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
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