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
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