It's been a couple of weeks since my last round of the year. Temperatures have fallen and the winter tires are already on the car. Traditionally, that's been the signal for me to sit down and write my year end review. So, without any further ado, here we go.
In last year's review, I described 2014 as a success. After a couple of terrible seasons, I managed not only to stop my game from declining further, but also to return to a semi-respectable level. I'm not talking about anything spectacular, by any means. However, I managed to get my handicap factor down to 19.7 – this after spending a lot of time in the mid twenties. By the same modest standard, I have to say that 2015 was a success as well. My handicap factor currently sits at 17.6 – less than two points off my personal best. In my view, handicap factor is the best indicator of skill, so it feels good to be nearing personal best territory.
I played 40 rounds in 2015, beginning April 28 and ending November 10. That's four fewer rounds than last year, but nine more than in each of the previous three seasons, when my game took a turn for the worse. I need to play frequently in order to stay sharp, and 40 rounds seems to be the magic number. If I can play at least that many over a 6-month season, I should continue to improve. My rounds were played at 32 different courses. Eight of these were the site of two rounds each: Glen Eagle, Mystic, Paris Grand, Bradford Highlands, Piper's Heath, Dragon's Fire, Indian Wells, and Mill Run. The only new course for me this year was Bond Head North. I enjoy playing different courses and was encouraged that my improvement came on a great variety of layouts.
Though handicap factor is the ultimate measure of skill, I was very pleased with another stat this year. Of the 40 rounds played, only three resulted in scores of 100 or more. The century mark has long been the mark of failure for me, and a couple of years ago, I was topping it with regularity. For quite some time, I've been of the opinion that my golf score should never reach triple digits – ever! As a result, it was nice to finally approach that level. One of those 100+ rounds was the first round of the season, played at King's Forest. Considering I hadn't touched a club in over six months before that, I don't even feel too badly about it. The course is no slouch, either.
More than offsetting those poor rounds were five rounds below 90. The best of all was an 84 early in the season at Copetown Woods. It was only my fifth round of the year and it came in a Deepwoods event. Besides setting the stage for a solid Deepwoods campaign, this round may have set the tone for the entire season. Golf is a game of confidence and an early dose of success can go a long way. Mid way through the season, I registered back-to-back rounds of 86 at Dragon's Fire. The second of these was also a Deepwoods event. The first was played in sweltering conditions, with the humidex easily surpassing 40 degrees Celsius. It's remarkable that I finished the round – never mind that I put together one of my best scores. Late in the season, I fired a brilliant 85 at Scenic Woods, followed immediately by a workmanlike 89 at Mill Run.
Though I finished a bit lower or higher a few times, the vast majority of my scores were squarely in the nineties. In fact, my average score was exactly 95. I would prefer to see the average at about 90, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. The nice thing about all these scores in the nineties is that they felt easy to me. All season long, I felt like I could score in that range rather easily, just by putting the ball in play. In other words, I didn't have to bomb the ball, or even hit fairways and greens. All I had to do was reduce the miss hits – balls out of bounds or into hazards, duffed shots, topped balls, etc. I can do that, can't I? Sure I can. Towards the end of the season, this approach had me challenging 90 every time out. My scoring range over the last seven rounds was 85-93 and my average over the same period was 90.2 – nice!
Delving a little more deeply into my average stats reveals improvement across the board. My overall average was down 3.1 strokes from a year earlier. Meanwhile, I averaged 34.9 putts per round, down marginally from 35.3 a year prior. I've always averaged just under 2 putts per hole, so this is no surprise. The way to get my putting numbers down significantly is to improve my pitching and chipping. This year, I hit 6.1 fairways per round, up from 5.3 in 2014. The primary change with the driver was to add a hint of spine rotation, while actually shortening the overall backswing. This keeps the arms from becoming too active and throwing the swing out of plane. Greens in regulation also improved – to 3.7 from just 3.3 last season. The improvements are all slight, but they add up to better scores over the long run. Finally, I averaged exactly 3 penalty strokes per round this year.
I'll finish this review with a look at the Deepwoods championship, which I've already hinted at. I had a great year, finishing with scores of 84, 92, 86, and 93. Both scores in the nineties only ended up that way due to some late collapses. The 92 was at Willow Valley, where I got rattled on the final hole by an approaching storm. The 93 was in the final event at Crosswinds, though the collapse occurred over the last four holes. Playing in the final group, I had the championship in my grasp and let it slip away. I allowed two other players to tie me, forcing a sudden death playoff. On the first playoff hole, I had the advantage after two strokes, but couldn't capitalize due to poor pitching and putting. On the second and deciding playoff hole, the eventual winner earned the title with a timely birdie. It was a bitter loss, but I can't really be disappointed with the overall season. It was great to be right in contention up to the very end. I will have to avenge the loss next year!
November 23, 2015
November 10, 2015
Golfing in The Rain
I booked my last round of the year five days ago, when the forecast was calling for sun, with only a ten percent chance of rain. Ten percent turned into forty, then sixty, then eighty, and finally one hundred. It was a special deal, so I couldn't cancel and get a refund. Since there was nothing I could do about it, I headed out for my scheduled tee time at Indian Wells Golf Club and prepared myself for a relaxing walk in the rain – one which might involve hitting a few golf balls.
There were three cars in the parking lot when I arrived, including mine. I started the round in a light drizzle, which grew into a medium drizzle, then a heavy one. It never let up and eventually became more than a drizzle. The last six holes were a bonafide rainfall, again with no letting up. I didn't bother keeping score, as it would have been meaningless under those conditions. I hit some terrible shots, as one would expect to when you're struggling to keep your grips dry. However, I hit a few nice shots here and there, so I guess the outing was worth it.
It's been a relatively successful season, so I didn't mind finishing this way. Nevertheless, I'm going to miss playing over the next five or six months.
November 05, 2015
Something Different at Bond Head
In earlier visits to The Club at Bond Head, I played the South Course. Back in 2010, when my game was at a pretty good level, I managed to shoot 97 there. In 2012, in the middle of a terrible slump, I got scorched for a score of 115. With my level of play now close to what it was in 2010, I was anxious to get back to the club. This time, however, I tried my luck on the North Course. Most people I've talked to prefer the South for some reason. It may have something to do with the fact that the North has some quirky holes, including a few with fairways that rise steeply up to the greens. I didn't mind these, and overall, I enjoyed the course quite a bit. As on the South Course, the greens on the North are very undulating, which complicates putting greatly, especially if you find yourself above the hole.
The first hole was magical – a textbook par, as they say. I split the fairway with the driver, then hit pitching wedge to the fat of the green. A lag putt to within two feet set up an easy tap-in to finish. With very little exception, my driving of the ball continued this way for the rest of the round. I hit 10 of 13 fairways, employing a swing that was free of any particular thoughts. I basically trusted my swing and let the ball go wherever it may. Most importantly, I didn't let the layout of a hole change my swing. Hole #12, for example, is a par-5 that was playing 467 yards from the blue tees. The tee shot must carry a wide and deep valley, covered in brush. Once I took my stance, I swung as if I had nothing but open, flat land between me and the target. The result was a laser of a drive that left me with 200 yards to the green. After hitting my second shot flag high, 30 yards right of the green, I went on to make a mess of things and finished with double-bogey. The point is, I had my driving dialled in.
Iron play was less steady, featuring a mix of good shots and poor ones. At times, such as on holes #1, 4, 6, and 9, I managed to hit a short iron to reach the green in regulation. You expect to do that almost every time from inside 150 yards, but it's a weakness of mine. I hit some nice long irons, too. On hole #5, a long par-4, I hit a beautiful 4-iron into the green from 190 yards. I had taken a drop after a wayward drive and had to draw the ball to avoid trees on the left.
On hole #8, the hardest on the course, I hit a beautiful 3-iron that barely missed panning out. This is a par-5 that measures 546 yards from the blue tees. It's all uphill to the the green, so the hole plays a lot longer still. After hitting driver, 5-wood, I found myself right of the fairway in some fescue. However, the ball was propped up on the grass, which was laying sideways beneath it. Deep bunkers protect the front of the green and there is no bailout area, so your options are either go for it, or lay up well back. I went for it, and with the ball in the air, it looked like a perfect shot. As it turned out, I came up a couple yards short, hitting the grassy slope above the bunker. The ball hung up in the grass for a second, but then trickled down twelve feet into the bunker. After an amazing out, two putts finished things up for a bogey.
One place where the irons failed me, at times, was off the tee. On holes #3 and #16, par-3 holes measuring 155 and 132 yards respectively, I pulled my irons badly. On #3 this left me in a terrible position, from which I could only manage double-bogey. On #16, the situation was marginally better, and I managed to pitch on and 2-putt for bogey. It's a perplexing thing: my percentages from the same distance are better through the green than they are from the teeing ground. It must be a mental thing.
The way I was driving the ball, and with some serviceable iron play, I really should have broken 90. Unfortunately, my short game was not the best. I had five 3-putts and 38 putts overall. The greens were not in the best shape – they appear to have sustained a lot of traffic recently and were absolutely full of spike marks – but I can't blame that. Bond Head is simply a tough place to putt from any sort of distance. If you're somewhere near the hole, you have a fair chance of walking away with one or two putts. Get out beyond a certain distance, however, and the undulation makes it challenging to read the break and speed. I tallied 44 and 42 putts on earlier visits to the South Course, so I guess I'm starting to learn (and respect) the greens.
The end of the season is here. I'm aiming to play one more round.
Score: 93
Putts: 38
Fairways: 10
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
The first hole was magical – a textbook par, as they say. I split the fairway with the driver, then hit pitching wedge to the fat of the green. A lag putt to within two feet set up an easy tap-in to finish. With very little exception, my driving of the ball continued this way for the rest of the round. I hit 10 of 13 fairways, employing a swing that was free of any particular thoughts. I basically trusted my swing and let the ball go wherever it may. Most importantly, I didn't let the layout of a hole change my swing. Hole #12, for example, is a par-5 that was playing 467 yards from the blue tees. The tee shot must carry a wide and deep valley, covered in brush. Once I took my stance, I swung as if I had nothing but open, flat land between me and the target. The result was a laser of a drive that left me with 200 yards to the green. After hitting my second shot flag high, 30 yards right of the green, I went on to make a mess of things and finished with double-bogey. The point is, I had my driving dialled in.
Iron play was less steady, featuring a mix of good shots and poor ones. At times, such as on holes #1, 4, 6, and 9, I managed to hit a short iron to reach the green in regulation. You expect to do that almost every time from inside 150 yards, but it's a weakness of mine. I hit some nice long irons, too. On hole #5, a long par-4, I hit a beautiful 4-iron into the green from 190 yards. I had taken a drop after a wayward drive and had to draw the ball to avoid trees on the left.
On hole #8, the hardest on the course, I hit a beautiful 3-iron that barely missed panning out. This is a par-5 that measures 546 yards from the blue tees. It's all uphill to the the green, so the hole plays a lot longer still. After hitting driver, 5-wood, I found myself right of the fairway in some fescue. However, the ball was propped up on the grass, which was laying sideways beneath it. Deep bunkers protect the front of the green and there is no bailout area, so your options are either go for it, or lay up well back. I went for it, and with the ball in the air, it looked like a perfect shot. As it turned out, I came up a couple yards short, hitting the grassy slope above the bunker. The ball hung up in the grass for a second, but then trickled down twelve feet into the bunker. After an amazing out, two putts finished things up for a bogey.
One place where the irons failed me, at times, was off the tee. On holes #3 and #16, par-3 holes measuring 155 and 132 yards respectively, I pulled my irons badly. On #3 this left me in a terrible position, from which I could only manage double-bogey. On #16, the situation was marginally better, and I managed to pitch on and 2-putt for bogey. It's a perplexing thing: my percentages from the same distance are better through the green than they are from the teeing ground. It must be a mental thing.
The way I was driving the ball, and with some serviceable iron play, I really should have broken 90. Unfortunately, my short game was not the best. I had five 3-putts and 38 putts overall. The greens were not in the best shape – they appear to have sustained a lot of traffic recently and were absolutely full of spike marks – but I can't blame that. Bond Head is simply a tough place to putt from any sort of distance. If you're somewhere near the hole, you have a fair chance of walking away with one or two putts. Get out beyond a certain distance, however, and the undulation makes it challenging to read the break and speed. I tallied 44 and 42 putts on earlier visits to the South Course, so I guess I'm starting to learn (and respect) the greens.
The end of the season is here. I'm aiming to play one more round.
Score: 93
Putts: 38
Fairways: 10
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
November 02, 2015
November Golf at Mill Run
I played Mill Run a couple of weeks ago and I was back at the Uxbridge area course for another round on November 1st. Scores registered in Ontario from this date forward don't count toward a handicap factor, so I was simply aiming for a low overall score. I ended up with a fairly average score of 94, but that included an 11 on one blowup hole. Had the round counted for handicap purposes, my factor would have actually dipped to 17.3 (down three tenths of a point). As such, I was just glad to play at all in November.
I teed off shortly after noon, with the wind gusting, the sky covered in cloud, and even a bit of rain. My grip got wet and I lost control of the club on my first drive attempt. This put me underneath a tree and after a decent punch shot, I was blocked by another tree near the green. It all led to double-bogey, which was not the way I wanted to start on the Grist nine. By the second hole, the rain had stopped, but the wind persisted. I pulled a drive attempt into a spruce tree immediately ahead of the teeing ground. After a penalty stroke, the next drive attempt was not much better – a big hook shot way left of target. I was cursing the weather and the rough start, duffing a couple shots en route to a score of 11 for this par-5. The chance of a good overall score was effectively gone.
At this point, I just tried to make the best of a bad situation, playing each hole and each shot one at a time. In fact, I was 15 over par for the last 16 holes, for a slightly better than bogey pace. The stretch included a triple-bogey on Grist #6, another par-5. Aside from that, I amassed 2 double-bogeys, 8 bogeys, and 5 pars. I got robbed on those double-bogeys too. The first was on Grind #6, which is among the prettiest on the course. I hit two great opening shots on this par-5, placing the ball in the left fairway, 100 yards from the green. I caught the next shot thin and sailed over the green. That was my own fault, but my ball came to rest right up against the trunk of a pine tree and I had no backswing whatsoever. The second double-bogey was on Grind #8, as a result of my only 3-putt of the day. That green has given me fits in the past and it did so again. The result on both those holes should have been no worse than bogey.
There were a couple of missed putts, also on the Grind nine, that resulted in bogeys, rather than pars. Both were four to five feet in length, with a fair bit of break. On Grind #2, I burned the edge of the cup on the high side. On Grind #7, the ball lipped out violently, also on the high side. The greens were a little faster than I expected for this time of year, but I have no complaints about their condition.
For all the moments of frustration already described, there were just as many moments of brilliance. I hit a beautiful 4-iron off the tee on Grist #3 that was all over the flag. After trouble in a greenside bunker on Grist #4, I recovered miraculously to save bogey. On Grist #5, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a very nice 5-wood through the wind to just in front of the green. On Grist #7 and #8, the 4-iron was once again spectacular. On the former, I hit it out of a fairway bunker to find the green from 175 yards. On the latter, I used the wind to curl my tee shot into the par-3 green, 190 yards away.
Good shots continued on the Grind nine, including a 6-iron into hole #1 from 150 yards. The green is elevated and the wind was in our face, so it was really a nice play. A 3-iron into the green on Grind #2 also stands out as a nice shot. On Grind #3, my driver finally started to join in the fun, as I cut the corner on this dogleg left absolutely perfectly. On Grind #4, a par-3 with an elevated green, I chose the perfect club and was all over the flag. The 5-wood worked like a charm off the tee on Grind #6, while the trusty 4-iron did the same on Grind #7, a par-3.
Too bad I had a rough start adjusting to the weather, but overall, there was plenty to be happy about.
Score: 94
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
I teed off shortly after noon, with the wind gusting, the sky covered in cloud, and even a bit of rain. My grip got wet and I lost control of the club on my first drive attempt. This put me underneath a tree and after a decent punch shot, I was blocked by another tree near the green. It all led to double-bogey, which was not the way I wanted to start on the Grist nine. By the second hole, the rain had stopped, but the wind persisted. I pulled a drive attempt into a spruce tree immediately ahead of the teeing ground. After a penalty stroke, the next drive attempt was not much better – a big hook shot way left of target. I was cursing the weather and the rough start, duffing a couple shots en route to a score of 11 for this par-5. The chance of a good overall score was effectively gone.
At this point, I just tried to make the best of a bad situation, playing each hole and each shot one at a time. In fact, I was 15 over par for the last 16 holes, for a slightly better than bogey pace. The stretch included a triple-bogey on Grist #6, another par-5. Aside from that, I amassed 2 double-bogeys, 8 bogeys, and 5 pars. I got robbed on those double-bogeys too. The first was on Grind #6, which is among the prettiest on the course. I hit two great opening shots on this par-5, placing the ball in the left fairway, 100 yards from the green. I caught the next shot thin and sailed over the green. That was my own fault, but my ball came to rest right up against the trunk of a pine tree and I had no backswing whatsoever. The second double-bogey was on Grind #8, as a result of my only 3-putt of the day. That green has given me fits in the past and it did so again. The result on both those holes should have been no worse than bogey.
There were a couple of missed putts, also on the Grind nine, that resulted in bogeys, rather than pars. Both were four to five feet in length, with a fair bit of break. On Grind #2, I burned the edge of the cup on the high side. On Grind #7, the ball lipped out violently, also on the high side. The greens were a little faster than I expected for this time of year, but I have no complaints about their condition.
For all the moments of frustration already described, there were just as many moments of brilliance. I hit a beautiful 4-iron off the tee on Grist #3 that was all over the flag. After trouble in a greenside bunker on Grist #4, I recovered miraculously to save bogey. On Grist #5, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a very nice 5-wood through the wind to just in front of the green. On Grist #7 and #8, the 4-iron was once again spectacular. On the former, I hit it out of a fairway bunker to find the green from 175 yards. On the latter, I used the wind to curl my tee shot into the par-3 green, 190 yards away.
Good shots continued on the Grind nine, including a 6-iron into hole #1 from 150 yards. The green is elevated and the wind was in our face, so it was really a nice play. A 3-iron into the green on Grind #2 also stands out as a nice shot. On Grind #3, my driver finally started to join in the fun, as I cut the corner on this dogleg left absolutely perfectly. On Grind #4, a par-3 with an elevated green, I chose the perfect club and was all over the flag. The 5-wood worked like a charm off the tee on Grind #6, while the trusty 4-iron did the same on Grind #7, a par-3.
Too bad I had a rough start adjusting to the weather, but overall, there was plenty to be happy about.
Score: 94
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
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