I guess some of the novelty has worn off.

Turnberry begins and ends with par-4 holes, both of which are quite challenging. I like courses that ease you into things with a couple of easier holes, so I found the opener pretty stiff. I pulled my drive way left, into a fescue-covered dune. I recovered well to get back to the fairway, but then mis-hit a 4-iron into the fescue once again. It took five shots to reach the green and I 2-putt for a triple-bogey.

I closed out the opening nine averaging bogey golf. In addition to six bogeys, I registered one double-bogey and a par. This being a par-3 course, it's all about hitting greens. I hit very few of them – just one in fact. That came on hole #4, a straightaway affair measuring just 103 yards. I duffed the tee shot on an even shorter hole, but most of the time, I simply had a little too much draw to my iron shots. This usually put me left of the green trying to get up and down for a par.

I made a couple of nice chip shots, including one that helped save bogey on hole #3, but the rest were just mediocre. As a result, I had a lot of 2-putts for bogey. My best chip shot may have been on hole #9, a good distance from the flag. I landed softly on the green, allowing the ball to release slightly. It caught a slope at the perfect pace and settled very near the cup. Unfortunately, I missed the par putt from inside three feet.

Things started poorly on the back nine, when I missed two putts from within 3 feet on hole #10. A nice chip left me in good position to earn par, but the miscues with the flat stick turned that into a double-bogey. Putting woes also cost me on hole #13, which measures just 125 yards. On the green in two, I proceeded to 4-putt for a disastrous triple-bogey. Now, this particular green is rather extreme, featuring a very deep gulley that crosses through the middle. On this occasion, the cup happened to be located right in the gulley, at the extreme left. Still, I should not have had so much trouble.

The rest of the way, I was pressing to earn some of these lost strokes back. The fescue left of the green barely snagged my ball on hole #14, but that was enough to produce a double-bogey. I had a decent chance to save bogey, but my putt burned the edge of the cup. I made par on hole #15, thanks to an excellent 7-iron off the tee. With the flag at the back of the green and a solid wind in my face, club selection was paramount. It ended up being the only green I hit in regulation on the back nine.

With holes running out, I pressed a little too much and finished with a pair of double-bogeys. Overall, I felt like my irons were a little suspect, but I was hanging in nicely. My chip shots were mostly good, but the exceptions were costly. Finally, I felt like my putting let me down. I only made one putt of significant length, while I missed three or four that should have been gimmes.

Score: 80
Putts: 39
Fairways: 1 (out of 2)
Greens: 2
Penalties: 0

Close, But No Cigar at Hidden Lake

We were gifted with a couple of warmer than usual days and clear skies, so I jumped on the chance to play some golf. I returned to the Old Course at Hidden Lake, where a late-round collapse ruined a previous visit earlier this year. My tee time was a little earlier than ideal, which meant the first hole was played before all the fog had lifted. Once it was gone, the rest of the round was played under ideal conditions.

Beginning on the back nine, I struggled to a double-bogey on hole #10. It had been a long time since I hit any balls, so I needed a few strokes to get loose and regain the proper feel. By hole #11, I was feeling better and started with a 280-yard bomb off the tee. I was a yard into the right rough, but it was fairly tame and my path to the flag was unobstructed. I missed the green from 100 yards, finishing with  a chip and two putts for bogey.

Hole #12, a par-4, demonstrates how strokes can quickly add up to ruin a score. I hit my drive a fair distance and about a yard into the left rough. I had some trees to my left, but I could go straight at the flag. Unfortunately, I pushed a shot with the pitching wedge, coming dangerously close to out of bounds. I had one of those brutal lies, where the ball is lying in a tangled mess of weeds, twigs, grass, etc. I barely hacked it out, then failed to clear a bunker between me and the green. It ultimately took five strokes to get on the putting surface, leading to a triple-bogey.

The next four holes were fabulous. I pounded a straight, 260-yard drive on hole #13, but failed to hit the green on this par-4 from just 90 yards away. My chip was not that great either, leading to two putts and a bogey. On hole #14, a par-3 perched on the side of a hill, I hit a sweet 9-iron off the tee. I hit it so pure, that I actually carried the green by about five yards. No worries, as I made a beautiful chip and solid putt for the up-and-down par. On hole #15, a par-5, I started out with a good drive to the right fairway, followed by a 3-iron that left me just 50 yards from the flag. I made a good pitch, followed by two putts for another par. Hole #16 also produced par, though it was more of a scramble. My drive was pulled left of target. I punched a 5-iron under some tree branches toward the green, but my ball skidded about 5 yards off the back. My chip was good, but with the green falling away from me, my ball ended up quite a distance from the cup. No worries, as I drained the long, uphill putt.

Hole #17, a par-4 perched at the top of the hill overlooking Lake Medad, was the one that killed me. It all started with the position of the tee blocks. I was playing the blue tees, which on this day were set up at the extreme left of a chute through which your tee shot must travel. The trees on the left side were incredibly close, just a few yards ahead of the teeing area. Starting the ball right is scary, because the fairway slopes to the right, where a massive waste bunker catches many balls. I tried to hit one straight, but pulled it directly into the trees on the left. I found my ball under a spruce tree. It was all I could do to hack it out to an opening that was covered in weeds. From there, all I could do was chip out to a small flat area in front of the forward tees. With a bad lie and a small target, I carried the ball about two yards too far. It ended up under a log. I was forced to declare the ball unplayable and took a drop a few yards behind that location. I was lying four and was still on the forward teeing ground. A pair of shaky iron shots put me right of the green. Next, I duffed a pitch, failed to carry a bunker, then splashed out to reach the green. Two putts ended the misery with a score of eleven.

To my credit, I regrouped quickly. I made a great chip shot and putt for an up-and-down par on hole #18. On hole #1, I hit another 280-yard drive straight down the middle. Disturbingly, I once again failed to hit the green from just 80 yards. The penalty wasn't too severe, as I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Another up-and-down salvaged bogey on hole #2, a short par-3. I found the green in regulation on hole #3, but a 3-putt led to another bogey. The green was covered in sand, which made reading the speed of putts very difficult. I also hit the green on hole #4, a medium length par-3. This time, I read the putts well, earning a par.

Triple-bogey was the result on hole #5, and I really deserved better. This is a par-5 measuring 498 yards. I hit a perfect drive on this dog-leg left, skirting the trees on the inside of the dog-leg to end up in the middle of the fairway, just 210 yards from the green. Next, I hit a pretty good 3-iron, but it found a bunker short and right of the green. It was a fairly long bunker shot, but the problem was that I inadvertently picked the ball clean, sending it 50 yards or more past the green. The area is covered in fescue, so the ball was lost. After a penalty, my next attempt from the bunker was better, ending up just left of the green. I was pretty far from the flag, so it took another chip and two putts to finish things up. Really, one bad bunker shot turned a potential birdie into a triple!

I played bogey golf the rest of the way, including a fabulous up-and-down from 50 yards away on hole #8, a long par-3. I finished with a score of 95, which is okay, but if not for the fiasco on hole #17, this would have been a round of 90. Still, I was pleased to register six pars on the day.

Score: 95
Putts: 33
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2

Last Hurrah at King's Forest

My last two rounds of golf were quite satisfactory, so with the weather getting too cold to play, I was content to let the season end on something of a high note. However, an uncharacteristically warm day proved to be too tempting. I snagged a perfect tee time at King's Forest – a course I've come to like quite a bit over the past couple of years.

For the first seven holes, it looked like a smart decision. I collected two pars and five bogeys primarily by staying out of trouble. I hit a good drive on hole #1 and a rocket on hole #2, leaving just 100 yards to the flag from the middle of the fairway. A 3-iron off the tee on the short hole #3 was hit off centre, but I was still in the middle of the fairway, 160 yards from the flag. The driver served me well on hole #4, a par-5, while the 3-iron came around with a pretty good tee shot on hole #5, a long par-3.

I played safely, not only from the tee, but also on approach shots. I took a cluster of trees fronting the right side of the first green out of play by laying up to the left, 30 yards short. I avoided woods that pinch the left side of the sixth fairway by taking quite a bit off my swing and aiming right. When I needed a chip shot, I focused simply on making the greens. This avoided any duffs or sculled shots. My putting was solid, as I 2-putt all holes, except for one that required three strokes from distance after hitting the green in regulation.

The turning point came on the tee of hole #8. This is not a difficult hole, a straightaway par-4 measuring just 358 yards. I opted for driver and topped the ball badly, dribbling into the bush just below the slightly elevated tee. I was forced to take a penalty and hit my third off the tee once again. I smacked a beautiful drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving 100 yards to the flag. I was proud of myself for following up a terrible shot with a great one. The feeling didn't last long, however, as I completely duffed my next two shots. With my sixth shot, I finally reached the green, then 2-putt for a momentum shattering score of eight.

Though I felt like I put the hole behind me immediately, I hit a badly pulled drive off the very next tee. A sideways chip to the fairway was followed by a weak approach that came up short. After a medium length pitch shot, I 3-putt for a triple-bogey. Through seven holes, my score was a very nice 33. After just two more holes, I was at 48. Ugh!

Still, I was comfortably on pace to break 100, so I pressed on. I made bogey on hole #10 before entering the hardest stretch of the course. Holes #11 through #13 didn't destroy me completely (that would happen on the very tame hole #14), but they definitely put a chink in my armour. On #11, I flared my first tee shot right, but less so than one of my playing partners. The area was full of leaves and while I managed to find my partner's ball, I did not find my own. Typical. I was forced to continue with the provisional I had played earlier, and finished the hole with a triple-bogey as a result.

I mis-hit a 3-iron off the tee on hole #12, but it put me in a position to hit a 9-iron, gap wedge to about a yard or two off the back left of the green. A chip and 2-putt produced a double-bogey. A perfect 4-iron off the tee on hole #13 was followed by an 8-iron to a greenside bunker. I hit the sand shot way too thin and sailed 30 yards past the green into the weeds. Next, I hit an amazing shot to make the green. I 2-putt for another double-bogey.

I was hanging in there, but the next hole was my undoing. A poor pitching wedge shot on this short par-3 left me between two large tree trunks left of the green. Going straight at the flag meant flying over a bunker, and I had no backswing on that line. I made a good decision to aim away from the flag, avoiding the bunker altogether, just looking for a piece of the green. Unfortunately, I mis-hit the ball completely and it ended up – you guessed it – in the bunker. Sheesh! The worst part was that this bunker looked like it had been hit by mortar fire. There were massive footprints all over that had not been raked. Of course, my ball was right in one. I took three shots to get out of that bunker and two of them were from giant holes. For patrons to leave the bunker in that condition is absolutely inconsiderate and unacceptable. I ended up with a quadruple-bogey and was psychologically done for the day.

I closed out the round with four consecutive double-bogeys, as I was no longer focused and knew that breaking 100 was unlikely. It's a shame because the round began with such promise. So, instead of ending the season feeling good about a couple of rounds, I ended it with another disappointment. Sigh.

Score: 104
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2

Tangling with Tangle Creek

Wow, my last post was long. What a bore! I'll keep it shorter this time.

The long term weather forecast was bleak, calling for steady rain and cold temperatures. There was one exception, a sunny and remarkably warm Thursday, so I had to take advantage of it. I found a good deal at Tangle Creek Golf Club, so I headed out for what might be my last round of the season.

I began with a great drive to the right fairway of hole #1, followed by a pitching wedge to the centre of the fairway. My lob wedge into the par-5 green drifted right of target, into a bunker. After a good out, I 2-putt for a solid bogey. Given the trouble I've had with bunker shots this season, I felt good.

I pushed an approach shot on hole #2 out of bounds, leading to a triple-bogey, but then settled into a nice groove. I hit the next two greens in regulation, 3-putting the first for a bogey, while navigating the second for par. The first putt on each hole was from distance, so the overall result was good.

Two more pars ensued on the front nine, one coming thanks to a terrific approach shot, followed by a chip and a putt, the other coming in standard fashion on a medium length par-3. A couple of bogeys also made their way to my scorecard. At the turn, I was shooting a solid 45.

I made a mess of hole #10, carding a triple-bogey after playing through the group ahead. There is always a tendency to rush in that situation. On hole #11, a par-4 playing 410 yards, I got my revenge with a sweet 320-yard drive. Sure, there was a helping wind, but I hit that shot so pure it was a thing of beauty! From 90 yards out, I hit a lob wedge close, but burned the edge of the cup on the birdie attempt. Still, par was a good result.

I made a bad decision on hole #13, opting to go for the green with my third shot on this par-5. I was 175 yards out, but there is a hazard crossing right in front of the green, with a steep slope on the opposite side. I thought seriously about laying up to 100 yards or so, but didn't do it. This set off a sequence of events that lead to a quadruple-bogey. I also made a bad decision on the tee of hole #14, hitting driver into a pond on this short par-4.  Chalk that one up to lack of familiarity with the course. The good news is I hit a perfect 6-iron after taking a drop and salvaged bogey.

I held it together for the rest of the round, recovering from some bad shots with some very good ones. I hit some pure irons, nice chips and another good bunker shot. The latter came from a very difficult stance, with one foot inside the bunker and the other outside. While the back nine was not nearly as good as the front nine, I managed things well enough to finish with a satisfying score of 95.

This year, I'll take that!

Score: 95
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6

Lessons of Lowville

Perched on the Niagara Escarpment, Lowville Golf Club offers a nice view of the surrounding countryside, particularly in autumn, when the trees transform into a pretty collection of reds, oranges and yellows. I paid a return visit to the club, hoping not only for pleasant scenery, but also for a solid performance.

Prior to the round, I had been reading various golf articles on the Internet. Specifically, I was looking for advice on preventing blowup holes, like the one that ruined an otherwise decent round recently at Twenty Valley. Most of the articles stressed the importance of game management, or more precisely, the need to play within one's skill level. I've heard this message before and wholeheartedly agree, but nevertheless, I continue to experience blowup holes all too regularly.

One particular article repeated the message, but did so in a way that really struck a chord. The author of the article advised taking a particular shot only if you could convert that shot at least 60 percent of the time. So, for instance, if your approach to the green is impeded by a tree, one option is to play a draw or cut around the offending obstacle. That's fine, so long as you can execute that option successfully at least six times out of ten. If you can't do that, a better option is to chip the ball to an open area and then attack the green on your next shot.

Many times, we attempt the more difficult option because we've “done it before.” Sure, but what is the probability of doing it again? That's what really matters. I would venture to say that it is often much less that 60 percent. Incidentally, the actual percentage isn't that critical. One could argue that one should have 75 percent confidence, or even more. The point is that the odds should be in your favour, otherwise it's a bad decision.

Determined to put this into practice, I teed off on Lowville's opening par-5. Right of the green after three, I made a decent chip and 2-putt for bogey. After missing the fairway right on hole #2, I punched a low one under some tree branches to the front of the green. A great chip and putt earned par. Poor iron play gave me a scare on the par-3 third hole, but I drained a long putt to salvage bogey.

On hole #4, I put into practice another method for avoiding blowup holes: I avoided out of bounds at all cost. OB lines the entire left side of this straightaway par-5. I favoured the right side with my driver, hitting a tree and ricocheting to the right rough. It was not a great shot, but it was better than being OB. In lush rough, I opted for a 7-iron. Adding extra loft was the right call, as I hit a beauty to the centre of the fairway, just 115 yards from the flag. My gap wedge came up short and the ensuing chip was a little too hot, leaving a longer putt than desired. Sure enough, I 3-putt for a double bogey. That can be considered a blowup, but I didn't mind, because I felt like I had made some good decisions.

Hole #5, a par-3, played out in similar fashion, albeit with a better result. Once again, OB lines the entire left side of this hole. I hit a 6-iron well right of the green and quite short, as I contacted the ball off centre. It was not a good shot, but completely safe. I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. The lesson here is that a mediocre shot to a safe location is better than a pretty good shot to a risky location.

Holes #6 through #9 produced four consecutive pars. Yes, you heard correctly. An up and down from a fescue-covered mound right of the sixth green got things rolling. On hole #7, an uphill par-5, I took aim at the extreme left side of the fairway. Once again, OB lurked along the entire right side. The last time I played Lowville, I put two consecutive balls off the tee out of bounds on this hole. There went four strokes, just like that. There was none of that this time. I caught the left centre of the fairway, then hit a 4-iron straight, leaving a 50-yard pitch to the green. Two putts finished the hole.

Hole #8 is a par-3 measuring just 121 yards, but don't let that fool you. Anything hit long drops off a severely sloped hill, covered in fescue. Anything short has a good chance of finding a large bunker. The green is on the small side and angled in a way that makes play around it very delicate. I hit a perfect sand wedge to the back of the green and had a good look at birdie. I rolled an inch right of the hole, leaving a tap-in to finish. Hole #9 is a par-4 that I played in textbook style: hit the fairway, hit the green, and 2-putt.

At the turn, I was shooting 41 and feeling great. However, things began to unravel slowly. I slid my lob wedge right under an approach shot on hole #10, leading to double-bogey. Solid bogeys came next on holes #11 and #12.  On hole #13, a par-3 with OB along the right side, I once again played to the safe side. I missed the green left, but had plenty of green to work with and a good lie. Just as I took my chip, something made noise in the nearby woods. Bad luck, as I sculled the shot. From the opposite fringe, I 3-putt for double-bogey.

The green on hole #14 was under construction and replaced with a temporary green, just 100 yards from the teeing ground. It was pretty lame, but what can you do. I registered a boring bogey. On hole #15, a par-3 with OB left, I bailed out to the right. Can you see the pattern here? This time, I messed up a chip attempt, so I had to settle for double-bogey.

Hole #16 was more disappointing, as I registered a triple-bogey. I hit a perfect drive, leaving 175 yards to this long, uphill par-4. My next shot was the worst of the day. I topped a 5-iron, which sent the ball dribbling to the right, down a steep hillside. With a terrible stance, I pulled one long and left of the green, into a lateral hazard. It was my first penalty of the day and it rattled me.

I sliced a drive on the next hole, but recovered well for bogey. On the tee of hole #18, all I needed was a bogey to shoot 89. Unfortunately, this hole provided no opportunity to do what I had been doing all day – avoiding OB and hazards at all cost. That's because golfers must carry their tee shots over a marshy area that is about 180 yards long, and more than that the further left you go. There is no safe bailout area. I hit two drives very low off the club face, failing to clear the marsh each time. Just like that, I wasted four strokes. I finished the hole with a score of 10 and the round with a score of 94.

I could have broken 90, but in the grand scheme of things, this was still one of my better rounds of this difficult year.

Score: 94
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3

Catastrophic Finish at Twenty Valley

The cold weather is here. I'm writing this one week after my latest round of golf, which was played at Twenty Valley Golf Club in Vineland, Ontario. I wore shorts that day, as the temperature climbed into the low twenties. Now, I fear that may have been my last round of the season. Two days ago, the high was less than 10 degrees Celsius. The forecast for the upcoming week indicates temperatures in the very low teens. I was hoping for a couple more rounds of golf this year; if that's going to happen, I'll need to take advantage of any break in the cold snap.

I played the entire round at Twenty Valley on my own. There was a twosome in front and a twosome behind, but nobody asked to join up and I would just as well play by myself. The round slowed down on the back nine, thanks to a foursome two groups ahead of me. Nevertheless, I finished the round in about three and a half hours. With respect to the course and conditions, it was a pleasant outing.

I started things off on the opening par-5 with a controlled 3-iron, my ball stopping about a yard into the right rough. From there, I hit a pure 8-iron to the centre of the fairway, leaving 130 yards to the green. Once again, I focused on keeping a short backswing, allowing some wrist cock and the unwinding of the club to do the work. I felt confident and my first two swings helped the cause.

Flag-high and just off the green after three, I needed a chip and a putt for par. It shouldn't have been a problem from my position, but I duffed the chip. The ball hit the top of a ridge and rolled away from the hole. I was on the green, but further from the hole than I was before the chip shot. Of course, I then made a 3-putt for double bogey.

The opening hole exemplified most of my round. I drove the ball safely and hit good iron shots, but my chipping was as bad as it's ever been and my putting was suspect. I made par on hole #2, but a 4-putt on hole #3 lead to a triple-bogey. A missed approach from 75 yards, followed by a bad chip, turned a certain par on hole #4 into a double-bogey. A green in regulation on hole #5 was followed by a 3-putt.

The worst of it came on hole #6, a short par-4 featuring a fairway that drops dramatically from an elevated tee, before climbing up steeply to the green. I got away with a bad drive, clipping a tree left of the landing zone. I had an open shot from 115 yards out, but sculled the ball into the hill. Luckily, it came to rest just five yards left of the green. I would have been happy with a chip and two putts, but my first attempt landed on a downslope and rolled across the entire green. My second attempt was once again sculled across the entire green to the fringe. I topped things off with a 3-putt for my second triple-bogey of the day.

With one third of the round, or six holes played, I had already amassed 36 strokes. Sixteen of those were putts! I was striking the ball well, but my short game was non-existent. It was surprising that I managed to break 50 through nine holes, making the turn with a score of 49. I did it with a par on hole #9, a pretty par-3 with an elevated tee and a forced carry over a creek. Breaking the earlier trend, I made a fabulous up and down a good distance away from the green.

On the back nine, my putting got a little better, as did my chipping. Still, I was collecting bogeys and double-bogeys. My driving was good, with the exception of a pulled ball out of bounds on hole #11. My irons were also good, but I could have used more precision on approach shots. My best shot was a 3-iron off the tee on hole #16, a par-3 measuring 200 yards. The flag was at the back of the green, adding about 10 yards to the total distance. I struck a beauty, as the ball hit the front of the green and released to the back fringe. After a good lag, I tapped in for par.

Even with some difficulties, I had a good chance to break 100. I didn't know it at the time, but all I needed was a double bogey on the final hole, a very nice par-5. Unfortunately, I blew up on the hole for a score of 12. It all started with a low drive off the heel of the club that travelled a mere 100 yards. The worst part was that my ball was in the rough and on a severe slope, leaving me with an extreme side hill lie and the ball well above my feet. I had to choke up on my club so much that my hands were off the grip. My first attempt was a shank that sent the ball 80 degrees off line and out of bounds on the other side of the fairway. Penalty stroke, new ball, and try again. The next attempt was on the proper line, but had no distance whatsoever. I advanced the ball 100 yards and faced the same situation. With my next shot, the result was the same. I managed to reach a flat zone of the fairway, but just barely. I had collected five strokes and was still 180 yards from the green. Worse yet, a creek crosses just in front of the green, with a steep rise on the other side. The probability of going in the hazard was high, but I had to go for it in order to break 100. Of course, I went straight into it and that was the end of that. After another penalty stroke, a thinly hit approach, two bad chips and a couple of putts, 12 was the result. So be it.

Too bad, because I hit the ball well for the most part. Short game was the killer.

Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3

Slow Start Ruins Tarandowah Debut

Over its brief history, Tarandowah Golfers Club has managed to collect some interesting accolades. In 2008, it was nominated for Best New Course in Canada by ScoreGolf Magazine. In 2010, the publication heaped further praise on Tarandowah, including the London area course in its list of the Top 100 Golf Courses in Canada.

Intrigued by that kind of endorsement, I have been interested in playing the course for some time. The only thing holding me back was travelling the 170 km required to get there from downtown Toronto. I am willing to travel further than most for some good golf, but this was pushing the limit. Since my game went into a downward spiral this year, I decided I might as well suck it up and venture a little further. If my game wasn't going to improve, at least I would get to experience a new course.

The weather forecast was good and indeed I saw lots of sunshine while driving to and from the course. Then again, when you're in the car that long, I suppose you're bound to see periods of sunshine. While actually on the course, there seemed to be quite a bit of cloud cover, which put a bit of a damper on things. As one would expect on a faux links course, there was a significant amount of wind, but nothing ridiculous.

Overall, I have to say the course let me down a little bit. That may not be fair to the course designers or operators; perhaps my expectations were simply too high. The terrain is relatively flat, with little in the way of topographical interest. Swaths of fescue and little else separate many of the holes. Contrast this with a course like Eagle's Nest, which uses dramatic dunes as well as fescue to define many of its fairways. In terms of visual appeal, Tarandowah was just average. A course like Piper's Heath, also a faux links style, has much greater aesthetics. On a positive note, Tarandowah offers better value than either of those other courses, which in my opinion are ridiculously priced.

My game got off to a terrible start. My tee shot on hole #1 found a fairway bunker alongside hole #2. I struggled to get out, then messed up a pitch shot from 20 yards in front of the green. After a 3-putt, I chalked up a quadruple bogey. It wasn't much better on hole #2, where I registered a triple-bogey. My tee shot found the same bunker I was in earlier and I was forced to play it like a greenside bunker just to clear the high lip. Worse yet, I duffed a chip attempt near the green into another bunker.

I registered two more triples over the rest of the round, but added fourteen fairly well played holes. Most of these produced bogeys, while a couple of double-bogeys were offset by an equal number of pars. I drove the ball reasonably well and hit a lot of good iron shots. In both cases, I focused on keeping a short backswing. This helps me maintain a proper swing plane, which increases accuracy with no real loss of distance.

The bad start is what killed my score; otherwise, I was pretty pleased with my round. On a couple of occasions when mistakes happened, I compounded matters by following up with another mis-hit. On one hole, this came at the hand of some attempted strokes with the 5-wood. The fairway woods continue to be a problem. Over the front nine, the greens also had me fooled. The putting surfaces were faster than they appeared and I only got the speed correct on the back nine.

Score: 98
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2

Like Old Times at Kedron Dells

Kedron Dells is a course that punished me many times in my early days as a golfer. Back then, I played a big slice with my driver, which meant I gave away a lot of distance. My low irons were also weak, so I was at a huge disadvantage on long holes, of which there are plenty at Kedron. By 2009, my game was much stronger, and I finally managed a decent round at the Oshawa area course. Perhaps because I was satisfied with that personal victory, I hadn't returned to Kedron Dells...until now.

Teeing off in the mid afternoon, I began hole #1 with a strong drive to the right side of the fairway, followed by a low stinger to just past the 200 yard marker. From 190 yards out, I failed to recognize how much the ball was above my feet and hit my next shot fat. My next approach attempt from 150 yards was short and left of the green. A pitch shot over a bunker got me safely on the green, but I then 3-putt for a disappointing triple-bogey. I made some god shots along the way, but the result was terrible nevertheless.

The result was also terrible on the next three holes. A duffed 3-iron off the tee started things poorly on hole #2, while another 3-putt ruined hole #3. It didn't matter that some good shots were sprinkled along the way. I collected a quadruple and triple-bogey for my efforts. Hole #4 was playing impossibly long. At 444 yards, this par-4 is lengthy to begin with. A stiff wind made it play even longer. A sculled chip contributed to another triple-bogey.

It wasn't until hole #5, a 195-yard par-3, that I got a decent result. I hit a pure 3-iron just left of the green. My chip rolled well past the hole, so I followed up with a 2-putt for bogey. I also bogeyed hole #6, a par-5, after a nice up and down from 140 yards.

On hole #7, a par-4 measuring 340 yards, I exploded for a score of 13. I didn't even play out the hole properly, as I was holding up a pair of golfers playing behind my group. I pulled a 5-wood off the tee into some trees, then duck-hooked a wild one in the same direction when I re-teed. Every once in a while, I try a fairway wood to see if I can regain some control with them, only to be woefully disappointed.

I finished the front nine with a score of 63. What could I say? I was absolutely toasted over the first four holes. The debacle on hole #7 was just an extra burn to make sure I was done for the day.

I shot a better score of 50 on the back nine, which would have been better if not for a quadruple-bogey on hole #17, the course's signature par-5. Over the back nine, my irons were actually very good, much like they were at Willow Valley. The short backswing and a bit of wrist cock let the club do the work, producing straight shots that felt very nice. My short game was also good, as I collected only 14 putts. Still, I had some bad misses every now and then, which nullified all the good shots.

My golf game is in bad shape. There's no other way to say it.

Score: 113
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 6

Deepwoods Finale at Willow Valley

Last year, a tremendous final round at Willow Valley eased the pain of an otherwise disappointing season on the Deepwoods Golf Association Tour. This year, I had no such luck. I shot a familiar score of 102 and finished well back in the overall standings. The Deepwoods championship that I earned in 2008 now feels like a distant memory. Second place finishes in 2007 and 2010 now smell of opportunity lost.

On the practice range before the final round was played, I tried shortening my backswing and focused on trapping the ball with the irons. The result was good, so I took the new approach to the course itself. I must say, my irons were better than they have been all year. I had absolutely no side spin on my iron shots, producing very straight trajectories. A few of my irons came out lower than usual, but nevertheless, my distances were very predictable. I experienced a feeling of control with the irons that has been absent for a long time.

On hole #3, a 7-iron into the wind from 150 yards found the green left of the flag. On the next hole, a 4-iron off the tee stopped just off the green but flag high, 190 yards away. On hole #5, a 6-iron from 170 yards felt rock solid, but found water right of the green. After taking a drop, I hit an immaculate shot with the gap wedge to within three feet of the cup. On hole #8, a 9-iron off the tee found the centre of the green. Great iron shots continued on the back nine, including wonderful approaches that found the green on holes #10, #15 and #17. I managed to make par on each of those holes.

With my irons working so well, how did I manage to score 102? For one thing, my driver was poor. I pulled drives into opposite fairways and even into bunkers of opposite fairways. I also hit drives into some gnarly fescue. From those positions, all one could do is take a hack to get the ball back in play. On one occasion, I tried a 5-wood off the tee with disastrous results. While my driver seems to come and go, I have not been able to hit my fairway woods for a long time.

In addition, my putting was terrible. I had only 34 putts overall and just two 3-putts, but I missed some very short ones. On hole #2, I missed a two and a half footer after a great chip. The same thing happened on hole #13. On hole #5, I missed another of similar length after a great approach. On holes #3 and #8, I made terrible lag attempts, resulting in a pair of 3-putts. Right there, you can see I gave away about five strokes through putting alone.

It's one of the cruel things about golf that even with improvements in mechanics, your scores don't necessarily get better. That certainly was the case this time around. My dreams of another Deepwoods championship will have to wait at least one more year.

Score: 102
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Penalties: 4

One Third at The Highlands

There are a few courses that I've played twice this year: Granite Ridge Cobalt, Century Pines, Victoria Park East, and King's Forest. You can add The Highlands to that list, as I returned to the Bradford area course for my latest round of golf. I fired my second-worst score of the season, matching the 111 that I tallied in my return visit to Granite Ridge. A debacle at Bond Head's South Course is the only round that was more pitiful...and painful too.

I won't bore you with shot-by-shot accounts of the holes that were played. I do that far too much on this blog, admittedly for my own benefit rather than for readers. Suffice to say that just one third of the eighteen holes played were acceptable. Four of these produced pars, while the other two resulted in bogeys. If one half represents a passing grade (and one can make a very good argument that it shouldn't), then one third is a clear and utter failure. It's a fraction that also applies to my entire season, but more on that later.

The remaining two thirds of my round were comprised of four double-bogeys, four triples, three quads, and a quintuple! We're talking bogeys here, not toe-loops, salchows or Dionne siblings. I had no control off the tee and hit practically every other shot thin. In fact, to describe some of my shots as thin wold be generous; many of them were stone cold sculls. On a couple of occasions when my playing partners had moved ahead of me, they had to be very attentive, lest they receive a screaming Titleist to the knee caps or family jewels.

I've now played 21 rounds this season and just one third of those (there's that number again) have produced a score below 100. After levelling off in 2010 and taking a bit of a step backwards in 2011, this represents a huge setback for my game. It reminds me of my very early days in golf, when breaking 100 was considered something of an achievement. However, after going through a period when I shot consistently in the low 90's and occasionally in the high 80's, breaking 100 just doesn't cut it anymore.

To put things in perspective, take a look at my handicap factor. In 2009, it dipped to 15.7, a personal best. I spent the entire 2010 season at about 17.5, then crept up to 19.0 by the end of 2011. At the moment, my handicap factor is 22.0, or six points higher than it was three years ago. If I don't have a good round next time out, my handicap will likely jump to about 23.5. This is because my sensational round at Willow Valley late last year will come off my scoring record.

As fate would have it, my next round happens to be this weekend at Willow Valley. We'll see what happens.

Score: 111
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 6

Satisfied at King's Forest

My first visit to King's Forest Golf Club was in competition four years ago. I shot a gross score 95, which was good enough for low net and victory on the now defunct Duffer's Dream Tour. Since then, I returned to the club four times and have never broken 100. I'm glad to report that I finally broke that streak with my latest visit. I didn't play especially well, but I avoided big numbers and finished with a satisfactory score of 97.

At the start of the round, it looked like I was set to do much better. I opened with a couple of pars, thanks to drives that found the fairways, followed by flag-high approach shots that just missed the greens. On both occasions, I made the up and down look easy. Unfortunately, I made hole #3 look ugly. I topped a 3-iron off the tee, forcing a layup to the 120-yard area. A brutal approach with the gap wedge ensued, followed by a great lofted pitch to a plateau on the green. Unfortunately, I didn't capitalize, making a 3-putt for triple-bogey.

Luckily, that was the first and last blowup of the day. I spent the rest of the round making bogeys and double-bogeys. The only exception was a par on hole #17, a medium length par-3. I was not sharp, but I managed to space out my mistakes. On a couple of occasions, I was forced to take penalty strokes. Whenever that happened, I managed to limit the damage. It's amazing how mistakes in quick succession can have an exponential effect on your score.

Key to breaking 100 was my play on holes #11 through #13, which I consider the hardest stretch on the course. I made a nice drive from the elevated tee on hole #11, leaving about 120 yards to the green. The gap wedge got me safely on the green, but I 3-putt for bogey. Still, it wasn't too bad. On hole #12, my 3-iron off the tee drifted right toward the forest. I found my ball and was able to chip back to the fairway. My third was struck thin and stopped short of the green, but I made a great chip and putt for another bogey.

On hole #13, I hit what I thought was the perfect drive. The ball dropped at the end of the fairway, right in front of the river that bisects the hole. I saw the ball bounce two or three times, so I figured I was safe. When I approached my ball, I saw that I had in fact slipped over the edge of the hazard, by about a foot. I tried to hit the ball as it lay, which was about waist high after I took my stance. It was a dumb move, as I proceeded to shank it. The ball nestled down in some fescue and this time I declared it unplayable. Now playing my fourth, I was unable to clear some trees between me and the green. The ball lay in the right rough, 50 yards from the flag. My next shot was the shot of the day, as I stuck it within two feet of the pin. With a lone putt, I managed to save double-bogey.

Overall, I felt like this was a round I could build on.

Score: 97
Putts: 32
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5

Pressing Late at Woodington Lake

Round 4 of the Deepwoods Golf Association season was contested on the Legend Course at Woodington Lake Golf Club. In order to have a realistic chance at the championship, I needed to score 40 points. Given my Deepwoods handicap, that translates roughly into a gross score of 90, or perhaps a little bit better. In other words, I needed to have my best round of the season.

On the front nine, I played mostly well, amassing 18 points with a gross score of 45. I messed up only the fourth hole, a par-5 that is fairly straightforward, though ranked as the course's most difficult. I topped my tee shot, sending the ball just 75 yards ahead. Next, I pushed one well right of the fairway. After a good shot to advance the ball to within 100 yards of the flag, I pulled my approach just left of the green. A chip and three putts ensued for a triple-bogey.

I gave away a stroke on the first hole as well. A perfect 3-iron off the tee was followed by a fairly good approach with the 6-iron. I was a couple yards off the green, but had lots of putting surface to work with. The problem was the angle I was left with to the pin. A mound on the back of the green would push a low runner well left of the flag, while the flop shot over the mound carried its own risks. I left my chip well short of the target, then 3-putt for a double-bogey. I really should have done no worse than bogey.

Aside from those mistakes, the front nine was marvellous. I hit a good drive and striped a scintillating 3-iron on my second shot, leaving a 50-yard pitch to the par-5 second hole. The pitch wasn't great, but I still made par. A poor tee shot on hole #3, a short par-3, was followed by a great pitch and a couple of putts for bogey. I made par on hole #5 with a magnificent sand save and on hole #9 with a 2-putt from distance. I bogeyed holes #6 through #8 with good chips and putts.

In spite of my solid front nine, I felt like I was a couple of points behind the pace I needed to keep. I opened the back nine with a double-bogey and two bogeys, so I didn't make up any ground. A birdie putt on hole #12 passed right over the hole, but had too much pace and I needed two more putts to hole out. The real turning point, however, was hole #13.

On this par-4 measuring 386 yards, I hit a beautiful drive to the left fairway. Actually, I just thought it was in the fairway. As I approached my ball, I saw that it was a yard or two in the left rough. No worries though, as I had a good lie and just 140 yards to the flag. Next, I pulled a 9-iron left of the green, though flag-high. With the green falling away from me, I tried to bounce the ball through the rough in order to scrub some speed off. The ball carried two feet further than I wanted, bouncing in the fringe, which carried it right off the green on the other side. I slid my wedge right under the ball on my next chip attempt and 2-putt for a double-bogey.

It's fair to say that I lost some composure at that point. I was four points behind pace, with just five holes to play, so I could see the writing on the wall. I felt like I got robbed on hole #13, which really upset me. As a result, I proceeded to collect a pair of triple-bogeys and a quadruple-bogey over the next three holes. Golf is as much a mental sport as it is physical, and at that point my head was not in the game.

On hole #18, a real killer to finish things off, I decided to blast one off the tee. The hole measures only 361 yards from the white tees, but it is a dogleg left, so the distance directly to the green is quite a bit less. The problem is that the direct line forces you to go over the edge of a lake and some thick trees. It is also a blind shot, as the trees obscure the view of the landing area. I hit a monster shot exactly on the line I wanted and sky high. I had no problem clearing the lake or trees and expected to find my ball  very near the green. As it turned out, I never found the ball. It was disappointing, because I felt that I had hit a spectacular tee shot.

Score: 102
Putts: 36
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2

Sensational Sand Saves

After playing Victoria Park East for the first time earlier this year, I decided to return for another round. My debut at the course was fairly good, except for a couple of par-3 holes where I repeatedly dunked balls in the water. That experience was rather unusual, so I felt pretty good about the layout.

When all was said and done, I finished with a score of 93, which is my lowest so far of this difficult season. The funny thing is that, for the most part, I didn't feel like I played any better than I have during my other rounds this year. I hit some good drives, but I also mis-hit a couple. I avoided the hooks that have plagued my iron play recently, but I wasn't exactly striking the ball with precision. The fact is, I hit a modest number of fairways and greens. My chipping was just okay and my putting was rather routine.

So what made the difference? In a nutshell, it was sand play. On the first hole, a par-5, I found myself in a greenside bunker after four shots. With lots of green between me and the flagstick, I barely managed to get the ball on the green. It wasn't a good sand shot at all, but at least I got the ball on the green. In similar situations over the last couple years, I have either picked the ball clean and sent it 50 yards past the target, or hit too much sand and left the ball in the bunker.

On hole #2, a par-4 measuring 396 yards, I hit a straight, deep drive. Unfortunately, I pulled my approach with the 9-iron, landing in a bunker. Once again, I had a lot of green between me and the flag. This time, I hit a perfect out, with the ball releasing on contact with the putting surface and coming to rest just a couple feet from the hole. I tapped in for a satisfying par save.

On hole #3, a longer par-4 at 424 yards, I hit another straight drive to the fairway. This was straight into a strong wind, so I was left with 190 yards to the flag. This time, I pulled a 4-iron to a bunker left of the green. I had played three holes and already found three bunkers. No worries though, as I hit an even better sand shot than the last time. This one came out high on a cushion of sand and landed ultra soft, right beside the cup. Again, I tapped in for an up and down par.

Those sand shots gave me some much needed confidence, which carried through for the rest of the round. I believe that mindset was a large factor in collecting a pair of birdies on the back nine. The first came on hole #14, a short par 4 at 340 yards. After a drive into the right rough, a couple of yards off the fairway, I hit a sand wedge safely onto the green. From there I drained a pretty 15 footer.

The second birdie came on hole #17, another short par-4 measuring 356 yards. My approach from the fairway, 120 yards away from the flag, was pulled left of the green. From there, I lofted up a chip shot that took its first bounce on the fringe. The ball released and rolled, taking a slight break to the right and finding the centre of the cup. What a great feeling!

My final score was certainly not spectacular, but given the trouble I've had this year, it felt good to score comfortably. During most of my other rounds, I've unwillingly flirted with the dreaded century mark. This time, it felt like it was never a possibility.

Score: 93
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3

Return to King's Forest

Last year, I played King's Forest a number of times and took a liking to it, which is not to say that I played well there. In fact, I failed to break 100 on three separate occasions. With a new season comes new hope, so I decided to try my luck once again. While I may have had new hope, I certainly didn't have new skill or new talent, so the result was regrettably the same.

One of my downfalls on this occasion was putting. More disappointing than the fact I amassed 39 putts in total was that I 3-putt three of the first four holes and seven holes overall. It is simply impossible to score well with that many putts. On hole #1, a bogey turned into double-bogey with a poor lag, followed by a burned edge. On holes #3 and #4, pars turned into bogeys when greens in regulation were wasted with suspect putting. Throughout the entire round, my lag putts from distance were just too short.

Another downfall, not surprisingly, was my play from bunkers. I've consumed a lot of bits over the last couple of years describing my bunker trouble. At this point, every time I step into a bunker, I fear either picking the ball clean and blasting it past the green or hitting too much sand and failing to get the ball out at all. On hole #7, after a trio of bogeys and a birdie had steadied my game, I found a greenside bunker with my tee shot. Of course, I blasted the ball 40 yards past the green, behind some tall trees. I made a complete mess of the hole, finishing with a score of 7 on this par-3.

Last, but certainly not least, was some wildness with the driver. I hit some good shots with it throughout the round, but when I missed, I missed badly. On hole #8, I sliced one right into some long fescue. On the next hole, I sliced another into the trees. Both balls were lost, resulting in penalty strokes and re-teeing. Both holes produced a double-bogey, which is essentially a par after hitting your third shot from the tee. Considering that I've spent most of the past two years trying to avoid straight pulls, I was perplexed by the sudden regression to wild slices.

And so it was for yet another round. I hit some beautiful 3-irons, including a tee shot on hole #12, which I consider to be the most intimidating tee shot on the course. Another came on my second at hole #18, a par-5. It was also a 3-iron that set up my birdie on hole #5, a par-3 measuring 203 yards. Generally, my low irons were better than my high irons. It seems like I can't even hit a green with a wedge in my hands. Overall, the bright spots were few and far between.

Score: 102
Putts: 39
Fairways: 7
Greens: 5
Penalties: 4

Century Pines...Literally

I've played Century Pines a number of times over the last two years and the results have not been good. In fact, the last time I had a decent result there was back in 2010. Since then, I haven't even been able to break 100 at the Troy, Ontario course. I guess the course has lived up to its name, as the century mark has proven to be a tough level for me to break there.

The opening hole invariably sets me off on the wrong path. Out of bounds lines the entire left side of this straightaway par-5. Lately, I have taken to hitting my tee shot to the opposite fairway on the right hand side. This is better than OB, but I've been so far right, that I've had to chip out of trees just to get the ball to a fairway. This time was no different. My third shot left me in the proper fairway, 170 yards from the green. I made good contact on the next shot, but pushed the ball slightly right into a large tree. A low punch travelled well past the green, so I required a pitch to get on. Facing a lengthy putt, I was well short, as I failed to factor how the morning dew would slow the ball down. Two more putts finished things for a quadruple-bogey. I struggled similarly on the next two holes, slicing drives and finding hazards on my way to a pair of triple-bogeys.

Then for a while, it seemed like I got the junk out of my system. I made three consecutive pars, beginning with a short par-4, followed by a par-3 and a more lengthy par-4. Irons worked off the tee and off the grass, giving me chances at birdies. These mini stretches of good golf are so tantalizing. They make the poor stretches all the more confounding.

On hole #7, a par-3 over water, I landed in a greenside bunker, flag high. I had a good lie and stance, no lip to speak of, and plenty of green to work with. What I didn't have is confidence, as I have been terrible at bunker shots for the past three years. Sure enough, I unintentionally picked the ball clean, sending it 60 yards past the green. I needed a pitch shot and two putts to salvage double-bogey. A double ensued on the next hole as well, thanks to a 3-putt, while I blew up for a quad on hole #9. At the turn, I was shooting 54.

My back nine was better, as I shot 49, but I still hit a number of disappointing shots. On holes #10 and #11, I hit some fat wedges from the fairway, failing to convert some great drives. Frustration probably spilled over to the next two holes, where I collected penalty strokes for finding hazards. Over the last five holes, I collected two pars and two bogeys, but also recorded a triple-bogey on hole #16, the toughest on the course.

In the end, I finished with a score of 103. My handicap inched up to 21.5, a full six points higher than it was two years ago. That is a huge increase. At the moment, I am basically no better than a hacker who has just picked up the game and perhaps played a handful of rounds. Pretty sad.

Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3

Opportunity Squandered at Oakridge

An old playing partner once told me that golf is not a game of aggression. There's a lot of wisdom in that statement, but then again, this particular playing partner didn't see how I played the final hole at Oakridge Golf Club during my last round. More on that in a moment.

It was Round 3 of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship, and I needed a good result to stay in contention. My plan was to survive the first three holes and to remain patient. Even if the opening trio of holes did not go well, there would be plenty of golf left to make up some points.

I played the first two holes rather well. A solid 3-iron off the tee on hole #1 found the right rough, taking  a pesky pond out of play on the approach to the green. Unfortunately, this area is severely sloped, which complicates the approach in a different manner. Pick your poison. My approach was well short of the green, but I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #2, a par-3 measuring 182 yards, my 6-iron just failed to clear a bunker on the right side. Surprisingly, I hit a great bunker shot, rolling just past the hole. My par putt was good, but just missed. Bogey was the final result.

On hole #3, the hardest on the course, I finished with a triple-bogey. My 3-iron off the elevated tee was off the toe and dribbled into a hazard. After a penalty stroke and drop, all I could do was punch the ball  to the fairway. From 200 yards out, I went for the green, but came up short. No doubt the water on the right side had a lot to do with that. A medium length pitch shot and two putts closed out the troublesome hole.

Hole #4, a 140-yard par-4,is the easiest on the course, but you wouldn't know that from my result. I came up short of the green, then sculled one over the green entirely and into a hazard. I found the ball, but it was unplayable. After a penalty stroke and drop, I completely duffed two chip attempts. My sixth shot stopped on the putting surface and a pair of strokes with the flat stick produced a disgusting score of 8 for the hole.

On hole #5, I was finally able to get driver in my hands. The result was my first fairway hit. Unfortunately, my approach with the gap wedge was short and in a bunker. This time, I picked the ball too clean, overshooting the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey. Another great drive on hole #6 split a couple of ponds and came to rest in the fairway. My approach with the 8-iron was also good, coming to rest on the green and flag high. After a good lag, I made par with a tap-in.

The first par of the day was followed by the first birdie. Hole #7 is a par-5 measuring 453 yards from the tees we were playing. I hit a piercing drive deep through some trees protecting the corner of this slight dogleg. From the left rough 180 yards out, I hit a nice 5-iron just off the right edge of the green. Reaching a par-5 in two shots is one of the best feelings in golf. It paid off, as I completed the up and down for birdie.

A bogey and par ensued on holes #8 and #9 respectively. At the turn, I had already made up for my early troubles and was on pace to score valuable Deepwoods points. The good streak continued through hole #10, but stalled beginning at hole #11. I hit my first slice of the day, forcing a sideways chip back to the fairway. This left me on a downslope, and as a result, my ball found a bunker 20 yards in front of the green. I hit a great out to the fringe, flag high. My bogey putt burned the edge of the cup, so double-bogey was the final result.

On hole #12, a poor drive was pulled into the trees. After a penalty stroke, I hit a nice lob wedge to get the ball over some high trees. This left me with 75 yards to the flag. Like an idiot, I duffed the approach and landed in a bunker. After a pair of shots to get out, another to get on the green, and three putts, I marked a 10 on my scorecard. Hole #13, a par-3 was almost as bad. I pulled my 9-iron slightly, but this left me in a terrible position behind some trees. I declared the ball unplayable and took my drop well back, on a line from the flag to the point where my ball lay, extended. My third shot failed to clear the trees, so I had to repeat the process. My fifth shot was good, and two putts closed things out for a score of 7.

On hole #14, I earned a bogey and on hole #15, I began with a great drive. My third shot into this par-5 was terribly unlucky. I was near a large net that protects the adjoining property from flying golf balls. The posts that support the net are tethered to the ground with wires. From 50 yards away, I hit one of these tiny wires. To make matters worse, the ball deflected out of bounds, through a gap under the net. If I miss that wire, my ball ends up somewhere very near the green. Instead, I get a penalty and have to shoot again from the location of my last shot. This irritated me to no end, and I finished with a quadruple-bogey.

At this point, the round was basically lost, which brings me to the very last hole. This is a par- 5 measuring 446 yards. To reach the green in two, you have to fly some trees left of the fairway. Then you have to carry a pond and navigate a large tree smack dab in front of the green. On the tee, I pummelled a monster drive right on target. I let out a primal scream in reaction to the shot, then cursed this game for thinking it could keep me down. I was left with 180 yards to the green from the right rough. I hit a beautiful 4-iron that carried the water and skirted the tree, finishing on the green, behind the flag. Again, I let out a guttural scream of aggression. I studied my eagle putt carefully. It looked like there was no break, just a bit of a downhill. Unfortunately, I left the putt four feet short. Thankfully, I salvaged the birdie.

So golf is not a game of aggression. Perhaps it's true, but I have to tell you, aggression worked pretty well on that final hole.

Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 7

Destiny at The Highlands of Bradford

Anticipating the next Deepwoods Golf Association event, I headed out to The Highlands of Bradford for a much needed tune-up. The course is usually in good shape and offers a decent golf experience at good value. Long rounds can be a problem on weekends, but since I was playing on a Thursday, I had nothing to worry about.

I hit my opening drive fat, which meant I had to lay up in front of a hazard with my second shot on this par-4. My third shot from 90 yards was just off the back of the green. Patchy rough resulted in a sculled chip shot, which I followed up with a 3-putt for a depressing triple bogey. I've stalled out of the gate a few times this year, and I can tell you it's not fun.

Despite stumbling on the first hole, I put together quite a good round. There was one exception, which I'll get to in a moment. Over the last 17 holes, I tallied six pars, six bogeys, and four double bogeys. Half of the pars were of the traditional variety (i.e. reach the green in regulation, lag one close, then tap in to finish), while the rest resulted from excellent putting.

My driving was not especially sharp, but I did hit a number of good shots off the tee. My irons were not as bad as they have been lately, but I still managed to hook some balls and top some others. These miscues were behind most of the bogeys on my scorecard. The double-bogeys resulted from an encounter with a water hazard, poor bunker play, an untimely 3-putt, and a couple of bad chip shots.

The real story of the day was hole #6, a par-4 measuring just 361 yards. I've struggled, indeed blown up, on this hole before. Out of bounds lines the entire right side, while the left is protected by a small pond off the tee. The prevailing wind always seems to push balls OB. Players must carry a creek on their approach to a shallow green, also protected in front by an expansive bunker.

To make a long story short, I pushed four consecutive balls out of bounds off the tee. With a penalty stroke each, I was lying 8 and still on the tee! After finally hitting the fairway, my approach shot was short and in the bunker. Next, I overshot the green, then chipped on. Ultimately, a 2-putt finished things up for a score of 14.

How does something like that happen? I'm not really sure, but it does. Just ask John Daly, who famously (infamously?) poured (hehe) seven consecutive balls into the water at the 2011 Australian Open. Daly had the sense to call it quits that day. I don't know the meaning of quit, or perhaps I'm just a glutton for punishment – either way, I played on and was glad that I did.

On the eighteenth tee, I needed a par to break 100. I hit a fantastic drive, followed by a weak iron. My third into this par-5 was not great, but I still ended up on the green and 2-putt to get the necessary par. Considering that I scored 14 on a single hole, 99 looks pretty good indeed.

Score: 99
Putts: 32
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5

Fiasco at Hidden Lake

I headed out to the Old Course at Hidden Lake Golf Club after a week and a half without playing. I teed off early in the morning and the weather was perfect. Unfortunately, I could not say the same about the course conditions. The greens had been aerated and top-dressed recently, creating a terrible putting experience. The putting surface was extremely bumpy and varying levels of sand on each green made the speed unpredictable. Every time I go to Hidden Lake, regardless of the time of year, it seems the greens have been recently punched and covered with sand. What the hell?

Anyway, I started by blowing up for a score of eight on the opening par-4. I drove the ball well right of the fairway, then was stymied by trees all the way to the green. Blowing up on the opening hole is always disappointing; you feel like you're in the hole before the round has even really started. Fortunately, I rattled off a couple of pars and a couple of bogeys over the next four holes to settle down somewhat.

Even though my scores were getting better, I was not striking the ball particularly well. My drives, which had been pretty steady for a while, were completely off. The technique of stepping back at address with my right foot suddenly stopped working. I was flaring the ball short and right of target. My iron play continued to be woeful. To avoid hooking the ball, I went back to my natural takeaway, which is a straight back move, followed by a lift into a step, upright backswing. For most of the year, I had been taking the club away to the inside, then coming back to the ball from the same direction. In theory, this is good; in practice, it made me hook the ball with alarming consistency.

The only good part of my game was pitching, chipping and putting. Through the remainder of the front nine, the short game allowed me to salvage some bogeys, even though I was struggling to reach greens. At the turn, I had just 15 putts, thanks to chips and pitch shots that left me close to the hole. Considering how badly I was playing overall, I was lucky to be shooting 48 heading to the back nine.

Holes #10 through #15 were played much like the earlier holes of the round. My drives continued to miss right, except for a beauty down the pipe on hole #13. My irons were still pathetic, including some pulls and slight hooks. Worst of all, I hit a couple of shanks that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Nevertheless, I pitched and putt the ball well, salvaging quite a few bogeys.

The real problems came with three holes to play. On hole #16, I once again flared my drive to the right side. That side of the hole features a steep embankment, with not a flat stance in sight. This made it very difficult to reach the green. After two attempted approaches, I was in a bunker fronting the putting surface. My bunker play has been terrible for a few years now and I know it, which only seems to further impair my ability to hit sand shots. My first attempt was extremely fat. My second attempt was caught thin, sending the ball over the green and out of bounds. After a penalty stroke and drop, my third attempt finally landed safely on the green. Two putts gave me a score of nine on the hole.

As poorly as I had been playing, before that hole I was on pace for a round in the mid nineties. Suddenly, the dreaded century mark was a distinct possibility. I let out a few expletives in an attempt to rid myself of the disgust that I was feeling. It didn't work. On hole #17, I popped my drive straight up, failing to reach the fairway. An ensuing 6-iron was pulled left under a tree. Next, I hit a shocking shank that bounded across the fairway and through a bunker, coming to rest in some knee-high fescue. Are you kidding me? I hacked it out, but crossed entirely over the fairway, once again under some trees. A low punch bounded off the back of the green. After a chip and two putts, I recorded an eight on this par-4 hole. Needless to say, the expletives continued.

I needed a birdie on hole #18, a 180-yard par-3, in order to break 100. Instead, I made bogey and walked away with a gag-inducing score of 101. One of the reasons I play golf is to generate positive feelings that carry over into other parts of life. When the only feelings generated by the game are negative, this approach backfires completely and utterly – one ends up creating exactly the opposite effect than desired.

Score: 101
Putts: 32
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3

Bust at Bond Head

Most people would agree that you can't simply will something to happen; desire just isn't enough. In fact, desire may even get in the way. I can't help but feel that this applies to my latest round of golf, played on The Club at Bond Head's South course. It was my second ever trip to the club, two years removed from my initial visit.

With the exception of Deepwoods Golf Association events, all of my rounds this year have been played as a single. There are a few nice things about that. For one thing, it's easy to play whenever and wherever you want, as there are no schedules to accommodate but your own. Occasionally, you also meet some pleasant people. On the whole, however, playing as a single just isn't as fun as playing with friends. To begin with, you miss out on the banter and good natured joking that only comes with familiarity. Most of all, you miss out on the shared experience – the opportunity to follow your partners' development and to offer support and encouragement, while they do the same for you.

The visit to Bond Head was a chance to play with some good friends whom I haven't seen in over a year. As a result, I was incredibly pumped up about the outing. I arrived at the club later than planned, thanks to heavier than expected traffic. More unsettling was the stiff wind whipping about as we emerged from the clubhouse and made our way over to the first tee. Hole #1 is a short par-4 that calls for an iron off the tee. My irons have been uncontrollable lately, even under ideal conditions. Throw in a strong wind and you have a recipe for disaster. I hooked a 3-iron into the fescue, which required two hacks to get out. Next, I duffed a pitch shot before placing one near the green. Up and down was only good for a triple-bogey.

With driver in my hands on the second tee, the result was no better. I failed to clear a hazard, earning a penalty stroke. My approach shot hooked into some knee-high fescue, which forced me to declare the ball unplayable. After another penalty stroke, I chipped and 2-putt for another triple-bogey.

All of this was just a warmup for what would ensue on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 190 yards. Battling the tendency to hook the ball, I pushed two consecutive balls right off the tee. The first hit a tree and was lost, while the second required a sideways chip to get to the shorter grass. My fifth shot found a greenside bunker, while my sixth sailed clear over the green. After a poor chip and a 3-putt, I marked a ten on my scorecard. Unbelievable!

At this point, it was hard to recover. I was not in the right frame of mind and the severe wind clearly had me rattled. Beginning with the third hole, I managed to 3-putt six consecutive holes. My putting has been good all year, so this had to be a mental issue. Mind you, I tallied 44 putts during my first visit to Bond Head, so maybe it has something to do with the greens there. I registered 42 putts this time around.

I only played two decent holes on the front nine. On hole #4, I hit the fairway with a low trajectory drive, then drew a 7-iron into the green. On hole #7, another low drive found the left rough. This was followed by a good 5-iron, leaving 100 yards into this par-5. Next, I hit a lob wedge thin, but nevertheless found the green in regulation. On both holes, a 3-putt turned a potential par into bogey.

On the back nine, the wind subsided. A slow group ahead of us also let us play through. Both of these factors helped me play a more regular game, coming in with a score of 51. A great up and down earned par on hole #10, while bogeys and double-bogeys began to replace triples or worse. My driving was not as sharp as it has been, but I did manage a couple of good ones. My irons were still bad, but my short game was better. In spite of the improvement, I collected three additional 3-putts.

In the end, I had mixed feelings. I was thankful to have had the opportunity to play with some good buddies and enjoyed our time on the course. However, I was terribly disappointed in my personal performance. I wanted a good result more than at any other time this year, but actually walked away with my worst score. The experience confirmed what I already knew: desire just isn't enough.

Score: 115
Putts: 42
Fairways: 2
Greens: 3
Penalties: 5

Iron Woes Continue at Peninsula Lakes

My last round was the second in the chase for the 2012 Deepwoods championship. It was played on the Quarry/Hillside nines at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club, with which I am both familiar and comfortable. Prior to the round, I spent some time on the range, trying to figure out why I have been hooking all of my irons. The best I could do was place the ball further back in my stance with high irons in hand. In addition, I focused on getting my weight transferred to the left side to maintain a bit of a forward press at impact. I wasn't very confident in these adjustments, but my ball flight seemed to be straighter, so I went with them.

I blew up on the opening hole for a score of nine on the par-4. My tee shot was a low, hooking driver that found a large pond on the left side of the fairway. After a drop, my attempted approach with an iron was no better. A pitch shot went long, a bunker shot failed to get out, and there was a 3-putt. Over the remainder of the Quarry nine, results were better, but my irons remained terrible. I duffed an 8-iron off the tee on hole #2, as well as a 3-iron off the tee on hole #3. After a good drive on hole #4, I hooked my approach well left of the green. A weak 5-iron off the tee on hole #6 didn't hurt me, but I was clearly not striking the ball even as well as I had been on the range.

My saving grace on the front nine came on holes #7 and #8, which are back-to-back par-5 holes. A good drive found the fairway on #7, while a decent iron shot pierced through the headwind and settled just in front of the green. I then 2-putt from the fringe for par. On hole #8, with the wind now at my back, I hit another nice drive, followed by a pretty drawing 4-iron, leaving just a 50-yard pitch to the green. I hit the front of the green, but the ball released surprisingly all the way to the back edge. Thankfully, I drained a lengthy putt for birdie. Halfway through the round, I was back on track and in position to score well in the Deepwoods system.

Beginning the Hillside nine, I struggled a bit. On Hillside #1, the easiest hole on the course, I mis-hit 3-iron off the tee, leaving a long approach from the left rough. I struck a decent 4-iron, but was just short and left of the green. My pitch shot over a bunker was nice, but the pin was in a tricky position and I 3-putt for double-bogey. On hole #2, my 3-iron off the tee was pushed right. It was a bit of a double-cross, as I was fighting the hook shots all day with the irons. And so, the trouble with my irons continued for the rest of the round. On a couple of occasions, I was so busy trying to figure a solution, that I topped or otherwise completely mis-hit the ball. When there are too many thoughts, that happens.

I don't want to leave the impression that everything was bad. In spite of my terrible iron play, I actually scored pretty well. I closed out the round with five consecutive bogeys, thanks to some good drives, solid wedge recoveries, and good putting. I hit a beautiful drawing drive on the tricky hole #4, perhaps the hardest hole on the course. I smoked another beauty about 290 yards on hole #9, a nice finishing par-5 hole. Unfortunately, my attempt to reach the green in two was foiled when my 4-iron trickled into a bunker in front of the green. One shot was required just to emerge from the bunker, and another to get on the green. In the end, a couple of early double-bogeys on Hillside cost me some critical points. There was no par or birdie this time that enabled me to recover.

My final score of 95 was my second best of the season, a single stroke behind my score earlier in the year at Copetown Woods. I suppose that's good news, but it's hard to see it that way when I have clearly lost a step from a couple of years ago.

Score: 95
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2

Bloomington Ups and Downs

That golf can be exhilarating one moment and depressing the next is no secret. If you've read this blog long enough, you've seen ample evidence of both extremes. What never fails to surprise me, however, is the speed at which the tides can turn. My latest round, a return to Bloomington Downs after a five year hiatus, was not a collapse of the type I experienced recently at Copetown Woods, but it nevertheless demonstrates the fickle nature of this glorious game.

Over the three rounds played before this one, a few aspects of my game were dialed in. By taking a step back with my right foot at address, I had tamed my driver, delivering tee shots that were straight and plenty deep. At Copetown Woods, for example, I hit a number of 290-yard drives straight down the fairway. Besides my driver, I was also in control of my wedges, delivering chip shots very near the cup and finishing with more up and downs than usual. I was chipping by feel, rather than thinking too much. Despite those strengths, I still wasn't scoring well, all because of poor iron play. I was fighting the tendency to hook shots, even with high lofted clubs.

My iron troubles continued at Bloomington Downs, as I was unable to hit a single green in regulation. It's not like I didn't have the opportunities; I simply missed approach shots from all distances. On the par-5 first hole, I missed the green with my third shot from the fairway at 130 yards. On the par-4 second hole, I missed with my second shot from the fairway at 95 yards. That miss came after a brilliant 3-iron from the tee that travelled 210 yards. On the par-3 third hole, I missed with my tee shot from 160 yards. Some misses were hooks, while others were pushes to the right as I over-compensated.

To make matters worse, my driving and chipping suddenly abandoned me. On the front nine, my drives were all smothered, travelling left of target and extremely short. It was like I could not get the ball airborne. Thankfully, I turned the driving situation around on the back nine, but that is when my chipping became terrible. More on that in a moment.

I played the front nine alongside another player, with a foursome ahead of us. Two of the four called it quits after nine holes, allowing myself and my partner to join up with the two who continued on. On hole #10, a par-5 measuring 470 yards, I finally hit a spectacular drive. With a slight wind helping, I smacked a towering 300-yard drive to the right fairway. The hole bends slightly left, so my ball actually traveled through, ending a couple of yards in the right rough. As I bent over to pick up my tee, I heard one of my new playing partners whisper to the other, “He smoked that one.” What a feeling!

As luck would have it, my lie in the rough was not great. My 7-iron failed to reach the green. Then, I duffed a chip, so I wasn't even on the green in regulation. Can you believe that? Bogey was the result. It was to be the start of a bogey train that lasted for five straight holes. Normally, bogey isn't bad for me, but some of these were disappointing. On hole #13, a par-4 measuring 343 yards, I hit another great drive, 275 yards to the right fairway. My ball got past some bushes that protect the inside of this dogleg right, leaving just 65 yards to the green. My pitch shot was a bit too long, stopping on the back fringe. Three putts later, I carded my bogey.

With four holes to play, I was on pace for a score in the mid nineties. A missed putt inside four feet on hole #15 resulted in a double-bogey and in retrospect, was the turning point. On hole #16, a 180-yard par-3, I hooked my 5-iron left of the green, but was flag-high. All I needed was a chip and two-putt for bogey. Unfortunately, I duffed my first chip attempt. The result was double-bogey. On hole #17, a par-4, I needed a chip and two putts for double-bogey. Once again, I duffed the first chip, settling for triple-bogey instead.

This left me in an interesting position. I needed a par on the par-5 eighteenth hole to break 100. I had not made a par all day, amassing mostly bogeys, with a spattering of doubles. However, I felt par was possible on this dogleg left, which measures just 465 yards. I took aim at the corner of the dogleg, fully intending to go for the green in two. I pulled off exactly what I was trying for. A collection of spaced trees guard the inside of the corner, while further left is thick forest. My ball sailed over the spaced trees, ending up one foot short of the fairway, adjacent to the 150-yard marker. What a beauty! From 150 yards, I played 7-iron, accounting for the elevated green. My ball was flag high, but hooked eight yards left of the green. The hook got me again! No worries, as I could chip and putt for birdie, or at worst, chip and two-putt for the needed par. Well guess what? I duffed another chip, failing again to get to the green in regulation. After a second chip, I faced a 12-footer for par. The ball was tracking nicely, but burned the left edge, leading to bogey and the wretched score of 100.

It's funny; 100 is the mark of perfection is many things, but in golf it is a true mark of failure. Oh well, I'll just focus on the great shots that were made and try not to worry about the score.

Score: 100
Putts: 36
Fairways: 2
Greens: 0
Penalties: 1

First Visit to Victoria Park East

It had been over two weeks since my last golf round, so I looked for a course to tackle. I settled on Victoria Park East, a Rene Muylaert design located in Guelph, Ontario. Owing to the fact that it is slightly out of the way for me, I had never played Victoria Park before. However, I enjoy playing new courses every now and then, so I was willing to drive a few extra kilometres.

I was paired with another first timer, but we were joined on the front nine by a couple of staff members. They were happy to share their knowledge of the course with us newbies, which helped tremendously. We had to fare for ourselves on the back nine, but by then I had developed a certain degree of comfort with the course. Weather was absolutely perfect for the entire round.

I started well, registering pars on holes #1, #3 and #5. I hit three of four fairways in the same stretch, taking a step back with my right foot at address. This approach served me well in my previous two rounds, and I'm happy to say that it worked again. I would go on to hit only five fairways in total, but my misses were never more than two or three yards off the fairway. I didn't have the great distance I displayed at Copetown Woods, but I was still very much in control of the driver.

A couple of the pars early in the round came as a result of my short game. In both cases, I executed excellent chip shots, followed by solid putts. If there was any part of the game where I was struggling, it was with my iron shots, especially short irons. I was fighting the tendency I've developed recently to hook the ball. My ball flight was also lower than normal. This was the primary reason I did not hit many greens in regulation.

At the turn, my score was 51, thanks to a ridiculous score of 11 on the par-3 sixth hole. At 153 yards, the hole is not long, but one must carry a pond to reach the green. My tee shot was off the toe of the club and found the water. After a penalty stroke and drop, I proceeded to hit two more balls in the water, just 60 yards from the green. It was unbelievable! I finally reached the green in 8 and then 3-putt to finish the misery.

To a lesser extent, the same thing happened on hole #13, another par-3 measuring 161 yards. My tee shot was hit thin and found the pond fronting the green. After a penalty stroke and drop, I duffed a second ball into the wet. That hole ended with a triple-bogey. The problem on both of these holes stemmed from my discomfort hitting an iron – on hole #6 it was an 8-iron, while on hole #13, it was a 7-iron. As I said, I was fighting a hook with the irons and making too many adjustments before hitting.

The remainder of the back nine was quite good. My driver remained rock steady, as did my chipping and putting. I finished with a score of 99, which doesn't help my handicap factor at all, but which I suppose is okay for a new course. I simply have to get my irons in order and avoid the blowup holes to start scoring well.

Score: 99
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 6

Hero to Zero in Four Holes at Copetown

The first round of the 2012 Deepwoods Golf Association Championship was contested at Copetown Woods Golf Club, and for a while, it looked like I would walk away with the early season lead. Late in the round, I was also flirting with a personal best. Then suddenly, and without warning, began a collapse worse than any I've ever experienced on a golf course. I had already done well enough to earn a respectable Deepwoods score, but as far as personal bests go, I wasn't even close.

Prior to the round, I spent some time hitting balls out of a practice bunker. Years ago, I had no problem getting out of greenside bunkers. I wouldn't necessarily get the ball near the hole, but I would almost certainly find the green. A couple of years ago, that all changed. I inadvertently started picking balls clean, sending them sailing over the putting surface, often into a hazard or out of bounds. When I tried to adjust, I would hit my shots fat, failing to get out of the bunker. My practice session at Copetown was designed to resolve this, but it only confirmed how bad my sand play was. I flip-flopped between shots hit too thin and too fat. Just one quarter of my attempts turned out well.

The round started with a low, penetrating drive to the left fairway on hole #10. This is a par-5, reachable in two from the white tees, which we were playing. As I did during my previous round at Horseshoe Resort, I employed my stock grip and took a step back with my right foot at address. This approach served me very well for a second consecutive round. Going for the green with my second shot, I duffed a 4-iron from 180 yards away. No worries, as I was left with 130 yards to the green from the right rough. Unfortunately, I hooked my pitching wedge left and deep, sending the ball out of bounds. After a drop, I hit one right and just short of the green. A mediocre chip and two putts followed for triple bogey. What a waste of a wonderful drive!

Next began a string of 13 holes unlike any other I have ever played. During this stretch, I was two over par. I recorded  a birdie, 10 pars, a bogey, and a double-bogey. Eleven holes at par or better exceeds anything I have ever done previously, even over 18 holes. When I scored 81 at Deer Creek South (my lowest score ever) I had only nine holes at par or better. Granted, three of those were birdies. When I scored 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt (which matched the Deer Creek score at 10 over par), I had nine pars and no birdies. The same was true of an 83 that I once shot at Carlisle. Even the 83 that I shot at Willow Valley during the final event of the 2011 Deepwoods season included nine holes at par or better. Two of those were birdies.

So what accounted for this wonderful stretch of golf? Firstly, most of my drives were straight and deep. A spectacular 290-yard blast on hole #15 comes to mind immediately. An 85-yard approach with the lob wedge then came to rest six feet from the hole, setting up the lone birdie of the day. Hole #16 was the stage for another beautiful drive, this one also travelling 290 yards to the left centre of the fairway. Next, a 3-iron that missed the sweet spot rolled down the fairway, leaving 50 yards to the flag on this par-5. I duffed the pitch shot, then put one on the green, 14 feet from the hole. With a spectacular putt, I saved par. Hole # 1, also a par-5, was the scene of another 290-yard drive to the left centre of the fairway. With 160 yards to the pin, tucked at the back of a deep green, I hit a 7-iron right of target. Long fescue was interrupting my backswing, so my chip came up short. No worries however, as I chipped again and made a 6-foot putt for par.

Besides my driving, my short game was also on fire. I managed to get up and down from off the green on holes #11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 1, and 3. The first of these was preceded by a 195-yard 4-iron off the tee on the par-3 hole. The ball bounced just off the back of the green, flag-high. I made a nice chip, followed by a 4-foot putt. Even better chips left just three feet for par on hole #13 and two feet for the same result on hole #3. On holes #12 and #14, putts from off the green eased up to the hole nicely, leaving between one and three feet for par. Up and down on hole #18 was for bogey, after my approach shot found water and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. The putt from the fringe was lengthy and satisfying. Kudos to Copetown Woods for keeping the course in great condition. The consistent rough and greens produced a fair challenge to the short game.

So, what happened over my last four holes? In a nutshell, I closed out with a 7, 6, 8, and 11, or in other words, triple, triple, quadruple, and seven over par. Can you guess what started it all? Yup, my first greenside bunker of the day on hole #6. I was there in two, so I needed an up and down for par, or an up and two putts for bogey. Either would have been fine. As I did so often from the practice bunker before the round, I hit my first attempt fat, failing to get out of the sand. My second attempt was thin, but luckily I hit a mound in front and a slope on the green prevented my ball from rolling too far away. This was followed by a 3-putt, as I didn't give the downhill lag enough respect. On hole #7, a short par-3, I hooked a pitching wedge left of the green. In the fescue, with the ball below my feet, I duffed a shot into a bunker between me and the target. The first attempt out of the bunker was fat; the second was okay. I then 2-putt for another triple. I simply cannot hit sand shots, and haven't been able to for a while now.

The last two holes is when I lost some composure. A 4-iron off the tee on hole #8 didn't get airborne and found the fescue 50 yards away. I hacked out with a pitching wedge, leaving 130 yards to the green. At this point, I think I was rattled and topped an approach shot with the pitching wedge. The ball  stopped on the edge of a pond. I had a go at it, poor lie and stance be damned. The result was a ball in the water and a penalty stroke. Dropping from 85 yards, I hit the green and finished with a 2-putt. On the final hole of the day, my driver finally abandoned me. My first tee shot was a complete mis-hit, travelling low and left into some fescue and trees. One of  my playing partners helped me look for the ball, to no avail. After waving through a twosome that was behind us, I went back to the tee. My next tee shot drifted right of the fairway, to a fescue-covered mound. I found a ball there, but it wasn't mine. I found another one further ahead on the opposite fairway, but it also wasn't mine. My playing partners were by the green at this point, so I had no help looking for the ball. By the time I found it, another group had played their tee shots, unaware that I was still playing. It took three hacks for me to get out of the fescue. Next, I hit a ball from the fairway, only to find out later that it wasn't mine. That was a two-stroke penalty. Finally, I hit my actual ball, then tallied a couple more strokes on the green.

And that's how you go from a hero to a zero in four holes.

Score: 94
Putts: 29
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5