Outside, the wind is howling. All but the most stubborn leaves have fallen off the trees. Winter approaches. Inside, I sit before the glow of my computer screen. A cup of coffee rests nearby, cooling faster than I'd like. It's been a month since my last round of golf, as autumn temperatures have not been conducive to playing. There were a couple of days when temperatures reached into double digits, but it wasn't enough to coax me onto the fairways and greens. The last of these days was Saturday. Instead of playing golf, I took advantage of the mild weather to put the winter tires on my car. It was a more productive use of the time, I figured.
2013 was a challenging year for my golf game, but then again, so were the two preceding seasons. I began the year hoping to return to the form I displayed in 2009-2010. Instead, I continued a downward trend that now sees me at the level I displayed when first taking up the game. I played 31 rounds this year, equalling my total from the previous season. It's a decent number, but not enough to keep my game sharp. When my game was better, I was playing about 50 rounds per year. Besides playing less, I also fail to practice on a regular basis. Living in the city, it's a trek just to reach a practice facility.
December 01, 2013
November 03, 2013
Looks Like the Season is Over
When there's no golf, the mind wanders. Can't get this out of my head.
October 16, 2013
Ladybugs Attack at Hockley Valley
My latest round of golf was a return visit to Hockley Valley Resort. Weather was perfect and the onset of fall colours made for even prettier vistas than usual. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the weather conditions or time of year, but the course was completely overrun by ladybugs. As insects go, ladybugs are perhaps the least offensive, but the sheer number of them made for some uncomfortable waits on the teeing grounds.
I was pumped up about this round because it came on the heels of a good performance at Lowville Golf Club. Would I be able to carry the momentum forward? On the front nine, it looked like I might, though my results were borderline. I made the turn with five double-bogeys and four bogeys, for a score of 50. I was happy to avoid scores of triple-bogey or worse, but I was bummed that I didn't collect any pars.
I was pumped up about this round because it came on the heels of a good performance at Lowville Golf Club. Would I be able to carry the momentum forward? On the front nine, it looked like I might, though my results were borderline. I made the turn with five double-bogeys and four bogeys, for a score of 50. I was happy to avoid scores of triple-bogey or worse, but I was bummed that I didn't collect any pars.
October 09, 2013
Strategize, Visualize, Materialize
For only the second or third time this season, I played a round of golf and managed to capture that elusive feeling – the satisfaction that comes with strategizing over a particular hole or shot, then being able to execute accordingly. It was a return visit to Lowville Golf Club, and the improvement in execution is evident in my score. I tallied a 94 – just one worse than my season best at Willodell Golf Club of Niagara.
I started with a pair of double-bogeys, but recouped some of those strokes with a pair of pars by the time I wrapped up the sixth hole. One of these came on hole # 4, a par-5. I took it easy on the drive, sacrificing distance for a little more control. After finding the right rough, I hit an 8-iron layup that left 125 yards to the green. From the middle of the fairway, I hit a beautiful gap wedge right over the flag. I missed a hard breaking birdie putt, but followed with an easy tap in.
I started with a pair of double-bogeys, but recouped some of those strokes with a pair of pars by the time I wrapped up the sixth hole. One of these came on hole # 4, a par-5. I took it easy on the drive, sacrificing distance for a little more control. After finding the right rough, I hit an 8-iron layup that left 125 yards to the green. From the middle of the fairway, I hit a beautiful gap wedge right over the flag. I missed a hard breaking birdie putt, but followed with an easy tap in.
October 03, 2013
Versatile and Vindictive
In a recent post, I lamented that the golf gods are as versatile as they are vindictive. I was referring, of course, to the myriad ways that I manage to compile a score of 100 or greater. Sometimes, it's poor driving. Other times, it's shaky putting. On a given occasion, I might amass an absurd amount of penalty strokes. On others, I might collect just a couple. I could string together a scorecard full of double-bogeys, or collect a bunch of pars while blowing up for a few quadruple-bogeys. It doesn't really matter; one way or another, the golf gods will find a way to dish out my just desserts. I thought it was an interesting comment, and my most recent round further proved it to be correct.
The first hole at Century Pines Golf Club owns me. Period. In half a dozen visits over the past three years, I have blown up massively on that hole every time! I've described it before, but here I go again, in an effort to explain how I managed to score a 10 on this straightaway and flat par-5. While the hole is straight, the entire left side (tee to green) is covered in thick trees and out of bounds just a few yards into the tree line. The right side has a few small trees, with another fairway on the other side. Closer to the green, a medium size pond borders the fairway on the right side. A large tree pinches in on the left side about 80 yards in front of the teeing ground, while another pinches the right side in front of the green. The hole plays left to right as viewed in the satellite image below.
The first hole at Century Pines Golf Club owns me. Period. In half a dozen visits over the past three years, I have blown up massively on that hole every time! I've described it before, but here I go again, in an effort to explain how I managed to score a 10 on this straightaway and flat par-5. While the hole is straight, the entire left side (tee to green) is covered in thick trees and out of bounds just a few yards into the tree line. The right side has a few small trees, with another fairway on the other side. Closer to the green, a medium size pond borders the fairway on the right side. A large tree pinches in on the left side about 80 yards in front of the teeing ground, while another pinches the right side in front of the green. The hole plays left to right as viewed in the satellite image below.
September 29, 2013
Wonky at Willow Valley
On a gorgeous late September afternoon, I made a return visit to Willow Valley Golf Club. The first third of the round was horrible, even though it included a couple of pars. That's because it also included a triple, a quad, and two quintuple-bogeys. One of the quints came on the opening hole, a pretty tame par-4 at just 355 yards. I thinned my first drive into the hazard directly in front of the teeing ground. My third from the tee got airborne, but was lost in the same hazard, which hugs the entire left side of the hole.
When you collect penalty strokes in pairs like that, big numbers are inevitable. I went on to collect a pair of penalties on four additional holes. Add a couple more holes that produced a penalty each, and I finished with 12 penalty strokes for the round. Three times this season, I collected 11 penalties during a round, but a dozen takes the cake. You simply cannot score well with that many penalties. For the season, I am averaging almost six penalty strokes per round. That tells you all you need to know about my scoring.
When you collect penalty strokes in pairs like that, big numbers are inevitable. I went on to collect a pair of penalties on four additional holes. Add a couple more holes that produced a penalty each, and I finished with 12 penalty strokes for the round. Three times this season, I collected 11 penalties during a round, but a dozen takes the cake. You simply cannot score well with that many penalties. For the season, I am averaging almost six penalty strokes per round. That tells you all you need to know about my scoring.
September 27, 2013
The Optimist and Pragmatist at Paris Grand
102. The number is getting to be like a cancerous tumour in my brain. The same goes for 103, 104, or any other number just above the century mark. Like cancer cells, they reproduce, viciously laying waste to a once healthy mind. Every time I post one of these scores, I feel like part of me dies. The snowball effect is incredible. Each failure reinforces the message: “You suck and will never be a good golfer.” Frustration mounts, along with self-doubt. There is an ever-present sense of helplessness. All of which only serves to perpetuate the downward spiral. The scores get worse, the psyche suffers, so the scores get worse still.
Before my latest visit to Paris Grand Golf Club, I had played 26 rounds of golf this season – at 26 different courses. While I like the variety, you could argue that playing a different course every time out does nothing to improve your scores, especially if you've never played some of those courses ever before. The optimist in me chose to believe there was something to this line of thought. Perhaps I wasn't really as bad as my scores this season have indicated. The pragmatist in me knew this was wishful thinking. Some of my worst rounds this year have been at courses that I've played many times in previous years. So the optimist and the pragmatist went to Paris Grand for the second time this year, to see which one of them was correct.
Before my latest visit to Paris Grand Golf Club, I had played 26 rounds of golf this season – at 26 different courses. While I like the variety, you could argue that playing a different course every time out does nothing to improve your scores, especially if you've never played some of those courses ever before. The optimist in me chose to believe there was something to this line of thought. Perhaps I wasn't really as bad as my scores this season have indicated. The pragmatist in me knew this was wishful thinking. Some of my worst rounds this year have been at courses that I've played many times in previous years. So the optimist and the pragmatist went to Paris Grand for the second time this year, to see which one of them was correct.
September 20, 2013
Cheap Thrills at Flamborough Hills
Each of the past seven years, the Deepwoods Golf Association has started the season with a round at Copetown Woods Golf Club. On my way to Copetown Woods, I would pass by the entrance to a neighbouring course called Flamborough Hills. I knew it was a 27-hole facility, and an examination of the course guide and scorecard revealed it to be a course of reasonable length and design. Nevertheless, it remained a course that I had never played. Until now.
On a comfortable, but overcast afternoon, I teed off on the Lakes nine at Flamborough Hills. I pulled my drive on the first hole well left of the fairway, but reached the short par-5 in regulation with a pitching wedge, lob wedge combination. I failed to lag my first putt near the hole and finished with a bogey. Next up, a short par-3, at 127 yards. I hit the gap wedge a tiny bit fat, coming up short of the green. A poor chip left a lot of real estate between me and the hole. Another poor lag ensued, this one sent screaming well past the hole. My second 3-putt of the day produced double-bogey. On hole #3, a straightaway par-4, my approach from the right fairway (also with the gap wedge) was a bit fat again. This time, my chip released well past the hole, but I managed to 2-putt for bogey.
On a comfortable, but overcast afternoon, I teed off on the Lakes nine at Flamborough Hills. I pulled my drive on the first hole well left of the fairway, but reached the short par-5 in regulation with a pitching wedge, lob wedge combination. I failed to lag my first putt near the hole and finished with a bogey. Next up, a short par-3, at 127 yards. I hit the gap wedge a tiny bit fat, coming up short of the green. A poor chip left a lot of real estate between me and the hole. Another poor lag ensued, this one sent screaming well past the hole. My second 3-putt of the day produced double-bogey. On hole #3, a straightaway par-4, my approach from the right fairway (also with the gap wedge) was a bit fat again. This time, my chip released well past the hole, but I managed to 2-putt for bogey.
September 16, 2013
Up in Flames at Dragon's Fire
With my latest round at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, the Deepwoods season came to an end. That the season would be a failure was never in doubt; in the previous four rounds, I amassed a measly point total and was wallowing at the bottom of the standings. However, I was clinging to the hope that I could pull off one good round to salvage something from a lost campaign – maybe just a shred of pride. I had done as much in 2011, when I managed to score 83 in the final Deepwoods event at Willow Valley. Unfortunately, there was none of that this time around.
In the early going, the round looked like it might be something special. After a double-bogey on the opening par-4 hole, I rattled off four consecutive pars. I was punishing the fairways and making some nice approaches. Luck was also on my side, as some mis-hits (a couple of balls caught thin) ended up very near the pins. Even the opening double-bogey featured some great shots. I push-sliced my first tee shot into the woods right, but hitting my third from the tee, I striped one down the middle, leaving 75 yards to the green. Next, I hit a lovely lob wedge, settling four feet from the pin tucked away at the extreme back right. I missed the putt, hence the double.
In the early going, the round looked like it might be something special. After a double-bogey on the opening par-4 hole, I rattled off four consecutive pars. I was punishing the fairways and making some nice approaches. Luck was also on my side, as some mis-hits (a couple of balls caught thin) ended up very near the pins. Even the opening double-bogey featured some great shots. I push-sliced my first tee shot into the woods right, but hitting my third from the tee, I striped one down the middle, leaving 75 yards to the green. Next, I hit a lovely lob wedge, settling four feet from the pin tucked away at the extreme back right. I missed the putt, hence the double.
September 10, 2013
Non Believer at Hockley Valley
After a slight layoff, I headed out to Hockley Valley Resort for my latest round of golf. If nothing else, it's a nice drive to the Orangeville area course. Things started out well, with a fairway hit and a 2-putt bogey on the opening par-4 hole. My first putt was excellent, breaking sharply at the end and almost dying in the hole for par. I can't really complain about it not dropping, but these are the kind of misses that kill me at the end of the day. It's virtually certain that I will have some blowup holes along the way, so I really have to conserve strokes elsewhere.
I made triple-bogey on the next two holes, a par-4, followed by a par-3. The results perfectly illustrate the dangers of Hockley Valley. After duffing my second shot on hole #2, I pulled an approach just left of the green. The ball was in some gnarly weeds, which are typical for the course when you're off line. You simply cannot afford to go in there. It took two good hacks to get out. On hole #3, I pulled a pitching wedge off the tee and into the woods. Just like that, I gave away two strokes and had to hit my third from the tee.
I made triple-bogey on the next two holes, a par-4, followed by a par-3. The results perfectly illustrate the dangers of Hockley Valley. After duffing my second shot on hole #2, I pulled an approach just left of the green. The ball was in some gnarly weeds, which are typical for the course when you're off line. You simply cannot afford to go in there. It took two good hacks to get out. On hole #3, I pulled a pitching wedge off the tee and into the woods. Just like that, I gave away two strokes and had to hit my third from the tee.
September 02, 2013
Bunkered at The Country Club
It was a rare chance to play with some friends, so I was looking forward to my latest golf outing. I met up with Linley, Paul and Luke at The Country Club in Woodbridge for an afternoon round. Given the way I've played this year, I wasn't expecting to post a great score. Still, I went in thinking it would be nice to shave a couple strokes and perhaps break 100. That's not asking much, right?
My drive on hole #1 (East course) drifted right of the fairway toward a group of trees behind the ninth green. The rough underneath wasn't bad, but I couldn't find my ball. Are you freaking kidding me? On my very first shot? Have some mercy, for heaven's sake. Nearer the green, my approach was a hair long, but it caught a mound, propelling the ball further away under some trees and into the fescue. It was impossible to get to the green in one shot from there. Add it all up, and I started the round with a triple-bogey.
My drive on hole #1 (East course) drifted right of the fairway toward a group of trees behind the ninth green. The rough underneath wasn't bad, but I couldn't find my ball. Are you freaking kidding me? On my very first shot? Have some mercy, for heaven's sake. Nearer the green, my approach was a hair long, but it caught a mound, propelling the ball further away under some trees and into the fescue. It was impossible to get to the green in one shot from there. Add it all up, and I started the round with a triple-bogey.
August 28, 2013
Wining and Dining at Rockway Vineyards
OK, this is officially getting weird. It doesn't matter what I do, I will score 100 and change on any golf course, under any conditions, any day of the week. Tie one hand behind my back and take away half my clubs – I will shoot 102. Tee off just 100 yards from every hole – I will shoot 102. It really is unbelievable. For proof, I offer an account of my latest round, which was my first ever visit to Rockway Vineyards in St. Catharines, Ontario.
I began the day intending to employ the trick I had used effectively in the latter half of my previous round at Woodington Lake. On that day, I slowed my swing speed with the driver and ended up hitting 8 of the last 10 fairways. I tried the same thing for the first 6 holes at Rockway and hit a grand total of zero fairways. Two of those were par-3 holes, so I was actually 0 for 4. Still, that was enough for me to realize that the mellow approach wasn't working. Beginning on the seventh hole, and for the remainder of the round, I was much more aggressive on the teeing ground.
I began the day intending to employ the trick I had used effectively in the latter half of my previous round at Woodington Lake. On that day, I slowed my swing speed with the driver and ended up hitting 8 of the last 10 fairways. I tried the same thing for the first 6 holes at Rockway and hit a grand total of zero fairways. Two of those were par-3 holes, so I was actually 0 for 4. Still, that was enough for me to realize that the mellow approach wasn't working. Beginning on the seventh hole, and for the remainder of the round, I was much more aggressive on the teeing ground.
August 26, 2013
Woodington Fake
Woodington Lake Golf Club features two 18-hole courses that are very well designed. The Legend and The Legacy, as the two courses are known, are vastly different in style, but both offer excellent variety and challenge. Unfortunately, management at the club has implemented policies that ruin the golfing experience. Specifically, the club insists that golfers use power carts on the Legacy course at all times. Power carts are also mandatory on the Legend course at specified times (9 am – 2 pm, Wed – Fri & Open – 2 pm, Weekends & Holidays).
I much prefer to walk a golf course, for various reasons. Due to a knee injury, I cannot perform any rigorous physical activities. Walking 18 holes is way for me to exercise, without putting excessive strain on my knee. I also enjoy the outdoors much more when I'm walking. I live in the city and spend enough time trapped in vehicles. Finally, I play better when I walk. I can focus on my own game, rather than my cart partner's game. I also play faster when I walk. I spend less time searching for balls, because I can walk directly to them. I can also walk directly from a green to the next teeing ground, instead of following a winding cart path.
Woodington Lake's mandatory cart policy is pointless – unless the point is to swindle its patrons. At $22.60 per player, the club has the most expensive cart fees I've seen anywhere. If it walks like a money grab and talks like a money grab – well, it's a money grab. I have no problem with clubs charging whatever they want for a round of golf. If you think you're a premium golf course, then go ahead and charge a premium green fee. But don't advertise a lower green fee, only to gouge patrons with a ridiculous fee for mandatory carts. You're not fooling anyone.
In fact, the club is only hurting itself. I sincerely hope Woodington Lake enjoys the $22.60 cart fee it collected from me on a recent visit. It will cost them hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in lost green fees for future rounds. I personally, will not go back until they change their policy. I have already recommended to the group I played with not to return. Finally, I will recommend the same to anyone who will listen. Browse the golf message boards or ask members of the GTA golfing community and you'll realize I'm not alone. Woodington Lake is alienating a lot of players – dedicated golfers who are not afraid to vocalize their displeasure.
With that nonsense out of the way, let me turn to a discussion of my performance. I started the round with a mix of good and bad shots. On hole #2, for example, I pulled a drive well left of the fairway. However, I saved par on the par-5 hole with a pair of good iron shots, followed by an excellent chip and putt. A weak drive on the next par-5, which is hole #4, didn't really hurt me. My second shot was an excellent 7-iron, leaving 140 yards to the green from the middle of the fairway. Unfortunately, I pulled my 9-iron slightly, catching a large hill that kicked the ball well left of the green. A 3-putt to finish resulted in a double-bogey.
In fact, putting let me down in the early stages of the round. I counted five lost strokes on the front nine due to putts I should have made. Most of these were straight, uphill putts in the four to six foot range. With lots of golf still to be played, I knew the inevitable blowup holes would come. When they did, the early missed putts were all the more painful. It's a shame, because my putting has been pretty good all year. However, such is golf. Somehow, someway, the game finds a way to restore your average score. On this day, I blame my putting.
After a tip from my playing partner on hole #7, I began to hit a remarkable number of fairways. He mentioned that my practice swing was slower and smoother than my actual swing. Without even realizing it, I was trying to smash the ball on my actual shots – not surprisingly, with poor results. I turned to some mental trickery to remedy the situation. Just before I hit the ball, I began telling myself to “take another practice swing.” It wasn't a practice swing at all, but telling myself that it was slowed my swing speed just enough and greatly increased my accuracy. After the coaching session, I hit 8 of 10 fairways. Sweet!
Though I was hitting fairways, it did not translate into better scores. I still hit almost no greens. I actually liked my approach shots very much. Contact was crisp, flight path was straight, and distances were perfect. However, I was just missing left or right, usually on the safe side. I made a couple of pars and a couple of bogeys, depending on how well I chipped greenside. The problem is that when I made a bad shot, it was the kind that puts you in a terrible position and leads to a blowup score – triple-bogey or worse. I made a mess of hole #10 and hole #16 in particular.
In the end, there were a lot of positives to take away. However, I scored my typical, ugly score.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
I much prefer to walk a golf course, for various reasons. Due to a knee injury, I cannot perform any rigorous physical activities. Walking 18 holes is way for me to exercise, without putting excessive strain on my knee. I also enjoy the outdoors much more when I'm walking. I live in the city and spend enough time trapped in vehicles. Finally, I play better when I walk. I can focus on my own game, rather than my cart partner's game. I also play faster when I walk. I spend less time searching for balls, because I can walk directly to them. I can also walk directly from a green to the next teeing ground, instead of following a winding cart path.
Woodington Lake's mandatory cart policy is pointless – unless the point is to swindle its patrons. At $22.60 per player, the club has the most expensive cart fees I've seen anywhere. If it walks like a money grab and talks like a money grab – well, it's a money grab. I have no problem with clubs charging whatever they want for a round of golf. If you think you're a premium golf course, then go ahead and charge a premium green fee. But don't advertise a lower green fee, only to gouge patrons with a ridiculous fee for mandatory carts. You're not fooling anyone.
In fact, the club is only hurting itself. I sincerely hope Woodington Lake enjoys the $22.60 cart fee it collected from me on a recent visit. It will cost them hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in lost green fees for future rounds. I personally, will not go back until they change their policy. I have already recommended to the group I played with not to return. Finally, I will recommend the same to anyone who will listen. Browse the golf message boards or ask members of the GTA golfing community and you'll realize I'm not alone. Woodington Lake is alienating a lot of players – dedicated golfers who are not afraid to vocalize their displeasure.
With that nonsense out of the way, let me turn to a discussion of my performance. I started the round with a mix of good and bad shots. On hole #2, for example, I pulled a drive well left of the fairway. However, I saved par on the par-5 hole with a pair of good iron shots, followed by an excellent chip and putt. A weak drive on the next par-5, which is hole #4, didn't really hurt me. My second shot was an excellent 7-iron, leaving 140 yards to the green from the middle of the fairway. Unfortunately, I pulled my 9-iron slightly, catching a large hill that kicked the ball well left of the green. A 3-putt to finish resulted in a double-bogey.
In fact, putting let me down in the early stages of the round. I counted five lost strokes on the front nine due to putts I should have made. Most of these were straight, uphill putts in the four to six foot range. With lots of golf still to be played, I knew the inevitable blowup holes would come. When they did, the early missed putts were all the more painful. It's a shame, because my putting has been pretty good all year. However, such is golf. Somehow, someway, the game finds a way to restore your average score. On this day, I blame my putting.
After a tip from my playing partner on hole #7, I began to hit a remarkable number of fairways. He mentioned that my practice swing was slower and smoother than my actual swing. Without even realizing it, I was trying to smash the ball on my actual shots – not surprisingly, with poor results. I turned to some mental trickery to remedy the situation. Just before I hit the ball, I began telling myself to “take another practice swing.” It wasn't a practice swing at all, but telling myself that it was slowed my swing speed just enough and greatly increased my accuracy. After the coaching session, I hit 8 of 10 fairways. Sweet!
Though I was hitting fairways, it did not translate into better scores. I still hit almost no greens. I actually liked my approach shots very much. Contact was crisp, flight path was straight, and distances were perfect. However, I was just missing left or right, usually on the safe side. I made a couple of pars and a couple of bogeys, depending on how well I chipped greenside. The problem is that when I made a bad shot, it was the kind that puts you in a terrible position and leads to a blowup score – triple-bogey or worse. I made a mess of hole #10 and hole #16 in particular.
In the end, there were a lot of positives to take away. However, I scored my typical, ugly score.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
August 21, 2013
Like Old Times at Tyandaga
With a single round, my handicap factor zoomed up to 25.5 – an increase of almost a full point. My last official round of 2012, a decent performance at Tangle Creek Golf Club, just came off my scoring record and was replaced by one of my weaker outings this year. As a result, my handicap is back in territory that I haven't seen for seven years or more. It's depressing, to say the least.
I guess it's fitting that my handicap returned to that level after a visit to an old course for me. In my early golf days, I would get out to Tyandaga Golf Course at least a couple of times each year. In the past seven years, however, I've probably visited the Burlington area course once. As I became a better player, I gravitated toward longer courses. Shorter tracks like Tyandaga largely fell out of my rotation.
I wasn't planning to play, but the opportunity presented itself, so I went for it. Despite being a shorter course (5803 yards) with a modest rating/slope (67.5/114), Tyandaga stuck it to me, just like every other course I've played this year. It really is unbelievable. No matter what course I play, or what conditions I play in, I have an uncanny ability to shoot 103, plus or minus a stroke. If they built a golf course on the Bonneville Salt Flats, I think I would shoot 103.
I shot similar scores this year while feeling good about many shots. That wasn't the case this time around. Truth is, I just hacked the ball around the course. I've hit some amazing drives this year, but only hit two that I liked at Tyandaga. One was a slight fade on hole #12, a par-4. The other was a beastly laser on hole #14. That one took advantage of dry, hard conditions to travel 315 yards to the right fairway. I went on to bogey both of these holes.
Similarly, there were only a couple of iron shots that I recall being satisfied with. One was a punched 3-iron that I cut around some trees to the green front on hole #11. The other was a flush 7-iron over some trees to just off the back of the green on hole #16. Both of these shots came after a penalty stroke for losing a ball in a hazard. That tells you the real story, right there. I made double-bogey on #11 and bogey on #16.
Once again, I had bunker trouble near a couple of greens. On two occasions, I didn't exactly make highlight shots, but managed to get out safely. That's all I really ask for these days. On hole #4, however, I was back to my usual bunker play. I hit one attempt fat, then followed up by picking the ball clean and sending it 30 yards past the green. The only good area of my game was putting, but I still had a couple of 3-putts, thanks to some frayed nerves.
I don't know what else to say. The bottom line is that I'm really just a poor golfer.
Score: 104
Putts: 36
Fairways: 2
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
I guess it's fitting that my handicap returned to that level after a visit to an old course for me. In my early golf days, I would get out to Tyandaga Golf Course at least a couple of times each year. In the past seven years, however, I've probably visited the Burlington area course once. As I became a better player, I gravitated toward longer courses. Shorter tracks like Tyandaga largely fell out of my rotation.
I wasn't planning to play, but the opportunity presented itself, so I went for it. Despite being a shorter course (5803 yards) with a modest rating/slope (67.5/114), Tyandaga stuck it to me, just like every other course I've played this year. It really is unbelievable. No matter what course I play, or what conditions I play in, I have an uncanny ability to shoot 103, plus or minus a stroke. If they built a golf course on the Bonneville Salt Flats, I think I would shoot 103.
I shot similar scores this year while feeling good about many shots. That wasn't the case this time around. Truth is, I just hacked the ball around the course. I've hit some amazing drives this year, but only hit two that I liked at Tyandaga. One was a slight fade on hole #12, a par-4. The other was a beastly laser on hole #14. That one took advantage of dry, hard conditions to travel 315 yards to the right fairway. I went on to bogey both of these holes.
Similarly, there were only a couple of iron shots that I recall being satisfied with. One was a punched 3-iron that I cut around some trees to the green front on hole #11. The other was a flush 7-iron over some trees to just off the back of the green on hole #16. Both of these shots came after a penalty stroke for losing a ball in a hazard. That tells you the real story, right there. I made double-bogey on #11 and bogey on #16.
Once again, I had bunker trouble near a couple of greens. On two occasions, I didn't exactly make highlight shots, but managed to get out safely. That's all I really ask for these days. On hole #4, however, I was back to my usual bunker play. I hit one attempt fat, then followed up by picking the ball clean and sending it 30 yards past the green. The only good area of my game was putting, but I still had a couple of 3-putts, thanks to some frayed nerves.
I don't know what else to say. The bottom line is that I'm really just a poor golfer.
Score: 104
Putts: 36
Fairways: 2
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
August 18, 2013
Same Old at Glen Eagle
I've travelled pretty far for golf this year, with rounds played in Paris, Niagara Falls, and even Gravenhurst. As a result, it was nice to play a little closer to home, at Glen Eagle Golf Club. I didn't play there last year, but shot a 99 the year before on the Original 18 layout. In 2010, I shot 92 on my lone visit, playing the Blue/Yellow nines.
Unfortunately the upward trend continued, as I finished with a score of 104, once again on the Blue/Yellow combination. My 52 on the Blue nine consisted of four bogeys, three doubles, and two triples. One of the triples came on the opening hole, thanks to a weak drive that popped up and right into a small pond. The other came on hole #4, a par-4 with a dogleg left. Right of the fairway after my drive, I failed to get over some trees between me and the green.
Holes #5 through #9 actually weren't that bad. My best drive on this stretch was a laser on hole #7, a 509-yard par-5. Unfortunately, I followed up with a horrific iron that I smothered and pulled left into a pond. Near the green, I made a nice up and down to salvage double-bogey. The only other disappointment on this stretch was a 3-putt on hole #9. Playing from above the hole, I left my first putt four feet short. You can figure out the rest.
The Yellow nine was pretty similar. I managed a couple of pars by reaching greens in regulation. On hole #3, I played a draw to the back of the green from 130 yards away. On hole #8, I hit a spectacular 5-iron to the green from the left rough. A tree trunk was interfering with my backswing and overhanging branches just ahead meant I had to keep the ball low. I should have had another par on hole #7, but 3-putt after reaching the green of this par-4 in two shots.
The problems on the Yellow nine really came at the start and finish. After pushing my drive well right on hole #1, I tried playing a 9-iron back to the fairway. I pulled it well left of target, sailing out of bounds. After a penalty stroke, I replayed the shot perfectly. I wish that had happened the first time. I also struggled near the green and ended up with a quadruple-bogey. I had the same result on hole #9. With a birdie on that hole, I would break 100, so I took a chance on my second shot. I was in the rough just left of the fairway, but the ball was above my feet and overhanging branches impeded my access to the green. I tried to play a draw, but shanked one right of the fairway, still 100 yards from the flag. My next three shots were all impeded by some obstacle, whether a tree in my backswing or a stance with my feet in a bunker.
My shot at 99 was gone, so it didn't really matter whether I finished with 100 or 104. Once again, I find myself in that brutal zone just above the century mark. More alarmingly, my handicap factor has now jumped to 24.6, exactly 9 points higher than my personal best. That is a tough pill to swallow.
Score: 104
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
Unfortunately the upward trend continued, as I finished with a score of 104, once again on the Blue/Yellow combination. My 52 on the Blue nine consisted of four bogeys, three doubles, and two triples. One of the triples came on the opening hole, thanks to a weak drive that popped up and right into a small pond. The other came on hole #4, a par-4 with a dogleg left. Right of the fairway after my drive, I failed to get over some trees between me and the green.
Holes #5 through #9 actually weren't that bad. My best drive on this stretch was a laser on hole #7, a 509-yard par-5. Unfortunately, I followed up with a horrific iron that I smothered and pulled left into a pond. Near the green, I made a nice up and down to salvage double-bogey. The only other disappointment on this stretch was a 3-putt on hole #9. Playing from above the hole, I left my first putt four feet short. You can figure out the rest.
The Yellow nine was pretty similar. I managed a couple of pars by reaching greens in regulation. On hole #3, I played a draw to the back of the green from 130 yards away. On hole #8, I hit a spectacular 5-iron to the green from the left rough. A tree trunk was interfering with my backswing and overhanging branches just ahead meant I had to keep the ball low. I should have had another par on hole #7, but 3-putt after reaching the green of this par-4 in two shots.
The problems on the Yellow nine really came at the start and finish. After pushing my drive well right on hole #1, I tried playing a 9-iron back to the fairway. I pulled it well left of target, sailing out of bounds. After a penalty stroke, I replayed the shot perfectly. I wish that had happened the first time. I also struggled near the green and ended up with a quadruple-bogey. I had the same result on hole #9. With a birdie on that hole, I would break 100, so I took a chance on my second shot. I was in the rough just left of the fairway, but the ball was above my feet and overhanging branches impeded my access to the green. I tried to play a draw, but shanked one right of the fairway, still 100 yards from the flag. My next three shots were all impeded by some obstacle, whether a tree in my backswing or a stance with my feet in a bunker.
My shot at 99 was gone, so it didn't really matter whether I finished with 100 or 104. Once again, I find myself in that brutal zone just above the century mark. More alarmingly, my handicap factor has now jumped to 24.6, exactly 9 points higher than my personal best. That is a tough pill to swallow.
Score: 104
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
August 17, 2013
Half Full or Half Empty at Bradford
Well, my golf rounds are becoming very predictable this year. More specifically, my final scores are becoming very predictable. If I venture out to play, regardless of the course or its perceived difficulty, I can guarantee with startling accuracy that I will shoot a couple of strokes above 100. How I shoot those scores, however, is another matter altogether. For my latest round at The Highlands of Bradford, I chose the Jeckyll & Hyde route, scoring a brutal 61 on the front nine, followed by quite a good 44 on the back nine.
So, what should we make of that? Is the proverbial glass half empty, or is it half full? Honestly, I don't know. All I know is that I got off to a terrible start, ruining any chance of a good score after the very first hole. I didn't warm up at all and it showed immediately. I pull-hooked my first drive into the opposite fairway. I tried to hit a wedge over some small trees just to get back to the fairway and my club slid right under the ball. I ended up stymied behind one of the trees. My second pitch made it to the fairway, 90 yards from the pin. I slid another wedge under the ball, sending it just far enough to splash in a pond. After a penalty stroke, I did exactly the same thing again. My eighth stroke was just right of the green, while my ninth rolled off the other side. From the fringe, I 2-putt for a score of 11. Thanks for coming out. Your score will officially suck. Enjoy the next 17 holes.
I bogeyed the second hole, before blowing up again on the third. First tee shot was pulled ever so slightly out of bounds. Hitting three from the tee, I pushed another drive well right into a fescue-covered hazard. An approach, a chip, and two putts later, I racked up a quadruple-bogey. And so it continued for the rest of the front nine. I amassed nine penalties on the front nine alone. I hit wayward drives, though I piped a pair of beauties on holes #6 and #7. I hit wayward irons and wedges, though I also cracked some fine shots with the same clubs. A 4-iron into the green on hole #5 and a lovely drawing 52 degree wedge into the green on hole #6 come to mind. I made a complete mess of bunker shots, though I also executed some well. I guess you could say I had no consistency whatsoever.
The back nine was a completely different story. I began with a monster drive that ran through the end of the fairway on hole #10, a 367-yard par-4. My approach left a lot to be desired and I finished with bogey. I hit a beautiful 5-wood on my second shot on hole #11, a par-5. I have largely taken my fairway woods out of play, but they give me versatility and I want to get them back. This was a step in the right direction. Another 295-yard drive found the fairway on hole #12, a par-4 measuring 395 yards. With the wind at my back, a 60-degree wedge shot flew over the green, leading to bogey.
Straight, deep drives continued on holes #14 and #17. When the driver faltered, the fairway woods picked up the slack. On hole #18, I pulled my drive into fescue left of the fairway. With a poor lie, I did well to lay up in front of a creek that crosses the fairway. With 240 yards left to the green, I hit a delightful 3-wood. The ball finished flag-high in a bunker just left of the green. On the back nine, I also got up and down for par a number of times. On hole #15, a chip from just off the back of the green nestled to within 2 feet of the cup. On hole #17, it was completely different, with an approach from 100 yards landing just above the hole, followed by a breaking putt of about 10 feet. The only blemish on the back nine was my bunker play, which was still terrible. After reaching the greenside bunker on hole #18 (a par-5) in three shots, I hit the sand fat, failing to emerge. Next, I sculled one over the green. If not for that, I would have shot a very good 42 on the back nine.
Half full? Half empty? I still don't know.
Score: 105
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 9
So, what should we make of that? Is the proverbial glass half empty, or is it half full? Honestly, I don't know. All I know is that I got off to a terrible start, ruining any chance of a good score after the very first hole. I didn't warm up at all and it showed immediately. I pull-hooked my first drive into the opposite fairway. I tried to hit a wedge over some small trees just to get back to the fairway and my club slid right under the ball. I ended up stymied behind one of the trees. My second pitch made it to the fairway, 90 yards from the pin. I slid another wedge under the ball, sending it just far enough to splash in a pond. After a penalty stroke, I did exactly the same thing again. My eighth stroke was just right of the green, while my ninth rolled off the other side. From the fringe, I 2-putt for a score of 11. Thanks for coming out. Your score will officially suck. Enjoy the next 17 holes.
I bogeyed the second hole, before blowing up again on the third. First tee shot was pulled ever so slightly out of bounds. Hitting three from the tee, I pushed another drive well right into a fescue-covered hazard. An approach, a chip, and two putts later, I racked up a quadruple-bogey. And so it continued for the rest of the front nine. I amassed nine penalties on the front nine alone. I hit wayward drives, though I piped a pair of beauties on holes #6 and #7. I hit wayward irons and wedges, though I also cracked some fine shots with the same clubs. A 4-iron into the green on hole #5 and a lovely drawing 52 degree wedge into the green on hole #6 come to mind. I made a complete mess of bunker shots, though I also executed some well. I guess you could say I had no consistency whatsoever.
The back nine was a completely different story. I began with a monster drive that ran through the end of the fairway on hole #10, a 367-yard par-4. My approach left a lot to be desired and I finished with bogey. I hit a beautiful 5-wood on my second shot on hole #11, a par-5. I have largely taken my fairway woods out of play, but they give me versatility and I want to get them back. This was a step in the right direction. Another 295-yard drive found the fairway on hole #12, a par-4 measuring 395 yards. With the wind at my back, a 60-degree wedge shot flew over the green, leading to bogey.
Straight, deep drives continued on holes #14 and #17. When the driver faltered, the fairway woods picked up the slack. On hole #18, I pulled my drive into fescue left of the fairway. With a poor lie, I did well to lay up in front of a creek that crosses the fairway. With 240 yards left to the green, I hit a delightful 3-wood. The ball finished flag-high in a bunker just left of the green. On the back nine, I also got up and down for par a number of times. On hole #15, a chip from just off the back of the green nestled to within 2 feet of the cup. On hole #17, it was completely different, with an approach from 100 yards landing just above the hole, followed by a breaking putt of about 10 feet. The only blemish on the back nine was my bunker play, which was still terrible. After reaching the greenside bunker on hole #18 (a par-5) in three shots, I hit the sand fat, failing to emerge. Next, I sculled one over the green. If not for that, I would have shot a very good 42 on the back nine.
Half full? Half empty? I still don't know.
Score: 105
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 9
August 09, 2013
First Visit to Muskoka Bay Club
Muskoka Bay Club, a Doug Carrick design located in Gravenhurst, Ontario, has received its share of accolades – not the least of which is its ranking, over each of the last four years, as the 9th best golf course in Canada by ScoreGolf magazine. In a recent ranking of public courses only by the same magazine, Muskoka Bay came in at number 1 in Ontario and number 6 nationally. With a pedigree like that, I was certainly looking forward to my first visit to the club.
I decided to play the blue tees, which measure in at 6352 yards, with a rating/slope of 71.6/137. That is the highest slope of any course I've played this year, though I've certainly played courses of similar difficulty in the past. Most of the difficulty arises from forced carries off the tee. From the blues, none of these are exceptionally long, extending no more than 210 yards. What makes them challenging is the visual intimidation factor. Granite outcroppings narrow sightlines or loom near landing zones. Having said that, the landing zones themselves are generally fair in size.
I striped a beautiful drive on hole #1, which features one of the carries I just described. I pulled my second shot with the pitching wedge 30 yards left of the green. Pitching from well above the green to a surface that fell away from me, I limped in with a double-bogey. Still, I was very proud of the way I dealt with the first tee shot.
Confidence grew over the next two holes, which produced a pair of pars. The first of these came on a 147-yard par-3. I nailed the back of the green with an 8-iron, then finished with two putts. The second came on a par-4 measuring 393 yards. I hit the left centre of the fairway with driver, but the slope kicked the ball further left, about a yard into the rough. From that position, large granite outcroppings completely obscured my view of the green. Accounting for a healthy rise, I hit a 7-iron from 150 yards. The ball sailed over the granite and came to rest on the putting surface, within birdie range. It was one of the best shots of the day.
My tee shot on hole #4 found a large bunker right of the fairway. Accounting for a significant rise into the green, along with a back left pin position, I opted for the gap wedge. The ball was headed straight at the flag, but landed just a yard short and rolled back down a steep bunker face. Bunker shots have been my nemesis in recent years, with the odd exception, but there was no exception this time. My first attempt was fat and stayed in the bunker. My next attempt got out, but squirted to the right and across the whole green. I chipped on and 2-putt for a triple bogey. It really goes to show how golf is a game of inches. If my approach shot carries one more yard, I'm right beside the flag and walk away with no worse than par. As it was, I tacked on three additional strokes.
I played pretty well for the rest of the front nine. Holes #5 and #8, both of which are par-5 holes, were especially good. In both cases, I nailed the fairway with driver, then advanced the ball with pitching wedge on the second shot. I had the option of hitting 3-wood to get on or close to the greens in two, but everything would have to be perfect for that to work. It's an extremely low percentage shot and the penalty for missing would be too severe. I made the right call by playing conservatively and earned a bogey and another par.
Hole #9, a 369-yard par-4 known as “The Narrows” is the one pictured above. Many people think it's an unfair hole, as huge slabs of granite pinch the fairway leading up to the green down to a mere sliver. All of this after a forced carry of 200 yards off the tee. I piped one just right of the fairway centre, leaving 140 yards to the flag. Now the pressure was on. As long as one carries the rock on the approach, there actually is some room to work with. I succumbed to the visual intimidation and pulled one left into the granite and trees. After a penalty stroke, my next attempt was fine, finishing flag-high, a couple yards left of the green. The first miss was costly, resulting in a triple-bogey. Still, it was a fun hole.
Shooting 51 at the turn, I felt like the course was not pushing me around. With one exception (a ball hit off the heel on tee #7) I was driving the ball well. My irons were also remarkably straight. In fact, I hit many quality shots. Sure, I had some trouble with bunker shots and imprecise pitches, but my putting was good. With continued good play and some luck, I felt like I could break 100.
On the back nine, penalty strokes began adding up. I pulled my drive ever so slightly on hole #10 and hole #13. On the first of these, the area was staked red, so I was able to take a penalty and drop within two club lengths. No such luck on the second, as fescue and other vegetation produced a lost ball. Hitting three from the tee, I nailed the fairway centre, but the damage had already been done.
I struggled terribly in a greenside bunker on hole #11, a 147-yard par-3. I inadvertently picked the ball clean, flying way over the green into a hazard. I made a miraculous out from a terrible lie and had a makeable putt for bogey, but the green was slippery and I overshot it. In fact, I missed the comebacker and earned a triple. An errant 3-iron from the fairway started a chain of terrible events on hole #15. After taking a penalty, I flopped an approach into a bunker. Once again, I caught the ball thin and sailed past the green into a hazard. This time, I couldn't find the ball, so it was another penalty stroke. I finished with a score of 9 on the par-4 hole. Ouch!
Still, there were many good moments, even on the back nine. I saved a description of the best for last. Hole #12 is a par-5 measuring 524 yards. I cut the hole in half with my tee shot, a 270-yard drive to the middle of the fairway. A large pond left of the fairway comes into play on the second shot. Wanting no part of it, I hit a 5-iron 180 yards to the very right of the fairway. Great shot! Playing into an elevated green, I hit sand wedge, leaving the ball five feet below the hole. I proceeded to drain the putt for birdie! The picture above shows the hole from the green, looking back toward the fairway. Beautiful.
In the end, I shot 107. Though the score seems to suggest otherwise, I actually played quite well. I've had many scores in the low and mid 90's where I didn't hit as many quality shots as I did on this occasion. Golf is strange that way.
Score: 107
Putts: 34
Fairways: 8
Greens: 5
Penalties: 8
August 07, 2013
Whirlwind at Whirlpool
My last visit to Whirlpool Golf Course, designed by Stanley Thompson and located on the Niagara Gorge, was in September, 2008. It's an enjoyable layout and a course of which I have fond memories. As a result, I was looking forward to the outing. Then again, I look forward to every golf outing. However, I'm a sucker for nostalgia and I have a distinct soft spot in my heart for courses that I haven't visited in a few years.
Starting as a single, I was sent out alone by the starter, who advised me to join up with a twosome ahead. As it turned out, I played alone for most of the round, with various groups allowing me to play through. More on that later. My opening drive drifted right of the fairway into some trees. It took two shots to punch back to the fairway. Lately, I've had trouble punching out from below trees. My approach from 100 yards was just short of the green, so I chipped to about five feet. Of course, I missed the putt and took a triple-bogey. If that putt was for par, I bet I would have made it. However, the cruelty of golf dictates that since it was for double-bogey, I would miss.
I played bogey golf for the rest of the front nine, shooting 48 at the turn. A twosome waved me onto the second green as they were set to putt. From the middle of the fairway, I came up short into a front bunker. I splashed out nicely and 2-putt for bogey. The twosome suggested I play ahead on the next hole, which I did. A+ to the young men for immediately allowing me through. I hit an iron short of the green on the par-3, then chipped on and 2-putt for bogey.
As I arrived at hole #4, a foursome was packing up their clubs, having just finished their tee shots. I expected them to wave me through, but nothing. I stood on the tee for a long time as they looked for their wayward tee shots. When they finally moved ahead, I striped one down the middle of the fairway. It was another long wait for my second and third shots on this par-5 hole. As a result, I hit both of those shots fat. My fourth shot settled just behind the green, so I chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey.
Approaching the foursome on the next tee, I politely asked if they would let me through. They agreed, but stated that I wouldn't really get anywhere as there was a group right ahead of them. I hit my tee shot well right of the fairway, but followed with a beautiful 9-iron over some very tall trees to get back to the fairway. My third shot on this par-5 was straight, but just short of the green. I chipped reasonably close, but 2-putt for bogey. Contrary to what the foursome told me, the entire hole was open. For that reason, and since they should have let me through on the previous hole without me having to ask, the young men earned a grade of C.
In fact, I only encountered the next group, a threesome, on hole #6. As I approached the teeing ground on this par-3, they were walking off the green. I hit a very nice 7-iron flag-high to the front of the green. A routine 2-putt earned my first par of the day. The threesome had just finished teeing off on hole #7, but they waited a few seconds to allow me through. A+ to the two men and their lady friend for extending the courtesy immediately. The lady even complimented me on my second shot, a low punch from 200 yards that had to skirt the trees on the right side. I didn't make the green, but pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.
I caught the next group, a man and a woman, on hole #9. I striped a 3-iron off the tee on this short par-4, then waited while they cleared the green. My approach was just right of the putting surface, so I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. On the next tee, the couple offered to let me through, though they warned me that another couple was immediately ahead. I thanked them and said I would take my chances. For their consideration, they earned a grade of A.
At 450 yards from the blue tees, hole #10 is a long par-4. I hit the left side of the fairway, but was not deep at all, leaving 250 yards to the green. I hit a 3-iron, expecting to leave about a 50-yard pitch to the green. Instead, I pulled the shot ever so slightly, catching the cart path, which propelled the ball just left of the green, flag-high. In fact, my ball finished ahead of the twosome in front, who were both about 10 yards short of the green. I apologized for shooting past them, explaining that the cart path was largely responsible. They said it was no problem and invited me to chip on the green. Unfortunately, I made a bad chip and a couple of bad putts to finish with a double-bogey. I think I was a little flustered and rushed a bit.
On the next tee, the couple invited me to play ahead, though they warned me that the threesome ahead was playing like turtles. As I did with the previous couple, I thanked them and said I would take my chances. For their kindness, this couple also earned a grade of A. Unfortunately, I hit my first really bad drive of the day, pulling one off the heel of the club. I hit a nice recovery 9-iron over a tree, but my third shot into the green was a bit short. I chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey.
When I pulled up to hole #12, the three turtles were still teeing off. I fully expected them to have me join or let me through. No such luck, as they drove ahead without saying a word. After a long wait on this par-3, I hit a 4-iron left of the green. After a beautiful pitch, I tapped in for my second par of the day. Things unravelled on hole #13, a par-5. My tee shot was amongst some trees right of the fairway. Again, I had trouble punching back to the fairway. It seems unbelievable that I could smack narrow tree trunks in that situation, but I did repeatedly, finishing with a triple-bogey.
Since the turtle trio did not let me through without prompting, I resolved to ask them politely on the next hole. They were getting in their cart a few paces ahead when I said, “Gentlemen, do you mind if I play through?” Either they were all deaf, or they acted like they didn't hear me. They simply drove ahead on the par-3 hole. After another wait for them to clear the green, I hit a nice 7-iron short of the green. I chipped on reasonably close, but had to 2-putt for a bogey.
Now on hole #15, a par-5, I made sure the three men ahead could not ignore me. I waited for them to finish teeing off, then made sure they were facing me and said once again, “Gentlemen, do you mind if I play through?” Judging by their response, they were obviously not gentlemen. They made it clear that they were not going to let me through, as I would then be holding them up. Really? A single is going to hold up a threesome? You have it backwards, my friends. After explaining as much, I told them to have a nice day. At that point, I dropped back with the last couple that let me through and we played the rest of the round together. For their rudeness and stupidity, the turtles get a failing grade of E or F, depending what system you use.
Now, aside from one or two blips, I had a decent round going. I hit a decent number of fairways with the driver, but my irons were much improved. I caught a couple fat, but everything was straight. The adjustment I made at Twenty Valley was working like a charm. It's a different address, slightly more open, and a different swing path. It also lends itself to a higher finish. The result was straighter and higher shots. I had also played 14 holes without a penalty stroke, which was fantastic. Unfortunately, I took 3 penalties – all on hole #15. Two of those were for balls in a hazard. The final one was for an unplayable ball. I ended up with a disastrous score of 10.
That pretty much ruined the round. I made par on hole #17, a 200-yard par-3, and struggled to a triple-bogey on hole #18, a par-5. Looking back at my scorecard revealed some great contrasts. I had three pars and two bogeys on the par-3 holes, but amassed one bogey, one double, two triples and a quintuple-bogey (sheesh!) on the par-5 holes. In the end, I found another way to shoot 102. It's bizarre. I can absolutely hack it around for that score any day, but on days where I make lots of great shots, I still end up at the same score.
Score: 102
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
Starting as a single, I was sent out alone by the starter, who advised me to join up with a twosome ahead. As it turned out, I played alone for most of the round, with various groups allowing me to play through. More on that later. My opening drive drifted right of the fairway into some trees. It took two shots to punch back to the fairway. Lately, I've had trouble punching out from below trees. My approach from 100 yards was just short of the green, so I chipped to about five feet. Of course, I missed the putt and took a triple-bogey. If that putt was for par, I bet I would have made it. However, the cruelty of golf dictates that since it was for double-bogey, I would miss.
I played bogey golf for the rest of the front nine, shooting 48 at the turn. A twosome waved me onto the second green as they were set to putt. From the middle of the fairway, I came up short into a front bunker. I splashed out nicely and 2-putt for bogey. The twosome suggested I play ahead on the next hole, which I did. A+ to the young men for immediately allowing me through. I hit an iron short of the green on the par-3, then chipped on and 2-putt for bogey.
As I arrived at hole #4, a foursome was packing up their clubs, having just finished their tee shots. I expected them to wave me through, but nothing. I stood on the tee for a long time as they looked for their wayward tee shots. When they finally moved ahead, I striped one down the middle of the fairway. It was another long wait for my second and third shots on this par-5 hole. As a result, I hit both of those shots fat. My fourth shot settled just behind the green, so I chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey.
Approaching the foursome on the next tee, I politely asked if they would let me through. They agreed, but stated that I wouldn't really get anywhere as there was a group right ahead of them. I hit my tee shot well right of the fairway, but followed with a beautiful 9-iron over some very tall trees to get back to the fairway. My third shot on this par-5 was straight, but just short of the green. I chipped reasonably close, but 2-putt for bogey. Contrary to what the foursome told me, the entire hole was open. For that reason, and since they should have let me through on the previous hole without me having to ask, the young men earned a grade of C.
In fact, I only encountered the next group, a threesome, on hole #6. As I approached the teeing ground on this par-3, they were walking off the green. I hit a very nice 7-iron flag-high to the front of the green. A routine 2-putt earned my first par of the day. The threesome had just finished teeing off on hole #7, but they waited a few seconds to allow me through. A+ to the two men and their lady friend for extending the courtesy immediately. The lady even complimented me on my second shot, a low punch from 200 yards that had to skirt the trees on the right side. I didn't make the green, but pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.
I caught the next group, a man and a woman, on hole #9. I striped a 3-iron off the tee on this short par-4, then waited while they cleared the green. My approach was just right of the putting surface, so I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. On the next tee, the couple offered to let me through, though they warned me that another couple was immediately ahead. I thanked them and said I would take my chances. For their consideration, they earned a grade of A.
At 450 yards from the blue tees, hole #10 is a long par-4. I hit the left side of the fairway, but was not deep at all, leaving 250 yards to the green. I hit a 3-iron, expecting to leave about a 50-yard pitch to the green. Instead, I pulled the shot ever so slightly, catching the cart path, which propelled the ball just left of the green, flag-high. In fact, my ball finished ahead of the twosome in front, who were both about 10 yards short of the green. I apologized for shooting past them, explaining that the cart path was largely responsible. They said it was no problem and invited me to chip on the green. Unfortunately, I made a bad chip and a couple of bad putts to finish with a double-bogey. I think I was a little flustered and rushed a bit.
On the next tee, the couple invited me to play ahead, though they warned me that the threesome ahead was playing like turtles. As I did with the previous couple, I thanked them and said I would take my chances. For their kindness, this couple also earned a grade of A. Unfortunately, I hit my first really bad drive of the day, pulling one off the heel of the club. I hit a nice recovery 9-iron over a tree, but my third shot into the green was a bit short. I chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey.
When I pulled up to hole #12, the three turtles were still teeing off. I fully expected them to have me join or let me through. No such luck, as they drove ahead without saying a word. After a long wait on this par-3, I hit a 4-iron left of the green. After a beautiful pitch, I tapped in for my second par of the day. Things unravelled on hole #13, a par-5. My tee shot was amongst some trees right of the fairway. Again, I had trouble punching back to the fairway. It seems unbelievable that I could smack narrow tree trunks in that situation, but I did repeatedly, finishing with a triple-bogey.
Since the turtle trio did not let me through without prompting, I resolved to ask them politely on the next hole. They were getting in their cart a few paces ahead when I said, “Gentlemen, do you mind if I play through?” Either they were all deaf, or they acted like they didn't hear me. They simply drove ahead on the par-3 hole. After another wait for them to clear the green, I hit a nice 7-iron short of the green. I chipped on reasonably close, but had to 2-putt for a bogey.
Now on hole #15, a par-5, I made sure the three men ahead could not ignore me. I waited for them to finish teeing off, then made sure they were facing me and said once again, “Gentlemen, do you mind if I play through?” Judging by their response, they were obviously not gentlemen. They made it clear that they were not going to let me through, as I would then be holding them up. Really? A single is going to hold up a threesome? You have it backwards, my friends. After explaining as much, I told them to have a nice day. At that point, I dropped back with the last couple that let me through and we played the rest of the round together. For their rudeness and stupidity, the turtles get a failing grade of E or F, depending what system you use.
Now, aside from one or two blips, I had a decent round going. I hit a decent number of fairways with the driver, but my irons were much improved. I caught a couple fat, but everything was straight. The adjustment I made at Twenty Valley was working like a charm. It's a different address, slightly more open, and a different swing path. It also lends itself to a higher finish. The result was straighter and higher shots. I had also played 14 holes without a penalty stroke, which was fantastic. Unfortunately, I took 3 penalties – all on hole #15. Two of those were for balls in a hazard. The final one was for an unplayable ball. I ended up with a disastrous score of 10.
That pretty much ruined the round. I made par on hole #17, a 200-yard par-3, and struggled to a triple-bogey on hole #18, a par-5. Looking back at my scorecard revealed some great contrasts. I had three pars and two bogeys on the par-3 holes, but amassed one bogey, one double, two triples and a quintuple-bogey (sheesh!) on the par-5 holes. In the end, I found another way to shoot 102. It's bizarre. I can absolutely hack it around for that score any day, but on days where I make lots of great shots, I still end up at the same score.
Score: 102
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
August 01, 2013
Roller Coaster Continues at Twenty Valley
Over the last few rounds, I felt like I gave away strokes with my short game. Chipping from very near the green, I would make shots that weren't terrible, but which didn't give me very reasonable chances to 1-putt. This was overshadowed by more obvious wasted shots, such as complete duffs or those that would find their way into hazards. At the end of the day, however, strokes are strokes – it doesn't matter whether they result from an occasional duff or from a series of mediocre chips. Realizing that I had become content to chip and 2-putt, I resolved to pay more attention to my play near the greens. My goal was to try to get up and down every time I found myself in that situation.
Playing at Twenty Valley Golf & Country Club, I'm happy to say that I definitely improved on that front. I managed to get up and down six times over the course of the round. That represented about a 50 percent success rate. Some of those were not easy, either. One was from a greenside bunker, with very little green to work with. Another was across the entire length of a large, undulating green. Yet another was a delicate downhill affair. The chipping helped my putting numbers quite a bit, as I finished with 31 putts in total. The key for me was rhythm. I have a little count that I do to improve my putting rhythm. I applied the same count to my chipping stroke and I found that everything felt more fluid and relaxed.
It's a good thing my short game improved, because my play off the tee took a big nosedive. Contact with the ball was mostly fine, but I had trouble keeping the ball straight. In fact, I didn't hit a single fairway all day. Most of my misses started on line but faded to the right. However, I also pulled a couple left of target – something that hasn't happened for a while. I actually hit a couple of straight drives, but they ran through the ends of fairways on dogleg holes. On most occasions, I was fine simply hitting out of the rough. However, there were a few times where I found myself in water or among the trees. I had a lot of trouble punching out. Incredibly, I always seemed to smack a narrow tree trunk. It often sounded like I was chopping wood out there!
Over the last half of the round, I made an adjustment that helped me straighten out my mid-to-high irons. I had been hooking those with alarming regularity. In fact, one of those hooks led to a triple-bogey on hole #7, a medium length par-3. The adjustment involved opening my stance ever so slightly, so that my feet and shoulders were pointed a degree or so left of my target. At the same time, I kept the face of the club square to the target. Relative to my body position, this means the club face was slightly more open than it had been before. I did this on a couple of occasions, with good results. Let's hope it serves me well moving forward.
I made a lot of solid bogeys during this round, but only one par. That came on hole #16, a 200-yard par-3. I hit the right edge of the green with a 3-iron, but the flag was way over on the other side. After a beautiful lag putt, I tapped in easily. I can't count it as an up-and-down, but it was very similar. It would have been very easy to 3-putt from that far away. Unfortunately, the rest of my round included the blowup holes that plague my game. I can play decent golf for about a dozen holes, but I simply can't string 18 holes together without a few disasters along the way.
By the way, the shot of the day was a lengthy, breaking downhill putt on hole #18. I drained it after a nice 9-iron approach from 140 yards. Sometimes (not often enough) the game is so sweet!
Score: 102
Putts: 31
Fairways: 0
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
Playing at Twenty Valley Golf & Country Club, I'm happy to say that I definitely improved on that front. I managed to get up and down six times over the course of the round. That represented about a 50 percent success rate. Some of those were not easy, either. One was from a greenside bunker, with very little green to work with. Another was across the entire length of a large, undulating green. Yet another was a delicate downhill affair. The chipping helped my putting numbers quite a bit, as I finished with 31 putts in total. The key for me was rhythm. I have a little count that I do to improve my putting rhythm. I applied the same count to my chipping stroke and I found that everything felt more fluid and relaxed.
It's a good thing my short game improved, because my play off the tee took a big nosedive. Contact with the ball was mostly fine, but I had trouble keeping the ball straight. In fact, I didn't hit a single fairway all day. Most of my misses started on line but faded to the right. However, I also pulled a couple left of target – something that hasn't happened for a while. I actually hit a couple of straight drives, but they ran through the ends of fairways on dogleg holes. On most occasions, I was fine simply hitting out of the rough. However, there were a few times where I found myself in water or among the trees. I had a lot of trouble punching out. Incredibly, I always seemed to smack a narrow tree trunk. It often sounded like I was chopping wood out there!
Over the last half of the round, I made an adjustment that helped me straighten out my mid-to-high irons. I had been hooking those with alarming regularity. In fact, one of those hooks led to a triple-bogey on hole #7, a medium length par-3. The adjustment involved opening my stance ever so slightly, so that my feet and shoulders were pointed a degree or so left of my target. At the same time, I kept the face of the club square to the target. Relative to my body position, this means the club face was slightly more open than it had been before. I did this on a couple of occasions, with good results. Let's hope it serves me well moving forward.
I made a lot of solid bogeys during this round, but only one par. That came on hole #16, a 200-yard par-3. I hit the right edge of the green with a 3-iron, but the flag was way over on the other side. After a beautiful lag putt, I tapped in easily. I can't count it as an up-and-down, but it was very similar. It would have been very easy to 3-putt from that far away. Unfortunately, the rest of my round included the blowup holes that plague my game. I can play decent golf for about a dozen holes, but I simply can't string 18 holes together without a few disasters along the way.
By the way, the shot of the day was a lengthy, breaking downhill putt on hole #18. I drained it after a nice 9-iron approach from 140 yards. Sometimes (not often enough) the game is so sweet!
Score: 102
Putts: 31
Fairways: 0
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
Not Very Grand in Paris
My latest round of golf was played at Paris Grand Golf Club, located on the banks of the Grand River, in Paris, Ontario. It was my first ever visit to the club and I was not disappointed. Though the pro shop and on-course staff lacked some organization, the course itself was a real treat. The terrain features significant elevation changes, resulting in a variety of hole styles – many play downhill, while others play uphill or flat.
The par-4 holes differ greatly in length, adding further variety. Long holes require driver off the tee, while medium and shorter holes allow more options. Irons are the conservative choice on shorter holes, while woods or the driver offer an intriguing combination of risk and reward. Mature trees and fescue covered areas further define the holes, but nothing here is tricked up.
The front nine ends with a pair of challenging par-5 holes that feature intimidating carries over a large ravine. The back nine shows its teeth on back-to-back holes flanking the Grand River. Conditioning was great when I played, with nicely manicured fairways and very puttable greens. Overall, I would say this is one of the nicer courses in its price range.
I began with a couple of mediocre shots, but recovered for bogey, thanks to an excellent 8-iron into the green on the opening par-5. I was 5 over par through the first five holes – a good pace for me. I double-bogeyed a short par-3, owing to a hooked 9-iron off the tee. Fortunately, I made par on the very next hole, splitting the fairway before getting up and down from a greenside bunker. Still, there were some very makeable putts that I missed. The double bogey could have been a stroke better, but I burned the lip of the cup from six feet away. Two bogeys could have been pars, if not for similar edge burners.
Hole #6, a 152-yard par-3, resulted in triple-bogey. I hooked an 8-iron into a lateral hazard. After taking a drop, I fluffed an 80-yard approach, leaving more than half that distance to the green. When I finally got on the putting surface, it took two putts to hole out. All of this resulted from an inability to straighten out my mid-to-high irons, which have had a tendency to hook strongly recently.
After that setback, I settled back into a pretty good groove. I was 14 over par through 11 holes – the triple on #6 being the only real blemish on my scorecard. I handled the intimidating ravine on holes #8 and #9 with no problem whatsoever. My drive on #8 carried the necessary 245 yards to clear the junk, while my second shot on hole #9 was a very impressive 5-wood. I took a stab at driving the green on hole #10, a 295-yard par-4. I came up ten yards short of the green, but chipped and two putt for par. Still, here was another situation where I lost a stroke thanks to a slight miss on a makeable birdie putt. I had a feeling those missed putts would come back to haunt me.
And haunt me they did, because beginning with hole #12, I played four terrible holes in a row. A long forced carry on hole #12 didn't faze me, but thick trees lining the entire right side did. I took two penalties en route to a quadruple-bogey. My 3-iron off the tee on hole #13 was going to take a dip in the Grand River, but a lone tree grabbed hold of it and swatted it back toward the fairway. I could not take advantage of the good luck, as I hooked a mid-iron into a patch of thick fescue. The final result was a double bogey. Frustration mounted, as I made triple-bogey on hole #14 (a par-3) and quadruple-bogey on hole #15 (a par-5). Over four holes, I amassed six penalty strokes.
I settled back into bogey mode over the last three holes, but the damage was done. I finished with a score of 103, which seems to be my new comfort zone. One way or another, I always end up just over the century mark. I made a lot of good plays at Paris Grand, but it seems I just can't keep it together for 18 holes.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 8
The par-4 holes differ greatly in length, adding further variety. Long holes require driver off the tee, while medium and shorter holes allow more options. Irons are the conservative choice on shorter holes, while woods or the driver offer an intriguing combination of risk and reward. Mature trees and fescue covered areas further define the holes, but nothing here is tricked up.
The front nine ends with a pair of challenging par-5 holes that feature intimidating carries over a large ravine. The back nine shows its teeth on back-to-back holes flanking the Grand River. Conditioning was great when I played, with nicely manicured fairways and very puttable greens. Overall, I would say this is one of the nicer courses in its price range.
I began with a couple of mediocre shots, but recovered for bogey, thanks to an excellent 8-iron into the green on the opening par-5. I was 5 over par through the first five holes – a good pace for me. I double-bogeyed a short par-3, owing to a hooked 9-iron off the tee. Fortunately, I made par on the very next hole, splitting the fairway before getting up and down from a greenside bunker. Still, there were some very makeable putts that I missed. The double bogey could have been a stroke better, but I burned the lip of the cup from six feet away. Two bogeys could have been pars, if not for similar edge burners.
Hole #6, a 152-yard par-3, resulted in triple-bogey. I hooked an 8-iron into a lateral hazard. After taking a drop, I fluffed an 80-yard approach, leaving more than half that distance to the green. When I finally got on the putting surface, it took two putts to hole out. All of this resulted from an inability to straighten out my mid-to-high irons, which have had a tendency to hook strongly recently.
After that setback, I settled back into a pretty good groove. I was 14 over par through 11 holes – the triple on #6 being the only real blemish on my scorecard. I handled the intimidating ravine on holes #8 and #9 with no problem whatsoever. My drive on #8 carried the necessary 245 yards to clear the junk, while my second shot on hole #9 was a very impressive 5-wood. I took a stab at driving the green on hole #10, a 295-yard par-4. I came up ten yards short of the green, but chipped and two putt for par. Still, here was another situation where I lost a stroke thanks to a slight miss on a makeable birdie putt. I had a feeling those missed putts would come back to haunt me.
And haunt me they did, because beginning with hole #12, I played four terrible holes in a row. A long forced carry on hole #12 didn't faze me, but thick trees lining the entire right side did. I took two penalties en route to a quadruple-bogey. My 3-iron off the tee on hole #13 was going to take a dip in the Grand River, but a lone tree grabbed hold of it and swatted it back toward the fairway. I could not take advantage of the good luck, as I hooked a mid-iron into a patch of thick fescue. The final result was a double bogey. Frustration mounted, as I made triple-bogey on hole #14 (a par-3) and quadruple-bogey on hole #15 (a par-5). Over four holes, I amassed six penalty strokes.
I settled back into bogey mode over the last three holes, but the damage was done. I finished with a score of 103, which seems to be my new comfort zone. One way or another, I always end up just over the century mark. I made a lot of good plays at Paris Grand, but it seems I just can't keep it together for 18 holes.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 8
July 25, 2013
Better Play, Same Result at Ussher's Creek
What a difference a couple of days makes. 48 hours after battling severe neck pain to get through a round, I managed to play another round virtually pain free. The neck was not completely back to normal, but it didn't interfere with my game at all. In fact, I never even thought about it. The round was played at Ussher's Creek – one of two fine courses that make up Legends on the Niagara.
I started the round with two pars and three bogeys. Over the past couple of years, I've lamented that I never get off to a good start. I often blow up with a big score on the opening hole or very soon thereafter. I've often thought that if I could play four or five holes with no worse than bogey, I could gather some momentum and carry it through the entire round. Finally, I had an opportunity to put my theory to the test. Over the first five holes, I missed just one fairway off the tee. My approach shots were straight and well struck, even if they came up two or three yards short of the greens. My chips were a little too long, but serviceable, and my putts were solid. I literally went five holes without making a bad shot.
Then came hole #6 (pictured above), a 381-yard par-4 that may be the most intimidating at Ussher's Creek. The hole is dominated by a lake that looms over the entire left side. The fairway wraps around the right side of the lake, forcing a carry over water, not only on the tee shot, but potentially also on the approach to the green. Protecting against a pull off the tee, I hit a ballooning shot right into the waist-high fescue. The ball was lost, so I was forced to take a penalty. En route to the green, I hit a 7-iron off the heel, then hit a wedge shot fat and into the water. Add another penalty stroke. After finally reaching the green, I hit a wonderful breaking lag putt, only to miss the subsequent 3-footer. I finished with a score of 9.
I bogeyed the next hole, a medium length par-3 over water, before struggling again on holes #8 and #9. The trouble on #8 was my second shot, which I played from a grass bunker right of the fairway. With my ball on the up-slope, I made good contact with a 5-iron. For some reason, the ball travelled well left of my intended line. Once again, I was lost in the nasty fescue and had to take a penalty. On the green, my putt for double-bogey burned the lip, so triple was the result. On hole #9, I visited the fescue again after pulling my tee shot. Further up the fairway, I tried a layup to 120 yards. It was actually 170 yards, as I confused the 150-yard stick with a 100-yard stick. This made the approach into a tight green all the more difficult. Guarding against the creek that protects the green front and left, I pushed a 7-iron into the fescue. Two penalties on the same hole led to another triple-bogey.
For the first five holes of the back nine I was back in the groove, registering two pars, two bogeys, and a double-bogey. The double came thanks to a 9-iron that I thinned into a creek fronting the 11th green. Playing as a single, I was waved through on that hole by a foursome ahead. After splitting the fairway with my drive, I succumbed to the pressure of playing with a group of onlookers. No big deal, as I was still playing well. On hole #14, a par-5, my third shot with the gap wedge was all over the flag at the back of the green. The ball crested a little hill and disappeared out of sight very near the hole. As I drove up to the green, I still didn't see the ball, so I thought I may have had an eagle from 130 yards. Alas, once I drove past a mound, I spotted the ball behind the flag, very near the rear fringe. I made a good birdie attempt from 10 feet away, but settled for the tap-in par.
Hole #15 was disappointing because I wasted a wonderful drive. From 160 yards in the middle of the fairway, I pulled the ball 20 yards left of the green. I then duffed two pitch attempts, before chipping very near the cup and tapping in for double-bogey. My short game was better on the next hole, a 172-yard par-3. My tee shot drew left of the green into a bunker. From there, I made a pretty good sand shot, then drained a lengthy putt for par. I made another good bunker shot on hole #17, after finding the sand with my tee shot. Facing a large lip in front of me, I hit the lob wedge, giving up a chance at reaching the green to ensure that I could get out of the bunker safely. It worked like a charm, but then I duffed two short approaches and sculled two chips for a quadruple-bogey. Aargh!
I found another fairway bunker (and another high lip) off the tee on the last hole of the day. No problem, as I hit a great out to the middle of the fairway, 70 yards from the flag. Ussher's Creek crosses right in front of this green, so there is no chance of reaching the putting surface from that particular bunker. Next, I made a nice approach to the back of the green, directly behind the flag. I made a good downhill lag, but missed a 3-footer for bogey and had to settle for double.
I finished with a score of 99, but that doesn't really tell the story. I've shot similar scores, where I never really make any good shots. This round featured lots of good shots and lots of good stretches of error-free play. The problem is that my errors came in quick succession, usually back-to-back on the same hole. Not only that, but they were very penal errors, such as losing a ball in the fescue or water. Seven penalty strokes is way too much for a round of golf. I was happy with my driving and encouraged by my iron play. My sand play was great and my putting was mostly solid. I missed two short putts, but what can you do? I was disappointed with my consistency from inside 100 yards, but that is really the only complaint.
Score: 99
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 7
July 23, 2013
Pain in the Neck at Wolf Run
There's always something. Whether it's rushing to make a tee time, forgetting to wear your contact lenses, or any number of physical ailments, something unexpected always emerges to ruin your golf game. A few weeks ago, I struggled with my grip, thanks to a small cut on my left thumb. Seriously? Trust me, my golf game is bad enough. I don't need ridiculous injuries to complicate matters, no matter how slight.
My latest round was played at Wolf Run Golf Club, located in Janetville, Ontario, on the eastern shores of Lake Scugog. It was my first ever visit to the club, so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I had developed severe neck and back pain a couple days earlier. I slept in an unusual position for a couple of nights, which must have caused the problem. I practised some swings at home with no ill effect, so I figured I could play through the discomfort. With any luck, my neck and back might even loosen up after some swings.
All I can say is it didn't happen. I was able to take full swings with little difficulty, but the aching and tightness was ever-present. If I drove the cart too quickly over a bump, I felt a sharp pain. Ditto when I leaned over into my putting position. Heck, the pain would even arise whenever I took a deep breath. With my head turned at a certain angle, or my arms and shoulders in a certain position, the pain was most severe. It was awful and no amount of stretching made any difference.
As for the course, I quite liked it. It's a shame I couldn't really enjoy it because of the neck and back issues. Holes are of varying length, allowing for different clubs off the tee or on approach shots. There are straight holes and doglegs in both directions. Mature trees form chutes at a number of teeing grounds. Landing zones are generally fair in size. Bunkers and a little bit of water add some interest. The course was in good condition, with nice fairways, rough, and especially greens.
While I was figuring out if I would be able to actually play the round, I experienced some big scores. I wasn't really upset, as I was more concerned about my state of health. I exploded for a 10 on hole #4, a short but tight par-4. I can't believe that hole is only the #13 handicap. Forest pinches both sides of the fairway, making the tee shot very tough. I pulled my first into the trees left. A provisional found the trees right. I made very good contact on both of those shots, but was off line in both cases by a single degree. I never found the first ball, but did find the provisional. Unfortunately, I had no opening to get out of the trees. On my fourth attempt, I finally punched back to the middle of the fairway.
I made some good shots early, but they were all for naught. My second on hole #1, a par-5, was a beautiful 5-wood from the right rough that travelled deep to the centre of the fairway. From 100 yards out, I pulled a wedge 20 yards left of the green. I hit a nice driver on hole #5, another par-5, but that was followed by a topped 5-wood. I hit a great 6-iron off the back of the green from the right rough on hole #6, but that came after a sliced drive off the tee that ended up lost.
It wasn't until holes #8 and #9 that I strung some good shots together from tee to cup. Hole #8 is a 239-yard par-4 with a 90-degree dogleg left. Trees prevent you from going for the green off the tee. I hit an 8-iron to the 75-yard marker in the fairway. A lob wedge shot settled at the back of the green, while the pin was at the front. I made a nice lag and tapped in for par. On hole #9, a slightly more conventional par-4 at 341 yards, I hit a drive to the fairway, leaving 80 yards to the pin. I bumped one up flag high, then 2-putt once again for par.
The back nine produced a couple of pars, four bogeys, a double, and two triples. I made plenty of good shots, but a couple of bad ones cost me some strokes. I found a hazard off the tee on hole #10, then smacked a nearby tree on my approach later on. A 3-putt on that hole didn't help matters. I found the forest right of the fairway on hole #14, but saved bogey with a 50-yard pitch and 12-foot breaking putt. On #16, I duffed a layup attempt from the right rough, which ruined the hole. I duffed a couple of approaches from within 50 yards on hole #18, but made up for it by chipping in for par from below the cup.
In the end, the story of the day was the neck and back trouble. My score ended up being what I've averaged all year, which is surprising given the pain I had to put up with. Early on, I thought I might end up scoring 115, so I guess it turned out reasonably well. After my last round, I set a goal of ten consecutive rounds with a score less than 100. Well, I failed at that instantly, and nobody (including me) really cares whether my back had anything to do with it.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
My latest round was played at Wolf Run Golf Club, located in Janetville, Ontario, on the eastern shores of Lake Scugog. It was my first ever visit to the club, so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I had developed severe neck and back pain a couple days earlier. I slept in an unusual position for a couple of nights, which must have caused the problem. I practised some swings at home with no ill effect, so I figured I could play through the discomfort. With any luck, my neck and back might even loosen up after some swings.
All I can say is it didn't happen. I was able to take full swings with little difficulty, but the aching and tightness was ever-present. If I drove the cart too quickly over a bump, I felt a sharp pain. Ditto when I leaned over into my putting position. Heck, the pain would even arise whenever I took a deep breath. With my head turned at a certain angle, or my arms and shoulders in a certain position, the pain was most severe. It was awful and no amount of stretching made any difference.
As for the course, I quite liked it. It's a shame I couldn't really enjoy it because of the neck and back issues. Holes are of varying length, allowing for different clubs off the tee or on approach shots. There are straight holes and doglegs in both directions. Mature trees form chutes at a number of teeing grounds. Landing zones are generally fair in size. Bunkers and a little bit of water add some interest. The course was in good condition, with nice fairways, rough, and especially greens.
While I was figuring out if I would be able to actually play the round, I experienced some big scores. I wasn't really upset, as I was more concerned about my state of health. I exploded for a 10 on hole #4, a short but tight par-4. I can't believe that hole is only the #13 handicap. Forest pinches both sides of the fairway, making the tee shot very tough. I pulled my first into the trees left. A provisional found the trees right. I made very good contact on both of those shots, but was off line in both cases by a single degree. I never found the first ball, but did find the provisional. Unfortunately, I had no opening to get out of the trees. On my fourth attempt, I finally punched back to the middle of the fairway.
I made some good shots early, but they were all for naught. My second on hole #1, a par-5, was a beautiful 5-wood from the right rough that travelled deep to the centre of the fairway. From 100 yards out, I pulled a wedge 20 yards left of the green. I hit a nice driver on hole #5, another par-5, but that was followed by a topped 5-wood. I hit a great 6-iron off the back of the green from the right rough on hole #6, but that came after a sliced drive off the tee that ended up lost.
It wasn't until holes #8 and #9 that I strung some good shots together from tee to cup. Hole #8 is a 239-yard par-4 with a 90-degree dogleg left. Trees prevent you from going for the green off the tee. I hit an 8-iron to the 75-yard marker in the fairway. A lob wedge shot settled at the back of the green, while the pin was at the front. I made a nice lag and tapped in for par. On hole #9, a slightly more conventional par-4 at 341 yards, I hit a drive to the fairway, leaving 80 yards to the pin. I bumped one up flag high, then 2-putt once again for par.
The back nine produced a couple of pars, four bogeys, a double, and two triples. I made plenty of good shots, but a couple of bad ones cost me some strokes. I found a hazard off the tee on hole #10, then smacked a nearby tree on my approach later on. A 3-putt on that hole didn't help matters. I found the forest right of the fairway on hole #14, but saved bogey with a 50-yard pitch and 12-foot breaking putt. On #16, I duffed a layup attempt from the right rough, which ruined the hole. I duffed a couple of approaches from within 50 yards on hole #18, but made up for it by chipping in for par from below the cup.
In the end, the story of the day was the neck and back trouble. My score ended up being what I've averaged all year, which is surprising given the pain I had to put up with. Early on, I thought I might end up scoring 115, so I guess it turned out reasonably well. After my last round, I set a goal of ten consecutive rounds with a score less than 100. Well, I failed at that instantly, and nobody (including me) really cares whether my back had anything to do with it.
Score: 103
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
July 15, 2013
Small Victory at Willow Valley
When you play ten rounds of golf and only break 100 once, you begin looking for small victories wherever you can. The fact that I broke 100 in my eleventh round is one such victory. It was the third round of the Deepwoods season and it took place at Willow Valley Golf Club, where traditionally the fifth and final round of the season has been played.
The front and back nines were reversed this season, restoring the course to its original routing. As a result, the first hole played was a shortish par-4, measuring just 340 yards from the white tees. I hit a picture-perfect drive to the left centre of the fairway, leaving 90 yards to the front pin position. My approach stopped short of the green, but I made a nice chip and a short putt for a satisfying par.
My sole objective on the second tee was to avoid an environmental area left of the fairway. I concentrated so hard on avoiding that spot, that I ended up hitting the ball precisely there. Penalty stroke. After finally making it to the fairway, I pulled a pitching wedge into the fescue and vegetation left of the green. Penalty stroke. I seem unable to avoid a disastrous result over the first three or four holes of a round. This time, I finished with a quadruple-bogey.
I played bogey golf for the remainder of the front nine, amassing one par, five bogeys, and one double-bogey. The par, which came on a 105-yard par-3 hole, was almost a birdie. Putting from an upper tier to a lower one, I got an excellent read from my playing partner. I missed on the low side by an inch, but tapped in the subsequent one-footer. The double-bogey came on a par-5, thanks to another pulled pitching wedge that found the fescue. I absolutely abhor penalty strokes.
On hole #10, I wasted two strokes by pull hooking a 3-iron into a pond left of the fairway. The entire right side on this sharp dogleg is out of bounds. Hitting my third from the tee, I threw caution to the wind by selecting driver. Using that club means aiming over the pond and trying not to run through the right side of the fairway, where nasty fescue abounds. I had hit some excellent drives on the front nine, so I felt comfortable with the club. The result? I did run through the right side of the fairway, but my ball stopped in the rough just before the fescue. I went on to double-bogey the hole. It's a shame, because it would have been a par had I not messed up the first tee shot.
There were a couple more lowlights over the remainder of the round. On hole #12, I took three shots to get out of a greenside bunker en route to a triple-bogey. A 5-foot putt would have saved double and a precious Deepwoods point, but I burned the edge of the cup. On hole #17, a par-3 over water, I got too cerebral again and dunked my first tee shot in the water. Triple-bogey ensued. Finally, a couple of 3-putts crept into my game, which allowed more points to slip away.
Despite the miscues outlined above, I continued to hit good shots every now and then. A nice 8-iron and two putts produced par on hole #13. I also made par on hole #16, a par-5. My second shot on that hole was a 3-wood from the fairway, which I pushed right of the green, but flag-high. A solid wedge shot and very good 2-putt closed things out. In fact, I recovered well on a number of holes after some less than perfect shots. As long as one doesn't make two mistakes in a row, those types of recoveries are possible.
In the end, I broke 100, which is good. I left some Deepwoods points on the table, thanks to a handful of missed putts in the four to six foot range. It doesn't really matter, as I was effectively out of the championship after the second round. The next nine rounds or so represent the heart of the season. My goal, which may be outlandish given the start of my season, is to put together ten consecutive rounds below 100. The first of these is out of the way. Only nine more to go!
Score: 96
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 6
The front and back nines were reversed this season, restoring the course to its original routing. As a result, the first hole played was a shortish par-4, measuring just 340 yards from the white tees. I hit a picture-perfect drive to the left centre of the fairway, leaving 90 yards to the front pin position. My approach stopped short of the green, but I made a nice chip and a short putt for a satisfying par.
My sole objective on the second tee was to avoid an environmental area left of the fairway. I concentrated so hard on avoiding that spot, that I ended up hitting the ball precisely there. Penalty stroke. After finally making it to the fairway, I pulled a pitching wedge into the fescue and vegetation left of the green. Penalty stroke. I seem unable to avoid a disastrous result over the first three or four holes of a round. This time, I finished with a quadruple-bogey.
I played bogey golf for the remainder of the front nine, amassing one par, five bogeys, and one double-bogey. The par, which came on a 105-yard par-3 hole, was almost a birdie. Putting from an upper tier to a lower one, I got an excellent read from my playing partner. I missed on the low side by an inch, but tapped in the subsequent one-footer. The double-bogey came on a par-5, thanks to another pulled pitching wedge that found the fescue. I absolutely abhor penalty strokes.
On hole #10, I wasted two strokes by pull hooking a 3-iron into a pond left of the fairway. The entire right side on this sharp dogleg is out of bounds. Hitting my third from the tee, I threw caution to the wind by selecting driver. Using that club means aiming over the pond and trying not to run through the right side of the fairway, where nasty fescue abounds. I had hit some excellent drives on the front nine, so I felt comfortable with the club. The result? I did run through the right side of the fairway, but my ball stopped in the rough just before the fescue. I went on to double-bogey the hole. It's a shame, because it would have been a par had I not messed up the first tee shot.
There were a couple more lowlights over the remainder of the round. On hole #12, I took three shots to get out of a greenside bunker en route to a triple-bogey. A 5-foot putt would have saved double and a precious Deepwoods point, but I burned the edge of the cup. On hole #17, a par-3 over water, I got too cerebral again and dunked my first tee shot in the water. Triple-bogey ensued. Finally, a couple of 3-putts crept into my game, which allowed more points to slip away.
Despite the miscues outlined above, I continued to hit good shots every now and then. A nice 8-iron and two putts produced par on hole #13. I also made par on hole #16, a par-5. My second shot on that hole was a 3-wood from the fairway, which I pushed right of the green, but flag-high. A solid wedge shot and very good 2-putt closed things out. In fact, I recovered well on a number of holes after some less than perfect shots. As long as one doesn't make two mistakes in a row, those types of recoveries are possible.
In the end, I broke 100, which is good. I left some Deepwoods points on the table, thanks to a handful of missed putts in the four to six foot range. It doesn't really matter, as I was effectively out of the championship after the second round. The next nine rounds or so represent the heart of the season. My goal, which may be outlandish given the start of my season, is to put together ten consecutive rounds below 100. The first of these is out of the way. Only nine more to go!
Score: 96
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 6
July 12, 2013
Nostalgic at Shawneeki
The course at Shawneeki Golf Club is one I've played a number of times, but not since back in 2006. Returning to the Sharon, Ontario course, I have to say I felt a little nostalgic. Being there reminded me of the time when my interest in golf shifted from something casual to something more serious. Back then, I would occasionally break 100, but for the most part, my scores were over the century mark. Ironically, seven years of experience have brought me full circle – back to the fairways of Shawneeki and back to shooting 100 plus.
I played the first ten holes alone, before joining a single ahead of me for the remainder of the round. My score on the front nine was 57, including five triple-bogeys, three double-bogeys, and one par. Believe it or not, I hit some decent shots during that stretch. Unfortunately, I was often stymied by trees, and my attempts to reach safety were unsuccessful. On hole #1, for example, I was behind a tree left of the fairway after my tee shot. Rather than punch through a chute to get back to the fairway, I chipped the ball further left to reach a clearing where I could go for the green. From 70 yards out with a good lie, I hit the ball fat and it went almost nowhere. Ugh!
After pulling a drive out of bounds on hole #2, I was cautious not to do the same on hole #3. As a result, I found myself amidst some trees right of the fairway after my tee shot. Facing what looked like a relatively easy pitch shot back to the fairway, I smacked a tree, leaving no backswing on my next attempt. I reached the green with my fourth shot and 2-putt for double-bogey. On hole #4, my second shot into the green came to rest on a tree root, right against the trunk. I could not chip toward the green, so I had to go in another direction. Once again, it took four shots to get on and two putts produced a double-bogey.
There were more adventures with trees over the front nine, but I also dunked a ball into a pond on a long par-3 and thinned a bunker shot over the green on a short par-3. The bright spot on the front nine was hole #6. With a slight wind at my back, I drilled a 310-yard drive to the middle of the fairway on this par-4. Oh baby, that's sweet! From 90 yards, I hit a half swing sand wedge to the green. My lag putt from 15 feet went 8 feet past, but I made the uphill comebacker for par.
I chipped in from the edge of the green to save bogey on hole #10, then proceeded to the eleventh tee. Hole #11 is a 483-yard par-5 with a dogleg left. Mature trees to the left and immediately in front of the teeing ground prevent players from starting the ball on the left side. Cut shots that start right of those trees are in danger of drifting to the right side of the fairway, which is itself lined by thick forest and out of bounds. No doubt about it, the situation demands a draw. I lined up and hit a perfect shot, drawing slightly and travelling deep enough to get past the dogleg. With 230 yards to go, I reached for the 3-wood. Over the last couple of years, my fairway woods have been so weak that I have largely avoided using them. This time, I hit a wonderful high cut. With the height and the shot shape, I thought the ball would land softly. It seemed to do so, but still rolled off the back of the green. No problem, as I was thrilled to have hit the ball as I did. From the back of the green, I chipped to the front pin location. I took a good stab at birdie, but had to settle for a tap-in par.
The rest of the back nine resulted mostly in bogeys. I added a par on hole #16, another par-5, but also registered triple-bogey on the very last hole, thanks to those pesky trees interfering with my second shot. It was an enjoyable stretch of golf, as I hit some nice drives and some nice recovery shots. My drive on hole #13 was especially awesome. This is a 354-yard par-4, but rather quirky in design and full of danger. The fairway is lined on the right side by red stakes and pinched on the left side by a pond. Beyond the pond, the fairway bends sharply to the left, before rising quickly to an elevated green. All of the danger is in the tee shot. The landing area is very narrow and it's not possible to fly over the pond from the blue tee location. I hit a full driver, with a little cut that followed the contour of the fairway perfectly. My ball came to rest a couple yards past the end of the pond, leaving just 120 yards to the flag. I pulled my approach left, then chipped on and 2-putt for bogey.
I shot a respectable 47 on the back nine and 104 overall. The start of the round was simply too poor to recover from. Despite the elevated score, I was rather pleased with my shot-making. Somewhat disappointing was my putting. My play with the flat stick has been a bright spot all season, but it has faltered a bit over the last two rounds.
Score: 104
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
I played the first ten holes alone, before joining a single ahead of me for the remainder of the round. My score on the front nine was 57, including five triple-bogeys, three double-bogeys, and one par. Believe it or not, I hit some decent shots during that stretch. Unfortunately, I was often stymied by trees, and my attempts to reach safety were unsuccessful. On hole #1, for example, I was behind a tree left of the fairway after my tee shot. Rather than punch through a chute to get back to the fairway, I chipped the ball further left to reach a clearing where I could go for the green. From 70 yards out with a good lie, I hit the ball fat and it went almost nowhere. Ugh!
After pulling a drive out of bounds on hole #2, I was cautious not to do the same on hole #3. As a result, I found myself amidst some trees right of the fairway after my tee shot. Facing what looked like a relatively easy pitch shot back to the fairway, I smacked a tree, leaving no backswing on my next attempt. I reached the green with my fourth shot and 2-putt for double-bogey. On hole #4, my second shot into the green came to rest on a tree root, right against the trunk. I could not chip toward the green, so I had to go in another direction. Once again, it took four shots to get on and two putts produced a double-bogey.
There were more adventures with trees over the front nine, but I also dunked a ball into a pond on a long par-3 and thinned a bunker shot over the green on a short par-3. The bright spot on the front nine was hole #6. With a slight wind at my back, I drilled a 310-yard drive to the middle of the fairway on this par-4. Oh baby, that's sweet! From 90 yards, I hit a half swing sand wedge to the green. My lag putt from 15 feet went 8 feet past, but I made the uphill comebacker for par.
I chipped in from the edge of the green to save bogey on hole #10, then proceeded to the eleventh tee. Hole #11 is a 483-yard par-5 with a dogleg left. Mature trees to the left and immediately in front of the teeing ground prevent players from starting the ball on the left side. Cut shots that start right of those trees are in danger of drifting to the right side of the fairway, which is itself lined by thick forest and out of bounds. No doubt about it, the situation demands a draw. I lined up and hit a perfect shot, drawing slightly and travelling deep enough to get past the dogleg. With 230 yards to go, I reached for the 3-wood. Over the last couple of years, my fairway woods have been so weak that I have largely avoided using them. This time, I hit a wonderful high cut. With the height and the shot shape, I thought the ball would land softly. It seemed to do so, but still rolled off the back of the green. No problem, as I was thrilled to have hit the ball as I did. From the back of the green, I chipped to the front pin location. I took a good stab at birdie, but had to settle for a tap-in par.
The rest of the back nine resulted mostly in bogeys. I added a par on hole #16, another par-5, but also registered triple-bogey on the very last hole, thanks to those pesky trees interfering with my second shot. It was an enjoyable stretch of golf, as I hit some nice drives and some nice recovery shots. My drive on hole #13 was especially awesome. This is a 354-yard par-4, but rather quirky in design and full of danger. The fairway is lined on the right side by red stakes and pinched on the left side by a pond. Beyond the pond, the fairway bends sharply to the left, before rising quickly to an elevated green. All of the danger is in the tee shot. The landing area is very narrow and it's not possible to fly over the pond from the blue tee location. I hit a full driver, with a little cut that followed the contour of the fairway perfectly. My ball came to rest a couple yards past the end of the pond, leaving just 120 yards to the flag. I pulled my approach left, then chipped on and 2-putt for bogey.
I shot a respectable 47 on the back nine and 104 overall. The start of the round was simply too poor to recover from. Despite the elevated score, I was rather pleased with my shot-making. Somewhat disappointing was my putting. My play with the flat stick has been a bright spot all season, but it has faltered a bit over the last two rounds.
Score: 104
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
July 07, 2013
Typical Result at Hunters Pointe
There has been a lot of rain lately, so I hadn't played in almost two weeks. Venturing out for a rare weekend round, I opted for Hunters Pointe Golf Course (formerly Lochness Links). Anticipating that traffic would be worse on the weekend, I allowed two and a half hours to get to the course. That is double the normal travel time. Well, it took me exactly 2 hours and 27 minutes to arrive. Traffic was relentless over the entire QEW. It was only over the final stretch along Hwy 406 that I found any relief. Rushing to check in and greet the the starter, I was driven up to join a threesome already waiting on the first tee.
Not surprisingly, I blew up on the first hole, finishing 5 over par. That included two unplayable balls, two penalty strokes, and a 3-putt. It's hard to expect anything else when you haven't stretched or loosened up in any fashion, nor made any practice putts. I simply forgot about it and moved on to the next hole. The remainder of the front nine was literally hit or miss. I hit some shots that were wonderful, but for each of those there was one that was absolutely terrible. With the driver, my misses were mostly straight pulls, well left of target. I also hit one duck hook. With the irons, I caught the ball fat a few times. I also shanked one out of bounds on a very short par-3.
I tend to focus on mistakes in my writing, so let's concentrate on the good shots for a change. I piped a beauty off the tee with the driver on hole #3. This is a blind tee shot that has to fly over the crest of a hill to a plateau in the landing zone. I hit it exactly where I wanted, ending up through the fairway, which bends slightly to the right before straightening out again. I was also deep and straight with the driver on hole #7, a 420-yard par-4. This one came to rest in the left fairway, 150 yards from the flag. My approach with the 8-iron was flag-high, left of the pin. I proceeded to 2-putt for my first par of the day.
Par was also the result on hole #8, a 215-yard par-3. The tees were up on this day, so the hole was playing about 190 yards. I hit a brilliant 4-iron high and straight. I was all over the flag, but rolled past, just off the back of the green. I hit a mediocre chip, but followed up with a nice uphill putt. Finally, on hole #9, a picturesque par-5, I absolutely drilled my drive off the elevated tee. It is 307 yards to a creek that crosses the fairway, and I was worried that my ball had gone in. As it turned out, my ball stopped 2 feet before the hazard. It was on a downward slope, so I struggled a bit with my next shot, ending up just 50 yards ahead in a fairway bunker. Still, I managed to bogey the hole.
For much of the back nine, I continued the stretch of decent golf that began with the seventh hole. There were costly mistakes, for sure, but there was also a fair share of very good shots. On hole #10, a short par-4, I found myself in a fairway bunker after a good tee shot. 100 yards from the flag, I caught the ball thin, sending it bounding across the green and into some thick fescue. Actually, calling it fescue is not really accurate. It is thick and long vegetation and impossible to find a ball in there. I had to take a penalty, then drop in the bunker and replay the shot. Double bogey was the result. I had the same result on hole #11, thanks to a 4-iron that I duck hooked from the tee. My recovery attempts were feeble, to say the least.
I hit the green in regulation on hole #12, a medium length par-3. Unfortunately, I 3-putt for bogey. The greens at Hunters Pointe are sometimes large, with a good degree of undulation. 3-putts can happen easily if you're starting out on the wrong part of the putting surface. On hole #14, a 519-yard par-5, I hit a sweet drive to the middle of the fairway. A solid 3-wood from 260 yards drifted just right of the fairway, leaving a 30-yard pitch shot. From that position, I hit the green and 2-putt for par.
I also made par on hole #16, a short par-4 at just 282 yards. There is a little rise just before the green and on this day, the wind was not helping. I hit a wonderful drive, but came up about 20 yards short of the green. I pitched on and 2-putt for yet another par. Unfortunately, that was my last good hole of the day, as I finished with a pair of triple-bogeys. On hole #17, my second shot was from a mound with the ball well above my feet. I pull hooked the ball into a water hazard. Fearing water which lines the entire right side of hole #18, and which has to be crossed both on the tee shot as well as the approach shot, I played some weak, tentative shots. You could tell I did not have confidence. Despite my timid approach, I still managed to trickle in the water, thanks to a topped ball.
In the end, I shot 106. What can I say? This appears to be what I shoot these days. For comparison, I looked back at my GTA Amateur Tour rounds from 2010. Back then, my scoring average was 93.6 over 11 rounds. I barely topped 100 (scoring 101 on two occasions) and broke 90 three times (85, 88, 89). The rest of my rounds were in the low to mid nineties (91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 97). Oh, how I long for those days to return.
Score: 106
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 7
Not surprisingly, I blew up on the first hole, finishing 5 over par. That included two unplayable balls, two penalty strokes, and a 3-putt. It's hard to expect anything else when you haven't stretched or loosened up in any fashion, nor made any practice putts. I simply forgot about it and moved on to the next hole. The remainder of the front nine was literally hit or miss. I hit some shots that were wonderful, but for each of those there was one that was absolutely terrible. With the driver, my misses were mostly straight pulls, well left of target. I also hit one duck hook. With the irons, I caught the ball fat a few times. I also shanked one out of bounds on a very short par-3.
I tend to focus on mistakes in my writing, so let's concentrate on the good shots for a change. I piped a beauty off the tee with the driver on hole #3. This is a blind tee shot that has to fly over the crest of a hill to a plateau in the landing zone. I hit it exactly where I wanted, ending up through the fairway, which bends slightly to the right before straightening out again. I was also deep and straight with the driver on hole #7, a 420-yard par-4. This one came to rest in the left fairway, 150 yards from the flag. My approach with the 8-iron was flag-high, left of the pin. I proceeded to 2-putt for my first par of the day.
Par was also the result on hole #8, a 215-yard par-3. The tees were up on this day, so the hole was playing about 190 yards. I hit a brilliant 4-iron high and straight. I was all over the flag, but rolled past, just off the back of the green. I hit a mediocre chip, but followed up with a nice uphill putt. Finally, on hole #9, a picturesque par-5, I absolutely drilled my drive off the elevated tee. It is 307 yards to a creek that crosses the fairway, and I was worried that my ball had gone in. As it turned out, my ball stopped 2 feet before the hazard. It was on a downward slope, so I struggled a bit with my next shot, ending up just 50 yards ahead in a fairway bunker. Still, I managed to bogey the hole.
For much of the back nine, I continued the stretch of decent golf that began with the seventh hole. There were costly mistakes, for sure, but there was also a fair share of very good shots. On hole #10, a short par-4, I found myself in a fairway bunker after a good tee shot. 100 yards from the flag, I caught the ball thin, sending it bounding across the green and into some thick fescue. Actually, calling it fescue is not really accurate. It is thick and long vegetation and impossible to find a ball in there. I had to take a penalty, then drop in the bunker and replay the shot. Double bogey was the result. I had the same result on hole #11, thanks to a 4-iron that I duck hooked from the tee. My recovery attempts were feeble, to say the least.
I hit the green in regulation on hole #12, a medium length par-3. Unfortunately, I 3-putt for bogey. The greens at Hunters Pointe are sometimes large, with a good degree of undulation. 3-putts can happen easily if you're starting out on the wrong part of the putting surface. On hole #14, a 519-yard par-5, I hit a sweet drive to the middle of the fairway. A solid 3-wood from 260 yards drifted just right of the fairway, leaving a 30-yard pitch shot. From that position, I hit the green and 2-putt for par.
I also made par on hole #16, a short par-4 at just 282 yards. There is a little rise just before the green and on this day, the wind was not helping. I hit a wonderful drive, but came up about 20 yards short of the green. I pitched on and 2-putt for yet another par. Unfortunately, that was my last good hole of the day, as I finished with a pair of triple-bogeys. On hole #17, my second shot was from a mound with the ball well above my feet. I pull hooked the ball into a water hazard. Fearing water which lines the entire right side of hole #18, and which has to be crossed both on the tee shot as well as the approach shot, I played some weak, tentative shots. You could tell I did not have confidence. Despite my timid approach, I still managed to trickle in the water, thanks to a topped ball.
In the end, I shot 106. What can I say? This appears to be what I shoot these days. For comparison, I looked back at my GTA Amateur Tour rounds from 2010. Back then, my scoring average was 93.6 over 11 rounds. I barely topped 100 (scoring 101 on two occasions) and broke 90 three times (85, 88, 89). The rest of my rounds were in the low to mid nineties (91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 97). Oh, how I long for those days to return.
Score: 106
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 7
July 01, 2013
So Much For a Turning Point
Looking at my scores this season, I convinced myself that things were moving in the right direction. Except for a round at Sparrow Lakes, where I felt extremely tired, my scores progressed as follows: 116, 108, 101, 101, 100, 93. I chalked the results of the first two rounds up to the long winter layoff, and the last round at Willodell had me feeling like I was back to where I should be. Looking forward to the second round of the Deepwoods season, to be played at Peninsula Lakes, I felt confident that I could shoot another score in the low to mid nineties.
On the practice range, everything felt good. I had some cuts and scrapes on my hands, thanks to a bathroom demolition project, but it was nothing a little tape couldn't fix. I hit just a few shots, being careful not to cause further damage. Everything I hit was pretty good. When I pulled out driver, I reminded myself not to overswing. I took a few half swings and was surprised that I was achieving my full distance. I shouldn't really have been surprised, as I know from experience that is often the case. I resolved to take that easy swing with me to the course.
The opening hole, Quarry #1, is a 407-yard par-4 that doglegs left around a large pond. With a slight tailwind helping out, I tried the half swing with the driver that worked so well on the range. The ball travelled slightly left of my target line, skirting the right edge of the pond. I watched with anticipation to see if I would avoid the water. To my surprise, I was not even close to the water, as the ball carried right over it, bouncing first in the fairway before coming to rest about two yards in the right rough. It was a great shot, even if not exactly what I was trying to do. With the right side of the green and the flag blocked by a tree in front of me, I took aim at the left side of the putting surface. I struck a perfect cut with the pitching wedge from 130 yards and the ball rolled just off the back of the green. No worries as I chipped to within three feet and made the putt for par.
I proceeded to make a double-bogey and two bogeys over the next three holes. The double bogey was thanks to a terrible 7-iron off the tee on a par-3, followed by a lob wedge shot where I slid right under the ball. On another hole, I duffed another lob wedge shot, but that was from a tighter lie in the fairway. Owing to a great drive plus an up and down near the green, I salvaged bogey on that hole. I hit a beautiful 5-iron from the rough on another hole to earn bogey after a weak tee shot. I was hitting a mix of very good and very bad shots, so I was hanging in there.
On Quarry #5, a 393-yard par-4, the wind carried my drive a couple yards right of the fairway. Unfortunately, an embankment in that location directs balls into a large pond. My ball was just a foot past the water's edge and half poking out of the surface. If there wasn't a clump of dirt directly in front of my ball, I would have had a go at it. As it was, I decided to take a penalty stroke and drop within two club lengths of the point where the ball crossed the hazard. Unfortunately, that left the ball well below my feet for the next shot. I duffed it into a bunker just a few yards ahead. My shot from the bunker was short and right of the green, requiring a pitch and two putts to hole out for triple-bogey.
As unfortunate as that hole was, things got plain silly on Quarry #7, a 525-yard par-5. The drive that worked so well on the range and on the first hole suddenly abandoned me. I pulled three straight balls out of bounds on the left side. With penalties, I had used up six strokes and was still on the tee! When I finally got off the tee safely, I followed up with a nice 5-wood, pitching wedge, and two putts. The damage was done early however, as I finished the hole with a score of 11. Brutal stuff. I finished the front nine with an excellent 6-iron into the wind on a par-3. Finishing behind the flag, I proceeded to 2-putt for my second par of the day.
Par was once again the result on Hillside #1, a short par-4. I hit the fairway, albeit with a weak shot, then found the green with an 8-iron. On Hillside #2, a 196-yard par-3, I pulled a 3-iron well left of the green on a huge hillside. I hit a nice downhill wedge from 40 yards and 2-putt to save bogey. Hillside #3 began with a weak drive off the heel of the club. I followed up with a mix of good and mediocre shots to earn double-bogey. Much like the opening nine, I began the back nine with a mix of good and bad, but I was hanging in there.
My undoing on the back nine came in the form of Hillside #4, the hardest hole on the course. My tee shot popped up and went left, finding a large pond. I had to drop under a willow tree, with a piece of the pond between me and my target. Twice more, I plunked a ball into the water directly in front of me. Laying six, I chipped backwards to avoid the water entirely. My eighth shot hit a tree on the right side. My ninth failed to carry the second of two ponds that define this hole. My eleventh shot was just off the green, flag high. From there, I got up and down for a lovely score of 13. It was just as bad on Hillside #7, a par-5 that I finished with a score of 12. I will spare you the gory details.
In the end, it was a brutal round. There were some good shots, but the bad ones were so penal, it wasn't even funny. Ball striking, off the tee or elsewhere, was hit and miss. Chipping and putting were good, as they've been all year, but that is little consolation. I can no longer hang on to the illusion that I'm “moving in the right direction.” Maybe that round at Sparrow Lakes wasn't an anomaly after all. Eight rounds into the season, I've broken 100 only once. That's the stark reality of my game right now.
Score: 114
Putts: 33
Fairways: 2
Greens: 3
Penalties: 11
On the practice range, everything felt good. I had some cuts and scrapes on my hands, thanks to a bathroom demolition project, but it was nothing a little tape couldn't fix. I hit just a few shots, being careful not to cause further damage. Everything I hit was pretty good. When I pulled out driver, I reminded myself not to overswing. I took a few half swings and was surprised that I was achieving my full distance. I shouldn't really have been surprised, as I know from experience that is often the case. I resolved to take that easy swing with me to the course.
The opening hole, Quarry #1, is a 407-yard par-4 that doglegs left around a large pond. With a slight tailwind helping out, I tried the half swing with the driver that worked so well on the range. The ball travelled slightly left of my target line, skirting the right edge of the pond. I watched with anticipation to see if I would avoid the water. To my surprise, I was not even close to the water, as the ball carried right over it, bouncing first in the fairway before coming to rest about two yards in the right rough. It was a great shot, even if not exactly what I was trying to do. With the right side of the green and the flag blocked by a tree in front of me, I took aim at the left side of the putting surface. I struck a perfect cut with the pitching wedge from 130 yards and the ball rolled just off the back of the green. No worries as I chipped to within three feet and made the putt for par.
I proceeded to make a double-bogey and two bogeys over the next three holes. The double bogey was thanks to a terrible 7-iron off the tee on a par-3, followed by a lob wedge shot where I slid right under the ball. On another hole, I duffed another lob wedge shot, but that was from a tighter lie in the fairway. Owing to a great drive plus an up and down near the green, I salvaged bogey on that hole. I hit a beautiful 5-iron from the rough on another hole to earn bogey after a weak tee shot. I was hitting a mix of very good and very bad shots, so I was hanging in there.
On Quarry #5, a 393-yard par-4, the wind carried my drive a couple yards right of the fairway. Unfortunately, an embankment in that location directs balls into a large pond. My ball was just a foot past the water's edge and half poking out of the surface. If there wasn't a clump of dirt directly in front of my ball, I would have had a go at it. As it was, I decided to take a penalty stroke and drop within two club lengths of the point where the ball crossed the hazard. Unfortunately, that left the ball well below my feet for the next shot. I duffed it into a bunker just a few yards ahead. My shot from the bunker was short and right of the green, requiring a pitch and two putts to hole out for triple-bogey.
As unfortunate as that hole was, things got plain silly on Quarry #7, a 525-yard par-5. The drive that worked so well on the range and on the first hole suddenly abandoned me. I pulled three straight balls out of bounds on the left side. With penalties, I had used up six strokes and was still on the tee! When I finally got off the tee safely, I followed up with a nice 5-wood, pitching wedge, and two putts. The damage was done early however, as I finished the hole with a score of 11. Brutal stuff. I finished the front nine with an excellent 6-iron into the wind on a par-3. Finishing behind the flag, I proceeded to 2-putt for my second par of the day.
Par was once again the result on Hillside #1, a short par-4. I hit the fairway, albeit with a weak shot, then found the green with an 8-iron. On Hillside #2, a 196-yard par-3, I pulled a 3-iron well left of the green on a huge hillside. I hit a nice downhill wedge from 40 yards and 2-putt to save bogey. Hillside #3 began with a weak drive off the heel of the club. I followed up with a mix of good and mediocre shots to earn double-bogey. Much like the opening nine, I began the back nine with a mix of good and bad, but I was hanging in there.
My undoing on the back nine came in the form of Hillside #4, the hardest hole on the course. My tee shot popped up and went left, finding a large pond. I had to drop under a willow tree, with a piece of the pond between me and my target. Twice more, I plunked a ball into the water directly in front of me. Laying six, I chipped backwards to avoid the water entirely. My eighth shot hit a tree on the right side. My ninth failed to carry the second of two ponds that define this hole. My eleventh shot was just off the green, flag high. From there, I got up and down for a lovely score of 13. It was just as bad on Hillside #7, a par-5 that I finished with a score of 12. I will spare you the gory details.
In the end, it was a brutal round. There were some good shots, but the bad ones were so penal, it wasn't even funny. Ball striking, off the tee or elsewhere, was hit and miss. Chipping and putting were good, as they've been all year, but that is little consolation. I can no longer hang on to the illusion that I'm “moving in the right direction.” Maybe that round at Sparrow Lakes wasn't an anomaly after all. Eight rounds into the season, I've broken 100 only once. That's the stark reality of my game right now.
Score: 114
Putts: 33
Fairways: 2
Greens: 3
Penalties: 11
June 19, 2013
The Fun Returns at Willodell
My last round of golf was a struggle, but I put it behind me and looked forward to the next. The previous round was played at Sparrow Lakes Heron, a course that was new to me. I refrained from offering up a review of the course in my post-round writeup because I felt it wouldn't be fair; I felt so drained during the round and played so poorly that any type of review would likely be biased. A week later, I can say that the course was reasonably good, but certainly not among my favourite designs.
Heron has plenty of length overall, and holes of varying length ensure almost all of your clubs will be used. However, the course lacks mature trees, relying far too heavily on small ponds as the main obstacle. I prefer layouts where one can recover from a bad shot. That's hard to do with dinky ponds that pile up the penalty strokes. I also found the topography at Sparrow Lakes a bit boring; there are no elevation changes to speak of, nor is there much mounding to add visual interest.
For my money, I would rather play at Willodell Golf Club, which is roughly in the same vicinity. On my first ever trip to the Niagara Falls area club, I found the course to be more pleasant visually. The terrain is a little more rolling than Sparrow Lakes, but the big difference are the mature trees that give shape to the fairways and force you to play different kinds of shots. Sometimes it's a full wedge shot to clear a large canopy, while other times it's a punched 4 or 5-iron to get back to a fairway. There is also some water here and there, but it's just one of the different obstacles employed. In contrast, I found Sparrow Lakes to be a one-trick pony.
I teed off at 8:20 in the morning on hole #10, a par-5 that plays 482 yards from the blue tees. My tee shot found the left rough, which was rather lush. I hacked one back to the fairway, but was still faced with a 200-yard shot to the green. I proceeded to flush one to the front of the green, leaving an uphill putt for birdie. I missed, but tapped in for a satisfying par.
The remainder of the back nine continued much the same way. I hit only one fairway with the driver during that stretch, but I made good contact and got good distance every time. Hitting often from the rough, I failed to hit any more greens in regulation. However, I almost always made decent contact with the ball and avoided trouble areas. Like I said in my last post, golf is a fun game when you can get the ball airborne and have it travel roughly in the intended direction. Near the greens, I was able to chip adequately and my putting was excellent. I made four 1-putts, including a long bomb on hole #18, all of which produced a score of 45 at the turn.
On the front nine, I was a little more inconsistent, but still managed to maintain bogey pace. I pull-hooked my drive into a hazard on hole #2, then 3-putt on the green for a triple-bogey. It was my only poor drive of the day and my only 3-putt. In between, I hit a good 4-iron and absolutely flushed a 6-iron to get near the green. My first putt, a lengthy downhill attempt almost dropped to save bogey. Unfortunately, I pulled the uphill comebacker from 4 feet, which was my only bad putt of the day.
I made par on holes #4, #5, and #7. The first of these is a par-4, while the other two are par-3 holes. On #4, it was a lengthy putt that did the trick. When the flat stick is working, it covers up flaws in other parts of the game. On #5, I went up and down from a bunker. I've struggled with bunkers at times, so that felt good. On #7, I hit a laser 8-iron that was all over the flag. I gave the breaking birdie putt too much respect, missing on the high side.
I was shooting 80 with two holes to play, both of which were par-4 holes. A wayward drive to an opposite fairway started things off on hole #8. I hit a mid-iron back to the fairway, leaving 130 yards to the flag. I struck a good shot, but pulled the ball slightly, finishing just left of the green. A mediocre chip and two putts led to double-bogey.
My drive on hole #9 also went right, but not as badly. I was in the trees, but had an opening back to the fairway. From 150 yards, I hit an easy 5-iron through the chute, trying to cut the ball back to the green. On impact, I thought it would be perfect. The ball flew through the chute and started its bend to the right. Unfortunately, it just clipped a tree branch and dropped 120 yards from the green. I pulled the third shot into a bunker, then barely got out. A chip and two putts were needed to hole out with triple-bogey.
A bit of a disappointment on the last hole or two, but overall, I was very pleased with a score of 93. More importantly, it was fun to hit the ball semi-clean around a course.
Score: 93
Putts: 30
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
Heron has plenty of length overall, and holes of varying length ensure almost all of your clubs will be used. However, the course lacks mature trees, relying far too heavily on small ponds as the main obstacle. I prefer layouts where one can recover from a bad shot. That's hard to do with dinky ponds that pile up the penalty strokes. I also found the topography at Sparrow Lakes a bit boring; there are no elevation changes to speak of, nor is there much mounding to add visual interest.
For my money, I would rather play at Willodell Golf Club, which is roughly in the same vicinity. On my first ever trip to the Niagara Falls area club, I found the course to be more pleasant visually. The terrain is a little more rolling than Sparrow Lakes, but the big difference are the mature trees that give shape to the fairways and force you to play different kinds of shots. Sometimes it's a full wedge shot to clear a large canopy, while other times it's a punched 4 or 5-iron to get back to a fairway. There is also some water here and there, but it's just one of the different obstacles employed. In contrast, I found Sparrow Lakes to be a one-trick pony.
I teed off at 8:20 in the morning on hole #10, a par-5 that plays 482 yards from the blue tees. My tee shot found the left rough, which was rather lush. I hacked one back to the fairway, but was still faced with a 200-yard shot to the green. I proceeded to flush one to the front of the green, leaving an uphill putt for birdie. I missed, but tapped in for a satisfying par.
The remainder of the back nine continued much the same way. I hit only one fairway with the driver during that stretch, but I made good contact and got good distance every time. Hitting often from the rough, I failed to hit any more greens in regulation. However, I almost always made decent contact with the ball and avoided trouble areas. Like I said in my last post, golf is a fun game when you can get the ball airborne and have it travel roughly in the intended direction. Near the greens, I was able to chip adequately and my putting was excellent. I made four 1-putts, including a long bomb on hole #18, all of which produced a score of 45 at the turn.
On the front nine, I was a little more inconsistent, but still managed to maintain bogey pace. I pull-hooked my drive into a hazard on hole #2, then 3-putt on the green for a triple-bogey. It was my only poor drive of the day and my only 3-putt. In between, I hit a good 4-iron and absolutely flushed a 6-iron to get near the green. My first putt, a lengthy downhill attempt almost dropped to save bogey. Unfortunately, I pulled the uphill comebacker from 4 feet, which was my only bad putt of the day.
I made par on holes #4, #5, and #7. The first of these is a par-4, while the other two are par-3 holes. On #4, it was a lengthy putt that did the trick. When the flat stick is working, it covers up flaws in other parts of the game. On #5, I went up and down from a bunker. I've struggled with bunkers at times, so that felt good. On #7, I hit a laser 8-iron that was all over the flag. I gave the breaking birdie putt too much respect, missing on the high side.
I was shooting 80 with two holes to play, both of which were par-4 holes. A wayward drive to an opposite fairway started things off on hole #8. I hit a mid-iron back to the fairway, leaving 130 yards to the flag. I struck a good shot, but pulled the ball slightly, finishing just left of the green. A mediocre chip and two putts led to double-bogey.
My drive on hole #9 also went right, but not as badly. I was in the trees, but had an opening back to the fairway. From 150 yards, I hit an easy 5-iron through the chute, trying to cut the ball back to the green. On impact, I thought it would be perfect. The ball flew through the chute and started its bend to the right. Unfortunately, it just clipped a tree branch and dropped 120 yards from the green. I pulled the third shot into a bunker, then barely got out. A chip and two putts were needed to hole out with triple-bogey.
A bit of a disappointment on the last hole or two, but overall, I was very pleased with a score of 93. More importantly, it was fun to hit the ball semi-clean around a course.
Score: 93
Putts: 30
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
June 13, 2013
No Fun at Sparrow Lakes
When you can make regular contact with the golf ball, sending it airborne and roughly the expected distance, golf is a wonderful game. With decent contact, players are challenged by obstacles that have been chosen by the course designer – a forced carry over a naturalized area, a water hazard protecting a dogleg, bunkers framing a green, etc. Thus, the game becomes a competition between golfers and the landscape itself. Sports that take place on standardized fields, or any other standardized environment, lack this relationship completely.
Unfortunately, when you cannot make regular contact with the golf ball, the carefully designed features of the golf course become completely meaningless. With poor contact, players are not actually challenged by the course itself; instead, they are challenged just to hit the ball. When the challenge degrades to one of simply hitting the ball, it may as well take place on a flat, open field. Players may as well hit balls on the practice range, since they won't experience additional fun by moving to the course.
For this reason, I'm not even sure if I enjoy the game any more. Over the last two seasons and in the early part of 2013, I've seen my scores balloon, along with my handicap factor. Worse than that is the fact that I've hit a greater percentage of terrible shots. These are not merely poor shots, they're frankly horrific. In short, they're the kind of shots that take course features totally out of play, and in the process, sap the fun from the game. With very few exceptions, it has been a chore to complete rounds. The fun is gone.
Such was the experience of my most recent round at Sparrow Lakes Golf Club, located in Welland, Ontario. It was my first ever visit to the club, where I played the championship length Heron course. It was a hot day, and the course provides almost no shade from the sun, as mature trees are few and far between. There had been rain in the days prior to my round, which left most of the rough and a couple of fairway sections very soggy. Combined with the lengthy drive to reach the course, it all resulted in a tiring round. Mid way through, I was just looking for a way to make it to the end. That was about all I managed to accomplish.
I hit the fairway with a good drive on the opening par-5, only to follow up with a weak 7-iron that travelled half of my regular distance. I stuck the ensuing 3-iron into the turf, jamming my left wrist in the process. I played the remainder of the round nursing the wrist to avoid further damage. I found myself almost releasing the left grip before impact on every shot. As a result, I hit a lot of push shots to the right side. I also hit a lot of shots off the toe, taking a huge amount of distance off what I would normally expect.
The only par I made was on hole #2, a par-3 playing 148 yards. I hit a 9-iron over the flag, 10 feet from the hole. I made a decent attempt at birdie, but lipped out and settled for a tap-in par. After that, it was double bogeys or worse for much of the round. Sparrow Lakes features a tonne of small ponds, and they come into play on almost every hole. Every time I hit a ball near a pond, it went in. Most of the time, the ball was directed toward the water by embankments, but even when there was no embankment, my ball manged to get wet. This added up to 11 penalty strokes on the day.
My short game was not bad at all, and I managed to putt the ball very well once again. However, that is little consolation when your ball striking is so atrocious. More alarming though, was the realization that the fun has disappeared from the game.
Score: 110
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 11
Unfortunately, when you cannot make regular contact with the golf ball, the carefully designed features of the golf course become completely meaningless. With poor contact, players are not actually challenged by the course itself; instead, they are challenged just to hit the ball. When the challenge degrades to one of simply hitting the ball, it may as well take place on a flat, open field. Players may as well hit balls on the practice range, since they won't experience additional fun by moving to the course.
For this reason, I'm not even sure if I enjoy the game any more. Over the last two seasons and in the early part of 2013, I've seen my scores balloon, along with my handicap factor. Worse than that is the fact that I've hit a greater percentage of terrible shots. These are not merely poor shots, they're frankly horrific. In short, they're the kind of shots that take course features totally out of play, and in the process, sap the fun from the game. With very few exceptions, it has been a chore to complete rounds. The fun is gone.
Such was the experience of my most recent round at Sparrow Lakes Golf Club, located in Welland, Ontario. It was my first ever visit to the club, where I played the championship length Heron course. It was a hot day, and the course provides almost no shade from the sun, as mature trees are few and far between. There had been rain in the days prior to my round, which left most of the rough and a couple of fairway sections very soggy. Combined with the lengthy drive to reach the course, it all resulted in a tiring round. Mid way through, I was just looking for a way to make it to the end. That was about all I managed to accomplish.
I hit the fairway with a good drive on the opening par-5, only to follow up with a weak 7-iron that travelled half of my regular distance. I stuck the ensuing 3-iron into the turf, jamming my left wrist in the process. I played the remainder of the round nursing the wrist to avoid further damage. I found myself almost releasing the left grip before impact on every shot. As a result, I hit a lot of push shots to the right side. I also hit a lot of shots off the toe, taking a huge amount of distance off what I would normally expect.
The only par I made was on hole #2, a par-3 playing 148 yards. I hit a 9-iron over the flag, 10 feet from the hole. I made a decent attempt at birdie, but lipped out and settled for a tap-in par. After that, it was double bogeys or worse for much of the round. Sparrow Lakes features a tonne of small ponds, and they come into play on almost every hole. Every time I hit a ball near a pond, it went in. Most of the time, the ball was directed toward the water by embankments, but even when there was no embankment, my ball manged to get wet. This added up to 11 penalty strokes on the day.
My short game was not bad at all, and I managed to putt the ball very well once again. However, that is little consolation when your ball striking is so atrocious. More alarming though, was the realization that the fun has disappeared from the game.
Score: 110
Putts: 34
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 11
June 04, 2013
The Lowdown on Lowville
A week since my last round of golf, I ventured to Lowville Golf Club on a sunny afternoon. Playing the first six holes alone, I managed four bogeys, one double-bogey, and a birdie. I didn't make many good shots, but I avoided danger and managed to advance the ball consistently. A good drive on the opening hole trickled just left of the fairway, leaving the ball in the rough and well below my feet on the second shot. I pitched back to the fairway, setting up an approach into the par-5 hole. My approach ended up short and right. I duffed a pitch to the green, before hitting a good one stiff. A single putt salvaged bogey.
Thus went much of my round. On hole #3, a par-3 measuring 201 yards, I came up short and right of target once again. I hit a good pitch to the green and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #4, a straightaway par-5, my approach from 120 yards came up short. I hit another chip shot stiff, leaving an easy putt for bogey. On the next hole, a 190-yard par-3, I hit the ball with the toe of the club, leaving it short and well right of the green. I made a 30-yard pitch shot and 2-putt for bogey. The stretch of solo golf ended with a birdie on hole #6, a short par-4. I hit a 5-iron right of the fairway, but followed up with a perfect gap wedge, leaving an uphill putt for the birdie.
I joined the twosome ahead of me on hole #7, a par-5 that plays 466 yards uphill. I cranked a beautiful drive to the left edge of the fairway, leaving 180 yards to the green. I went for the green with a 4-iron and hit it perfectly. Unfortunately, the ball died in the embankment fronting the green. I should have made no worse than par from there, but chipped on and 3-putt for bogey. My short game was better on the next hole, a short par-3. After hitting my tee shot fat, I was faced with a 30 yard pitch shot to a shallow green fronted by a bunker and with a steep dropoff behind. I hit a great pitch and 2-putt to make bogey. At the turn I was shooting a respectable score of 45.
I bogeyed hole #10, then found my first real trouble of the day on hole #11. My 3-iron off the tee was struck well, but I started it too far right and clipped a tree protecting that side of the fairway. The ball dropped in the rough nearby, but I had a brutal side hill lie. I tried to get back to the fairway, but shanked the ball into a hazard further up the right side. After a penalty, I hit some bad pitch shots, ultimately finishing with a quadruple-bogey.
On hole #12, I was back in the groove. I busted a wicked drive off the tee, carrying the valley up ahead and coming to rest in perfect position. I had 200 yards remaining to the green on this par-5, but opted to lay up to about 120 yards. Going for the green in that position brings another valley into play, not to mention a bunker and other dangers beside the green. Unfortunately, I pulled my approach, then came up short with a pitch shot. I chipped on and saved bogey with a long breaking putt. Another great putt, albeit shorter and with less break, saved bogey on hole #13.
With two holes to play, my score stood at 83. Two bogeys would give me a final score of 93, which is not too shabby these days. Unfortunately, I blew up massively on those holes. I pulled a drive into a hazard on hole #17. Hitting my third shot from the tee, I sliced the ball to a massive hillside right of the fairway. The ball was in the rough and well below my feet, resulting in a shank. Now, the ball was on a mound, well above my feet. I sculled the ball behind the green. Next, I duffed a chip shot, before chipping again to get on the green and 2-putting for a score of 9 on the hole. Terrible!
It didn't get much better on the next hole. The tee shot is a forced carry over a ravine. I plunked one in the bushes, before getting over safely. Just like that, two more strokes were given away. A couple more shots put me behind the green, where I hit a decent chip shot. A long uphill putt would have salvaged triple-bogey and a final score of 99, but it didn't drop. Hello century mark, my familiar friend!
Overall, there were a lot of positives in this round. I didn't hit the ball especially well, but I managed to keep it moving forward by avoiding duffs and topped balls. Every now and then, I did manage to hit a nice shot. Though I duffed a couple of pitches and chips, I compensated by hitting others very near the pin. My putting was good, as I registered only 31 putts over the round. More importantly, I drained a few tricky ones to save bogey or make birdie.
Score: 100
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
Thus went much of my round. On hole #3, a par-3 measuring 201 yards, I came up short and right of target once again. I hit a good pitch to the green and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #4, a straightaway par-5, my approach from 120 yards came up short. I hit another chip shot stiff, leaving an easy putt for bogey. On the next hole, a 190-yard par-3, I hit the ball with the toe of the club, leaving it short and well right of the green. I made a 30-yard pitch shot and 2-putt for bogey. The stretch of solo golf ended with a birdie on hole #6, a short par-4. I hit a 5-iron right of the fairway, but followed up with a perfect gap wedge, leaving an uphill putt for the birdie.
I joined the twosome ahead of me on hole #7, a par-5 that plays 466 yards uphill. I cranked a beautiful drive to the left edge of the fairway, leaving 180 yards to the green. I went for the green with a 4-iron and hit it perfectly. Unfortunately, the ball died in the embankment fronting the green. I should have made no worse than par from there, but chipped on and 3-putt for bogey. My short game was better on the next hole, a short par-3. After hitting my tee shot fat, I was faced with a 30 yard pitch shot to a shallow green fronted by a bunker and with a steep dropoff behind. I hit a great pitch and 2-putt to make bogey. At the turn I was shooting a respectable score of 45.
I bogeyed hole #10, then found my first real trouble of the day on hole #11. My 3-iron off the tee was struck well, but I started it too far right and clipped a tree protecting that side of the fairway. The ball dropped in the rough nearby, but I had a brutal side hill lie. I tried to get back to the fairway, but shanked the ball into a hazard further up the right side. After a penalty, I hit some bad pitch shots, ultimately finishing with a quadruple-bogey.
On hole #12, I was back in the groove. I busted a wicked drive off the tee, carrying the valley up ahead and coming to rest in perfect position. I had 200 yards remaining to the green on this par-5, but opted to lay up to about 120 yards. Going for the green in that position brings another valley into play, not to mention a bunker and other dangers beside the green. Unfortunately, I pulled my approach, then came up short with a pitch shot. I chipped on and saved bogey with a long breaking putt. Another great putt, albeit shorter and with less break, saved bogey on hole #13.
With two holes to play, my score stood at 83. Two bogeys would give me a final score of 93, which is not too shabby these days. Unfortunately, I blew up massively on those holes. I pulled a drive into a hazard on hole #17. Hitting my third shot from the tee, I sliced the ball to a massive hillside right of the fairway. The ball was in the rough and well below my feet, resulting in a shank. Now, the ball was on a mound, well above my feet. I sculled the ball behind the green. Next, I duffed a chip shot, before chipping again to get on the green and 2-putting for a score of 9 on the hole. Terrible!
It didn't get much better on the next hole. The tee shot is a forced carry over a ravine. I plunked one in the bushes, before getting over safely. Just like that, two more strokes were given away. A couple more shots put me behind the green, where I hit a decent chip shot. A long uphill putt would have salvaged triple-bogey and a final score of 99, but it didn't drop. Hello century mark, my familiar friend!
Overall, there were a lot of positives in this round. I didn't hit the ball especially well, but I managed to keep it moving forward by avoiding duffs and topped balls. Every now and then, I did manage to hit a nice shot. Though I duffed a couple of pitches and chips, I compensated by hitting others very near the pin. My putting was good, as I registered only 31 putts over the round. More importantly, I drained a few tricky ones to save bogey or make birdie.
Score: 100
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
May 28, 2013
Tee Trouble at Copetown Woods
The first round of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship was played at its traditional location, Copetown Woods. I hadn't played in a while, owing to some strange weather that befell the area during the preceding week. On the driving range, I was pleasantly surprised with my ball striking. I took some very nice divots, launching the ball high and straight. On the course, I was a different golfer, hitting many balls thin off the tee. This is especially damaging at Copetown, where fescue covers the ground ahead of many teeing areas. The fescue itself was not especially thick, but the ground underneath the fescue was extremely lumpy, making it difficult to extricate balls.
I made par on the opening par-5 hole, thanks to a decent drive and a good 2-putt. In between, I thinned a 5-iron to 50 yards from the green and got on with a solid wedge. Overall, I played the par-5 holes rather well. On #10, which at just 439 yards is very reachable, I rode a strong tailwind, driving the ball 320 yards to the centre fairway. My approach with the gap wedge drifted right into a bunker, but I made a good out and 2-putt for par. On #14 and #16, which are also par-5 holes, I took a more circuitous route to the greens, but still managed a couple of bogeys. I hit a nice 3-wood on one of those holes, along with a good bunker shot on the other, so I was relatively pleased. Those have been tough shots for me over the past few years.
With the exception of hole #4, I kept things together on the par-3 holes. I pushed my tee shot into the fescue on #4, and was only able to hack out to the rough left of the hole. A decent chip left me a shot at bogey, but I missed the putt and took a double. I made bogey on the remaining par-3 holes. On hole #11, the bogey was well earned, as I had to recover from a tee shot that found a water hazard. On hole #17, I did what I wasn't able to do on #4; that is, emerge from the fescue with my second shot to salvage bogey.
What really killed me were the par-4 holes. There wasn't anything particularly different about the par-4 holes. I just happened to make my worst shots in that situation. On hole #2, I caught the ball low on the driver club face, sending it into the fescue just ahead of the tee. With terrible lies, it took two shots to get out of there. The same thing happened on hole #8, albeit with a 4-iron off the tee. I also found the fescue fronting the tee area on hole #15. In all cases, I emerged with a triple-bogey.
It's hard to say what changed from the practice range to the course. I might have been lifting up on my shots, perhaps even doing a bit of a reverse pivot. I certainly wasn't hitting down and digging the ball out as I was on the range. Having said that, at least I was happy with my chipping and putting. I chipped in from off the green to save bogey on hole #5, which helped me keep my putt total to just 32.
I made a very nice par on hole #18 to keep my score at 101, same as my last round. As far as my scores are concerned, I can still say that I'm moving in the right direction in the early part of this season. In terms of the Deepwoods championship, this will have to be my throwaway round if I'm to have any chance at the title.
Score: 101
Putts: 32
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
I made par on the opening par-5 hole, thanks to a decent drive and a good 2-putt. In between, I thinned a 5-iron to 50 yards from the green and got on with a solid wedge. Overall, I played the par-5 holes rather well. On #10, which at just 439 yards is very reachable, I rode a strong tailwind, driving the ball 320 yards to the centre fairway. My approach with the gap wedge drifted right into a bunker, but I made a good out and 2-putt for par. On #14 and #16, which are also par-5 holes, I took a more circuitous route to the greens, but still managed a couple of bogeys. I hit a nice 3-wood on one of those holes, along with a good bunker shot on the other, so I was relatively pleased. Those have been tough shots for me over the past few years.
With the exception of hole #4, I kept things together on the par-3 holes. I pushed my tee shot into the fescue on #4, and was only able to hack out to the rough left of the hole. A decent chip left me a shot at bogey, but I missed the putt and took a double. I made bogey on the remaining par-3 holes. On hole #11, the bogey was well earned, as I had to recover from a tee shot that found a water hazard. On hole #17, I did what I wasn't able to do on #4; that is, emerge from the fescue with my second shot to salvage bogey.
What really killed me were the par-4 holes. There wasn't anything particularly different about the par-4 holes. I just happened to make my worst shots in that situation. On hole #2, I caught the ball low on the driver club face, sending it into the fescue just ahead of the tee. With terrible lies, it took two shots to get out of there. The same thing happened on hole #8, albeit with a 4-iron off the tee. I also found the fescue fronting the tee area on hole #15. In all cases, I emerged with a triple-bogey.
It's hard to say what changed from the practice range to the course. I might have been lifting up on my shots, perhaps even doing a bit of a reverse pivot. I certainly wasn't hitting down and digging the ball out as I was on the range. Having said that, at least I was happy with my chipping and putting. I chipped in from off the green to save bogey on hole #5, which helped me keep my putt total to just 32.
I made a very nice par on hole #18 to keep my score at 101, same as my last round. As far as my scores are concerned, I can still say that I'm moving in the right direction in the early part of this season. In terms of the Deepwoods championship, this will have to be my throwaway round if I'm to have any chance at the title.
Score: 101
Putts: 32
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
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