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
August 12, 2012
August 05, 2012
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
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
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