Round 1 of the 2014 Deepwoods championship was played last weekend at Copetown Woods Golf Club. The course has hosted the season opener ever since I joined the group and I've had some success there. It is not a difficult course, especially early in the season, before the fescue has had a chance to really grow in. When there's very little wind, as was the case last Sunday, there is plenty of opportunity to score well.
In fact, I scored very well for a large portion of the round. I was 3 over par for a 7-hole stretch beginning with hole #4. This mini-run included four pars and three bogeys. I was 5 over par for a 6-hole stretch beginning with hole #12. While this run included a double bogey, along with four bogeys, it also included a magnificent birdie on hole #14. After two shots on this par-5, I was in the fescue bordering a waste bunker, about 70 yards from the green. I did well to hack the ball out into the fairway, about 15 yards short of the green. I played a bump and run with the 8-iron and the ball rolled onto the green and into the cup!
Between these two stretches was hole #11, a lengthy par 3, which produced a disastrous quadruple bogey. I hooked a 4-iron off the tee flag high, but in the fescue left of the green. One pitch attempt only travelled half the intended distance. The next also failed to reach the green. When I finally reached the putting surface, I followed up with a 3-putt, which was one of two on a day when I amassed only 30 putts for the entire round.
Aside from that mishap, my other troubles came very early and very late in the round. I double bogeyed the opening par-5, thanks in part to a topped drive attempt. I hit a great recovery from the fescue with the 5-wood, leaving just 130 yards to reach the green in regulation. Unfortunately, I pushed a shot with the pitching wedge, then took two chips and two putts to finish.
Holes #2 and #3 were much worse than that. After a good drive on hole #2, I was nevertheless in the fescue, about two yards left of the fairway. In addition, the ball was well below my feet. I promptly shanked one into a pond right of the fairway. After taking a penalty and drop, I topped one badly, actually embedding the ball into the turf. I was forced to declare the ball unplayable and take another penalty. I finished with a score of 9 on the hole, which is a par 4.
I'll spare you the details of the blowups I had on holes #3 and #18. Suffice to say that I topped my tee shots, one with a 3-wood, and the other with a 3-iron. This put me in the fescue, with very uneven footing, leading to other mishits or struggling just to advance the ball. I hit a fair number of very good shots during this round, but when I missed, I missed badly. It's one thing to slice a ball or pull it slightly, but when you top the ball and it goes nowhere, it's like giving strokes away.
In the end, I have mixed feelings about the round. I'm disappointed with shots where I failed to make good contact, but I'm happy that I did hit a substantial number of good ones. I had some shaky chips, but was better than in my previous two rounds. Finally, my putting was far better than in those rounds. To be fair, poor conditions had a lot to do with my putting woes earlier in the season. Copetown Woods was in normal shape for this time of year.
Score: 98
Putts: 30
Fairways: 2
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
May 28, 2014
May 22, 2014
Brutal Conditions at Twenty Valley
My first round of the season at Victoria Park East featured some pretty poor conditions. Three temporary greens were being used, while portions of the remaining greens were covered in tarps. However, given the harsh winter we just had, it was acceptable. The exposed parts of the greens were rolling reasonably, and fairways were fine. Despite a few soft areas, the rough was in fairly regular shape.
I can't say the same for my second round of the season, which was played at Twenty Valley Golf Club. Six temporary greens were being used – tiny, featureless patches of closely mowed grass at the end of the fairways, with holes cut near the high side. Six was just too many! The greens that were in play were extremely bumpy and slow. In fact, they weren't much better than the temporary counterparts. Worst of all, the course was very soft. As a result, I don't think crews were able to mow the rough, which was lush and way too long.
The course was in terrible shape, and so was my game. One doesn't expect to score well in poor conditions, but it was more than that. I hit a few good tee shots, including a 5-wood on the opening hole, a 3-iron into the wind early on the back nine, and a couple of drivers here and there. Unfortunately, it seemed like I only had one good shot in me with each club. The 5-wood failed me off the tee on hole #2, as did the 3-iron from the teeing ground on hole #12. Both were sliced into the punishing rough, and once I was in there, it was game over. When I missed with the driver, it was also a push slice.
With my ball striking very shaky, could I compensate with a good short game? Not at all. My chipping was even worse than it was in my first round of the season. On a few occasions, I needed multiple chips to get on a green. From the green fringe, I misjudged the speed of a lot of putts. Once on the greens proper, it was impossible to make anything. I did manage one nice sand shot from a greenside bunker, but the other time I was in that situation, I sculled one over the green.
So, what about my mantra of “plan conservatively, execute aggressively?” Well, I followed it. Did it help? Obviously not. Now, I didn't get upset after any of my shots. Getting upset won't help you on your next shot, so there's really no reason for it. The fact is, however, that my “take it in stride” demeanour didn't help me either. At the end of the day with a horrific tally on my scorecard, I felt just as bad as I have ever felt when obtaining a similar result.
We're only two rounds into the season, and I've already matched my best score (93) and exceeded my worst score (116) of the previous year. These wild swings are hard to understand. My next outing will be Round 1 of the 2014 Deepwoods Golf Association championship. Which game will show up? It's a complete crapshoot.
Score: 119
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
I can't say the same for my second round of the season, which was played at Twenty Valley Golf Club. Six temporary greens were being used – tiny, featureless patches of closely mowed grass at the end of the fairways, with holes cut near the high side. Six was just too many! The greens that were in play were extremely bumpy and slow. In fact, they weren't much better than the temporary counterparts. Worst of all, the course was very soft. As a result, I don't think crews were able to mow the rough, which was lush and way too long.
The course was in terrible shape, and so was my game. One doesn't expect to score well in poor conditions, but it was more than that. I hit a few good tee shots, including a 5-wood on the opening hole, a 3-iron into the wind early on the back nine, and a couple of drivers here and there. Unfortunately, it seemed like I only had one good shot in me with each club. The 5-wood failed me off the tee on hole #2, as did the 3-iron from the teeing ground on hole #12. Both were sliced into the punishing rough, and once I was in there, it was game over. When I missed with the driver, it was also a push slice.
With my ball striking very shaky, could I compensate with a good short game? Not at all. My chipping was even worse than it was in my first round of the season. On a few occasions, I needed multiple chips to get on a green. From the green fringe, I misjudged the speed of a lot of putts. Once on the greens proper, it was impossible to make anything. I did manage one nice sand shot from a greenside bunker, but the other time I was in that situation, I sculled one over the green.
So, what about my mantra of “plan conservatively, execute aggressively?” Well, I followed it. Did it help? Obviously not. Now, I didn't get upset after any of my shots. Getting upset won't help you on your next shot, so there's really no reason for it. The fact is, however, that my “take it in stride” demeanour didn't help me either. At the end of the day with a horrific tally on my scorecard, I felt just as bad as I have ever felt when obtaining a similar result.
We're only two rounds into the season, and I've already matched my best score (93) and exceeded my worst score (116) of the previous year. These wild swings are hard to understand. My next outing will be Round 1 of the 2014 Deepwoods Golf Association championship. Which game will show up? It's a complete crapshoot.
Score: 119
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
May 07, 2014
Plan Conservatively, Execute Aggressively
After more than six months without swinging a golf club, I headed out to Victoria Park East for my first round of the season. I had planned on visiting the practice range a day earlier, but ended up taking care of some chores instead. I arrived at the club well before my tee time, which allowed me to practice some putting and chip shots. After a few air swings to complete the warm-up, I proceeded to the first tee.
My mantra for the season is plan conservatively, execute aggressively. In years past, I improved my play substantially, merely through game management. When I focused too much on swing mechanics, I had less success. After a dip in performance over the past couple of years, I feel it's time for a renewed focus on decision making. Specifically, my aim is to make the right decision before every shot. Usually, that means opting for the conservative play.
The new wrinkle is to follow up those decisions with aggressive execution. I'll have more to say on this as the season progresses, but it's basically about commitment. If I can make the correct decision every time, then I should have no hesitation when I step up to take the shot. It's also about being fearless. If I don't fear any particular outcome, then I should be able to approach the ball and let 'er rip. Whatever the outcome, I should be happy, as long as I've made the right decision and committed to it.
Now, the course at Victoria Park was not in great shape, owing to the long and difficult winter we've had. A couple of temporary greens were being used, while others were partially tarped off. Since I hadn't golfed in ages, I elected to play the white tees at about 6,100 yards.
On the first hole, a par-5, my approach into the green disappeared over a group of trees on the right side. There is lots of room there, but I wasn't able to find my ball. After taking a penalty, I butchered a couple of pitch / chip attempts, en route to a quadruple-bogey 9. In fact, my chipping was poor the entire round. It's not surprising, as this part of the game is largely feel, and is the last piece to come back after a winter without practice.
Fortunately, I was able to put the bad start out of my mind immediately. I was 8-over for the next eight holes, finishing the turn with a score of 48. The stretch included two pars, four bogeys, and two doubles. I didn't hit a lot of fairways, but was often in fine shape just a yard or two into the rough. The couple of times I did find the fairway, I did so with beautiful, deep drives. Oh what a feeling! My mid and short irons were also very good. I hit a couple of pure irons that were all over the flag, or actually carried further than my usual distance.
Things continued to roll along over most of the back nine. I was 7-over for holes 10 through 17, with two pars, five bogeys, and one double. A couple of bogeys wold have been pars, if not for missed putts in the 4 to 5-foot range. For the entire round, I calculate that I missed five of these very make-able putts. One came on a 170-yard par-3, after a really nice tee shot and lag putt. Much like chipping, putting takes some time to come back after a long break.
I messed up the final hole by recording a triple-bogey. My tee shot flared to the right of the fairway, behind some trees. I decided to forgo the green entirely with my second shot, choosing a pitching wedge to get the loft required to clear the trees. It was the right decision, but I didn't factor the soft, muddy lie that I had. Instead of getting compressed, the ball dug into the mud and came out low, ending up a few yards ahead, stymied by another tree trunk. After a chip out to the fairway and a lob wedge to reach the green in four, I added a 3-putt. My lag was actually good, but I missed one of those pesky 4-footers!
Overall, I'm happy with my play and with the result. 93 ain't bad, considering how poorly I played last year, not to mention the winter layoff. I stuck to my new mantra and it seemed to help. My driver and irons were working and I limited my penalties. I need to get my chipping and putting feel back, which I'm confident will happen.
Score: 93
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
My mantra for the season is plan conservatively, execute aggressively. In years past, I improved my play substantially, merely through game management. When I focused too much on swing mechanics, I had less success. After a dip in performance over the past couple of years, I feel it's time for a renewed focus on decision making. Specifically, my aim is to make the right decision before every shot. Usually, that means opting for the conservative play.
The new wrinkle is to follow up those decisions with aggressive execution. I'll have more to say on this as the season progresses, but it's basically about commitment. If I can make the correct decision every time, then I should have no hesitation when I step up to take the shot. It's also about being fearless. If I don't fear any particular outcome, then I should be able to approach the ball and let 'er rip. Whatever the outcome, I should be happy, as long as I've made the right decision and committed to it.
Now, the course at Victoria Park was not in great shape, owing to the long and difficult winter we've had. A couple of temporary greens were being used, while others were partially tarped off. Since I hadn't golfed in ages, I elected to play the white tees at about 6,100 yards.
On the first hole, a par-5, my approach into the green disappeared over a group of trees on the right side. There is lots of room there, but I wasn't able to find my ball. After taking a penalty, I butchered a couple of pitch / chip attempts, en route to a quadruple-bogey 9. In fact, my chipping was poor the entire round. It's not surprising, as this part of the game is largely feel, and is the last piece to come back after a winter without practice.
Fortunately, I was able to put the bad start out of my mind immediately. I was 8-over for the next eight holes, finishing the turn with a score of 48. The stretch included two pars, four bogeys, and two doubles. I didn't hit a lot of fairways, but was often in fine shape just a yard or two into the rough. The couple of times I did find the fairway, I did so with beautiful, deep drives. Oh what a feeling! My mid and short irons were also very good. I hit a couple of pure irons that were all over the flag, or actually carried further than my usual distance.
Things continued to roll along over most of the back nine. I was 7-over for holes 10 through 17, with two pars, five bogeys, and one double. A couple of bogeys wold have been pars, if not for missed putts in the 4 to 5-foot range. For the entire round, I calculate that I missed five of these very make-able putts. One came on a 170-yard par-3, after a really nice tee shot and lag putt. Much like chipping, putting takes some time to come back after a long break.
I messed up the final hole by recording a triple-bogey. My tee shot flared to the right of the fairway, behind some trees. I decided to forgo the green entirely with my second shot, choosing a pitching wedge to get the loft required to clear the trees. It was the right decision, but I didn't factor the soft, muddy lie that I had. Instead of getting compressed, the ball dug into the mud and came out low, ending up a few yards ahead, stymied by another tree trunk. After a chip out to the fairway and a lob wedge to reach the green in four, I added a 3-putt. My lag was actually good, but I missed one of those pesky 4-footers!
Overall, I'm happy with my play and with the result. 93 ain't bad, considering how poorly I played last year, not to mention the winter layoff. I stuck to my new mantra and it seemed to help. My driver and irons were working and I limited my penalties. I need to get my chipping and putting feel back, which I'm confident will happen.
Score: 93
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)