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

Pining for Less Than a Century

I've visited Century Pines Golf Club a couple of times each of the past few seasons. Looking back at my scores for those trips, it's apparent that I haven't really performed well at the Troy, Ontario course. In fact, I haven't broken 100 there since 2010, when I tallied 93 and 97 in a pair of outings. This time out, my final score was 101. I'm disappointed any time I reach the century mark, but I'm buoyed by the fact that my game seems to be improving steadily over the early part of this season.

In recent visits to Century Pines, I flared my opening drive to an opposite fairway, mindful of the strand of trees and out-of-bounds that line the entire left side of hole #1, a straight par-5. Since that approach hasn't worked so well, I opted for a 4-iron off the tee this time. My thinking was that I could control the iron more than the driver. Even with an iron off the tee, I could likely reach the green in three shots. Worst case scenario, I could get to the green in four shots and 2-putt for bogey, which I would be delighted with. Well, I pulled my tee shot into the trees left for a lost ball. Hitting 3 from the tee, I missed the sweet spot and barely cleared a hazard that crosses 150 yards in front of the teeing ground. With a terrible lie on the opposite bank of the creek, I barely advanced the ball. I finished up the hole with a quadruple bogey. Needless to say, the first hole got me again!

Strong winds were really gusting over the front nine. I handled them well to bogey hole #2, but they contributed greatly to double-bogeys on holes #3 through #5. Instead of attacking greens with high lofted clubs, I tried punching low shots with less lofted clubs. Uncertain about how much to shorten my swing, I either came up short or bounced straight across the greens.

On hole #6, a par-4 measuring 370 yards, I punched a 5-iron under some tree branches for my second shot. It was a very smart play and well executed, as the ball stopped in the fairway just short of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt on the highly sloped green for a satisfying bogey. I hit an absolute beauty off the tee on the par-3 seventh hole. The pin was at the front of the green, about 165 yards away. Accounting for the stiff wind blowing straight into my face, I hit a full 5-iron, which is my 180-yard club. The ball flew past the hole, hitting a bit of a backstop in the middle of the green and rolling back to within 8 feet of the hole. I burned the edge on the birdie putt, but tapped in for par.

I had trouble getting out of some trees with my second shot on hole #8. In addition, I made my first and only 3-putt of the day, resulting in a triple-bogey. I followed up with a stunning drive on the par-5 ninth hole, then hit a perfect lay up, leaving 117 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, I flushed the gap wedge over the back of the green, requiring a chip and two putts to hole out for bogey. I was shooting 52 at the turn.

Holes #10 through #12 are all short par-4 holes. Hole #10 measures 306 yards, but hitting driver off the tee comes with some risk, as you can easily run through the dogleg left or get tangled with a strand of trees that protect the line straight to the green. I went with driver anyway and ran through the end of the fairway. Luckily, I avoided three large bunkers in that area. I was just 50 yards from the green, but practically duffed the approach, leaving 15 yards to go. After a good chip, I almost made the par putt. A tap-in was required for bogey.

Hole #11 measures 309 yards, and once again, driver off the tee carries some risk. I pushed mine into some trees on the right, with a distinct possibility of being lost. I hit a provisional, which was almost perfect. The ball came to rest about 5 yards right of the green and flag high. As it turned out, I found my original ball. I was forced to chip out of the trees sideways. From 85 yards away, I hit a poor shot and failed to reach the green. I was trying to play a low runner and just took too much off of the swing. I finished with double-bogey.

I started hole #12 by losing my tee ball in a hazard on the left. Hitting 3 from the tee, I hit a stunning drive to the left fairway, leaving just 65 yards to the flag. This time, I tried to loft one in there with the 60-degree wedge, but caught it thin, sending the ball over the green and behind some trees. I had to take an unplayable, which contributed to a quadruple-bogey.

I played bogey golf over the last 6 holes, including par on the par-5 fourteenth hole and a very good bogey on hole #16. I mis-hit a 3-iron off the tee, failing to even reach the fairway. Next, I hit a controlled sand wedge to lay up in the perfect spot, 135 yards away from the green. This green is surrounded by water back and right, with a creek winding across the approach area and trees left. I hit a low drawing 9-iron into the wind that curled very near the hole. I burned the edge on the par putt, but tapped in for bogey.

I was also very happy with my drive on hole #17, a par-4 measuring 440 yards. In previous visits, I was perplexed by a tree that pinches in on the left side, just 50 yards ahead of the teeing ground. This time, I started my ball right and drew it in ever so slightly, finishing up on the right side of the fairway, 180 yards from the green. Mind you, I hit the next shot fat and ultimately made double-bogey. Hole #18 played out much like #9. I hit a perfect drive, followed by a perfect layup. From 117 yards away, I flushed a gap wedge over the back of the green. I guess I hit that club a few yards longer than I think. I made a poor chip, but 2-putt for bogey.

My game is coming around. I felt a lot more in control, whether with the driver or with the irons. I'm still not happy with the "feel" shots that are less than a full swing. My putting is good, even if the lengthy putts aren't going in.

Score: 101
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3

Baby Steps at Carlisle

My previous golf round started poorly, as I adjusted to playing without contact lenses. My latest round started almost as poorly, as I barely made it to the golf course for my scheduled tee time. I had played at Carlisle many times before, and always took the same route to reach the club. I decided to take a different route this time, allowing plenty of time to arrive, stretch and do some practice putting. Very near the club, I took a wrong turn and ended up scrambling to make my tee time. I was forced to tee off on the first hole without taking a single practice swing or putt.

Not surprisingly, I topped my first shot and plunked it in the water in front of the teeing ground. After re-teeing, I hit a big push-slice (cue the video above). A series of topped balls and duffs ended up producing a score of nine on the opening par-4. A 4-iron off the tee on hole #2 was also pushed to the right of this par-3. My 60-degree wedge shot clipped the uppermost branches of some high trees and dropped short of the green. A duff into a greenside bunker, along with a poor out resulted in a quadruple bogey. What a way to start!

At this stage I settled down, but any hope of a good score was already gone. I tried to focus on each hole and each shot, just to start making some progress on the season. The biggest difference from the first round of the year was my thought process. I did not think about dropping my right shoulder or allowing the club to lag during my actual swings. I thought about these things when I took a practice swing, but during my actual swing, I simply cleared my mind. My hope was that my body would remember what it had practiced a few seconds earlier and that the adjustments would be less exaggerated.

This approach seemed to work, though you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at my score. I hit a lot of push-slicing drives, but also hit a couple of good ones, mostly on the back nine. My best came on East #1, a par-5 that offers a good scoring opportunity. A straight drive of 275 yards split the fairway, leaving 235 yards to the green. I had a go with the 3-wood, but topped it badly, leaving a 140-yard approach on my third shot. Of course, I pulled the 9-iron into a bunker, then took two to get out. I finished with double-bogey.

My irons were somewhat better than they were during my first round. I didn't flare the ball nearly as much, and some of my iron shots were actually very crisp. I found the fairway off the tee on North #5 with a good 4-iron. A solid pitching wedge from the right rough surprised me on the approach to East #5. I missed the green right, but chipped on and made a putt for par. The best iron of the day was a 4-iron off the tee on East #9. This is a short par-4 at just 300 yards. It's best to leave the driver in the bag, as water comes into play on the right side. I pummeled the 4-iron very deep and straight, leaving just 80 yards to the green. I actually came up short of the green, but chipped on and made a putt for another par.

My chipping was suspect at times, just as it was in my previous round. This accounted for some lost strokes, for sure. On the other hand, my putting was excellent. I blew a couple of putts well past the hole, but made the intermediate length comebackers every time. I had zero 3-putts and four 1-putts over eighteen holes. Any time I can keep 3-putts off my scorecard, I'm pretty happy. I missed a short par putt on North #5, which was really the only bad putt I made. I lipped out a couple of longer putts, or else my putting numbers would have been even better.

In summary, I made progress by eliminating technical thoughts during my actual swings. I took baby steps toward improving my drives and slightly more significant steps toward improving my irons. I have to close my club face up a little bit, while making sure that my swing path doesn't come outside-in. My chipping needs work, as do my fairway woods and bunker shots. Don't get me started on those last two – they've plagued me for far too long now. My putting took a huge step forward, which is good. My overall score was still very poor, but at least I moved in the right direction. My goal for the next round is to keep it up!

Score: 108
Putts: 32
Fairways: 5
Greens: 0
Penalties: 3

Sorry, Mr. Hacker

My first golf round of 2012 was played in the middle of March. No such luck this year, as early spring was a little on the cold side. Fortunately, the first of May was a spectacular day. Skies were clear and the temperature was warm enough to play in shorts. I headed out to Maples of Ballantrae, which is a course I hadn't played in almost seven years. I remembered very little about the layout; all I could recall were the first two and last two holes.

Halfway to the course, I realized that I forgot to bring my contact lenses. Aargh! I don't really need them to play, but it makes it difficult to track the ball past 200 yards. If my drive is heading into the bushes, the odds of losing a ball are greater, since I can't tell exactly where the ball disappears. On the first hole, I flared a 3-iron badly off the tee into an open area right of the fairway. There were no bushes or trees nearby – just a smattering of old leaves on the ground – but I lost the ball anyway. Go figure.

The flared iron shot on hole #1 was a harbinger of things to come. I hadn't played or practised in over five months. Over the winter and early spring, all I could do was think about how to improve my swing. My attention was focused on correcting the dreaded “over the top” move. This has been the bane of my golf experience, ever since I took up the game. Previous attempts to correct this flaw proved disastrous, so I always reverted to my natural ways, which at least enabled me to get around a golf course in a semi-respectable fashion.

In my mental preparation, I thought of dropping the right shoulder at the top of the backswing, enabling the club to drop down to a flatter plane. At the same time, I thought of “pulling” on the club shaft, allowing the club to lag more than usual. This combination should produce a club path that approaches the ball from the inside, which is exactly what I want. Well, thoughts are one thing and physically executing them are another. I found that I could swing flatter by dropping the right shoulder, but in trying to maintain lag, I was keeping the club face way too open. I'm so used to flipping the wrists early, that in trying to delay that action, I over-compensated.

I played the first two holes very nervously. After the long layoff, everything felt foreign to me. To make matters worse, I was holding up a pair of players behind me, even though I was playing as a single. Pretty embarrassing. I triple-bogeyed the opening hole and registered a score of 13 on the par-5 second hole. That included a lost ball in a creek fronting the teeing ground and two balls sliced out of bounds. Beginning with hole #3, I put some distance between myself and the pair behind as my comfort level increased. Still, I was making double and triple-bogeys, owing to shots hit thin or topped, duffed chips and 3-putts. Somehow I managed to par hole #9.

On the back nine, I was held up at every hole by a threesome ahead of me. Common courtesy is to allow a single in that situation to play through, but I had no such luck. On a few occasions, I reached the teeing ground of a hole while the threesome was still teeing off. Still, the trio didn't even offer to have me join. No worries, as I ended up sending them a message, albeit somewhat inadvertently, on hole #17.

Hole #17 is the hardest hole on the course, in my opinion, but ranked officially as the #2 handicap. It is a par-4, stretching a healthy 453 yards. The fairway is of average width, but doglegs slightly to the left and is entirely bordered on both sides by thick, mature trees. I had not hit a single fairway all day, but that finally changed. After practising my “swing from the inside” move a couple of times, I unleashed what has to rank as one of my best drives ever. Contact was right on the sweet spot. The ball started right of centre, then drew ever so slightly, following the contour of the fairway perfectly. I knew I hit it a mile deep to the centre of the fairway, but didn't know the exact distance, as I lost sight of the ball without my contact lenses.

When I struck the drive, I thought there was no chance of reaching the threesome that was ahead in the fairway. Still, if I managed to roll one up behind them, I didn't think that would be such a bad thing. I drove up to the 200-yard marker (which is where a 250-yard drive would have ended up) and looked for my ball – nothing. Then I looked further ahead and one of the guys in the threesome was looking at me with hands outstretched, as if to say, “What the hell are you doing?” He gestured a few yards in front of where he stood, indicating the location of my ball. “Sorry about that,” I said. "No, I'm not," I thought to myself, just like the guy at 0:16 in the video above. LOL. The ball had travelled 320 yards, leaving just 133 yards to the green. Bang!

I followed up my best drive of the day with my best approach shot. Pitching wedge was all I needed to reach my first green in regulation. From 18 feet, I left my first putt 6 feet short – terrible! Of course, I missed the par putt and settled for bogey. The “green in regulation, followed by a 3-putt” is one of those classic golf disappointments. It seems to happen so often!

Oh well. My final score was horrible, but I still had some fun. Onward and upward!

Score: 116
Putts: 38
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
Penalties: 10