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
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