The temperature reached 11 degrees Celsius today in Toronto. The long-term forecast is calling for highs no greater than 7 degrees, so I took advantage of today's double-digit high to put my winter tires on the car. In recent years, this has served as a reminder to write my year-end golf review. After all, when the winter tires go on, you can be sure that golf season has come to an end. So here we go!
Overall, I have to say that 2014 was a success. Keep in mind that my game peaked in 2009, before levelling off in 2010. Since then, it has been three years of steady decline. The clearest indicator of this has been my handicap factor. It got as low as 15.7 in 2009, albeit briefly. In 2010, it stayed in a tight range between 17 and 18. It climbed to 19.3 by the end of 2011, then to 22.2 by the end of 2012. By the end of last year, it had risen all the way to 25.8 – not far from my estimated handicap when I first took up the game. All season long, I chipped away at the handicap factor, reaching 19.7 after my last round of the year. I stalled a bit at 20, which was a barrier I set out to overcome at the start of the year, so I'm glad I busted through with a final surge.
Last year, I broke 100 only five times. More than my handicap, this was a very telling stat. In my early golf days, breaking 100 was the goal. As my game improved, it became the rule, rather than the exception. In fact, 100 or greater became the mark of failure. To go lower than the century mark only a handful of times in 2013 was like starting the game all over again. For that reason, I'm happy to report that I managed to break 100 thirty times in 2014. Perhaps because I was back in the 90s with regularity, I didn't even mind the occasions when I “missed the cut” by a stroke or two. On seven occasions, I scored 100 or 101, but brushed it aside as no different than shooting 99 or 98. That's a big mental adjustment for me – one I will strive to carry forward next year. Bad rounds happen. It's no big deal and doesn't always reflect on your overall ability.
One of the reasons I was able to improve was the sheer number of games played. My dip in performance over the three previous years corresponded directly with fewer games played. I played only 31 rounds each of those years. This year, I was aiming for about 35 games, but a late season flurry pushed my total up to 44. That's very close to the levels I reached in the years leading up to 2011, when my game was at its best. I know some people who are able to maintain their performance level with very few games played, but I'm not one of them. I need to be active to keep my game as sharp as it can be.
Those 44 rounds were played at 34 different golf courses. The course I played most often, with three visits, was Lowville. Two of those rounds were played back-to-back in late October. I played 8 courses twice – Dragon's Fire, Willodell, Hidden Lake Old, Legends Battlefield, Century Pines, Calerin, Bradford Highlands, and Glen Eagle. On my second visit to Glen Eagle, I played the Original 18, which was substantially different than the first time around.
The courses I played for the first time this year were: Glencairn, Calerin, Royal Ontario, Caledon, and Scenic Woods. Glencairn was the nicest of these, and I played it with some good friends, which is always a treat. Despite the fact that it was only my fourth round of the year, I had a good result. Calerin is the only 9-hole course I've ever played, but you go around twice to complete 18 holes. I was pleasantly surprised with the layout. Royal Ontario was finally crossed off my list of unplayed courses, as it hosted the Deepwoods Golf Association final. I had heard much about the course, so it was nice to be able to form my own opinion. Caledon is another course that I never got around to playing, so I enjoyed getting out there as well. Finally, there was Scenic Woods. I won't be rushing back any time soon, but I'll remember it fondly because it was the site of my best round in 2014 – a respectable 85 in late October.
Looking at my average stats for the year reveals some improvement over last season. My average score was 98.1 – down from 103.5 a year earlier. While it's now heading in the right direction, I would like to see this number closer to 93 or so. With a normal distribution, that would see the bulk of my scores falling between 87 and 99. This year, my typical scoring range was between 89 and 101, with a slight skew toward the upper end. I averaged 35.3 putts in 2014, which was not all that different from the 35.6 averaged in 2013. I've never had many complaints about my putting, but I'll save strokes wherever I can find them. Fairways hit improved from 4.1 to 5.3 during this year's campaign. Greens in regulation saw a similar bump – to 3.3 from just 2.8 last season. Improvement is always good, but these numbers are still far too low. I figure I should be able to hit at least 7 fairways per round, every time out. Greens are harder for me, but 6 per round is a good goal. That's a long way off, but a guy can dream, right?
Finally, a few words about my performance in the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. There was a time (2007-2010) when I had a lot of confidence at this competition. With a win and two runner-up finishes in the span of four years, I had reason to be. Then came three years where I wasn't even a factor. Poor performances early in the season took me right out of contention. 2013 was particularly gruesome, as I finished near the bottom of the standings. For all of these reasons, it felt great to challenge for the championship once again in 2014. I finished in 8th place, which is still some distance from the leader, but just to be mathematically alive going into the final round was an accomplishment. I will take some confidence from this season and channel it into next year's competition.
And now, I have 6 months without golf to endure. Ugh!
November 10, 2014
November 01, 2014
Season Finale at Glen Eagle
My last round of the season was on October 29th at Glen Eagle Golf Club. They have 27 holes, but on this occasion, the Original 18 were in play. It was a little chilly and overcast, with an occasional light drizzle. I teed off on the first hole and played the entire round alone. Normally, that helps me focus, but it was hard to do so because of course conditions. Leaves were everywhere, even in fairway landing zones and on the greens. Speaking of greens, they had been aerated, which is to be expected at this time of year. However, there was an inordinate amount of top dressing on some greens, making it near impossible to get the speed correct.
Once again, I focused on the wrist roll during my swing. A few rounds ago, it was working wonders, but it got a little shaky at my last outing. This time, I'm sorry to say, it was a little worse still. With the driver in hand, it produced a few high pop-ups to the left side. Perhaps I wasn't rolling the wrists enough, leaving the club face open at impact. Combine this with my typical outside-in swing path, and the result is not good. I popped up drives on holes #1, #7, and #10. At other times, I caught the ball near the heel of the club, producing an even worse result. That happened on holes #4, #7, and #12. Hole #7 is listed twice because I hit my third from the tee after a particularly horrific attempt. I had some good drives, but they were few and far between.
With irons in hand, the results were better. I shanked a 7-iron off the tee on hole #3, but after taking a penalty and re-teeing, I hit a fabulous one to within 5 feet of the pin. It seems when I miss with this wrist roll, it's always because I fail to execute it fast enough, leaving the face open at impact. This was an extreme case, but when I adjusted, the result was fantastic. I also hit some great recovery shots with the irons. I had to punch a couple of low shots due to tree trouble on hole #2, a par-5. I managed to get near the green after three shots, then pitched and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #4, also a par-5, I hit another pair of punch shots to get to the green in four. The last of these was particularly impressive, threading through a thick strand of tree trunks to find the green edge.
I was shooting 55 at the turn, thanks to a pair of triple-bogeys and a massive blowup on hole #5, a short par-4. My tee shot found a fairway bunker on the right side, and I had trouble getting out and through some trees directly ahead. I took an ugly 9 on that hole. All of this meant I had a lot of work to do on the back nine to salvage a respectable score. Four pars and a birdie helped immensely, as I tallied 41 on the back nine to walk away with an overall score of 96.
I still had some issues with the driver, but I hit it well on holes #11, #13, and #16 – all of which produced pars. While the drives got me off to a good start, it was really the irons that earned those pars. Even when I made bogey, I displayed some nice control with the irons. There were multiple occasions where I had to shape a shot in a particular way, and I managed to do so nicely. On hole #10, I was well left of the fairway, with massive trees blocking out the green. I aimed the 9-iron well left of the green to get over the treetops, looking for a cut to bring the ball back near the putting surface. It worked just as I envisioned. On hole #13, I needed a low hook on my second shot to get around and under some trees and keep the ball in the fairway. I did exactly that. On hole #15, I was right of the fairway, with tall trees blocking the green once again. This time, I hoisted an 8-iron over the treetops, drawing it back to just in front of the green. That one was most impressive of all.
Even when I didn't need to shape a shot, the irons were working well. I hit a nice pitching wedge to reach the green in regulation on hole #11. On hole #14, a par-3, it was a 6-iron off the tee that did the trick, finishing flag high. On hole #16, I hit a wonderful 5-iron that was all over the flag. I let out a yell of satisfaction after that one. I didn't even care about my score or round at that point – I just loved the shot. On hole #17, a short par-3, my pitching wedge was also perfect, setting up a 6-foot birdie putt that I drained with confidence.
In the end, I was happy that I managed to get on track over the back nine. I'm still committed to the wrist roll, even though it's been shaky, at times, over the last two rounds. I just have to remind myself to commit to it. That way, I won't leave the club face open when it strikes the ball.
The season is over. Soon, I'll have to reflect back and write my year-end review.
Score: 96
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
Once again, I focused on the wrist roll during my swing. A few rounds ago, it was working wonders, but it got a little shaky at my last outing. This time, I'm sorry to say, it was a little worse still. With the driver in hand, it produced a few high pop-ups to the left side. Perhaps I wasn't rolling the wrists enough, leaving the club face open at impact. Combine this with my typical outside-in swing path, and the result is not good. I popped up drives on holes #1, #7, and #10. At other times, I caught the ball near the heel of the club, producing an even worse result. That happened on holes #4, #7, and #12. Hole #7 is listed twice because I hit my third from the tee after a particularly horrific attempt. I had some good drives, but they were few and far between.
With irons in hand, the results were better. I shanked a 7-iron off the tee on hole #3, but after taking a penalty and re-teeing, I hit a fabulous one to within 5 feet of the pin. It seems when I miss with this wrist roll, it's always because I fail to execute it fast enough, leaving the face open at impact. This was an extreme case, but when I adjusted, the result was fantastic. I also hit some great recovery shots with the irons. I had to punch a couple of low shots due to tree trouble on hole #2, a par-5. I managed to get near the green after three shots, then pitched and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #4, also a par-5, I hit another pair of punch shots to get to the green in four. The last of these was particularly impressive, threading through a thick strand of tree trunks to find the green edge.
I was shooting 55 at the turn, thanks to a pair of triple-bogeys and a massive blowup on hole #5, a short par-4. My tee shot found a fairway bunker on the right side, and I had trouble getting out and through some trees directly ahead. I took an ugly 9 on that hole. All of this meant I had a lot of work to do on the back nine to salvage a respectable score. Four pars and a birdie helped immensely, as I tallied 41 on the back nine to walk away with an overall score of 96.
I still had some issues with the driver, but I hit it well on holes #11, #13, and #16 – all of which produced pars. While the drives got me off to a good start, it was really the irons that earned those pars. Even when I made bogey, I displayed some nice control with the irons. There were multiple occasions where I had to shape a shot in a particular way, and I managed to do so nicely. On hole #10, I was well left of the fairway, with massive trees blocking out the green. I aimed the 9-iron well left of the green to get over the treetops, looking for a cut to bring the ball back near the putting surface. It worked just as I envisioned. On hole #13, I needed a low hook on my second shot to get around and under some trees and keep the ball in the fairway. I did exactly that. On hole #15, I was right of the fairway, with tall trees blocking the green once again. This time, I hoisted an 8-iron over the treetops, drawing it back to just in front of the green. That one was most impressive of all.
Even when I didn't need to shape a shot, the irons were working well. I hit a nice pitching wedge to reach the green in regulation on hole #11. On hole #14, a par-3, it was a 6-iron off the tee that did the trick, finishing flag high. On hole #16, I hit a wonderful 5-iron that was all over the flag. I let out a yell of satisfaction after that one. I didn't even care about my score or round at that point – I just loved the shot. On hole #17, a short par-3, my pitching wedge was also perfect, setting up a 6-foot birdie putt that I drained with confidence.
In the end, I was happy that I managed to get on track over the back nine. I'm still committed to the wrist roll, even though it's been shaky, at times, over the last two rounds. I just have to remind myself to commit to it. That way, I won't leave the club face open when it strikes the ball.
The season is over. Soon, I'll have to reflect back and write my year-end review.
Score: 96
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
October 31, 2014
Streak Ends at Bradford Highlands
With scores of 94, 95, 91 and 85 over my last four rounds, I was looking to keep the momentum going. The “wrist roll” adjustment that I made a few rounds back had me hitting very decent drives and pure iron shots. There was no reason it shouldn't continue, right? I headed to Bradford Highlands to see if that line of reasoning would hold up.
Playing the back nine first, I popped my first drive way up in the air and slightly left. I've driven the ball to the end of that fairway before, so this was a little disappointing. With a tree in my way, I was forced to chip back to the fairway. No problem though, as I hit one of those pure 8-irons from 150 yards to within five feet of the pin, then drained the putt to save par. “It's still working,” I thought.
On hole #11, a par-5, I hit my drive straight, but it once again popped straight up in the air. I was so far back that I had to lay up before a creek that crosses the fairway. That left me with a long third shot into the green, and I came up well short. A pitch and 2-putt would have been fine for bogey, but I blasted my first putt well past the hole, en route to a double bogey. What the hell? Why were the greens lightning fast at Bradford Highlands?
My drive on hole #12 was truly disgusting. I caught the ball low on the club face and it sliced into a pond on the right side of the fairway. My irons on the remainder of the hole were no better, as I found some deep fescue and had a heck of a time getting out. I finished with a triple-bogey, and began wondering what on earth was going on.
My scores were better for the rest of the back nine, as I registered a par and five bogeys. Despite the results, I wasn't feeling confident. I had a couple of good drives, particularly on holes #14, #17, and #18. However, I hit a huge push slice off the tee on hole #15, a short par-4. Only a spectacular 7-iron from the opposite fairway enabled me to save par on that hole. My irons continued to be pretty good overall, but my chip shots were running right across the speedy greens. I've never seen the greens that fast at Bradford.
I made the turn with a score of 46, so you could say I was right on track for a score in the low 90s. A 3-putt on hole #1 produced double-bogey, but it was my tee shot on hole #2 that started a big, downward spiral. The group ahead let mine play through, so they had a front row seat for my atrocious 5-iron off the tee on this par-5 hole. The ball came out low and to the right, diving into thick fescue just 60 yards ahead of the teeing ground. I found the ball, but it was all I could do to hack it back to the primary rough. Double-bogey was the final result.
The next five holes included three bogeys, along with a pair of massive blowups. I took a score of 10 on hole #3, a par-4 of modest length. There is out of bounds along the entire left side, and a pond protects the front right of the green, but I've never struggled on this hole as I did this time. I hit a poor drive off the heel of the club, then shanked a 6-iron. I flared a wedge into the pond and found the water again after taking a penalty and drop. Ugh!
The other hole that killed me was #6. Unlike #3, this one HAS killed me in the past...OFTEN! I once sliced four consecutive tee balls out of bounds on the right side. That was a long time ago. In recent visits, I managed to find a tiny pond that sits short and to the left side. It's uncanny how frequently I managed to land in that pond. This time, I popped the ball straight in the air. Lo and behold, it went in the pond. After taking a penalty, I pushed a shot into a water hazard further afield. And so it continued, as I registered a score of 9 on this par-4. Ugh!
At this point, I was on track to finish above the century mark. Out of nowhere, I put together a birdie and par on the last two holes to save a final score of 99. The birdie came on a 140-yard par-3 from an elevated tee. I hit a 9-iron flush, but the ball was headed left of my target. Miraculously, it hit a mound near the left side of the green and kicked well right, settling just 5 feet from the hole. I took advantage and drained the putt.
On hole #18, a 505-yard par-5, I hit a pretty good drive that leaked ever so slightly to the right. A creek crosses the fairway, but I never reached it before, so I swung without hesitation. As I walked up to where I thought my ball was, I didn't see anything. The cart path cuts through the area, so I feared that I might have hit it and bounced into the creek. When I looked in that area, I spotted my ball 5 yards from the creek...on the other side! Woohoo! I was only 190 yards from the green, albeit in the rough and with a couple small trees to contend with. I hit a good 4-iron to just left of the green, then pitched on to give myself a birdie chance. I missed it, but tapped in for par.
Given the two disastrous holes that added 19 strokes to my card, I'm happy to walk away with 99.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
Playing the back nine first, I popped my first drive way up in the air and slightly left. I've driven the ball to the end of that fairway before, so this was a little disappointing. With a tree in my way, I was forced to chip back to the fairway. No problem though, as I hit one of those pure 8-irons from 150 yards to within five feet of the pin, then drained the putt to save par. “It's still working,” I thought.
On hole #11, a par-5, I hit my drive straight, but it once again popped straight up in the air. I was so far back that I had to lay up before a creek that crosses the fairway. That left me with a long third shot into the green, and I came up well short. A pitch and 2-putt would have been fine for bogey, but I blasted my first putt well past the hole, en route to a double bogey. What the hell? Why were the greens lightning fast at Bradford Highlands?
My drive on hole #12 was truly disgusting. I caught the ball low on the club face and it sliced into a pond on the right side of the fairway. My irons on the remainder of the hole were no better, as I found some deep fescue and had a heck of a time getting out. I finished with a triple-bogey, and began wondering what on earth was going on.
My scores were better for the rest of the back nine, as I registered a par and five bogeys. Despite the results, I wasn't feeling confident. I had a couple of good drives, particularly on holes #14, #17, and #18. However, I hit a huge push slice off the tee on hole #15, a short par-4. Only a spectacular 7-iron from the opposite fairway enabled me to save par on that hole. My irons continued to be pretty good overall, but my chip shots were running right across the speedy greens. I've never seen the greens that fast at Bradford.
I made the turn with a score of 46, so you could say I was right on track for a score in the low 90s. A 3-putt on hole #1 produced double-bogey, but it was my tee shot on hole #2 that started a big, downward spiral. The group ahead let mine play through, so they had a front row seat for my atrocious 5-iron off the tee on this par-5 hole. The ball came out low and to the right, diving into thick fescue just 60 yards ahead of the teeing ground. I found the ball, but it was all I could do to hack it back to the primary rough. Double-bogey was the final result.
The next five holes included three bogeys, along with a pair of massive blowups. I took a score of 10 on hole #3, a par-4 of modest length. There is out of bounds along the entire left side, and a pond protects the front right of the green, but I've never struggled on this hole as I did this time. I hit a poor drive off the heel of the club, then shanked a 6-iron. I flared a wedge into the pond and found the water again after taking a penalty and drop. Ugh!
The other hole that killed me was #6. Unlike #3, this one HAS killed me in the past...OFTEN! I once sliced four consecutive tee balls out of bounds on the right side. That was a long time ago. In recent visits, I managed to find a tiny pond that sits short and to the left side. It's uncanny how frequently I managed to land in that pond. This time, I popped the ball straight in the air. Lo and behold, it went in the pond. After taking a penalty, I pushed a shot into a water hazard further afield. And so it continued, as I registered a score of 9 on this par-4. Ugh!
At this point, I was on track to finish above the century mark. Out of nowhere, I put together a birdie and par on the last two holes to save a final score of 99. The birdie came on a 140-yard par-3 from an elevated tee. I hit a 9-iron flush, but the ball was headed left of my target. Miraculously, it hit a mound near the left side of the green and kicked well right, settling just 5 feet from the hole. I took advantage and drained the putt.
On hole #18, a 505-yard par-5, I hit a pretty good drive that leaked ever so slightly to the right. A creek crosses the fairway, but I never reached it before, so I swung without hesitation. As I walked up to where I thought my ball was, I didn't see anything. The cart path cuts through the area, so I feared that I might have hit it and bounced into the creek. When I looked in that area, I spotted my ball 5 yards from the creek...on the other side! Woohoo! I was only 190 yards from the green, albeit in the rough and with a couple small trees to contend with. I hit a good 4-iron to just left of the green, then pitched on to give myself a birdie chance. I missed it, but tapped in for par.
Given the two disastrous holes that added 19 strokes to my card, I'm happy to walk away with 99.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
October 30, 2014
Smackdown at Scenic Woods
I was feeling good about my last couple of rounds and eager for my next outing at Scenic Woods. This was the first time I've played the course, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I wouldn't go out of my way to play there again, but overall, it wasn't a bad layout. The first three holes were wide and flat, leading me to believe it was going to be a bland experience. The greens, in particular, were rather featureless. The remainder of the front nine was comprised of some more interesting holes, including some short par-4 holes that require carefully placed tee shots to avoid water hazards. The back nine was much more interesting, with some solid par-5 holes and a couple of challenging par-3 tests. Meandering creeks feature a little more prominently, calling for well struck shots to avoid penalties.
Despite the fact it was cold and a little windy, I got off to an amazing start. I was paired up with a threesome, who quickly asked me what my handicap was. I told them, truthfully, that I was a 20. After going par, par, bogey, and par over the first four holes, they had good reason to believe I was feeding them a load of bull. It wasn't just the results that were great; it was the way I achieved them. On the opening par-5, I hit the left side of the fairway, then bombed a huge 5-wood down the pipe, leaving 60 yards to the green. I striped my drive on hole #2, leaving 120 yards to the green. On hole #4, I hit 5-iron off the tee, placing the ball exactly where my playing partners had recommended. On the greens, I made four great lag putts from distance, leaving easy finishing putts.
I had an errant second shot on hole #5, a dogleg left, that led to double-bogey. After that, I resumed my surgical attack against the course. On hole #6, I carried one creek and laid up just in front of another, using the 6-iron. It was the perfect location to place the ball. On holes #7 and #9, a pair of par-3 holes, I struck pure irons off the tee that were all over the flags. The birdie putts did not drop, but my ball striking was really looking good. I owe it all to the adjustment I made a few rounds back – the wrist roll that keeps the club face open during the backswing and closes it to square at impact. It was helping my drives, but it was making my iron play spectacular. At the turn, I was shooting 40, so I knew I had something special going.
After going bogey, par, par to start the back nine, I was just six over par through twelve holes. That put me right on pace to challenge my personal best score of 81, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. Hole #13 is a nice par-3, nestled perfectly into the surrounding landscape. The flag was 170 yards away, near the back left of the green. I hit a beautiful 6-iron, but it was just a fraction right of my intended target and managed to find some trees. It's a shame because I really didn't miss by much at all, but ended up with a double-bogey.
Solid play continued through hole #16, but I was making bogeys instead of pars. After recovering from a shaky drive on hole #15, I stuck a 90-yard shot right near the pin, for a chance at saving par. Unfortunately, I just burned the edge of the cup. On hole #16, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 3-iron off the tee. It was so good that it rolled through the back of the green. My chip was mediocre and a bogey ensued.
Perhaps the magic was wearing off, as I hit another bad drive on hole #17, a par-4 with a dogleg left. I was forced, not only to take my third and last penalty of the day, but also to lay up in front of a water hazard, as there were trees blocking me out from the green. Double bogey ensued. Thankfully, I played hole #18, a par-5, in textbook fashion. After hitting the fairway with a good drive, I was within range of the green, but wisely decided to play a baby 8-iron to the 100 yard stick, followed by a sand wedge into the green. A large pond right of the fairway and green was simply too risky to take on.
In the end, I shot an 85. This was my best result of the year and my best since September 2011, when I shot an 83 at Willow Valley. In fact, I've only had four rounds better than this one, ever. Besides that 83 at Willow Valley, I also have an 83 at Carlisle North/East, an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt, and an 81 at Deer Creek South. I have scored 85 on three other occasions (at Lochness Links, Osprey Valley Heathlands, and Kleinburg), but those were some time ago.
With this result, my handicap factor also dipped below 20 for the first time since 2011. Considering I started this season as a 25.8 handicap, it's nice to currently be at 19.8 and trending in the right direction.
Score: 85
Putts: 34
Fairways: 9
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
Despite the fact it was cold and a little windy, I got off to an amazing start. I was paired up with a threesome, who quickly asked me what my handicap was. I told them, truthfully, that I was a 20. After going par, par, bogey, and par over the first four holes, they had good reason to believe I was feeding them a load of bull. It wasn't just the results that were great; it was the way I achieved them. On the opening par-5, I hit the left side of the fairway, then bombed a huge 5-wood down the pipe, leaving 60 yards to the green. I striped my drive on hole #2, leaving 120 yards to the green. On hole #4, I hit 5-iron off the tee, placing the ball exactly where my playing partners had recommended. On the greens, I made four great lag putts from distance, leaving easy finishing putts.
I had an errant second shot on hole #5, a dogleg left, that led to double-bogey. After that, I resumed my surgical attack against the course. On hole #6, I carried one creek and laid up just in front of another, using the 6-iron. It was the perfect location to place the ball. On holes #7 and #9, a pair of par-3 holes, I struck pure irons off the tee that were all over the flags. The birdie putts did not drop, but my ball striking was really looking good. I owe it all to the adjustment I made a few rounds back – the wrist roll that keeps the club face open during the backswing and closes it to square at impact. It was helping my drives, but it was making my iron play spectacular. At the turn, I was shooting 40, so I knew I had something special going.
After going bogey, par, par to start the back nine, I was just six over par through twelve holes. That put me right on pace to challenge my personal best score of 81, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. Hole #13 is a nice par-3, nestled perfectly into the surrounding landscape. The flag was 170 yards away, near the back left of the green. I hit a beautiful 6-iron, but it was just a fraction right of my intended target and managed to find some trees. It's a shame because I really didn't miss by much at all, but ended up with a double-bogey.
Solid play continued through hole #16, but I was making bogeys instead of pars. After recovering from a shaky drive on hole #15, I stuck a 90-yard shot right near the pin, for a chance at saving par. Unfortunately, I just burned the edge of the cup. On hole #16, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 3-iron off the tee. It was so good that it rolled through the back of the green. My chip was mediocre and a bogey ensued.
Perhaps the magic was wearing off, as I hit another bad drive on hole #17, a par-4 with a dogleg left. I was forced, not only to take my third and last penalty of the day, but also to lay up in front of a water hazard, as there were trees blocking me out from the green. Double bogey ensued. Thankfully, I played hole #18, a par-5, in textbook fashion. After hitting the fairway with a good drive, I was within range of the green, but wisely decided to play a baby 8-iron to the 100 yard stick, followed by a sand wedge into the green. A large pond right of the fairway and green was simply too risky to take on.
In the end, I shot an 85. This was my best result of the year and my best since September 2011, when I shot an 83 at Willow Valley. In fact, I've only had four rounds better than this one, ever. Besides that 83 at Willow Valley, I also have an 83 at Carlisle North/East, an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt, and an 81 at Deer Creek South. I have scored 85 on three other occasions (at Lochness Links, Osprey Valley Heathlands, and Kleinburg), but those were some time ago.
With this result, my handicap factor also dipped below 20 for the first time since 2011. Considering I started this season as a 25.8 handicap, it's nice to currently be at 19.8 and trending in the right direction.
Score: 85
Putts: 34
Fairways: 9
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
October 28, 2014
Rolling Along at Calerin
A day after playing Century Pines, I payed a visit to Calerin Golf Club. I played the front nine with an interesting threesome. These guys were good buddies and took extreme pleasure in giving each other the gears. Had I been playing poorly, it was the kind of thing that might get on my nerves. Fortunately, I was playing reasonably well, so it had no effect on me. I shot 49 on the front, with six bogeys, two doubles, and a triple.
That doesn't sound so great, but I was actually hitting some nice shots. My drives on holes #3 and #4 were among my best, travelling a healthy distance and dead straight. Ironically, those were the two holes that produced double-bogey. On #3, I followed up my drive with a 4-iron that flared right into a large pond. The wrist roll that I used at my last round worked well on the drive, but not so well on the next shot. I simply didn't execute the roll well enough, leaving the club face a little open at impact. On #4, the problem was not full shots, but the fact that I 3-putt. The triple-bogey came on hole #6 after a drive into the woods and a poor shot from a greenside bunker, with the ball below my feet.
Where the wrist roll really helped was with my iron shots. Before employing this move, I could make reasonable contact with the ball, advance a predictable distance based on the club used, and finish in relative safety. However, only one out of every ten shots had that feeling of pure contact. With the wrist roll, a much greater percentage of shots give me that feeling. Contact is more crisp, while the ball flight is higher and much prettier to watch. It also seems to cut down on the number of mis-hits due to hitting the ball fat or thin. My approach shots on holes #8 and #9 come to mind as great examples. The former was with a 7-iron, but I hit it so pure that I flew the green. An 8-iron would have been enough to reach the back pin location. The latter was with the 8-iron.
Calerin is a 9-hole course, which you play twice if you want to complete a full round. A substantially different set of tees are used the second time around, so there's enough variety to keep things interesting. My playing partners had already played nine before I joined them, so I was on my own for my back nine. I've had some good streaks playing alone, so I was looking forward to it. Sure enough, the added focus really helped me get hot. I shot 42 on the back nine, with a birdie, two pars, five bogeys, and a double. The double only came about as a result of a 3-putt.
The birdie was on hole #14, a par-3 measuring 142 yards. I hit one of those pure 9-irons to the front of the green, then drained a 10-footer that found the bottom of the cup. The birdie was sandwiched between a couple of pars. Hole #13 is a par-5 that I played in textbook style. My drive found the left side of the fairway. I hit an easy 5-iron to the fairway centre, leaving 130 yards to the pin. I played to the fat of the green with pitching wedge, then lagged a putt and tapped in. Hole #15 was a satisfying par, since that was the same hole I made triple-bogey on the first time around.
A final score of 91 tied my second best of the year, so this was a good result.
Score: 91
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
That doesn't sound so great, but I was actually hitting some nice shots. My drives on holes #3 and #4 were among my best, travelling a healthy distance and dead straight. Ironically, those were the two holes that produced double-bogey. On #3, I followed up my drive with a 4-iron that flared right into a large pond. The wrist roll that I used at my last round worked well on the drive, but not so well on the next shot. I simply didn't execute the roll well enough, leaving the club face a little open at impact. On #4, the problem was not full shots, but the fact that I 3-putt. The triple-bogey came on hole #6 after a drive into the woods and a poor shot from a greenside bunker, with the ball below my feet.
Where the wrist roll really helped was with my iron shots. Before employing this move, I could make reasonable contact with the ball, advance a predictable distance based on the club used, and finish in relative safety. However, only one out of every ten shots had that feeling of pure contact. With the wrist roll, a much greater percentage of shots give me that feeling. Contact is more crisp, while the ball flight is higher and much prettier to watch. It also seems to cut down on the number of mis-hits due to hitting the ball fat or thin. My approach shots on holes #8 and #9 come to mind as great examples. The former was with a 7-iron, but I hit it so pure that I flew the green. An 8-iron would have been enough to reach the back pin location. The latter was with the 8-iron.
Calerin is a 9-hole course, which you play twice if you want to complete a full round. A substantially different set of tees are used the second time around, so there's enough variety to keep things interesting. My playing partners had already played nine before I joined them, so I was on my own for my back nine. I've had some good streaks playing alone, so I was looking forward to it. Sure enough, the added focus really helped me get hot. I shot 42 on the back nine, with a birdie, two pars, five bogeys, and a double. The double only came about as a result of a 3-putt.
The birdie was on hole #14, a par-3 measuring 142 yards. I hit one of those pure 9-irons to the front of the green, then drained a 10-footer that found the bottom of the cup. The birdie was sandwiched between a couple of pars. Hole #13 is a par-5 that I played in textbook style. My drive found the left side of the fairway. I hit an easy 5-iron to the fairway centre, leaving 130 yards to the pin. I played to the fat of the green with pitching wedge, then lagged a putt and tapped in. Hole #15 was a satisfying par, since that was the same hole I made triple-bogey on the first time around.
A final score of 91 tied my second best of the year, so this was a good result.
Score: 91
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
Finding Something at Century Pines
With golf season rapidly coming to a close, I planned a series of rounds in quick succession. The first of these was at Century Pines. Weather was good, and I was fortunate to get paired with a good partner. He was friendly, but not too chatty. More importantly, he moved along the course efficiently. We played as a twosome, which certainly helped. It was a pleasant day, and I was able to focus completely on my game.
During my last couple of rounds, I was experimenting with a particular swing adjustment. I set up with the club face open to the target line, but in line with my left arm. Picture a straight line starting from my left shoulder and extending through my left arm and the shaft of the club. The club face at address would be in line with that. On the backswing, I maintained that open club face. On the downswing, I rotated (or rolled) the wrists to square the club face at impact, then continued to roll over to a closed club face position in the follow through. I thought of nothing else during the swing but that rotation.
At Century Pines, I employed this move consistently, and the results were good. In previous visits to the course, I struggled with the opening tee shot, which features trees and out of bounds left. I often bailed to the opposite fairway on the right side. This time, I used that move to stripe one down the middle of the fairway, with just a hint of draw action. I continued to do the same with the driver for the rest of the round. The results weren't always as great as they were on the first hole, but they were consistently good.
My second shot on hole #1, which is a lengthy par-5, came with the 4-iron. The move I described earlier can be applied to irons, just as with the driver. In this particular case, I failed to close the club face enough during the downswing. At impact, it was still open, resulting in a ball pushed to the right. It landed in a pond and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. I immediately adjusted, and the next shot was a fabulous high 6-iron that sailed across the pond and over a huge tree protecting the right side of the green.
For the remainder of the round, I used that rotating move with my irons to great effect. It produced an excellent approach shot on hole #2, along with a great tee shot on hole #4. I paired it up with a half swing on hole #9 to lay up in front of a creek with my second shot on the par-5. On the back nine, I cracked a wicked 5-iron off the tee on hole #10. The best one may have been a 7-iron off the tee on hole #13, a 150-yard par-3 over water to a pin at the back of the green. On the odd occasion when I missed, it was a slight miss to the right due to the club face not closing quickly enough.
I shot 46 on the front nine, with two pars, four bogeys, and three doubles. A pair of consecutive 3-putts to open the back nine contributed to three double bogeys in a row. I followed with pars on hole #13 and hole #14. Two bad chips near the green on hole #16 led to triple bogey – the only one on the day. I finished the back nine with a score of 49, which was good enough for 95 overall.
Score: 95
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
During my last couple of rounds, I was experimenting with a particular swing adjustment. I set up with the club face open to the target line, but in line with my left arm. Picture a straight line starting from my left shoulder and extending through my left arm and the shaft of the club. The club face at address would be in line with that. On the backswing, I maintained that open club face. On the downswing, I rotated (or rolled) the wrists to square the club face at impact, then continued to roll over to a closed club face position in the follow through. I thought of nothing else during the swing but that rotation.
At Century Pines, I employed this move consistently, and the results were good. In previous visits to the course, I struggled with the opening tee shot, which features trees and out of bounds left. I often bailed to the opposite fairway on the right side. This time, I used that move to stripe one down the middle of the fairway, with just a hint of draw action. I continued to do the same with the driver for the rest of the round. The results weren't always as great as they were on the first hole, but they were consistently good.
My second shot on hole #1, which is a lengthy par-5, came with the 4-iron. The move I described earlier can be applied to irons, just as with the driver. In this particular case, I failed to close the club face enough during the downswing. At impact, it was still open, resulting in a ball pushed to the right. It landed in a pond and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. I immediately adjusted, and the next shot was a fabulous high 6-iron that sailed across the pond and over a huge tree protecting the right side of the green.
For the remainder of the round, I used that rotating move with my irons to great effect. It produced an excellent approach shot on hole #2, along with a great tee shot on hole #4. I paired it up with a half swing on hole #9 to lay up in front of a creek with my second shot on the par-5. On the back nine, I cracked a wicked 5-iron off the tee on hole #10. The best one may have been a 7-iron off the tee on hole #13, a 150-yard par-3 over water to a pin at the back of the green. On the odd occasion when I missed, it was a slight miss to the right due to the club face not closing quickly enough.
I shot 46 on the front nine, with two pars, four bogeys, and three doubles. A pair of consecutive 3-putts to open the back nine contributed to three double bogeys in a row. I followed with pars on hole #13 and hole #14. Two bad chips near the green on hole #16 led to triple bogey – the only one on the day. I finished the back nine with a score of 49, which was good enough for 95 overall.
Score: 95
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
October 21, 2014
Second Crack at Lowville
I often wonder if I would score better if I played the same course repeatedly, as the members at many private clubs do. There's no doubt that increased familiarity with a golf course leads to better decision making. Over time, one learns which areas to avoid at all cost and which ones are more forgiving. One also learns which clubs work best in given situations, and perhaps most importantly, how the greens roll and break. The second of back to back rounds at Lowville Golf Club gave me a rare opportunity to see if a repeat round would produce a better score. As it turned out, I improved my score by nine strokes. Granted, some of that had to do with better weather conditions, but I really felt like the round a day earlier left me feeling much more comfortable on the course.
I like the format I tried in my last post, so I decided to do it again. Here we go.
Worst Shots
5. Hole #11 is a short par-4, measuring 313 yards. After a pretty good tee shot just into the left rough, I hit a sand wedge shot into a greenside bunker. My bunker troubles have been well documented on this blog. My first attempt in the trap was fat and the ball didn't get out. My second attempt was fine, but the damage was done.
4. Hole #6 is another short par-4, at just 295 yards. I played my second shot to the front edge of the green, which was ideal, since you definitely want to be below the hole. I had been putting well so far, but inexplicably, I blasted the uphill putt way past the hole. I failed to make the comebacker, so the result was a 3-putt.
3. Hole #13 is a 150-yard par-3, with out of bounds along the right side. As I was going through my pre-shot routine on the teeing ground, my attention turned to the pace at which I take my practice swing and then my actual swing. It was a dumb thought and I rushed my shot, topping the ball badly with an 8-iron. Yech!
2. Hole #9 almost made my Worst Shots list last time, thanks to a terrible drive attempt off the heel of the club. I guess it was destiny, as this time, I hit basically the same shot, but watched as my ball dribbled into a pond left of the teeing ground. It was a truly terrible shot, as I was forced to hit my third from the tee.
1. Hole #2 was on the Worst Shots list last time, and here it is again. Cue up the instant replay, because there was very little differentiating this tee shot from the last. A huge outside-in swing started things out. I caught the ball on the heel and watched as it dove into the pond directly in front of the teeing ground. Unbelievable.
Best Shots
5. Hole #7 is an uphill par-5. After finding the centre of the fairway with a mediocre drive, I opted to play a half-swing 5-iron to advance the ball. I've been using this shot quite a bit recently, and I like the control it gives me. I advanced the ball perfectly, avoiding OB right and bunkers left, while leaving 100 yards to the flag.
4. Hole #18 was the scene of one of my best shots last time, but it wasn't my initial tee shot. That one failed to carry some intimidating marshland. This time, I aimed further to the right and it worked like a charm. My ball carried the marsh with no trouble, bounced into a hillside, and settled in the fairway centre. Nice.
3. Hole #6 is where I made a terrible lag putt, but my tee shot on the same hole was marvellous. My playing partners hit driver or fairway wood off the tee, which is an aggressive play. I opted for the conservative route with a 5-iron. It was an absolute thing of beauty, travelling straight and rolling downhill a distance of 225 yards.
2. Hole #12 is an uphill par-5 with a couple of valleys to cross en route to the green. I hacked my way up to the side of the green with three shots. After duffing a pitch shot, I made a decent chip, but the ball rolled right to the green collar. No problem, as I made a brilliant uphill putt through the fringe, that curled right into the hole!
1. Hole #8 is one I've described as a devilish par-3. It's only 121yards, but the tee is elevated and it's always windy up there. Behind the shallow green is a steep drop-off, also known as death. In front is a huge bunker. It's all about club selection, and I hit a full 60 degree wedge shot all over the flag, settling 6 feet behind. Take that!
Score: 94
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
I like the format I tried in my last post, so I decided to do it again. Here we go.
Worst Shots
5. Hole #11 is a short par-4, measuring 313 yards. After a pretty good tee shot just into the left rough, I hit a sand wedge shot into a greenside bunker. My bunker troubles have been well documented on this blog. My first attempt in the trap was fat and the ball didn't get out. My second attempt was fine, but the damage was done.
4. Hole #6 is another short par-4, at just 295 yards. I played my second shot to the front edge of the green, which was ideal, since you definitely want to be below the hole. I had been putting well so far, but inexplicably, I blasted the uphill putt way past the hole. I failed to make the comebacker, so the result was a 3-putt.
3. Hole #13 is a 150-yard par-3, with out of bounds along the right side. As I was going through my pre-shot routine on the teeing ground, my attention turned to the pace at which I take my practice swing and then my actual swing. It was a dumb thought and I rushed my shot, topping the ball badly with an 8-iron. Yech!
2. Hole #9 almost made my Worst Shots list last time, thanks to a terrible drive attempt off the heel of the club. I guess it was destiny, as this time, I hit basically the same shot, but watched as my ball dribbled into a pond left of the teeing ground. It was a truly terrible shot, as I was forced to hit my third from the tee.
1. Hole #2 was on the Worst Shots list last time, and here it is again. Cue up the instant replay, because there was very little differentiating this tee shot from the last. A huge outside-in swing started things out. I caught the ball on the heel and watched as it dove into the pond directly in front of the teeing ground. Unbelievable.
Best Shots
5. Hole #7 is an uphill par-5. After finding the centre of the fairway with a mediocre drive, I opted to play a half-swing 5-iron to advance the ball. I've been using this shot quite a bit recently, and I like the control it gives me. I advanced the ball perfectly, avoiding OB right and bunkers left, while leaving 100 yards to the flag.
4. Hole #18 was the scene of one of my best shots last time, but it wasn't my initial tee shot. That one failed to carry some intimidating marshland. This time, I aimed further to the right and it worked like a charm. My ball carried the marsh with no trouble, bounced into a hillside, and settled in the fairway centre. Nice.
3. Hole #6 is where I made a terrible lag putt, but my tee shot on the same hole was marvellous. My playing partners hit driver or fairway wood off the tee, which is an aggressive play. I opted for the conservative route with a 5-iron. It was an absolute thing of beauty, travelling straight and rolling downhill a distance of 225 yards.
2. Hole #12 is an uphill par-5 with a couple of valleys to cross en route to the green. I hacked my way up to the side of the green with three shots. After duffing a pitch shot, I made a decent chip, but the ball rolled right to the green collar. No problem, as I made a brilliant uphill putt through the fringe, that curled right into the hole!
1. Hole #8 is one I've described as a devilish par-3. It's only 121yards, but the tee is elevated and it's always windy up there. Behind the shallow green is a steep drop-off, also known as death. In front is a huge bunker. It's all about club selection, and I hit a full 60 degree wedge shot all over the flag, settling 6 feet behind. Take that!
Score: 94
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
October 20, 2014
Lowville Highs and Lows
With the 2014 season just about done, I headed out to Lowville Golf Club for the first round of a weekend double header. The high was 10 degrees Celsius, but cloud cover and wind gusts made it feel a little worse than that. Considering we're in late October, the weather actually wasn't that bad. What I found more problematic was the fact that I had only one October round under my belt. There were definite signs of rust, especially with the driver. I had one of my poorer results of the season, but I enjoyed myself, so it wasn't all bad. Rather than providing my typical post-round narrative, here's a look at the best and worst shots of the day.
Worst Shots
5. Hole #7 is an uphill par-5. My third shot was just two yards off the back of the green. I sculled a chip attempt clear across the entire green, but my next shot was even worse. I completely duffed the second chip attempt, and still wasn't on the green. It was a bad shot, made worse by the fact it was the second stinker in a row.
4. Hole #4 is also a par-5. My fourth shot was into the green from 107 yards out, in the centre of the fairway. I thinned a shot badly with the heel of the sand wedge. The ball went screaming towards out of bounds, but was kept in by some mounding. Unfortunately, I was in the bushes, needing two more shots to get on the green.
3. Hole #5 is a par-3 that was playing 170 yards. I hit my tee shot fat, but worse would come very soon. From 50 yards out in the rough, I slid right under the ball with the lob wedge. Then, I fluffed another from 30 yards out. Any of those shots could make the list, but the last one gets the pick, due to the cumulative effect.
2. Hole #2 is a par-4 from an elevated tee. I had already messed up my first driver attempt on hole #1, catching the ball off the heel with a terrible outside-in swing. On the second hole, I did the very same thing, but this time I paid a greater penalty, as my ball dove into a pond just in front of the teeing ground.
1. Hole #15 is a 175-yard par-3 from an elevated tee. Shots must carry a valley to the green on the other side. It's only about 90 yards to clear a hazard in the lowest part of the valley, but when you duff a 6-iron, as I did, you're going to find the junk. It was a horrific shot and a horrific hole, as I finished with a 3-putt for a quad.
Best Shots
5. Hole #1 is an uphill par-5 with a highly sloped fairway. After messing up my drive attempt, I was in the left rough short of the fairway. Needing to make up some lost ground, I pulled 5-wood from the bag. I've struggled with the woods recently, but this time I hit a straight and deep shot to the fairway, 145 yards from the hole.
4. Hole #18 is a par-4 featuring a long carry off the tee. After hitting my third from the tee, I found myself in the fairway centre, 180 yards from the flag. Next came an absolutely pure 5-iron that found the centre of the green. Contact was crisp and the flight was a lovely baby draw. These are the shots that keep me going.
3. Hole #9 is a downhill par-4. My drive attempt could have made the Worst Shots list, as I pulled one off the heel, almost 45 degrees left of target. Fortunately, I cleared a pond, settling on the other side of the opposite fairway. Judging distance was near impossible, but I had to be about 230 yards from the flag. I could see the green and hit a cracker of a 5-wood. It was dead straight and high. While in the air, I thought it would land softly right near the pin. As it turned out, it came up about ten yards short, landing in a bunker. Still, it was great.
2. Hole #3 is a basic, 180-yard par-3, which inexplicably ranks as the #1 handicap hole. I hit a picture perfect 5-iron off the tee. Contact was perfect and the ball flight was even better. The ball moved slightly from right to left, directly at the flag. I don't know if it was a draw, or if the wind was responsible. Either way, it was lovely.
1. Hole #2 was the scene of the second-worst shot of the day, but it was also the scene of the best. On the green fringe of this par-4 after five shots, I was just thinking about 2-putting for triple-bogey. I faced an uphill breaking putt of 25 feet. I picked my line, took a stroke, and watched the ball curl smoothly into the centre of the cup!
Score: 103
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
Worst Shots
5. Hole #7 is an uphill par-5. My third shot was just two yards off the back of the green. I sculled a chip attempt clear across the entire green, but my next shot was even worse. I completely duffed the second chip attempt, and still wasn't on the green. It was a bad shot, made worse by the fact it was the second stinker in a row.
4. Hole #4 is also a par-5. My fourth shot was into the green from 107 yards out, in the centre of the fairway. I thinned a shot badly with the heel of the sand wedge. The ball went screaming towards out of bounds, but was kept in by some mounding. Unfortunately, I was in the bushes, needing two more shots to get on the green.
3. Hole #5 is a par-3 that was playing 170 yards. I hit my tee shot fat, but worse would come very soon. From 50 yards out in the rough, I slid right under the ball with the lob wedge. Then, I fluffed another from 30 yards out. Any of those shots could make the list, but the last one gets the pick, due to the cumulative effect.
2. Hole #2 is a par-4 from an elevated tee. I had already messed up my first driver attempt on hole #1, catching the ball off the heel with a terrible outside-in swing. On the second hole, I did the very same thing, but this time I paid a greater penalty, as my ball dove into a pond just in front of the teeing ground.
1. Hole #15 is a 175-yard par-3 from an elevated tee. Shots must carry a valley to the green on the other side. It's only about 90 yards to clear a hazard in the lowest part of the valley, but when you duff a 6-iron, as I did, you're going to find the junk. It was a horrific shot and a horrific hole, as I finished with a 3-putt for a quad.
Best Shots
5. Hole #1 is an uphill par-5 with a highly sloped fairway. After messing up my drive attempt, I was in the left rough short of the fairway. Needing to make up some lost ground, I pulled 5-wood from the bag. I've struggled with the woods recently, but this time I hit a straight and deep shot to the fairway, 145 yards from the hole.
4. Hole #18 is a par-4 featuring a long carry off the tee. After hitting my third from the tee, I found myself in the fairway centre, 180 yards from the flag. Next came an absolutely pure 5-iron that found the centre of the green. Contact was crisp and the flight was a lovely baby draw. These are the shots that keep me going.
3. Hole #9 is a downhill par-4. My drive attempt could have made the Worst Shots list, as I pulled one off the heel, almost 45 degrees left of target. Fortunately, I cleared a pond, settling on the other side of the opposite fairway. Judging distance was near impossible, but I had to be about 230 yards from the flag. I could see the green and hit a cracker of a 5-wood. It was dead straight and high. While in the air, I thought it would land softly right near the pin. As it turned out, it came up about ten yards short, landing in a bunker. Still, it was great.
2. Hole #3 is a basic, 180-yard par-3, which inexplicably ranks as the #1 handicap hole. I hit a picture perfect 5-iron off the tee. Contact was perfect and the ball flight was even better. The ball moved slightly from right to left, directly at the flag. I don't know if it was a draw, or if the wind was responsible. Either way, it was lovely.
1. Hole #2 was the scene of the second-worst shot of the day, but it was also the scene of the best. On the green fringe of this par-4 after five shots, I was just thinking about 2-putting for triple-bogey. I faced an uphill breaking putt of 25 feet. I picked my line, took a stroke, and watched the ball curl smoothly into the centre of the cup!
Score: 103
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
October 12, 2014
Fall Round at Carlisle
I booked a last minute round for Saturday afternoon at Carlisle Golf Club. I was a little worried about the temperature, but it ended up being a very comfortable day. I also had some concern about finishing before sundown, but we managed to finish with plenty of light to spare. The course was in good condition, although the greens had been aerated recently, which made putting less than ideal.
We began on the South course, which I had not played in ages. I have a good memory for golf courses, but I couldn't remember a single hole. This wasn't really a problem, as virtually all of the holes stretch out before you in plain sight. A bigger problem was the fact that I had not played in almost two weeks. It took a while to get comfortable, both with full shots and with the short game. Arguably, I never got fully comfortable, as I alternated between good and bad shots for the entire round.
Things were shakiest at the start, as I made one bogey and four doubles over the first five holes. On hole #1, a par-4, I was just off the green collar after two shots. Unfortunately, I sculled a chip attempt and left my first putt way short. I went on to 3-putt this hole, as well as #2. I hit a great drive on hole #3, a par-5, leaving just 166 yards to the green on my second shot. I went for it, but a mis-hit trickled into some water fronting the green. After a penalty and drop, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. A slicing tee shot made hole #4 play harder than it should have, while another poor iron shot from the fairway killed me on hole #5. From 170 yards, I flared the 6-iron badly on this par-4, finding some water on the right side.
The remainder of the South course was a little better, but just barely, as I added two bogeys and two doubles to my scorecard. The first of the bogeys came on hole #6, a par-3, thanks to a 3-putt after a very decent tee shot. A 3-putt was also responsible for bogey on hole #8, a dogleg par-4. I nailed the centre of the fairway with my drive and finished flag high on the right edge of the green after my approach with the gap wedge. Double bogeys came on holes #7 and #9, a par-3 and par-5, respectively. On both occasions, a bad tee shot put me behind the 8-ball early. I did make a nice putt to close out the front 9, however, making the turn with a score of 51.
My first par of the day came on hole #1 of the East course, a straightaway par-5. I hit a good drive, followed by a half-swing 5-iron, leaving 110 yards to the flag. The half-swing is a shot that has been working for me lately; I may have to use it more often. It allows me to keep the ball low with a less lofted club. More importantly, it greatly increases the accuracy of my line of play. I opted for a different strategy from the fairway on hole #2 and it backfired miserably. I slid the lob wedge right under the ball, failing to reach the green. I compounded the problem by duffing a subsequent chip, en route to double bogey.
I finished the last seven holes of the East course on a similar pace as the first two, going 8-over par. Back to back 3-putts on holes #4 and #5 ensured that I wouldn't finish with a terribly good score. On #4, the result was a bogey, after reaching the green in regulation. On #5, the result was a double, after beginning the hole with a sliced drive well right of target. My drives were good again on holes #6 and #7, leading to a bogey and par, respectively. Hole #7 is a challenging par-5, with a fairway that narrows significantly as you get closer to the green. From 200 yards, I hit my second shot well, drawing ever so slightly around a large tree and finishing flag high, just right of the green. After a chip, I left myself an uphill putt of modest length, but I burned the edge.
On the last hole, I pulled my tee shot behind a spruce tree. After chipping back to the fairway, I flared a shot with the gap wedge into a pond right of the green. For fun, I played practice shot from the same location, but this time, it was a half-swing 8-iron. The ball traveled directly on my intended line and settled on the green 12 feet from the pin. Lesson learned? We shall see. I finished with a double-bogey and overall score of 97.
Looking at my stats, what stands out is the fact that I had 40 putts. Aerated greens had a little to do with this, but the truth is I also made some bad putts.
Score: 97
Putts: 40
Fairways: 7
Greens: 5
Penalties: 3
We began on the South course, which I had not played in ages. I have a good memory for golf courses, but I couldn't remember a single hole. This wasn't really a problem, as virtually all of the holes stretch out before you in plain sight. A bigger problem was the fact that I had not played in almost two weeks. It took a while to get comfortable, both with full shots and with the short game. Arguably, I never got fully comfortable, as I alternated between good and bad shots for the entire round.
Things were shakiest at the start, as I made one bogey and four doubles over the first five holes. On hole #1, a par-4, I was just off the green collar after two shots. Unfortunately, I sculled a chip attempt and left my first putt way short. I went on to 3-putt this hole, as well as #2. I hit a great drive on hole #3, a par-5, leaving just 166 yards to the green on my second shot. I went for it, but a mis-hit trickled into some water fronting the green. After a penalty and drop, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. A slicing tee shot made hole #4 play harder than it should have, while another poor iron shot from the fairway killed me on hole #5. From 170 yards, I flared the 6-iron badly on this par-4, finding some water on the right side.
The remainder of the South course was a little better, but just barely, as I added two bogeys and two doubles to my scorecard. The first of the bogeys came on hole #6, a par-3, thanks to a 3-putt after a very decent tee shot. A 3-putt was also responsible for bogey on hole #8, a dogleg par-4. I nailed the centre of the fairway with my drive and finished flag high on the right edge of the green after my approach with the gap wedge. Double bogeys came on holes #7 and #9, a par-3 and par-5, respectively. On both occasions, a bad tee shot put me behind the 8-ball early. I did make a nice putt to close out the front 9, however, making the turn with a score of 51.
My first par of the day came on hole #1 of the East course, a straightaway par-5. I hit a good drive, followed by a half-swing 5-iron, leaving 110 yards to the flag. The half-swing is a shot that has been working for me lately; I may have to use it more often. It allows me to keep the ball low with a less lofted club. More importantly, it greatly increases the accuracy of my line of play. I opted for a different strategy from the fairway on hole #2 and it backfired miserably. I slid the lob wedge right under the ball, failing to reach the green. I compounded the problem by duffing a subsequent chip, en route to double bogey.
I finished the last seven holes of the East course on a similar pace as the first two, going 8-over par. Back to back 3-putts on holes #4 and #5 ensured that I wouldn't finish with a terribly good score. On #4, the result was a bogey, after reaching the green in regulation. On #5, the result was a double, after beginning the hole with a sliced drive well right of target. My drives were good again on holes #6 and #7, leading to a bogey and par, respectively. Hole #7 is a challenging par-5, with a fairway that narrows significantly as you get closer to the green. From 200 yards, I hit my second shot well, drawing ever so slightly around a large tree and finishing flag high, just right of the green. After a chip, I left myself an uphill putt of modest length, but I burned the edge.
On the last hole, I pulled my tee shot behind a spruce tree. After chipping back to the fairway, I flared a shot with the gap wedge into a pond right of the green. For fun, I played practice shot from the same location, but this time, it was a half-swing 8-iron. The ball traveled directly on my intended line and settled on the green 12 feet from the pin. Lesson learned? We shall see. I finished with a double-bogey and overall score of 97.
Looking at my stats, what stands out is the fact that I had 40 putts. Aerated greens had a little to do with this, but the truth is I also made some bad putts.
Score: 97
Putts: 40
Fairways: 7
Greens: 5
Penalties: 3
October 02, 2014
Close to Good at Granite Ridge Ruby
On a quiet, overcast afternoon, I headed out to play the Ruby course at Granite Ridge. What a fun round! I guess it's getting late in the season and everybody feared the weather. I played in blissful solitude, barely coming across any other players on either of the two courses at Granite Ridge. Even a little drizzle over the last couple of holes couldn't spoil the experience. I basically had the entire course to myself – a rare treat.
I started hole #1, a short par-4, with a picture perfect 7-iron, my ball finishing 20 yards past the 150-yard stick in the middle of the fairway. My approach with the pitching wedge would settle in a greenside bunker, but I made a good out and almost saved par. Driver and gap wedge got me safely to the green on hole #2, and this time I made par. I went one better on hole #3, a 173-yard par-3. My 6-iron was just left of the green, but I pitched one right in the cup for birdie! Through three holes, I was even par. Woohoo!
My third shot into the par-5 fourth hole was from just left of the fairway, 135 yards from the flag. I missed the sweet spot and ended up in a bunker fronting the green. I got out safely, but was at the opposite end of the green, resulting in a 3-putt and double-bogey. I had the same result on holes #6 and #7, under different circumstances. On the former, my drive was left of the fairway. I successfully punched a 3-iron under a tree, but the ball rolled right across the entire green into a water hazard. After a penalty and a pitch, two putts closed things out. On the latter, my lob wedge slid under the ball from the right rough on my second shot, with my ball carrying only half the intended distance. My next pitch went a little long, requiring a chip and two putts to finish up. I wrapped up the front nine with a nice par and bogey, for a score of 43 at the turn. I slipped a little after the hot start, but I was on good pace to break 90.
Hole #10 is not overly difficult, but the tee shot looks more intimidating than it really is. The ball must carry a creek directly in front of the teeing ground. However, the creek angles up alongside the entire left side of the hole. The creek bed is wide and full of bushes and other vegetation. I hit a laser, right over a pair of taller trees on the left side of the fairway. When I drove up to the landing area, I found my ball in the middle of the fairway, 130 yards from the flag. What a feeling! I wasted it by finding a bunker with my approach shot, then 3-putting for double-bogey. LOL
Greatness would come, but before that, I needed to endure some horrific play on hole #13. It's been many years since I played the Ruby Course at Granite Ridge and I didn't really have any bad memories of this hole. However, it is easily the toughest hole on the course. A par 5, measuring 527 yards, there is water on the left side for the first half of the hole, and water on the right side for the second half right up to the green. My drive trickled into the left rough, but the lie seemed okay. A miss to the right side would certainly find water, so I played to miss left. As long as I made decent contact, I could carry the remaining water on the left side pretty easily. Unfortunately, contact was poor and I lost a lot of distance. I failed to clear the corner of the left pond by a yard or two. After a penalty and drop, I tried to blast one left of the green from 200 yards with the 5-wood. I topped the ball and it squirted into the right pond. Another penalty and drop. From 130 yards, I flared my approach short and right...into the water again. Another penalty and drop. From 60 yards, I shanked one...into the water again. Another penalty and drop. This time, I got on the green and 2-putt, but that was for a terrible score of 12.
With that bit of nonsense out of the way, I closed out the remaining five holes with a bogey and four consecutive pars! The bogey came on a par-4 after my approach from the fairway was short of the green. A mediocre pitch and 2 putts finished things up. The par on hole #15 was a bit of a gift, as I mis-hit my second shot on this par-4, leaving a 50 yard pitch from very near the out of bounds stakes. The pitch was great, but the ensuing putt for par was even better, especially with a light drizzle now coming down. Over the final three holes, everything was textbook. I hit fairways with the driver and nailed greens with a variety of irons in hand. The drive on hole #18 was especially satisfying, travelling deep and straight. It felt as good as the one on #10, but this time I capitalized on it. The 6-iron into hole #17, a par-3, was also impressive. A pond protects the green short, while out of bounds (and the lovely Greystone Golf Club) loom large on the left side.
In the end, I shot 91, for one of my better scores of the year. Just imagine what could have been without the debacle on hole #13. An 86 surely was in reach. Too bad. This may have been my last round of the year. If it is, I'll finish with my handicap factor at 20.5 – just outside my goal of reaching the teens again. If we're lucky enough to get some nice weather days in October, I may try to play up to three rounds more.
Score: 91
Putts: 34
Fairways: 9
Greens: 5
Penalties: 5
I started hole #1, a short par-4, with a picture perfect 7-iron, my ball finishing 20 yards past the 150-yard stick in the middle of the fairway. My approach with the pitching wedge would settle in a greenside bunker, but I made a good out and almost saved par. Driver and gap wedge got me safely to the green on hole #2, and this time I made par. I went one better on hole #3, a 173-yard par-3. My 6-iron was just left of the green, but I pitched one right in the cup for birdie! Through three holes, I was even par. Woohoo!
My third shot into the par-5 fourth hole was from just left of the fairway, 135 yards from the flag. I missed the sweet spot and ended up in a bunker fronting the green. I got out safely, but was at the opposite end of the green, resulting in a 3-putt and double-bogey. I had the same result on holes #6 and #7, under different circumstances. On the former, my drive was left of the fairway. I successfully punched a 3-iron under a tree, but the ball rolled right across the entire green into a water hazard. After a penalty and a pitch, two putts closed things out. On the latter, my lob wedge slid under the ball from the right rough on my second shot, with my ball carrying only half the intended distance. My next pitch went a little long, requiring a chip and two putts to finish up. I wrapped up the front nine with a nice par and bogey, for a score of 43 at the turn. I slipped a little after the hot start, but I was on good pace to break 90.
Hole #10 is not overly difficult, but the tee shot looks more intimidating than it really is. The ball must carry a creek directly in front of the teeing ground. However, the creek angles up alongside the entire left side of the hole. The creek bed is wide and full of bushes and other vegetation. I hit a laser, right over a pair of taller trees on the left side of the fairway. When I drove up to the landing area, I found my ball in the middle of the fairway, 130 yards from the flag. What a feeling! I wasted it by finding a bunker with my approach shot, then 3-putting for double-bogey. LOL
Greatness would come, but before that, I needed to endure some horrific play on hole #13. It's been many years since I played the Ruby Course at Granite Ridge and I didn't really have any bad memories of this hole. However, it is easily the toughest hole on the course. A par 5, measuring 527 yards, there is water on the left side for the first half of the hole, and water on the right side for the second half right up to the green. My drive trickled into the left rough, but the lie seemed okay. A miss to the right side would certainly find water, so I played to miss left. As long as I made decent contact, I could carry the remaining water on the left side pretty easily. Unfortunately, contact was poor and I lost a lot of distance. I failed to clear the corner of the left pond by a yard or two. After a penalty and drop, I tried to blast one left of the green from 200 yards with the 5-wood. I topped the ball and it squirted into the right pond. Another penalty and drop. From 130 yards, I flared my approach short and right...into the water again. Another penalty and drop. From 60 yards, I shanked one...into the water again. Another penalty and drop. This time, I got on the green and 2-putt, but that was for a terrible score of 12.
With that bit of nonsense out of the way, I closed out the remaining five holes with a bogey and four consecutive pars! The bogey came on a par-4 after my approach from the fairway was short of the green. A mediocre pitch and 2 putts finished things up. The par on hole #15 was a bit of a gift, as I mis-hit my second shot on this par-4, leaving a 50 yard pitch from very near the out of bounds stakes. The pitch was great, but the ensuing putt for par was even better, especially with a light drizzle now coming down. Over the final three holes, everything was textbook. I hit fairways with the driver and nailed greens with a variety of irons in hand. The drive on hole #18 was especially satisfying, travelling deep and straight. It felt as good as the one on #10, but this time I capitalized on it. The 6-iron into hole #17, a par-3, was also impressive. A pond protects the green short, while out of bounds (and the lovely Greystone Golf Club) loom large on the left side.
In the end, I shot 91, for one of my better scores of the year. Just imagine what could have been without the debacle on hole #13. An 86 surely was in reach. Too bad. This may have been my last round of the year. If it is, I'll finish with my handicap factor at 20.5 – just outside my goal of reaching the teens again. If we're lucky enough to get some nice weather days in October, I may try to play up to three rounds more.
Score: 91
Putts: 34
Fairways: 9
Greens: 5
Penalties: 5
October 01, 2014
Shaky, Great & Horrific at Battlefield
To be honest, some of my recent course selections have been driven by a desire to get my handicap back under 20. Return visits to Willodell and Hidden Lake were motivated, at least partly, by my belief that I could score well at those particular courses. In a pair of visits there earlier this year, I scored 91 and 94 respectively. With a little more control, I felt like I could break 90 at either course. Unfortunately, all I could muster on my return visits were scores of 99.
My latest visit to Battlefield at Legends on the Niagara fell squarely in the same category. I shot a 97 there earlier this season, and felt like I left more than a few strokes out there. More than anything, it's a course I feel comfortable on, which is critical if one really wants to go low. As it turned out, I shot 101, once again testing the upper limit of my common scoring range. Since I began pressing to break that 20 handicap, my scores have looked like this: 101, 99, 101, 99, 101. Simply stated, that's not going to help me.
Things started out reasonably well at Battlefield, but there were moments of shakiness. The good part was my driving, as I hit five of seven fairways on the front nine. Even when I missed a fairway, the shots were pretty good. Battlefield features a number of cross bunkers that can extend right to the middle of a fairway. On one occasion, my drive simply rolled through the fairway and into one of these bunkers. On another occasion, I failed to carry a large lake by about two yards. Pitching, chipping and putting were also solid.
The shaky moments came with irons in hand. On hole #1, a par-5, I pulled my second shot with a 7-iron into the fescue. On hole #2, I did the same thing with a 5-iron. On hole #6, another par-5, I repeated the error with a 6-iron as I approached the green. On hole #9, a challenging par-4 with a lake along the entire left side, I hooked my second shot (a 5-iron) into the water. That one was particularly rough, as I hit very close to the shot I wanted. I aimed well right of the green and tried to hit a low draw. If it didn't draw, I would be 40 or 50 yards right of the green and could pitch on. If it did draw, I could get around the corner of the lake and roll right up to the putting surface. As the ball left my club, I thought it was perfect. Unfortunately, I hit the rocks near the corner of the lake and the ball bounced backwards into the drink. All of these shots resulted in penalty strokes.
I made the turn with a score of 50, so I knew breaking 90 would be tough indeed. Still, I thought I could finish comfortably in the mid nineties. Over the next seven holes, I made some wonderful plays. I hit a great drive and decent approach on hole #10. Hole #11 is a par-5 where I almost made eagle last time. I hit a driver, 5-iron combination that nearly mimicked that occasion. After pitching on from 50 yards, I had a go at birdie, but settled for par. The same thing happened on hole #12, after I found the fairway and green with a driver, 5-iron combination. The pin was tucked right at the back of the green, so it felt really good to cozy one up there from 180 yards. Another green in regulation followed on hole #13, though a 3-putt produced bogey. My par putt did a complete 180 degree turn around the edge of the cup. Hole #15 produced another par, thanks to a driver, 6-iron combination that once again challenged a back pin position.
As you can see, my irons were suddenly working like magic. The adjustment I made was to my grip. I did not make the grip stronger, or weaker by rotating my wrists. Rather, I took my normal grip, but rotated the shaft of the club so that the face was slightly more open. I also lightened the pressure with my right fingers. Oh baby, it worked like a charm!
Well, it worked like a charm until hole #17. This is a modest par-3, measuring 166 yards from the white tees. It is all carry over a pond, but one can bail out short and to the left, where there is a bit of closely mowed grass. I was confident, so I wasn't going to bail out. I took dead aim at the flag with a 6-iron, but pushed it ever so slightly and didn't catch the sweet spot. Had it been to the left side, I would have been safe, but the pond is longest on the right and I failed to clear it by a single yard. I re-teed and hit one fat, directly into the pond. After re-teeing again, I hit a repeat of my first shot. Now shooting seven from the tee, I finally found the green. After a 2-putt, I marked a 9 on my scorecard. Ouch and ouch!
I was upset, to say the least, and it carried over a bit on hole #18, a par-5. I actually hit a perfect drive, but it carried deep enough to roll into one of those pesky cross bunkers. This one has a high lip, so all I could do was pop one out to the fairway with a sand wedge. From 190 yards, I mis-hit a 4-iron that flared right into the lake. After a drop and hitting from the beach waste bunker, I hit one thin, barely emerging from the sand. My sixth shot was a pitch to the green and I 2-putt for a triple bogey.
Sigh!
Score: 101
Putts: 38
Fairways: 9
Greens: 5
Penalties: 9
My latest visit to Battlefield at Legends on the Niagara fell squarely in the same category. I shot a 97 there earlier this season, and felt like I left more than a few strokes out there. More than anything, it's a course I feel comfortable on, which is critical if one really wants to go low. As it turned out, I shot 101, once again testing the upper limit of my common scoring range. Since I began pressing to break that 20 handicap, my scores have looked like this: 101, 99, 101, 99, 101. Simply stated, that's not going to help me.
Things started out reasonably well at Battlefield, but there were moments of shakiness. The good part was my driving, as I hit five of seven fairways on the front nine. Even when I missed a fairway, the shots were pretty good. Battlefield features a number of cross bunkers that can extend right to the middle of a fairway. On one occasion, my drive simply rolled through the fairway and into one of these bunkers. On another occasion, I failed to carry a large lake by about two yards. Pitching, chipping and putting were also solid.
The shaky moments came with irons in hand. On hole #1, a par-5, I pulled my second shot with a 7-iron into the fescue. On hole #2, I did the same thing with a 5-iron. On hole #6, another par-5, I repeated the error with a 6-iron as I approached the green. On hole #9, a challenging par-4 with a lake along the entire left side, I hooked my second shot (a 5-iron) into the water. That one was particularly rough, as I hit very close to the shot I wanted. I aimed well right of the green and tried to hit a low draw. If it didn't draw, I would be 40 or 50 yards right of the green and could pitch on. If it did draw, I could get around the corner of the lake and roll right up to the putting surface. As the ball left my club, I thought it was perfect. Unfortunately, I hit the rocks near the corner of the lake and the ball bounced backwards into the drink. All of these shots resulted in penalty strokes.
I made the turn with a score of 50, so I knew breaking 90 would be tough indeed. Still, I thought I could finish comfortably in the mid nineties. Over the next seven holes, I made some wonderful plays. I hit a great drive and decent approach on hole #10. Hole #11 is a par-5 where I almost made eagle last time. I hit a driver, 5-iron combination that nearly mimicked that occasion. After pitching on from 50 yards, I had a go at birdie, but settled for par. The same thing happened on hole #12, after I found the fairway and green with a driver, 5-iron combination. The pin was tucked right at the back of the green, so it felt really good to cozy one up there from 180 yards. Another green in regulation followed on hole #13, though a 3-putt produced bogey. My par putt did a complete 180 degree turn around the edge of the cup. Hole #15 produced another par, thanks to a driver, 6-iron combination that once again challenged a back pin position.
As you can see, my irons were suddenly working like magic. The adjustment I made was to my grip. I did not make the grip stronger, or weaker by rotating my wrists. Rather, I took my normal grip, but rotated the shaft of the club so that the face was slightly more open. I also lightened the pressure with my right fingers. Oh baby, it worked like a charm!
Well, it worked like a charm until hole #17. This is a modest par-3, measuring 166 yards from the white tees. It is all carry over a pond, but one can bail out short and to the left, where there is a bit of closely mowed grass. I was confident, so I wasn't going to bail out. I took dead aim at the flag with a 6-iron, but pushed it ever so slightly and didn't catch the sweet spot. Had it been to the left side, I would have been safe, but the pond is longest on the right and I failed to clear it by a single yard. I re-teed and hit one fat, directly into the pond. After re-teeing again, I hit a repeat of my first shot. Now shooting seven from the tee, I finally found the green. After a 2-putt, I marked a 9 on my scorecard. Ouch and ouch!
I was upset, to say the least, and it carried over a bit on hole #18, a par-5. I actually hit a perfect drive, but it carried deep enough to roll into one of those pesky cross bunkers. This one has a high lip, so all I could do was pop one out to the fairway with a sand wedge. From 190 yards, I mis-hit a 4-iron that flared right into the lake. After a drop and hitting from the beach waste bunker, I hit one thin, barely emerging from the sand. My sixth shot was a pitch to the green and I 2-putt for a triple bogey.
Sigh!
Score: 101
Putts: 38
Fairways: 9
Greens: 5
Penalties: 9
September 28, 2014
Same Old at Hidden Lake
I've spent all year trying to get my handicap factor back into the teens. Progress was steady, but I stalled precisely when my handicap hit 20.0 after a round at Glen Eagle Golf Club. Six rounds later, it has now inched back up to 21.0, thanks to a series of mediocre results. Consider my last four rounds: 101 at The Country Club, 99 at Willodell, 101 at Mill Run, and 99 at Hidden Lake. The vast majority of my scores this year have been between 89 and 101; I'm not going to improve my handicap by testing the upper end of this range.
Things started out fairly promising on the Old Course at Hidden Lake. I bogeyed the opening hole, after finding the fairway with my drive and a greenside bunker with my approach. I made a decent out on my only bunker shot of the day, and almost saved par. My first actual par of the day was on hole #5, a par-5 that was playing 519 yards. At that point, I was 6 over through five holes. My second par of the day came on hole #9, after I split the fairway with my drive and nailed the green with my approach. I shot 46 on the front nine, or 11 over.
A similar pace on the back nine would get me to the low nineties, but I opened the back side with three consecutive double-bogeys. I felt like I was just hanging on, and sure enough, disaster finally struck. Beginning with hole #13, I made a triple-bogey, double, and triple to effectively ruin any chance of a good score. I actually did well to finish the last three holes at bogey pace and salvage a sub-100 round.
So what went wrong? To start with, I gave away too many strokes with the lob wedge in my hand. On six occasions, I failed to pitch the ball anywhere near my target. On four of these, I made decent swings, but the club face slid right under the ball. A couple of these were from tight lies in the fairway! How does that happen? On one occasion, I didn't follow through on my swing, while on another, I straight up shanked one. All I can think of, is that I may have played most of those shots with the club face too open.
When I made triple-bogey on hole #13, I also got unlucky. My drive was a weak slice that missed the fairway right, but stayed in bounds. I tried punching a 4-iron under some tree branches toward the green, and I made great contact, but I smacked one of the lower branches and the ball came backwards, albeit to the other side of the fairway. Another 4-iron punch ensued, and that too, struck a branch and came backwards, back to the right side. With trees still in my way, I kept the next shot really, really low and rolled one to the fairway, 50 yards from the green. I hacked a lot of trees on that hole, but the punishment was more severe than I really deserved.
My other triple was on hole #15, and it was all due to a horrific tee shot. This hole does not set up well for me at all. The drive is through a chute to a fairway that slopes sharply from left to right. The right side is a lateral hazard, although there is a waste bunker that catches most balls before they cross the red stakes. The trees left and just forward of the teeing ground are so close that right handed players cannot hit a cut or fade. You must hit a draw. I had too many thoughts and tried to do too much, catching the ball on the heel of the club and smacking the dreaded “Vince trees” dead on. It was simply unfortunate that I got into a troublesome period just before playing this hole.
I really need a sub-90 round to get back on track, but the season is coming to a close quickly.
Score: 99
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
Things started out fairly promising on the Old Course at Hidden Lake. I bogeyed the opening hole, after finding the fairway with my drive and a greenside bunker with my approach. I made a decent out on my only bunker shot of the day, and almost saved par. My first actual par of the day was on hole #5, a par-5 that was playing 519 yards. At that point, I was 6 over through five holes. My second par of the day came on hole #9, after I split the fairway with my drive and nailed the green with my approach. I shot 46 on the front nine, or 11 over.
A similar pace on the back nine would get me to the low nineties, but I opened the back side with three consecutive double-bogeys. I felt like I was just hanging on, and sure enough, disaster finally struck. Beginning with hole #13, I made a triple-bogey, double, and triple to effectively ruin any chance of a good score. I actually did well to finish the last three holes at bogey pace and salvage a sub-100 round.
So what went wrong? To start with, I gave away too many strokes with the lob wedge in my hand. On six occasions, I failed to pitch the ball anywhere near my target. On four of these, I made decent swings, but the club face slid right under the ball. A couple of these were from tight lies in the fairway! How does that happen? On one occasion, I didn't follow through on my swing, while on another, I straight up shanked one. All I can think of, is that I may have played most of those shots with the club face too open.
When I made triple-bogey on hole #13, I also got unlucky. My drive was a weak slice that missed the fairway right, but stayed in bounds. I tried punching a 4-iron under some tree branches toward the green, and I made great contact, but I smacked one of the lower branches and the ball came backwards, albeit to the other side of the fairway. Another 4-iron punch ensued, and that too, struck a branch and came backwards, back to the right side. With trees still in my way, I kept the next shot really, really low and rolled one to the fairway, 50 yards from the green. I hacked a lot of trees on that hole, but the punishment was more severe than I really deserved.
My other triple was on hole #15, and it was all due to a horrific tee shot. This hole does not set up well for me at all. The drive is through a chute to a fairway that slopes sharply from left to right. The right side is a lateral hazard, although there is a waste bunker that catches most balls before they cross the red stakes. The trees left and just forward of the teeing ground are so close that right handed players cannot hit a cut or fade. You must hit a draw. I had too many thoughts and tried to do too much, catching the ball on the heel of the club and smacking the dreaded “Vince trees” dead on. It was simply unfortunate that I got into a troublesome period just before playing this hole.
I really need a sub-90 round to get back on track, but the season is coming to a close quickly.
Score: 99
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
September 23, 2014
Run of the Mill Result
My latest round of golf was at Mill Run Golf Club – a place I hadn't visited since 2009. I shot a 95 back then, playing the Grist and Wheel nines. This time around, I played the Grind / Grist combination. It's the same combination I played back in 2007, when I shot a ridiculous total of 112. That round featured a score of 69 on Grind – to this day, I believe that remains my worst ever score for nine holes of golf. I followed up with a very respectable 43 on Grist, in a true Jekyll and Hyde performance. This round featured a similar pattern, though the disparity between Grind and Grist was less pronounced.
I booked my tee time almost a week earlier, when the forecast was calling for cold weather all of this week. As it turned out, I got burned. It was indeed cold and windy when I played, but the updated forecast for the rest of the week now features some very nice temperatures.
I hit a pretty good drive on Grind #1, leaving just 105 yards to an elevated green. Unfortunately, I was just left of the fairway on the side of a mound. Adding to the poor lie / stance, was a cluster of trees pinching in on the left side. It was too much to contend with and I advanced the ball only 40 yards or so into a bunker. With 60 yards to the green, I tried to hit ball first, but caught a bit of sand and failed to reach the putting surface. Eventually, I did manage to finish with a nice putt for double-bogey.
Grind #2 is a par-5, with water protecting the green short and right. I hit three decent shots to reach a greenside bunker, left of the green. Unfortunately, my bunker problems reared their ugly head and I sculled one over the green. Again, double-bogey was the result. At this point, all of my trouble had come with wedges in my hand.
Grind #3 was my best hole of the day. This is a sharp dogleg left, with a bunker and large tree protecting the inside corner. I piped a drive deep and to the right of the tree, finishing in the middle of the fairway, 95 yards from the green. With the lob wedge, I placed the ball on the proper tier of the green. I had a good attempt at birdie, but just missed and settled for par.
At this point, my game collapsed. Two factors contributed to my demise. The first was an inability to hit an iron properly from the teeing ground on a par-3. I discussed this after my previous round and it bit me again on Grind #4. Protecting against a hook, I sculled one short and well right of target. The ball was in the woods, but I had an opening to the green. I was surprised how cleanly my ball came out, as it sailed right over the green, into more woods. This time, I had almost no backswing and could only get the ball a couple of yards off the green collar. I would finish the hole with a triple-bogey.
The second factor was wildness with the driver. After my round at The Country Club, I decided it was necessary to take more of a draw swing. I feared this might produce some mis-hits, but in fact, it worked very well at my subsequent round at Willodell. However, it caught up to me at this round, beginning with Grind #5. I sliced one deep into the woods on this short par-4. Even though I found the ball and successfully pitched back to the fairway, it set me on course for another triple-bogey.
On Grind 6, 8, and 9, I hit all my drives weakly off the heel of the club. I recovered on #6 to save bogey, but had no chance for recovery on the others. In both cases, the ball was lost and I had to hit my third from the tee. Another pair of triple-bogeys ensued. These were the only penalty strokes of the day, but they were costly, as I completed Grind and made the turn with an ugly score of 55.
I'm happy to say that I played much better on Grist. I still had some weak drives that were struck low on the club face and barely made it to 200 yards. At this point, I was “searching” with the driver for something that would work. It's a terrible feeling – like being thrown into the water when you don't know how to swim. Luckily, my last two drives of the day were good ones. I slowed myself down, practised the draw swing deliberately, and then took a committed shot.
I continued to struggle with par-3 tee shots, though. Mind you, the par-3 holes on Grist are nothing to sneeze at. There are three of them, measuring 212, 194, and 190 yards, respectively. My only good tee shot was on the last of these. The other ones were garbage, requiring good recovery shots. In the end, I scored 46 on Grist, with one par, five bogeys and three doubles.
Score: 101
Putts: 36
Fairways: 1
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
I booked my tee time almost a week earlier, when the forecast was calling for cold weather all of this week. As it turned out, I got burned. It was indeed cold and windy when I played, but the updated forecast for the rest of the week now features some very nice temperatures.
I hit a pretty good drive on Grind #1, leaving just 105 yards to an elevated green. Unfortunately, I was just left of the fairway on the side of a mound. Adding to the poor lie / stance, was a cluster of trees pinching in on the left side. It was too much to contend with and I advanced the ball only 40 yards or so into a bunker. With 60 yards to the green, I tried to hit ball first, but caught a bit of sand and failed to reach the putting surface. Eventually, I did manage to finish with a nice putt for double-bogey.
Grind #2 is a par-5, with water protecting the green short and right. I hit three decent shots to reach a greenside bunker, left of the green. Unfortunately, my bunker problems reared their ugly head and I sculled one over the green. Again, double-bogey was the result. At this point, all of my trouble had come with wedges in my hand.
Grind #3 was my best hole of the day. This is a sharp dogleg left, with a bunker and large tree protecting the inside corner. I piped a drive deep and to the right of the tree, finishing in the middle of the fairway, 95 yards from the green. With the lob wedge, I placed the ball on the proper tier of the green. I had a good attempt at birdie, but just missed and settled for par.
At this point, my game collapsed. Two factors contributed to my demise. The first was an inability to hit an iron properly from the teeing ground on a par-3. I discussed this after my previous round and it bit me again on Grind #4. Protecting against a hook, I sculled one short and well right of target. The ball was in the woods, but I had an opening to the green. I was surprised how cleanly my ball came out, as it sailed right over the green, into more woods. This time, I had almost no backswing and could only get the ball a couple of yards off the green collar. I would finish the hole with a triple-bogey.
The second factor was wildness with the driver. After my round at The Country Club, I decided it was necessary to take more of a draw swing. I feared this might produce some mis-hits, but in fact, it worked very well at my subsequent round at Willodell. However, it caught up to me at this round, beginning with Grind #5. I sliced one deep into the woods on this short par-4. Even though I found the ball and successfully pitched back to the fairway, it set me on course for another triple-bogey.
On Grind 6, 8, and 9, I hit all my drives weakly off the heel of the club. I recovered on #6 to save bogey, but had no chance for recovery on the others. In both cases, the ball was lost and I had to hit my third from the tee. Another pair of triple-bogeys ensued. These were the only penalty strokes of the day, but they were costly, as I completed Grind and made the turn with an ugly score of 55.
I'm happy to say that I played much better on Grist. I still had some weak drives that were struck low on the club face and barely made it to 200 yards. At this point, I was “searching” with the driver for something that would work. It's a terrible feeling – like being thrown into the water when you don't know how to swim. Luckily, my last two drives of the day were good ones. I slowed myself down, practised the draw swing deliberately, and then took a committed shot.
I continued to struggle with par-3 tee shots, though. Mind you, the par-3 holes on Grist are nothing to sneeze at. There are three of them, measuring 212, 194, and 190 yards, respectively. My only good tee shot was on the last of these. The other ones were garbage, requiring good recovery shots. In the end, I scored 46 on Grist, with one par, five bogeys and three doubles.
Score: 101
Putts: 36
Fairways: 1
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
September 19, 2014
Will-o-Hell
In just my second return visit to a golf course this season, I decided to play Willodell Golf Club of Niagara. I shot a 91 there earlier this year, which is my second best score of the season. Last year, I fired a 93 on my first ever visit there, which ended up being my best of the 2013 season. The course has a pretty typical rating and slope, but it gives you a safe option on almost every hole and often a chance to recover from wayward shots. I was looking to go low – breaking 90 was definitely on my mind. The season is coming to a close and there will be few opportunities to get my handicap factor back into the teens.
So, how did it go? Well, I didn't title this post “Will-o-Hell” for nothing. It was a pleasant day and I enjoyed playing, but the result was not what I was looking for. I shot a very unremarkable 99 and my handicap factor inched up by another tenth of a point.
The good news is that I adjusted my play with the driver, and it worked out pretty well. In recent rounds, I had been playing a baby cut. At first, it gave me a lot of consistency. This came at the expense of distance, but I didn't mind, as I had some to spare. Over time, the loss of distance became more pronounced, until it finally became a problem. At Willodell, I committed to taking more of a draw swing. The risk was that I would have some complete mis-hits, but that didn't happen. On a couple of occasions, I over-cooked the draw, ending up in the left rough. However, I simply dialed it back a little the next time around and hit some lovely shots. I feared making the adjustment, but in the end, I had all of my control, along with a return of my normal distance.
The real problem on the day was with my irons – not those hit from the deck, but those hit off the tee. Willodell features five par-3 holes, so good irons off the tee are a must to score well. Unfortunately, I registered two double-bogeys, a triple, and two quads over those holes. Early on, I hooked a 7-iron, duffed a 4-iron, and hooked an 8-iron. Later on, my attempts to fix the issue resulted in another pair of duffed 8-irons. This disparity between iron shots from the deck versus the tee is something I have been aware of for a long time. I thought it was a mental issue (i.e. getting excited over a nicely teed up ball, with the green so tantalizingly within reach) but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should just forgo the tee next time and simply place the ball directly on the teeing ground. I've done that in the past, but the last time was many years ago.
I did manage a birdie on the day, thanks to an excellent second shot on hole #15, a 387-yard par-4. My drive was just left of the fairway, offering the best angle into the green. From 120 yards, I opted for a half swing with the 8-iron. This is something I've been using with some success lately. I seem to have more control over the line with that type of swing than I do with a full swing wedge. My ball landed just in front of the green and rolled right up to the pin, less than a foot away. Tap-in birdies are awesome!
Score: 99
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
So, how did it go? Well, I didn't title this post “Will-o-Hell” for nothing. It was a pleasant day and I enjoyed playing, but the result was not what I was looking for. I shot a very unremarkable 99 and my handicap factor inched up by another tenth of a point.
The good news is that I adjusted my play with the driver, and it worked out pretty well. In recent rounds, I had been playing a baby cut. At first, it gave me a lot of consistency. This came at the expense of distance, but I didn't mind, as I had some to spare. Over time, the loss of distance became more pronounced, until it finally became a problem. At Willodell, I committed to taking more of a draw swing. The risk was that I would have some complete mis-hits, but that didn't happen. On a couple of occasions, I over-cooked the draw, ending up in the left rough. However, I simply dialed it back a little the next time around and hit some lovely shots. I feared making the adjustment, but in the end, I had all of my control, along with a return of my normal distance.
The real problem on the day was with my irons – not those hit from the deck, but those hit off the tee. Willodell features five par-3 holes, so good irons off the tee are a must to score well. Unfortunately, I registered two double-bogeys, a triple, and two quads over those holes. Early on, I hooked a 7-iron, duffed a 4-iron, and hooked an 8-iron. Later on, my attempts to fix the issue resulted in another pair of duffed 8-irons. This disparity between iron shots from the deck versus the tee is something I have been aware of for a long time. I thought it was a mental issue (i.e. getting excited over a nicely teed up ball, with the green so tantalizingly within reach) but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should just forgo the tee next time and simply place the ball directly on the teeing ground. I've done that in the past, but the last time was many years ago.
I did manage a birdie on the day, thanks to an excellent second shot on hole #15, a 387-yard par-4. My drive was just left of the fairway, offering the best angle into the green. From 120 yards, I opted for a half swing with the 8-iron. This is something I've been using with some success lately. I seem to have more control over the line with that type of swing than I do with a full swing wedge. My ball landed just in front of the green and rolled right up to the pin, less than a foot away. Tap-in birdies are awesome!
Score: 99
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
September 15, 2014
Slick Greens at The Country Club
Despite playing most of my golf with strangers, I usually enjoy myself thoroughly. However, nothing beats playing a round with your buddies. So it was for my latest outing on the West Course at The Country Club. Fall weather arrived within the last week and this was my first round played under cool conditions. These rounds have to be savoured, as it won't be long before the season comes to a close.
I had played the West Course at The Country Club once before, but it was seven years ago. I was absolutely slaughtered on that occasion. I took at least a dozen penalties, especially on the front nine, as I seemed to find water hazards at every opportunity. I also remember that the greens were very sloped and undulating. Looking back at my records, I collected 37 putts on that day. I could have sworn it was more than that. One thing is certain – none of the putts made was from outside more than a couple of feet.
I'm happy to say that I solved the water hazard and penalty stroke problem this time around. In fact, I recorded just one penalty stroke for the entire round – it came after pulling my tee shot on hole #6, a 166-yard par-3, into a creek. I've only had one penalty-free round this year, and usually tally three or more per outing, so this was a good result. Unfortunately, my game slipped in other areas, and the net result was one of my poorer scores.
One area that slipped was general consistency with the irons. I hit a lot of good irons – some even felt spectacular. A 7-iron from the fairway on hole #1, a 4-iron off the tee on hole #3, another 7-iron into the green on hole #5, and another 4-iron into the green on hole #8 all come to mind as examples on the front nine. There were more on the back nine, but best of all were my second and third shots on hole #18, a par-5. An absolutely pure 6-iron from the fairway left me 110 yards away from the flag for my approach, and another pure shot with the gap wedge gave me a birdie chance. I pushed the putt slightly, but tapped in for a good par.
As good as these iron shots were, there were other wasted ones. A couple of fat shots contributed to a quadruple bogey on hole #2. Two successive fat shots wasted an excellent drive on hole #4. A pitch attempt from 50 yards on hole #13 came up just short of the green. Worst of all were a couple of shots on hole #17, a long, uphill par-4. In one case, the ball was well above my feet on a sharp mound, while the other was a sand wedge shot from 100 yards that slid right under the ball. I pulled a couple of irons, but those didn't really bother me. It was the duffs that were really costly.
The other area that slipped, despite my previous experience at the course, was putting. I had a 4-putt on hole #2, along with a trio of 3-putts on the front nine alone. On all of these occasions, I was putting from above the hole and blasted the ball way past the target. The greens were the fastest I've played this year, so I wasn't used to them. Combined with the degree of slope on all of them, it was a recipe for disaster. I made 17 putts on the back nine, so I was able to adjust, but didn't do so quickly enough. With a total of 40 putts for the round, I matched my worst putting performance of the year.
Finally, there was one other area of concern. In recent rounds, I have been playing a baby cut, or fade, with the driver. This fits a little better with my natural swing, and as a result, I achieved significantly greater control over my drives. The tradeoff was a reduction in distance. I didn't mind so much, as I still had enough distance to attack par-4 holes with a reasonably lofted club. However, as is often the case, an adjustment that initially helped began to actually hinder my game. My drives got shorter and shorter, until they began to be a liability.
At The Country Club, I hit some drives that were literally only 200 yards. I was in the fairway, but far from the hole. Worst was when I trickled a yard into the rough. From the fairway, I could get those longer shots to the green, but with the added loft required to escape the rough, I could only get to within pitching range. It's time to swing the pendulum back closer to my previous swing. There is the danger of reduced control, but it must be done.
Also in recent rounds, I was setting up my iron shots with a more open club face at address. It did wonders to eliminate the low hooks that I was hitting previously. I was producing straight, high shots that were lovely. However, recent misses have been shots that flare slightly right and come up short. Again, the pendulum has moved too far in one direction and it's time to dial it back.
Score: 101
Putts: 40
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
I had played the West Course at The Country Club once before, but it was seven years ago. I was absolutely slaughtered on that occasion. I took at least a dozen penalties, especially on the front nine, as I seemed to find water hazards at every opportunity. I also remember that the greens were very sloped and undulating. Looking back at my records, I collected 37 putts on that day. I could have sworn it was more than that. One thing is certain – none of the putts made was from outside more than a couple of feet.
I'm happy to say that I solved the water hazard and penalty stroke problem this time around. In fact, I recorded just one penalty stroke for the entire round – it came after pulling my tee shot on hole #6, a 166-yard par-3, into a creek. I've only had one penalty-free round this year, and usually tally three or more per outing, so this was a good result. Unfortunately, my game slipped in other areas, and the net result was one of my poorer scores.
One area that slipped was general consistency with the irons. I hit a lot of good irons – some even felt spectacular. A 7-iron from the fairway on hole #1, a 4-iron off the tee on hole #3, another 7-iron into the green on hole #5, and another 4-iron into the green on hole #8 all come to mind as examples on the front nine. There were more on the back nine, but best of all were my second and third shots on hole #18, a par-5. An absolutely pure 6-iron from the fairway left me 110 yards away from the flag for my approach, and another pure shot with the gap wedge gave me a birdie chance. I pushed the putt slightly, but tapped in for a good par.
As good as these iron shots were, there were other wasted ones. A couple of fat shots contributed to a quadruple bogey on hole #2. Two successive fat shots wasted an excellent drive on hole #4. A pitch attempt from 50 yards on hole #13 came up just short of the green. Worst of all were a couple of shots on hole #17, a long, uphill par-4. In one case, the ball was well above my feet on a sharp mound, while the other was a sand wedge shot from 100 yards that slid right under the ball. I pulled a couple of irons, but those didn't really bother me. It was the duffs that were really costly.
The other area that slipped, despite my previous experience at the course, was putting. I had a 4-putt on hole #2, along with a trio of 3-putts on the front nine alone. On all of these occasions, I was putting from above the hole and blasted the ball way past the target. The greens were the fastest I've played this year, so I wasn't used to them. Combined with the degree of slope on all of them, it was a recipe for disaster. I made 17 putts on the back nine, so I was able to adjust, but didn't do so quickly enough. With a total of 40 putts for the round, I matched my worst putting performance of the year.
Finally, there was one other area of concern. In recent rounds, I have been playing a baby cut, or fade, with the driver. This fits a little better with my natural swing, and as a result, I achieved significantly greater control over my drives. The tradeoff was a reduction in distance. I didn't mind so much, as I still had enough distance to attack par-4 holes with a reasonably lofted club. However, as is often the case, an adjustment that initially helped began to actually hinder my game. My drives got shorter and shorter, until they began to be a liability.
At The Country Club, I hit some drives that were literally only 200 yards. I was in the fairway, but far from the hole. Worst was when I trickled a yard into the rough. From the fairway, I could get those longer shots to the green, but with the added loft required to escape the rough, I could only get to within pitching range. It's time to swing the pendulum back closer to my previous swing. There is the danger of reduced control, but it must be done.
Also in recent rounds, I was setting up my iron shots with a more open club face at address. It did wonders to eliminate the low hooks that I was hitting previously. I was producing straight, high shots that were lovely. However, recent misses have been shots that flare slightly right and come up short. Again, the pendulum has moved too far in one direction and it's time to dial it back.
Score: 101
Putts: 40
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
September 10, 2014
First Experience at Caledon
I like to try new courses every now and then. There are relatively few public courses in the Golden Horseshoe area that I haven't played, so it's always nice to experience something different. For my latest round, I headed to the virgin territory of Caledon Country Club. The course features a lot of elevation changes, with a couple of short holes and a couple of sharp doglegs that can greatly lengthen the holes. Mature trees pinch in on some holes, while others are largely wide open. Conditioning was good on the day I played.
Over the first eight holes, I was in complete control. I made par on the opening hole, a short par-4 that dares you to drive the green. I had the same result on holes #4 and #6 – a pair of contrasting par-5 holes. The first is a gradual uphill that bends to the left, while the second is dead straight and all downhill. I hit 4-iron, 7-iron, 7-iron to reach the green on #4, while hitting driver, 3-iron and a chip with the 8-iron to reach the green on #6. I also made par on hole #7, a pretty straightforward par-4. The green can be tricky, but I had no trouble.
The rest of this stretch produced three bogeys and a double. The bogey on hole #3 was actually fantastic. Thick trees line both sides of a narrow fairway, with a creek adding more trouble down the left side. I pulled my driver ever so slightly, into the creek. After taking a penalty and drop, I was 170 yards from the flag, in the left rough. I hit a beautiful 6-iron that bounced through the green opening and cozied up just below the hole. I missed the 6-footer for par, but was satisfied with bogey.
Hole #9 gave me trouble, for no real reason. It is one of the short par-4 holes, at just 269 yards from the white tees. One can lay up to the end of the fairway – a shot of about 120 yards – and then go for the green from 150 yards over the creek. Alternately, one can drive over the creek – a carry of about 180 yards – which shouldn't be a problem. I opted to carry the creek, but opened the club face badly and flared the ball way to the right. The ball was lost in the area marked as a hazard, so I had to take a penalty and drop. That would be fine, except I proceeded to shank my next shot with the pitching wedge. My next shot landed awkwardly in a greenside bunker. I got out, but was far from the hole and 3-putt for a quadruple-bogey. What a disaster!
Over the next three holes, I got back on track, recording a trio of bogeys. Hole #10 plays long if you are unable to hook your tee shot, which is exactly what happened to me. For that reason, I was more than content with bogey. My real trouble began on hole #13, a relatively easy par-4. I pushed my drive well right, finishing behind a spruce tree, 150 yards from the flag. I tried a hook shot to avoid trees further ahead and get back to in front of the green, but my ball barely got past another spruce tree. I was only 30 yards from the green, but branches took away any backswing I had. I was only able to squirt the ball ahead a few yards. Unfortunately, I duffed the next pitch attempt, landing in a large bunker. Next, I rolled off the back of the green, chipped on, and 2-putt for my second quad of the day.
Of the remaining five holes, three were played reasonably well, producing two bogeys and a par. The two that were played poorly were par-5 holes, resulting in a pair of triple-bogeys. One of these was hole #14, the signature hole at Caledon. Teeing off from atop a huge cliff, one can either carry the corner of the sharp dogleg left with driver or aim further right with less club. I took a good line, but caught the ball thin. Without any of the necessary elevation, the ball found the woods on the inside corner of the dogleg. That area is a lateral hazard, so I was able to drop my ball nearby, but the rest of the hole is no picnic from that position. You still have to get around the corner and it's a long, long way to the green. I hit three good shots in a row to reach the green in five, but then 3-putt.
My problem on the other par-5, which is hole #17, was another flared drive attempt over a creek. I have been playing a slight cut with my drives recently, giving up some distance for a lot more control. However, as is usually the case, something that helps me eventually strays too far and starts to become a problem. I think I reached that point at Caledon, so I may have to adjust to more of a draw swing on my drives moving forward. The danger, of course, is that I will overdo it. We shall see.
Score: 96
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Penalties: 3
Over the first eight holes, I was in complete control. I made par on the opening hole, a short par-4 that dares you to drive the green. I had the same result on holes #4 and #6 – a pair of contrasting par-5 holes. The first is a gradual uphill that bends to the left, while the second is dead straight and all downhill. I hit 4-iron, 7-iron, 7-iron to reach the green on #4, while hitting driver, 3-iron and a chip with the 8-iron to reach the green on #6. I also made par on hole #7, a pretty straightforward par-4. The green can be tricky, but I had no trouble.
The rest of this stretch produced three bogeys and a double. The bogey on hole #3 was actually fantastic. Thick trees line both sides of a narrow fairway, with a creek adding more trouble down the left side. I pulled my driver ever so slightly, into the creek. After taking a penalty and drop, I was 170 yards from the flag, in the left rough. I hit a beautiful 6-iron that bounced through the green opening and cozied up just below the hole. I missed the 6-footer for par, but was satisfied with bogey.
Hole #9 gave me trouble, for no real reason. It is one of the short par-4 holes, at just 269 yards from the white tees. One can lay up to the end of the fairway – a shot of about 120 yards – and then go for the green from 150 yards over the creek. Alternately, one can drive over the creek – a carry of about 180 yards – which shouldn't be a problem. I opted to carry the creek, but opened the club face badly and flared the ball way to the right. The ball was lost in the area marked as a hazard, so I had to take a penalty and drop. That would be fine, except I proceeded to shank my next shot with the pitching wedge. My next shot landed awkwardly in a greenside bunker. I got out, but was far from the hole and 3-putt for a quadruple-bogey. What a disaster!
Over the next three holes, I got back on track, recording a trio of bogeys. Hole #10 plays long if you are unable to hook your tee shot, which is exactly what happened to me. For that reason, I was more than content with bogey. My real trouble began on hole #13, a relatively easy par-4. I pushed my drive well right, finishing behind a spruce tree, 150 yards from the flag. I tried a hook shot to avoid trees further ahead and get back to in front of the green, but my ball barely got past another spruce tree. I was only 30 yards from the green, but branches took away any backswing I had. I was only able to squirt the ball ahead a few yards. Unfortunately, I duffed the next pitch attempt, landing in a large bunker. Next, I rolled off the back of the green, chipped on, and 2-putt for my second quad of the day.
Of the remaining five holes, three were played reasonably well, producing two bogeys and a par. The two that were played poorly were par-5 holes, resulting in a pair of triple-bogeys. One of these was hole #14, the signature hole at Caledon. Teeing off from atop a huge cliff, one can either carry the corner of the sharp dogleg left with driver or aim further right with less club. I took a good line, but caught the ball thin. Without any of the necessary elevation, the ball found the woods on the inside corner of the dogleg. That area is a lateral hazard, so I was able to drop my ball nearby, but the rest of the hole is no picnic from that position. You still have to get around the corner and it's a long, long way to the green. I hit three good shots in a row to reach the green in five, but then 3-putt.
My problem on the other par-5, which is hole #17, was another flared drive attempt over a creek. I have been playing a slight cut with my drives recently, giving up some distance for a lot more control. However, as is usually the case, something that helps me eventually strays too far and starts to become a problem. I think I reached that point at Caledon, so I may have to adjust to more of a draw swing on my drives moving forward. The danger, of course, is that I will overdo it. We shall see.
Score: 96
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Penalties: 3
September 08, 2014
Ups and Downs at Royal Ontario
It was the final round of the 2014 Deepwoods championship and my first round ever at Royal Ontario Golf Club. I had heard it described as a shot-maker's course, favouring golfers who could consistently hit targets over those who bomb away at every opportunity. In preparation for the round, I studied the course layout on the club's website, taking note of preferred targets and corresponding distances.
As it turned out, my performance was like three different golf rounds in one. I shot 28 over the first six holes, with two pars and four bogeys. Contrast this with the middle six holes, where I shot 41, thanks to a pair of double bogeys, three triples, and a quad. For the final six holes, I got back on track. I fired a 29 over that stretch, with one par and five bogeys. It was an up, down, and up again kind of day, to say the least.
My play on the opening third of the course had me thinking I might be able to maximize my Deepwoods point total. On the third hole, for example, I split the fairway with a high, straight drive. A half swing with the 5-iron advanced the ball between water on the left and fescue on the right. From 120 yards, a wedge got me flag high, just off the back of an angled green. A delicate chip and solid putt from 4 feet finished off the par.
On hole #5, a short par-4 with a dogleg right and a forced carry over a creek, surgical precision was once again required. I hit an 8-iron with a two thirds swing off the tee, leaving 120 yards to the green from the centre fairway. My gap wedge was in line with the flag, but I caught it a tad fat and came up 30 yards short of the flag. I lofted a pitch shot over a bunker and high in the air, landing softly on the green's upper level. From there, I drained a 12 footer with some break to save par.
The middle third of the course was a nightmare, and it began with a 4-iron off the tee on hole #7. I set up with an open club face, but didn't square it up through the swing, pushing the ball well out to the right and into the woods. I found the ball, but an attempt to punch out didn't work. The second attempt did and I was back in the fairway, 160 yards from the flag. To get there, I needed to fly over water almost all the way. I hit the ball straight, but caught it way too fat and landed in the drink. After a penalty and drop, I reached the green and 2-putt for a quad.
A series of errors ensued over the next five holes. The gap wedge was hit fat again on hole #8, a short par-3. My ball failed to carry a hazard, so I took another penalty. On hole #9, I found the fescue and weeds on two occasions. On the first of these, I found my ball, but I wasn't so lucky the second time. Chalk up another penalty. In fact, the middle third of the course accounted for 6 of my 7 penalties on the day. Two came on hole #10 – the first off the tee and the second on the approach to the green. I even went out of bounds on hole #11, a short par 3. Come to think of it, the gap wedge was responsible on that par-3, just as it was on hole #8.
The most disappointing part of this stretch of poor play is the fact that these are some of the easiest holes on the course. In terms of handicap, holes 7 through 12 are rated 14, 18, 12, 13, 17, and 15. I agree that holes 8, 11, and 12 are fairly easy, but I'm surprised that holes 7, 9, and 10 are rated as they are. Seems to me there's a lot of danger on all of those holes. The other way to look at this is that I excelled on the toughest holes that the course has to offer. From that perspective, it's encouraging.
The highlight of the final third of the course was hole #13, a relatively short par-4. I hit an excellent drive, splitting the fairway with the driver and leaving 120 yards to the flag. Next, I hit my best approach shot of the day, nailing my only green in regulation, just below the hole. I faced about a 12 foot birdie putt and though it didn't drop, it was a good attempt. I was happy with par.
Five consecutive bogeys closed out the round, including one on the difficult closing hole. I took a penalty there, as my second shot dove into a hazard on the right side of the fairway. In spite of that, I made a good pitch to get on the green and then drained a long breaking putt that received a cheer from the Deepwoods members watching the action from the patio nearby.
Score: 98
Putts: 32
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 7
As it turned out, my performance was like three different golf rounds in one. I shot 28 over the first six holes, with two pars and four bogeys. Contrast this with the middle six holes, where I shot 41, thanks to a pair of double bogeys, three triples, and a quad. For the final six holes, I got back on track. I fired a 29 over that stretch, with one par and five bogeys. It was an up, down, and up again kind of day, to say the least.
My play on the opening third of the course had me thinking I might be able to maximize my Deepwoods point total. On the third hole, for example, I split the fairway with a high, straight drive. A half swing with the 5-iron advanced the ball between water on the left and fescue on the right. From 120 yards, a wedge got me flag high, just off the back of an angled green. A delicate chip and solid putt from 4 feet finished off the par.
On hole #5, a short par-4 with a dogleg right and a forced carry over a creek, surgical precision was once again required. I hit an 8-iron with a two thirds swing off the tee, leaving 120 yards to the green from the centre fairway. My gap wedge was in line with the flag, but I caught it a tad fat and came up 30 yards short of the flag. I lofted a pitch shot over a bunker and high in the air, landing softly on the green's upper level. From there, I drained a 12 footer with some break to save par.
The middle third of the course was a nightmare, and it began with a 4-iron off the tee on hole #7. I set up with an open club face, but didn't square it up through the swing, pushing the ball well out to the right and into the woods. I found the ball, but an attempt to punch out didn't work. The second attempt did and I was back in the fairway, 160 yards from the flag. To get there, I needed to fly over water almost all the way. I hit the ball straight, but caught it way too fat and landed in the drink. After a penalty and drop, I reached the green and 2-putt for a quad.
A series of errors ensued over the next five holes. The gap wedge was hit fat again on hole #8, a short par-3. My ball failed to carry a hazard, so I took another penalty. On hole #9, I found the fescue and weeds on two occasions. On the first of these, I found my ball, but I wasn't so lucky the second time. Chalk up another penalty. In fact, the middle third of the course accounted for 6 of my 7 penalties on the day. Two came on hole #10 – the first off the tee and the second on the approach to the green. I even went out of bounds on hole #11, a short par 3. Come to think of it, the gap wedge was responsible on that par-3, just as it was on hole #8.
The most disappointing part of this stretch of poor play is the fact that these are some of the easiest holes on the course. In terms of handicap, holes 7 through 12 are rated 14, 18, 12, 13, 17, and 15. I agree that holes 8, 11, and 12 are fairly easy, but I'm surprised that holes 7, 9, and 10 are rated as they are. Seems to me there's a lot of danger on all of those holes. The other way to look at this is that I excelled on the toughest holes that the course has to offer. From that perspective, it's encouraging.
The highlight of the final third of the course was hole #13, a relatively short par-4. I hit an excellent drive, splitting the fairway with the driver and leaving 120 yards to the flag. Next, I hit my best approach shot of the day, nailing my only green in regulation, just below the hole. I faced about a 12 foot birdie putt and though it didn't drop, it was a good attempt. I was happy with par.
Five consecutive bogeys closed out the round, including one on the difficult closing hole. I took a penalty there, as my second shot dove into a hazard on the right side of the fairway. In spite of that, I made a good pitch to get on the green and then drained a long breaking putt that received a cheer from the Deepwoods members watching the action from the patio nearby.
Score: 98
Putts: 32
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 7
September 05, 2014
Taking Care of Business at Glen Eagle
I rip myself pretty hard on this blog sometimes. Golf is not a game of perfection, so there's plenty of opportunity to slam my weaknesses. I have to say though, this year has been a pretty good one. Aside from a handful of blowups, my scores have been evenly distributed in the range from 89 to 101. That puts me back to my 2011 level, which is just slightly worse than my personal best. Getting back to a level that you achieved three years ago may not seem like a big accomplishment, but it actually is, since the intervening couple of years were drastically worse.
My latest round was played at Glen Eagle Golf Club, in Bolton. It was a 7:00 am tee time, which is extremely early for me. Weather experts were predicting a high temperature of 32 degrees, with the humidex making it feel more like 40. Thus, I wanted to finish before the heat and humidity reached a peak. It was a few minutes after sunrise, but due to cloudy skies, it was still a little dark out. Maybe it was that, or maybe I just started poorly, but I struggled terribly on the first three holes.
My drive on hole #1 was off the heel of the club and dribbled just ahead of the teeing ground. I punched through some trees to get back to the fairway, but then hit some weak irons en route to a triple bogey. The result was the same on hole #2, despite a better drive to start things off. A duffed pitch from 40 yards was particularly bad. When you're striking the ball this poorly, the last thing you want to do is step up to a 200-yard par 3 through a chute of trees, but that's exactly what I was forced to do on hole #3. I hooked a 3-iron into a tree, but luckily the ball bounced back into the open. The lie wasn't great, so I came up short of the green again. The final damage was double bogey.
I had one more bad hole – #8, which is another 200-yard par-3. I hit my 3-iron extremely fat, leaving 100 yards to the flag from the rough. That didn't really bother me – it's a long par-3 and I was probably intimidated by two ponds that front the green, one on either side. The next shot, however, bothered me. I must have opened the face of the sand wedge a tad, so the ball leaked slightly right and slightly short. It was in the water and I was forced to take a penalty. I finished with a triple bogey.
So, I was 11 over par for the four holes I've already described. Contrast this with the rest of the round, where I was 9 over par through 14 holes. What a difference! I felt in control of every part of the game, but most importantly, it was fun! When you're keeping the ball in play, hitting fairways and greens, and standing over a fair share of birdie putts, the fun of the game emerges. It's an element that was largely missing over the last two years.
On hole #4, I was surprised that my drive trickled into the left rough. With the pin position in the back left, the ideal approach shot was a draw. I did exactly that with the 8-iron, finishing pin high, just off the back of the angled green. A solid chip left an easy tap-in for par. On hole #5, a par-5, I played driver to the fairway, followed by a half swing 5-iron, leaving 80 yards to the flag. The lob wedge finished behind the hole, but I 2-putt easily for par. My par putt on hole #6, a par-3, came up one inch short of dropping. My tee shot was a bit fat and I pitched onto the green, leaving a realistic par chance. Still, bogey was fine.
Hole #7 is another par-5 that I began by splitting the fairway with my driver. My half swing 5-iron went a little right of the desired target, bringing a medium sized tree into play. From 140 yards, I could not go for the pin, but I could see the left side of the green. I missed the green by three yards, but chipped on and 2-putt for a solid bogey. Hole #9 is a longish par-4 that began with a short, slicing drive. A spruce tree prevented me from going for the green 200 yards away. I played a shorter shot to the edge of the fairway, 80 yards from the hole. Next, I hit a brilliant half swing 8-iron that bumped up at the front of the green and trickled right to the hole. I made the 3-foot putt to save par!
The back nine (or yellow nine) at Glen Eagle was even more fun than the last few holes. Hole #10 is a par-5 with out of bounds along the entire left side. After a short drive to the fairway, I hit 5-wood to get over a pond pinching in on the right side. Due to a headwind, I barely made it over, with my ball settling in some long rough. All I could do was advance the ball, leaving a 40-yard pitch to the green. The fairway was wet, but I could not play a bump and run, due to a grassy hollow right in front of the green. Of course, the lob wedge slid right under the ball and it went only 15 yards. I was not happy about that, as it wasn't really my fault. With an additional shot to get on the putting surface, I finished with double bogey.
The last eight holes of the day resulted in three pars and five bogeys. I did not miss a single fairway on the back nine. In addition, I hit five greens in regulation. I was in complete control of the driver, swinging easy every time. On some occasions, I gave up some distance, but who needs extra distance when you're in the fairway with a mid or high iron? Speaking of irons, they were also very solid. The only thing that could have been working better was putting. I had one lengthy par putt stop with half the ball overhanging the hole. I also had two par putts of about 5 feet just burn the edge. Those went down as 3-putts, but the initial lag putts were from distance and not bad at all. I just needed a little more precision on those intermediate ones.
The funny thing about pars and near-pars is that they're boring to describe. Usually, you hit the fairway, put your approach somewhere on the green, lag a putt close and then tap out. It's boring to hear about, but so much fun to execute! LOL
Anyway, I'm happy with the final score of 92. With a better start, or with a couple more putts dropping, this could have easily been in the eighties. With this result, my handicap factor dipped again, but stubbornly stayed at 20.0 to remain out of the teens.
Score: 92
Putts: 35
Fairways: 9
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
My latest round was played at Glen Eagle Golf Club, in Bolton. It was a 7:00 am tee time, which is extremely early for me. Weather experts were predicting a high temperature of 32 degrees, with the humidex making it feel more like 40. Thus, I wanted to finish before the heat and humidity reached a peak. It was a few minutes after sunrise, but due to cloudy skies, it was still a little dark out. Maybe it was that, or maybe I just started poorly, but I struggled terribly on the first three holes.
My drive on hole #1 was off the heel of the club and dribbled just ahead of the teeing ground. I punched through some trees to get back to the fairway, but then hit some weak irons en route to a triple bogey. The result was the same on hole #2, despite a better drive to start things off. A duffed pitch from 40 yards was particularly bad. When you're striking the ball this poorly, the last thing you want to do is step up to a 200-yard par 3 through a chute of trees, but that's exactly what I was forced to do on hole #3. I hooked a 3-iron into a tree, but luckily the ball bounced back into the open. The lie wasn't great, so I came up short of the green again. The final damage was double bogey.
I had one more bad hole – #8, which is another 200-yard par-3. I hit my 3-iron extremely fat, leaving 100 yards to the flag from the rough. That didn't really bother me – it's a long par-3 and I was probably intimidated by two ponds that front the green, one on either side. The next shot, however, bothered me. I must have opened the face of the sand wedge a tad, so the ball leaked slightly right and slightly short. It was in the water and I was forced to take a penalty. I finished with a triple bogey.
So, I was 11 over par for the four holes I've already described. Contrast this with the rest of the round, where I was 9 over par through 14 holes. What a difference! I felt in control of every part of the game, but most importantly, it was fun! When you're keeping the ball in play, hitting fairways and greens, and standing over a fair share of birdie putts, the fun of the game emerges. It's an element that was largely missing over the last two years.
On hole #4, I was surprised that my drive trickled into the left rough. With the pin position in the back left, the ideal approach shot was a draw. I did exactly that with the 8-iron, finishing pin high, just off the back of the angled green. A solid chip left an easy tap-in for par. On hole #5, a par-5, I played driver to the fairway, followed by a half swing 5-iron, leaving 80 yards to the flag. The lob wedge finished behind the hole, but I 2-putt easily for par. My par putt on hole #6, a par-3, came up one inch short of dropping. My tee shot was a bit fat and I pitched onto the green, leaving a realistic par chance. Still, bogey was fine.
Hole #7 is another par-5 that I began by splitting the fairway with my driver. My half swing 5-iron went a little right of the desired target, bringing a medium sized tree into play. From 140 yards, I could not go for the pin, but I could see the left side of the green. I missed the green by three yards, but chipped on and 2-putt for a solid bogey. Hole #9 is a longish par-4 that began with a short, slicing drive. A spruce tree prevented me from going for the green 200 yards away. I played a shorter shot to the edge of the fairway, 80 yards from the hole. Next, I hit a brilliant half swing 8-iron that bumped up at the front of the green and trickled right to the hole. I made the 3-foot putt to save par!
The back nine (or yellow nine) at Glen Eagle was even more fun than the last few holes. Hole #10 is a par-5 with out of bounds along the entire left side. After a short drive to the fairway, I hit 5-wood to get over a pond pinching in on the right side. Due to a headwind, I barely made it over, with my ball settling in some long rough. All I could do was advance the ball, leaving a 40-yard pitch to the green. The fairway was wet, but I could not play a bump and run, due to a grassy hollow right in front of the green. Of course, the lob wedge slid right under the ball and it went only 15 yards. I was not happy about that, as it wasn't really my fault. With an additional shot to get on the putting surface, I finished with double bogey.
The last eight holes of the day resulted in three pars and five bogeys. I did not miss a single fairway on the back nine. In addition, I hit five greens in regulation. I was in complete control of the driver, swinging easy every time. On some occasions, I gave up some distance, but who needs extra distance when you're in the fairway with a mid or high iron? Speaking of irons, they were also very solid. The only thing that could have been working better was putting. I had one lengthy par putt stop with half the ball overhanging the hole. I also had two par putts of about 5 feet just burn the edge. Those went down as 3-putts, but the initial lag putts were from distance and not bad at all. I just needed a little more precision on those intermediate ones.
The funny thing about pars and near-pars is that they're boring to describe. Usually, you hit the fairway, put your approach somewhere on the green, lag a putt close and then tap out. It's boring to hear about, but so much fun to execute! LOL
Anyway, I'm happy with the final score of 92. With a better start, or with a couple more putts dropping, this could have easily been in the eighties. With this result, my handicap factor dipped again, but stubbornly stayed at 20.0 to remain out of the teens.
Score: 92
Putts: 35
Fairways: 9
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
September 04, 2014
Successful Day at BraeBen
My latest round was at BraeBen Golf Course in Mississauga. It was only my second ever visit to the course – the first one was way back in 2006. I liked it back then, but for one reason or another, the course never fell into my regular rotation. I still like it, so I'll have to see if I can get out there more often. Besides the fun layout, it's nice to play golf without having to drive very far from home.
My first visit to BraeBen was played from about 5,500 yards. I played as a single and didn't encounter any other players on the course for the entire round. I shot 95, which at that time was a personal best. I was a different golfer back then – just starting to really get into the game and with less than 100 lifetime rounds under my belt. I didn't hit the ball very far, relied on fairway woods a lot more than I do today, and on wedges a lot less.
Fast forward eight years and despite being a completely different golfer, both physically and mentally, the result was almost the same. I shot 93, so I did have a slight improvement, and did so from about 5,900 yards. I normally play between 6,000 and 6,500 yards, so length was not an issue. The name of the game at BraeBen is keeping your ball out of the fescue, thistle and other weeds that are found everywhere. It's impossible to find your ball in there, though you'll often find the balls of previous victims.
I opened with par on the first hole, with a drive to the left fairway, iron to the right fairway, and sand wedge to the green from 100 yards. Two putts closed things out in fine fashion. It looked like I was placing the ball wherever I wanted. A pair of bogeys ensued on the next two holes, as I just missed the greens, before chipping on and 2-putting.
The first wayward shot was a pitching wedge off the tee on hole #4, a 131-yard par-3. The ball hooked toward the cart path, hitting a mound which kicked it left into a weed and thistle covered gulley. I actually found the ball and had a shot. I had to get over a bunker to reach the green surface well above me. I thought there was room beyond the green, so I took no chances and blasted the ball long. When I climbed up to the green, I was disappointed to see another weed filled drop-off on the other side. That ball was lost and I was forced to take a penalty. I chipped on and 1-putt for double-bogey.
Holes #5 and #6 were things of beauty, resulting in a couple of pars. My drive on #5 actually wasn't great, but I ended up in the middle of the fairway, right beside the 150-yard stick. Next, I hit a sexy 8-iron right on target, nailing the green and finishing about 7 feet below the pin at the back of the green. Everything about that shot was perfection. I got a bit of a read on my birdie putt from my playing partner, but failed to drain it. The uphill putt was simply straighter than it looked like it was going to be. Hole #6 is a par-5 that I began with a great drive just in the left rough, followed by another pure 8-iron that set me up well to finish strong.
Hole #7 is the most talked about hole at BraeBen. It's a par-3 measuring only 138 yards from the blue tees, but features a huge drop from the teeing ground and a large pond fronting a wide but shallow green. It was my worst hole of the day, as I thinned a pitching wedge and pulled it left, catching the cart path and bouncing into some long weeds. After taking a penalty stroke and drop, I was still blocked out from the green. Two pitch shots, followed by three putts earned a quadruple-bogey. The pitches and putts were actually good – it's just that the hole was in a very difficult position on a big sloped section of the green.
I double-bogeyed hole #8 and made par on #9, for a score of 46 at the turn. On hole #10, a par-3 that was playing 170 yards, I nailed the green and was robbed on my birdie putt. It was a fairly lengthy uphill, with a big break at the end. I caught the upper lip, which whipped the ball to the right a fair amount. The par putt was longer than it should have been, but it was uphill and relatively straight, so I had no trouble. After ten holes, I was 10 over par – perfect bogey pace.
A pair of double-bogeys came next, on holes #11 and #12. The first of these was due to an unnecessary 3-putt, as I pushed and blasted my first attempt well past the hole. The second resulted from a bad pitch shot from 10 yards behind the green. It bounced one foot onto the green surface, but rolled all the way off the other side. I was using the 60 degree wedge and lofted the ball up pretty well, but to no avail. It was remarkable that I was even pitching from that position to begin with. From 150 yards out on my approach to the green, I hit an 8-iron. That is my stock 150-yard club. I must have “caught a flyer” as they say, because I launched the ball 170 yards and it was all carry. Oops!
Holes #13 and #14 caused some trouble, resulting in triple and double bogeys, respectively. I pull hooked a 5-iron on #13, which is a par-3, and lost the ball in the thistle. On #14, I had another dreaded 3-putt, much like on #11.
The last four holes were mostly rock solid. I 3-putt hole #15 after hitting the fairway and getting on the green in regulation. I had blasted my first putt long on #14, so of course, I came up short with my first attempt on #15. It was classic over-compensation. Still, bogey wasn't bad. I made pars on #16 and #17. The first of these is a par-5 that I played much like hole #1. I nailed the right side of the fairway with a drive, advanced the ball to the left fairway with a pitching wedge, then nailed the centre of the green with the same club, before 2-putting. Again, it was like I placed the ball wherever I wanted. LOL. I scrambled on hole #17 for the par, as my tee shot was bad. However, I found the green with the sand wedge on my second shot and had a good look at birdie. I came up 4 inches short and tapped in.
Hole #18 is another par-5. I hit the exact spot I wanted on the left side of the fairway with my driver. From 230 yards, I opted for 3-wood to get close to the green or even on it. I wasn't fully committed and ended up starting to the left side and slicing it back to centre, about 40 yards short of the flag. It should have been an easy pitch on, but I came up 5 yards short and was forced to chip. I 2-putt for bogey, but was satisfied with the hole and with the round.
With this result, my handicap factor dipped, but just barely. It is currently 20.1 – just two tenths away from being in the teens again.
Score: 93
Putts: 38
Fairways: 10
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
My first visit to BraeBen was played from about 5,500 yards. I played as a single and didn't encounter any other players on the course for the entire round. I shot 95, which at that time was a personal best. I was a different golfer back then – just starting to really get into the game and with less than 100 lifetime rounds under my belt. I didn't hit the ball very far, relied on fairway woods a lot more than I do today, and on wedges a lot less.
Fast forward eight years and despite being a completely different golfer, both physically and mentally, the result was almost the same. I shot 93, so I did have a slight improvement, and did so from about 5,900 yards. I normally play between 6,000 and 6,500 yards, so length was not an issue. The name of the game at BraeBen is keeping your ball out of the fescue, thistle and other weeds that are found everywhere. It's impossible to find your ball in there, though you'll often find the balls of previous victims.
I opened with par on the first hole, with a drive to the left fairway, iron to the right fairway, and sand wedge to the green from 100 yards. Two putts closed things out in fine fashion. It looked like I was placing the ball wherever I wanted. A pair of bogeys ensued on the next two holes, as I just missed the greens, before chipping on and 2-putting.
The first wayward shot was a pitching wedge off the tee on hole #4, a 131-yard par-3. The ball hooked toward the cart path, hitting a mound which kicked it left into a weed and thistle covered gulley. I actually found the ball and had a shot. I had to get over a bunker to reach the green surface well above me. I thought there was room beyond the green, so I took no chances and blasted the ball long. When I climbed up to the green, I was disappointed to see another weed filled drop-off on the other side. That ball was lost and I was forced to take a penalty. I chipped on and 1-putt for double-bogey.
Holes #5 and #6 were things of beauty, resulting in a couple of pars. My drive on #5 actually wasn't great, but I ended up in the middle of the fairway, right beside the 150-yard stick. Next, I hit a sexy 8-iron right on target, nailing the green and finishing about 7 feet below the pin at the back of the green. Everything about that shot was perfection. I got a bit of a read on my birdie putt from my playing partner, but failed to drain it. The uphill putt was simply straighter than it looked like it was going to be. Hole #6 is a par-5 that I began with a great drive just in the left rough, followed by another pure 8-iron that set me up well to finish strong.
Hole #7 is the most talked about hole at BraeBen. It's a par-3 measuring only 138 yards from the blue tees, but features a huge drop from the teeing ground and a large pond fronting a wide but shallow green. It was my worst hole of the day, as I thinned a pitching wedge and pulled it left, catching the cart path and bouncing into some long weeds. After taking a penalty stroke and drop, I was still blocked out from the green. Two pitch shots, followed by three putts earned a quadruple-bogey. The pitches and putts were actually good – it's just that the hole was in a very difficult position on a big sloped section of the green.
I double-bogeyed hole #8 and made par on #9, for a score of 46 at the turn. On hole #10, a par-3 that was playing 170 yards, I nailed the green and was robbed on my birdie putt. It was a fairly lengthy uphill, with a big break at the end. I caught the upper lip, which whipped the ball to the right a fair amount. The par putt was longer than it should have been, but it was uphill and relatively straight, so I had no trouble. After ten holes, I was 10 over par – perfect bogey pace.
A pair of double-bogeys came next, on holes #11 and #12. The first of these was due to an unnecessary 3-putt, as I pushed and blasted my first attempt well past the hole. The second resulted from a bad pitch shot from 10 yards behind the green. It bounced one foot onto the green surface, but rolled all the way off the other side. I was using the 60 degree wedge and lofted the ball up pretty well, but to no avail. It was remarkable that I was even pitching from that position to begin with. From 150 yards out on my approach to the green, I hit an 8-iron. That is my stock 150-yard club. I must have “caught a flyer” as they say, because I launched the ball 170 yards and it was all carry. Oops!
Holes #13 and #14 caused some trouble, resulting in triple and double bogeys, respectively. I pull hooked a 5-iron on #13, which is a par-3, and lost the ball in the thistle. On #14, I had another dreaded 3-putt, much like on #11.
The last four holes were mostly rock solid. I 3-putt hole #15 after hitting the fairway and getting on the green in regulation. I had blasted my first putt long on #14, so of course, I came up short with my first attempt on #15. It was classic over-compensation. Still, bogey wasn't bad. I made pars on #16 and #17. The first of these is a par-5 that I played much like hole #1. I nailed the right side of the fairway with a drive, advanced the ball to the left fairway with a pitching wedge, then nailed the centre of the green with the same club, before 2-putting. Again, it was like I placed the ball wherever I wanted. LOL. I scrambled on hole #17 for the par, as my tee shot was bad. However, I found the green with the sand wedge on my second shot and had a good look at birdie. I came up 4 inches short and tapped in.
Hole #18 is another par-5. I hit the exact spot I wanted on the left side of the fairway with my driver. From 230 yards, I opted for 3-wood to get close to the green or even on it. I wasn't fully committed and ended up starting to the left side and slicing it back to centre, about 40 yards short of the flag. It should have been an easy pitch on, but I came up 5 yards short and was forced to chip. I 2-putt for bogey, but was satisfied with the hole and with the round.
With this result, my handicap factor dipped, but just barely. It is currently 20.1 – just two tenths away from being in the teens again.
Score: 93
Putts: 38
Fairways: 10
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
September 02, 2014
Birdies Wasted at Battlefield
It was a rare back-to-back, as I returned to Legends on the Niagara for my latest round. This time, I played the Battlefield course, as opposed to Ussher's Creek. Playing both courses in quick succession, one realizes there really is very little separating these designs. Both are terrific layouts and lots of fun.
I barely made it to the course in time, thanks to the traffic snarls of Labour Day Weekend. I was a little rattled at the start of the round and it was also fairly windy. Over the first four holes, I managed to keep my driver in play, while my irons were hit and miss. On hole #1, I topped an iron attempt and hooked another. On hole #2, I hit a pure 4-iron from the fairway with my second shot, but it was straight into the wind and came up 10 yards short of the elevated green. On hole #3, a par-3, I opened the face of the 7-iron too much and flared one into the fescue. As you can see, my irons were either topped, straight lasers, hooked left, or flared right. That should be easy to fix then, right? LOL
Due to that early wildness, I opened with a pair of bogeys and a pair of double bogeys. I had some momentary genius on hole #5, a short par-4. First, I nailed the centre of the fairway with my driver. From the 100-yard stick, and with the wind blowing, I opted to half punch an 8-iron through the opening at the green front. I had to be accurate to avoid a bunker pinching on the right and to stop the ball on the green. It worked like a charm, with the ball settling about 8 feet behind the hole. Fortunately, I nailed the relatively straight putt for birdie!
A wild second shot on hole #6 led to double bogey. Hitting from the left side of the fairway, I once again opened the club face too much, pushing the ball well right of target. Things got worse on hole #7, as I registered a quadruple bogey! A lake borders the entire left side of this par-4 all the way to the green and can be intimidating. I composed myself well and hit a good drive to a bunker on the right side of the fairway. I had a perfect lie and angle to the green, but I clipped the sand, sending the ball to the right rough 100 yards from the flag. At this point, I made a bad decision. I tried the half punch 8-iron again, since it worked so well on hole #5. Coming out of the rough, however, was a completely different ball of wax. The ball went nowhere and then I duffed a pitch attempt from the soggy fairway. To top things off, I 3-putt. Argh!
I made the turn with a score of 49 and then went on a really hot streak. I bogeyed hole #10, a par-4 in steady fashion. Hole #11 was a thing of beauty. I nailed the left edge of this par-5 fairway with a good drive. From 230 yards, I took aim over some bunkers with the 5-iron. I was trying to lay up short of more bunkers on the left side of the green. The right side of the fairway and green are protected by a pond. I absolutely crushed the ball, sending it 200 yards right into the throat of the green opening. Almost unwittingly, I threaded the needle on that shot. I wasn't trying to reach the green in two, but that's basically what I had done. I chipped onto the green with my third shot and the ball trickled right to the flag, curling inches below the hole. For a while I thought I had an eagle, but I settled for a tap-in birdie!
A pair of pars continued the streak on the next two holes. On hole #12, an amazing 70-foot putt from just off the green did the trick. It was unexpected and felt fantastic. It had been a while since I dropped one from downtown like that. On hole #13, a short par-4, the par came in textbook fashion. I split the fairway with driver off the tee. From 120 yards, I drew a shot with the gap wedge to the rear pin position. From 10 feet away, I had a really good look at birdie, but barely missed. That's OK, tap-in pars are nice too.
Through 13 holes, I was 13 over par – perfect bogey pace. I was proud of how I battled through some adversity early on to get back on track. Then it all changed with my tee shot on hole #14, a 139-yard par-3. The pin was very accessible at the front of the green, with lots of room short and right. Inexplicably, I hit a wicked hook into a hazard covering the entire left side of the hole. I took my first penalty stroke of the day and a drop. After a pitch and two putts, I had a double bogey.
In and of itself, the double-bogey was not a problem. However, the tee shot on that hole was a clear momentum breaker. I pulled my drive on the next hole into the woods left of the fairway. Another penalty stroke. I duffed an iron, then flared another, en route to quadruple bogey. On hole #16, I played my drive to a good position left of the fairway. A pond protects the right side of the hole half way down the fairway and wraps around the right side of the green. I had the safest angle into the green and room short and left. Again, I pushed an iron well right of target and this one found the pond. It was my third and final penalty of the day, coming on my third successive hole. I ended up making triple bogey on that hole, as a 3-putt compounded matters.
I made par on hole #17, a short par 3, thanks to a great bump and run with my second shot. It made up for a chunky tee shot. Unfortunately, it was more bad news on the final hole of the day. I hit a fine drive to the left fairway on this dramatic par-5. A lake borders the entire right side of this hole from tee to green. A slight mis-hit with the 5-iron on my second shot didn't cause any harm. I was still in the fairway, 160 yards from the green with a good angle to the front pin position. Now, I decided to take the water completely out of play with my third shot. Rather than loft a 7 or 8-iron into the air, I elected to half punch a 5-iron toward the green opening. If I came up 20 yards short, I could pitch on and 2-putt for bogey. If I got it up to the green, I could have a go at par. I ended up about 25 yards short, but the ball hooked slightly (perhaps from my fear of finding the water right). This meant I had to pitch over a bunker to reach the green. Of course, I duffed that shot and found the sand. Next, I carried over the green and went in the water! Are you kidding me? All that strategy and I still get the ball wet? I took a drop, chipped on and made a single putt for a triple bogey.
I was very disappointed in the last hole, but all in all, a final score of 97 isn't bad. It's not good, but it's not bad.
Score: 97
Putts: 32
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
I barely made it to the course in time, thanks to the traffic snarls of Labour Day Weekend. I was a little rattled at the start of the round and it was also fairly windy. Over the first four holes, I managed to keep my driver in play, while my irons were hit and miss. On hole #1, I topped an iron attempt and hooked another. On hole #2, I hit a pure 4-iron from the fairway with my second shot, but it was straight into the wind and came up 10 yards short of the elevated green. On hole #3, a par-3, I opened the face of the 7-iron too much and flared one into the fescue. As you can see, my irons were either topped, straight lasers, hooked left, or flared right. That should be easy to fix then, right? LOL
Due to that early wildness, I opened with a pair of bogeys and a pair of double bogeys. I had some momentary genius on hole #5, a short par-4. First, I nailed the centre of the fairway with my driver. From the 100-yard stick, and with the wind blowing, I opted to half punch an 8-iron through the opening at the green front. I had to be accurate to avoid a bunker pinching on the right and to stop the ball on the green. It worked like a charm, with the ball settling about 8 feet behind the hole. Fortunately, I nailed the relatively straight putt for birdie!
A wild second shot on hole #6 led to double bogey. Hitting from the left side of the fairway, I once again opened the club face too much, pushing the ball well right of target. Things got worse on hole #7, as I registered a quadruple bogey! A lake borders the entire left side of this par-4 all the way to the green and can be intimidating. I composed myself well and hit a good drive to a bunker on the right side of the fairway. I had a perfect lie and angle to the green, but I clipped the sand, sending the ball to the right rough 100 yards from the flag. At this point, I made a bad decision. I tried the half punch 8-iron again, since it worked so well on hole #5. Coming out of the rough, however, was a completely different ball of wax. The ball went nowhere and then I duffed a pitch attempt from the soggy fairway. To top things off, I 3-putt. Argh!
I made the turn with a score of 49 and then went on a really hot streak. I bogeyed hole #10, a par-4 in steady fashion. Hole #11 was a thing of beauty. I nailed the left edge of this par-5 fairway with a good drive. From 230 yards, I took aim over some bunkers with the 5-iron. I was trying to lay up short of more bunkers on the left side of the green. The right side of the fairway and green are protected by a pond. I absolutely crushed the ball, sending it 200 yards right into the throat of the green opening. Almost unwittingly, I threaded the needle on that shot. I wasn't trying to reach the green in two, but that's basically what I had done. I chipped onto the green with my third shot and the ball trickled right to the flag, curling inches below the hole. For a while I thought I had an eagle, but I settled for a tap-in birdie!
A pair of pars continued the streak on the next two holes. On hole #12, an amazing 70-foot putt from just off the green did the trick. It was unexpected and felt fantastic. It had been a while since I dropped one from downtown like that. On hole #13, a short par-4, the par came in textbook fashion. I split the fairway with driver off the tee. From 120 yards, I drew a shot with the gap wedge to the rear pin position. From 10 feet away, I had a really good look at birdie, but barely missed. That's OK, tap-in pars are nice too.
Through 13 holes, I was 13 over par – perfect bogey pace. I was proud of how I battled through some adversity early on to get back on track. Then it all changed with my tee shot on hole #14, a 139-yard par-3. The pin was very accessible at the front of the green, with lots of room short and right. Inexplicably, I hit a wicked hook into a hazard covering the entire left side of the hole. I took my first penalty stroke of the day and a drop. After a pitch and two putts, I had a double bogey.
In and of itself, the double-bogey was not a problem. However, the tee shot on that hole was a clear momentum breaker. I pulled my drive on the next hole into the woods left of the fairway. Another penalty stroke. I duffed an iron, then flared another, en route to quadruple bogey. On hole #16, I played my drive to a good position left of the fairway. A pond protects the right side of the hole half way down the fairway and wraps around the right side of the green. I had the safest angle into the green and room short and left. Again, I pushed an iron well right of target and this one found the pond. It was my third and final penalty of the day, coming on my third successive hole. I ended up making triple bogey on that hole, as a 3-putt compounded matters.
I made par on hole #17, a short par 3, thanks to a great bump and run with my second shot. It made up for a chunky tee shot. Unfortunately, it was more bad news on the final hole of the day. I hit a fine drive to the left fairway on this dramatic par-5. A lake borders the entire right side of this hole from tee to green. A slight mis-hit with the 5-iron on my second shot didn't cause any harm. I was still in the fairway, 160 yards from the green with a good angle to the front pin position. Now, I decided to take the water completely out of play with my third shot. Rather than loft a 7 or 8-iron into the air, I elected to half punch a 5-iron toward the green opening. If I came up 20 yards short, I could pitch on and 2-putt for bogey. If I got it up to the green, I could have a go at par. I ended up about 25 yards short, but the ball hooked slightly (perhaps from my fear of finding the water right). This meant I had to pitch over a bunker to reach the green. Of course, I duffed that shot and found the sand. Next, I carried over the green and went in the water! Are you kidding me? All that strategy and I still get the ball wet? I took a drop, chipped on and made a single putt for a triple bogey.
I was very disappointed in the last hole, but all in all, a final score of 97 isn't bad. It's not good, but it's not bad.
Score: 97
Putts: 32
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
August 29, 2014
Pleasant Day at Ussher's Creek
My last round was at Ussher's Creek at Legends on the Niagara. Skies were clear and temperature was moderate, with a gentle breeze every now and then. It was perfect golf weather. I ended up shooting 92, for my third best round of the year. There were moments where I felt very much in control of the golf ball, which was fantastic. Of course, I lacked that control at other times – otherwise, I would have shot 72 – but let's not get too picky about it.
Through the first four holes, I did not miss a fairway. It's nice to string together good tee shots like that. I didn't have any particular swing thoughts. I simply had a clear mind and let my instincts take over. Following my drives on holes 1 and 4, I had a mere sand wedge into the greens. It was disappointing that I sculled both shots from that close. On #4, I chipped on and nearly saved par, settling for bogey. On #1, a duffed chip attempt raised that to a double-bogey.
On hole #2, a par-5, I went for the green in two from 230 yards out. I hit a good 3-wood over some bunkers in front of the green, but the ground was damp and soft, so I got no roll whatsoever. I pitched on and 2-putt for par. I had abandoned the fairway woods in that situation for a long time, so it felt good to strike that shot well. I also made par on holes 3, 5, and 7. A couple of these were routine par-3 holes, as I nailed the green with my tee shots, took a chance at birdie, and then tapped in. The last was a short par-4 that I reached in regulation despite missing my first fairway of the day.
Hole #8 is a lengthy par 4, measuring 445 yards from the white tees. I flared my drive right of the fairway near some bunkers. Two shots were a must to reach the green from there, which I did. Unfortunately, I 3-putt for a double-bogey. My lag from far away was actually quite good, but I missed a 5-footer that would have saved bogey. I took another double-bogey on hole #9, just because of some bad luck. I hit the fairway on this par-5, then laid up to 120 yards from the green., which is fronted by Ussher's Creek. My shot with the gap wedge was pulled ever so slightly – enough to hit the opposite bank of the creek and bounce backwards into it.
The start of the back nine was a little shaky, as my tee shots began to fail me. I drove one into some trees on the right side of #10, then pulled one left on #11. That one smacked a lone tree trunk, forcing a layup to in front of the creek on my next shot. I took double bogey and triple on the first of the back nine holes.
I got back into a groove, beginning on hole #12, a par-5. Just right of the fairway after my drive, I had a good lie and decided to go for the green again. This time, the 3-wood failed me, making contact off the heel and sending the ball just a few yards ahead. I followed up with a lovely 7-iron and 2-putt for par, so no damage was done. I also made par on holes 14 and 16. A good drive on #14 set me up well on this par-5. A pure 5-iron got me to 100 yards and next I practically draped the flag with a nice sand wedge. An up and down was responsible for the par on #16, a par-3.
The momentum stopped on hole #18, as I took a triple bogey 7. My drive was weak and to the right, forcing a layup in front of the creek. Yes, it also fronts this green. The green is nestled tightly against the creek, so your approach yardage has to be perfect. I hit what looked like a perfect pitching wedge, but again hit the opposite bank and rolled backwards. After a penalty stroke and drop, I pitched on and 2-putt to close out the round.
My handicap factor dipped to 20.3 with this result, so I'm on the verge of getting back into the teens. I need a good result to break through.
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
Penalties: 3
Through the first four holes, I did not miss a fairway. It's nice to string together good tee shots like that. I didn't have any particular swing thoughts. I simply had a clear mind and let my instincts take over. Following my drives on holes 1 and 4, I had a mere sand wedge into the greens. It was disappointing that I sculled both shots from that close. On #4, I chipped on and nearly saved par, settling for bogey. On #1, a duffed chip attempt raised that to a double-bogey.
On hole #2, a par-5, I went for the green in two from 230 yards out. I hit a good 3-wood over some bunkers in front of the green, but the ground was damp and soft, so I got no roll whatsoever. I pitched on and 2-putt for par. I had abandoned the fairway woods in that situation for a long time, so it felt good to strike that shot well. I also made par on holes 3, 5, and 7. A couple of these were routine par-3 holes, as I nailed the green with my tee shots, took a chance at birdie, and then tapped in. The last was a short par-4 that I reached in regulation despite missing my first fairway of the day.
Hole #8 is a lengthy par 4, measuring 445 yards from the white tees. I flared my drive right of the fairway near some bunkers. Two shots were a must to reach the green from there, which I did. Unfortunately, I 3-putt for a double-bogey. My lag from far away was actually quite good, but I missed a 5-footer that would have saved bogey. I took another double-bogey on hole #9, just because of some bad luck. I hit the fairway on this par-5, then laid up to 120 yards from the green., which is fronted by Ussher's Creek. My shot with the gap wedge was pulled ever so slightly – enough to hit the opposite bank of the creek and bounce backwards into it.
The start of the back nine was a little shaky, as my tee shots began to fail me. I drove one into some trees on the right side of #10, then pulled one left on #11. That one smacked a lone tree trunk, forcing a layup to in front of the creek on my next shot. I took double bogey and triple on the first of the back nine holes.
I got back into a groove, beginning on hole #12, a par-5. Just right of the fairway after my drive, I had a good lie and decided to go for the green again. This time, the 3-wood failed me, making contact off the heel and sending the ball just a few yards ahead. I followed up with a lovely 7-iron and 2-putt for par, so no damage was done. I also made par on holes 14 and 16. A good drive on #14 set me up well on this par-5. A pure 5-iron got me to 100 yards and next I practically draped the flag with a nice sand wedge. An up and down was responsible for the par on #16, a par-3.
The momentum stopped on hole #18, as I took a triple bogey 7. My drive was weak and to the right, forcing a layup in front of the creek. Yes, it also fronts this green. The green is nestled tightly against the creek, so your approach yardage has to be perfect. I hit what looked like a perfect pitching wedge, but again hit the opposite bank and rolled backwards. After a penalty stroke and drop, I pitched on and 2-putt to close out the round.
My handicap factor dipped to 20.3 with this result, so I'm on the verge of getting back into the teens. I need a good result to break through.
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
Penalties: 3
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