Dang, it's snowing outside. A bunch of people dressed as elves just walked past my house, on their way to the Santa Claus Parade here in Toronto. Two days ago, I was strolling the fairways like it was mid summer. Alas, there will be no more of that this year. All that's left to do is to write my traditional year-end review.
After struggling with my golf game for a couple of years, I had modest success in both 2014 and 2015. While I can't say that my game improved dramatically in 2016, I have to admit that by almost any measure, this year was also a success. My handicap factor at season end was 17.0 – just six tenths better than it was at the end of 2015, but an improvement nevertheless. It's important to note that 17.6 was also my lowest level in 2015, while I went as low as 15.5 this year. That set a new personal best – beating my previous mark of 15.8 set all the way back in 2009. It's a slight improvement, and I wasn't able to hang onto it, but it's something.
While the improvement in handicap factor was miniscule, I had two major accomplishments this year. One was an early season hole-in-one at Calerin Golf Club – my first ever! It was mid-May and I was playing just my sixth round of the year. I already had a couple of scores in the mid 80s, so I was feeling good about my game. I shot 94 that day, but score means nothing when you drain your first ace. I could have shot 110 and still been happy. The feat was accomplished on hole #14, a 150-yard par-3. I struck a pure 8-iron directly at the flag, but didn't see the result immediately, because the green is slightly elevated. It was only when I peered into the hole that I knew what had happened. I saved the ball as a souvenir – a Pinnacle Gold. LOL
The other major accomplishment, perhaps more significant, was a personal best score of 78, which came at BraeBen Golf Course. This was also the first time that I ever broke 80. My previous best was an 81 (10-over) at Deer Creek South, which took place way back in 2007. I also had an 82 (10-over) at Granite Ridge Cobalt in 2008. Either way, those rounds were a long time ago. There's also something very special about breaking 80. It took me over 500 rounds of golf to do it. Let's hope it doesn't take another 500 to do it again. I began that round at BraeBen like a par machine and I carried the early momentum through the entire round. I wrote a detailed blog entry, which I'll review whenever I need a golf pick me up. I also saved the ball that I used to play the entire round – a Titleist DT Solo. LOL
I ended up playing 45 rounds in 2016, beginning April 18 and ending November 18. That's seven months of golf, which ain't bad around these parts. Late spring and early fall were ideal, but the summer was far too hot, especially during the months of July and August. Having aimed for at least 40 rounds, I was happy with the number of rounds played. Incidentally, those rounds were played at 35 different courses. The one I played most often was Scenic Woods, with three visits. The first two rounds there continued my incredible streak of scoring 85 at the course. On the third visit, which happened to come right after my personal best of 78 at BraeBen, I scored a lovely 103. Haha! The courses that I played twice were: Oliver's Nest, Lowville, Silver Lakes, Hunters Pointe, BraeBen, Calerin, and Maples of Ballantrae.
Every year, I try to play a few new courses, just to keep things interesting and fresh. The courses that I played for the first time this year were: Oliver's Nest, Borden, Lakeridge Links, Nobleton Lakes, and Settlers' Ghost. Nobleton Lakes was perhaps the nicest of the bunch, but that's not saying a whole lot. All of the courses are decent enough, so there's little to separate them. The reason I had never played Nobleton before is because its green fees always seemed too high. Borden is probably the weakest of the bunch, mostly due to some featureless opening holes. It doesn't help that it's a hefty trek to get there. Then again, the same can be said for Oliver's Nest and Settlers' Ghost. Lakeridge Links was dry as hell when I played it, but I still enjoyed it.
My average score in 2016 was 94.4 – just six tenths better than in 2015. Any improvement is a good improvement, but that's really not very significant. I was a little better over the first half of the year, averaging 93.3 as opposed to 95.5 over the second half. Two strokes per round doesn't seem like much, but consider this: I broke 90 six times over the first half of the season and only did it twice over the second half. By comparison, I broke 90 five times in 2015. While I reached 100 or greater once over the first half of this year, I reached that level six times over the second half. By comparison, I cracked the century mark just three times in all of 2015. Ironically, dipping into the 80s more frequently may have been responsible for more excursions into the 100s. The fact is, when you've tasted the 80s, there's less motivation to grind for a score in the high 90s.
Detailed stats offer a bit of a mixed bag. This year, I averaged 34.6 putts per round, compared to 34.9 in 2015. I've never considered putting to be a real weakness, but there's room for further improvement. I hit 5.5 fairways per round, down from 6.1 last year. That's a little discouraging, as I'd like to be north of 7 in that category. Greens in regulation rose to 3.9 from 3.7, which is still very far from where I'd like to be. It's not surprising, though. I miss greens with alarming regularity from 150 yards or less. Even with a sand wedge in hand, I'm more likely to miss the green than hit it. Most often, I pull the ball left, but I've also been known to scull a few straight over the back. Finally, I averaged 3.3 penalty strokes per round, which is up from 3.0 last year. This is more telling than anything else. If I could eliminate the penalties, my average score would easily drop by at least six strokes.
Last, but not least, a few words about my performance in the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. I began the season horribly at Copetown Woods. It was especially disappointing because I was playing so well outside of Deepwoods early in the season. Not only that, but Copetown Woods is a course I know very well and one I should be able to dominate. I bounced back with good rounds at Peninsula Lakes and Crosswinds, but other players were having good years and I had to be near perfect to contend for the title. After a poor point total at Nobleton Lakes, I was officially out of contention. The last round at Grand Niagara was just for fun, and I finished the season in a tie for 10th place overall. My Deepwoods handicap had been lowered at the start of the season and I struggled to live up to that level. Oh well, there's always next year!
November 21, 2016
November 19, 2016
Final Hurrah at Shawneeki
Daily highs near Toronto are forecast between 1 and 3 degrees Celsius over the next week, so I was fortunate to play on what will certainly be the last decent weather day of the year. The high was 17 degrees, and having snagged my tee time early, I was able to play during the warmest part of the day. We teed off just before noon and finished at 4:45 pm, just as the sun disappeared over the horizon. Thankfully, we didn't have to battle the light and managed to finish comfortably.
Shawneeki was in great overall condition, and not just for this time of year. The fairways were nicely blanketed in grass, with very playable firmness. The greens were rolling pretty smoothly and they surprised me with their speed. Uphill putts were average, but even the slightest downhill putts kept rolling and rolling. Your brain expects the greens to be slower at this time of year, but they weren't. I failed to make the mental adjustment for the entire round. Course staff also did a great job removing fallen leaves, so this wasn't a problem.
I smother hooked my opening drive, forcing a pitch to get back to the fairway. An 8-iron got me greenside and flag high, setting the stage for an up and down to salvage bogey. Hole #2 is a par-5 with a narrow chute at the teeing ground that can be intimidating, primarily because it's OB along the entire left side. I piped a drive down the middle, then carried a 5-iron over the edge of a pond, leaving 120 yards to the flag. I made crisp contact with the gap wedge, but pulled the ball to a slope left of the green. I bounced my chip shot into the slope, expecting the ball to release gently to the hole. Instead it kept rolling and rolling across the large green, leaving me with a 100 foot putt. The funny thing is, I almost made it! Unfortunately, the ball was carrying too much speed and it lipped out to about 8 feet. I missed that one too, and settled for double-bogey. Such a shame.
The next two holes resulted in bogeys, as I played them fairly well. In both cases, I just barely missed the fairways and greens. Chips were tricky because of the surprising green speeds, and hence the bogeys. I would have loved a bogey on hole #5, instead of the disaster that occurred. This is an uphill par-4 with a dogleg right. It seems every time I play this hole, my drive finishes just past a bunker protecting the inside of the dogleg. This is fine, except that it leaves an uneven lie for the next shot, and worse yet, a couple of small trees impeding the line to the green. I made excellent contact with a 7-iron, but smacked one of the trees solidly. My next attempt hit another tree, with the ball ricocheting back to the fairway. My fourth shot was a lob wedge thinned over the green. My fifth was a lofted pitch that rolled and rolled downhill off the green. I three putt from the fringe for a score of 8. Ugh!
After that nonsense, it was pretty standard for the remainder of the front nine. I smother hooked another drive on hole #6, then recovered briefly with a couple good shots. A bad bunker shot squirted well right of target and right off the green, leading to a double-bogey. Three bogeys finished up the front nine, including a pair of par-3 holes and a par-5. The bogey on the par-5 was impressive, as my drive was pulled slightly and finished unplayable under an evergreen tree. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a fantastic 3-iron high and deep over a pond to get back to the fairway centre. My subsequent shot found the green and I 2-putt to finish. Also impressive was my tee shot on hole #9. This par-3 over water was playing 180 yards, with a back pin position. I hit a 5-iron high and straight, with the ball settling right at the back of the green. Unfortunately, I 3-putt on the slippery green, or it would have been a par.
My first par of the day was on hole #10. Driver, gap wedge got me to the back of the green, but the hole was near the front. My first putt went well past the hole, but I made the 8-foot comebacker. A pair of bogeys followed on the next two holes. Hole #11 is a par-5 with a dogleg left. My drives on this hole are dangerously close to OB on the right side of the dogleg, so I opted for 3-iron. I pulled it and smacked a tree solidly just a few yards ahead. Next, I hit two consecutive 3-irons that were fabulous. The first got me to the centre of the fairway, while the second, from 260 yards out, rolled right up to the front right side of the green. I putt through 15 feet of fringe and still managed to go well past the hole, about 10 feet. On hole #12, a par-3 from an elevated tee, I hit a perfect 7-iron, landing in front of the green and releasing flag-high. Unfortunately, the green got me again, leading to a 3-putt finish.
Hole #13 features a very dangerous tee shot, with a pond left and OB right. I navigated it perfectly, finding the right side of the fairway. With the danger behind me, I had an easy path to the severely elevated green. First, I duffed a 7-iron, then I sculled a lob wedge, finishing amidst some trees behind the green. It took two more shots to get on and two putts just to earn a triple-bogey. When you make two mistakes back-to-back, the big numbers quickly surface.
Luckily, I made a spectacular shot on the next hole to lift my spirits. Hole #14 is a 156-yard par-3 over a creek that then meanders along the right side of the green. I hit a terrible shot off the tee, finishing under an evergreen tree 40 yards left of the green. This tree had some space to stand underneath the branches, so I crouched underneath and choked down on a 7-iron. I punched the ball through a series of mounds and it reached the green, for once settling at the correct distance. It was the shot of the round, helped by the fact that I made the subsequent 6-footer for par.
The remainder of the round was fairly standard, with a mix of very good shots, and some not so good. I hit great drives on the final four holes, but some of the follow-ups were shaky. On hole #15, I pulled a 6-iron well left of the green. On hole #16, I pushed a 3-iron well right of the fairway. On hole #17, I pulled a gap wedge left, but still caught a piece of the green. On hole #18, I pulled a pitching wedge ever so slightly left. The story of the final four holes was once again the speed of the greens. I 3-putt three out of the four holes, as I still couldn't convince myself to ease up enough on my stroke. I collected a pair of bogeys and a couple of doubles for my handiwork.
If not for the unusually swift greens, this would have been a pretty good scoring round. As it was, I finished with a pedestrian score of 97. Still, it was a fun day and a good way to finish the season.
Score: 97
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
Shawneeki was in great overall condition, and not just for this time of year. The fairways were nicely blanketed in grass, with very playable firmness. The greens were rolling pretty smoothly and they surprised me with their speed. Uphill putts were average, but even the slightest downhill putts kept rolling and rolling. Your brain expects the greens to be slower at this time of year, but they weren't. I failed to make the mental adjustment for the entire round. Course staff also did a great job removing fallen leaves, so this wasn't a problem.
I smother hooked my opening drive, forcing a pitch to get back to the fairway. An 8-iron got me greenside and flag high, setting the stage for an up and down to salvage bogey. Hole #2 is a par-5 with a narrow chute at the teeing ground that can be intimidating, primarily because it's OB along the entire left side. I piped a drive down the middle, then carried a 5-iron over the edge of a pond, leaving 120 yards to the flag. I made crisp contact with the gap wedge, but pulled the ball to a slope left of the green. I bounced my chip shot into the slope, expecting the ball to release gently to the hole. Instead it kept rolling and rolling across the large green, leaving me with a 100 foot putt. The funny thing is, I almost made it! Unfortunately, the ball was carrying too much speed and it lipped out to about 8 feet. I missed that one too, and settled for double-bogey. Such a shame.
The next two holes resulted in bogeys, as I played them fairly well. In both cases, I just barely missed the fairways and greens. Chips were tricky because of the surprising green speeds, and hence the bogeys. I would have loved a bogey on hole #5, instead of the disaster that occurred. This is an uphill par-4 with a dogleg right. It seems every time I play this hole, my drive finishes just past a bunker protecting the inside of the dogleg. This is fine, except that it leaves an uneven lie for the next shot, and worse yet, a couple of small trees impeding the line to the green. I made excellent contact with a 7-iron, but smacked one of the trees solidly. My next attempt hit another tree, with the ball ricocheting back to the fairway. My fourth shot was a lob wedge thinned over the green. My fifth was a lofted pitch that rolled and rolled downhill off the green. I three putt from the fringe for a score of 8. Ugh!
After that nonsense, it was pretty standard for the remainder of the front nine. I smother hooked another drive on hole #6, then recovered briefly with a couple good shots. A bad bunker shot squirted well right of target and right off the green, leading to a double-bogey. Three bogeys finished up the front nine, including a pair of par-3 holes and a par-5. The bogey on the par-5 was impressive, as my drive was pulled slightly and finished unplayable under an evergreen tree. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a fantastic 3-iron high and deep over a pond to get back to the fairway centre. My subsequent shot found the green and I 2-putt to finish. Also impressive was my tee shot on hole #9. This par-3 over water was playing 180 yards, with a back pin position. I hit a 5-iron high and straight, with the ball settling right at the back of the green. Unfortunately, I 3-putt on the slippery green, or it would have been a par.
My first par of the day was on hole #10. Driver, gap wedge got me to the back of the green, but the hole was near the front. My first putt went well past the hole, but I made the 8-foot comebacker. A pair of bogeys followed on the next two holes. Hole #11 is a par-5 with a dogleg left. My drives on this hole are dangerously close to OB on the right side of the dogleg, so I opted for 3-iron. I pulled it and smacked a tree solidly just a few yards ahead. Next, I hit two consecutive 3-irons that were fabulous. The first got me to the centre of the fairway, while the second, from 260 yards out, rolled right up to the front right side of the green. I putt through 15 feet of fringe and still managed to go well past the hole, about 10 feet. On hole #12, a par-3 from an elevated tee, I hit a perfect 7-iron, landing in front of the green and releasing flag-high. Unfortunately, the green got me again, leading to a 3-putt finish.
Hole #13 features a very dangerous tee shot, with a pond left and OB right. I navigated it perfectly, finding the right side of the fairway. With the danger behind me, I had an easy path to the severely elevated green. First, I duffed a 7-iron, then I sculled a lob wedge, finishing amidst some trees behind the green. It took two more shots to get on and two putts just to earn a triple-bogey. When you make two mistakes back-to-back, the big numbers quickly surface.
Luckily, I made a spectacular shot on the next hole to lift my spirits. Hole #14 is a 156-yard par-3 over a creek that then meanders along the right side of the green. I hit a terrible shot off the tee, finishing under an evergreen tree 40 yards left of the green. This tree had some space to stand underneath the branches, so I crouched underneath and choked down on a 7-iron. I punched the ball through a series of mounds and it reached the green, for once settling at the correct distance. It was the shot of the round, helped by the fact that I made the subsequent 6-footer for par.
The remainder of the round was fairly standard, with a mix of very good shots, and some not so good. I hit great drives on the final four holes, but some of the follow-ups were shaky. On hole #15, I pulled a 6-iron well left of the green. On hole #16, I pushed a 3-iron well right of the fairway. On hole #17, I pulled a gap wedge left, but still caught a piece of the green. On hole #18, I pulled a pitching wedge ever so slightly left. The story of the final four holes was once again the speed of the greens. I 3-putt three out of the four holes, as I still couldn't convince myself to ease up enough on my stroke. I collected a pair of bogeys and a couple of doubles for my handiwork.
If not for the unusually swift greens, this would have been a pretty good scoring round. As it was, I finished with a pedestrian score of 97. Still, it was a fun day and a good way to finish the season.
Score: 97
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
November 11, 2016
Good Old Hidden Lake New
I've been watching the weather forecasts closely, in search of a good day to score well on the golf course. Another potentially nice day appeared, so I booked a round on the New Course at Hidden Lake. I've played both courses at Hidden Lake often enough, so it's a very familiar environment.
The sun was out and the temperature was fine throughout my entire round. However, it was very windy. Leaves that had been piled up off to the sides of various holes were blown back over the playing areas. As a result, it wasn't unusual to be searching for balls right in the middle of the fairway.
I took a 9 on the opening par-4, though it had nothing to do with the leaves – I simply made a series of bad shots. I recovered well with a par on hole #2, but the good times didn't last long. A great tee shot on hole #3 just clipped the edge of a greenside bunker. I emerged safely, but rolled off the other side of the green en route to a double-bogey. A 3-putt on hole #4 produced the same result.
Holes #5 and #6 were very frustrating. On the first of these, I lost a ball in the fairway and another just behind the green. There were no obstacles whatsoever, but the leaves were particularly bad. I hate losing balls in leaves where there should be none, and I let the dislike carry over into my shots. I finished the hole with a triple-bogey. I didn't lose any balls on hole #6, a par-3, but it took a hole to get over what had happened on the previous one. After pulling my tee shot and duffing a pitch attempt, I walked away with a double-bogey. Through six holes, I was already 14 over par. Geez!
Luckily, the final two thirds of the round was brilliant. In fact, I was only 7 over for the remaining 12 holes. This was a stretch of very consistent golf, including five pars and seven bogeys. The run started with back-to-back par-5 holes that produced a pair of bogeys. Both began with deep, penetrating drives. I did not hit the greens in regulation, however. In one case, I was short of the green, while in the other case, I went long. Hole #9 was a long par-3 over water and into the teeth of the wind. I added two extra clubs and still finished on the front fringe of the very large green. A great lag gave me a chance for par, but I missed it and took my third consecutive bogey.
My score at the turn was 52, but my score on the back nine ended up being 40! Holes #10 through #12 produced bogey, par, and bogey. The par was on a 144-yard par-3 over water. The wind was helping in that instance and I judged it perfectly, finishing very near the flag on the right side of the green. On the other holes, I drove the ball into the fairways and then played low punch shots to just in front of the greens. A chip and two putts finished each hole. The low route seemed to be working much better than the aerial route.
On hole #13, I hit a weak, smothered drive. I tried to recover and actually hit a great 5-wood into this par-4 green. It was destined for the putting surface, but clipped an evergreen at 150 yards out and dropped straight down. I had to play the ball left handed with the back of my blade putter. No problem, as I stuck the next shot from 130 yards onto the green and then putt through a massive collection of leaves and drained it to save bogey. That was a game changer.
Hole #14 is a beautiful par-5, measuring 460 yards from the blue tees. I always remember my buddy Linley going for the green in two and making it with a towering fairway wood that cleared the large pond right in front of the green. Good times! I myself hit a great drive this time, but went with a 3-iron on my second, leaving a 65-yard pitch over the pond to reach the green. I pulled it left and had to putt through quite a bit of fringe. The ball ended up rolling right off the other side. No worries, as I made a spectacular uphill par putt that curled at the end and actually dropped in the cup from the back! I mean directly from the back – not at all from the side. The ball even paused on the lip like that famous Tiger Woods putt on the 16th hole at the 2005 Masters. Great stuff!
I was feeling the high and rode it through the rest of the round. It was still windy as hell, but I played great anyway. After a bogey on hole #15, I rattled off three consecutive pars to complete the round. On hole #16, I went 3-iron, 7-iron to find the green. This was right into a 3-club wind. The 7-iron approach was from just 130 yards. On hole #17, a 157-yard par-3, I nailed the green with a 5-iron. Once again, the wind was hurting, but I judged it perfectly. On hole #18, a par-5, I pulled my third shot into a greenside bunker that was full of leaves. We found the ball and I made a great out to 8 feet. I nailed it and celebrated with a yell and the obligatory fist pump.
There were some shaky moments at first, but the round finished great and was lots of fun.
Score: 92
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 0
The sun was out and the temperature was fine throughout my entire round. However, it was very windy. Leaves that had been piled up off to the sides of various holes were blown back over the playing areas. As a result, it wasn't unusual to be searching for balls right in the middle of the fairway.
I took a 9 on the opening par-4, though it had nothing to do with the leaves – I simply made a series of bad shots. I recovered well with a par on hole #2, but the good times didn't last long. A great tee shot on hole #3 just clipped the edge of a greenside bunker. I emerged safely, but rolled off the other side of the green en route to a double-bogey. A 3-putt on hole #4 produced the same result.
Holes #5 and #6 were very frustrating. On the first of these, I lost a ball in the fairway and another just behind the green. There were no obstacles whatsoever, but the leaves were particularly bad. I hate losing balls in leaves where there should be none, and I let the dislike carry over into my shots. I finished the hole with a triple-bogey. I didn't lose any balls on hole #6, a par-3, but it took a hole to get over what had happened on the previous one. After pulling my tee shot and duffing a pitch attempt, I walked away with a double-bogey. Through six holes, I was already 14 over par. Geez!
Luckily, the final two thirds of the round was brilliant. In fact, I was only 7 over for the remaining 12 holes. This was a stretch of very consistent golf, including five pars and seven bogeys. The run started with back-to-back par-5 holes that produced a pair of bogeys. Both began with deep, penetrating drives. I did not hit the greens in regulation, however. In one case, I was short of the green, while in the other case, I went long. Hole #9 was a long par-3 over water and into the teeth of the wind. I added two extra clubs and still finished on the front fringe of the very large green. A great lag gave me a chance for par, but I missed it and took my third consecutive bogey.
My score at the turn was 52, but my score on the back nine ended up being 40! Holes #10 through #12 produced bogey, par, and bogey. The par was on a 144-yard par-3 over water. The wind was helping in that instance and I judged it perfectly, finishing very near the flag on the right side of the green. On the other holes, I drove the ball into the fairways and then played low punch shots to just in front of the greens. A chip and two putts finished each hole. The low route seemed to be working much better than the aerial route.
On hole #13, I hit a weak, smothered drive. I tried to recover and actually hit a great 5-wood into this par-4 green. It was destined for the putting surface, but clipped an evergreen at 150 yards out and dropped straight down. I had to play the ball left handed with the back of my blade putter. No problem, as I stuck the next shot from 130 yards onto the green and then putt through a massive collection of leaves and drained it to save bogey. That was a game changer.
Hole #14 is a beautiful par-5, measuring 460 yards from the blue tees. I always remember my buddy Linley going for the green in two and making it with a towering fairway wood that cleared the large pond right in front of the green. Good times! I myself hit a great drive this time, but went with a 3-iron on my second, leaving a 65-yard pitch over the pond to reach the green. I pulled it left and had to putt through quite a bit of fringe. The ball ended up rolling right off the other side. No worries, as I made a spectacular uphill par putt that curled at the end and actually dropped in the cup from the back! I mean directly from the back – not at all from the side. The ball even paused on the lip like that famous Tiger Woods putt on the 16th hole at the 2005 Masters. Great stuff!
I was feeling the high and rode it through the rest of the round. It was still windy as hell, but I played great anyway. After a bogey on hole #15, I rattled off three consecutive pars to complete the round. On hole #16, I went 3-iron, 7-iron to find the green. This was right into a 3-club wind. The 7-iron approach was from just 130 yards. On hole #17, a 157-yard par-3, I nailed the green with a 5-iron. Once again, the wind was hurting, but I judged it perfectly. On hole #18, a par-5, I pulled my third shot into a greenside bunker that was full of leaves. We found the ball and I made a great out to 8 feet. I nailed it and celebrated with a yell and the obligatory fist pump.
There were some shaky moments at first, but the round finished great and was lots of fun.
Score: 92
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 0
November 10, 2016
Trying Again at Twenty Valley
We were gifted with another decent weather day, so I headed out to Twenty Valley for some golf. I arrived early, hoping they might find a spot for me earlier than my scheduled tee time. No such luck, as the tee sheet was completely full. After a bit of a wait, I paired up with three older ladies and off we went.
On the first hole, I hit a beautiful drive to the left fairway, ten yards short of a ditch that crosses the fairway. After such a great shot, I decided I had to go for the green on this par-5, but it would take a perfect 3-wood to get there. I blocked one well right into a large group of trees. A punch out was followed by a couple of pitches in order to find the putting surface. Two putts earned a disappointing double-bogey after a great first shot.
I went par, bogey, bogey over the next three holes as I settled into a nice rhythm. Drives were in the fairway and approach shots were close to the greens. In one case I got up and down, while the other two holes required a couple of putts to finish. I began hole #5 with a straight and deep drive, but this is a dogleg right and I ran through the end of the fairway. I tried to punch a low shot underneath some tree branches, but the ball didn't even get out of the rough, advancing just 20 yards or so. Next, I pushed one into a greenside bunker. Out of the sand, I hit the lip, then emerged safely. Two putts finished it up for a shocking triple-bogey.
It's amazing how quickly a score can run up on you, even when your mistakes are not terrible. The bad karma carried to the next hole, a short par-4 that requires a drive over a wide creek. I pulled my first attempt into the water, then hit one fat and found the water again from the drop zone. The result was even worse this time, as I finished the par-4 with a score of 8. I did comparatively well on holes #7 through #9, collecting a couple of bogeys and a double. The latter was due to a sculled pitch shot after missing the green on this par-3 by just a few yards on the right. My score at the turn was 50.
Two thirds of the back nine were free of major problems. I was 5 over par for the stretch beginning with hole #10 and finishing with hole #15. I was hitting a good percentage of fairways, but only found one green in regulation. That was on hole #12, thanks to the pitching wedge. I made a traditional 2-putt par. I also made par on hole #13, thanks to a great up and down from left of the green. The only questionable result during this run was a double-bogey on hole #13, a 180-yard par-3 to an elevated green, protected in front by a wide creek and huge hill. I didn't hit my tee shot clean and struck the retaining wall bordering the creek. After a penalty stroke and shot from the drop zone, I rattled a chip off the flagstick, then tapped in.
The final three holes ruined what was looking like a pretty good recovery. On #16, a 200-yard par-3, I pushed a 3-iron into a water reservoir right of the green. Penalty stroke and double-bogey ensued. On #17, a par-4, I was just left of the green after two. Unfortunately, I had to go under some spruce tree branches. I struck the ball into a bit of a slope and it died instantly. Another shot was required to get on the green and I 2-putt for another double. The last hole is a par-5 that I completed with 6 shots from tee to cup. The problem was that my first drive attempt was a huge pull into a lateral hazard. I could have taken a penalty stroke and dropped near the point where the ball last crossed the margin, but I wanted to replay the drive. I hit my third off the tee and it was a good one. Because of the first mistake, my score on the hole was an ugly triple-bogey – for a final score of 99.
That's pretty grim, but it's late in the year and I have played very little recently.
Score: 99
Putts: 31
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
On the first hole, I hit a beautiful drive to the left fairway, ten yards short of a ditch that crosses the fairway. After such a great shot, I decided I had to go for the green on this par-5, but it would take a perfect 3-wood to get there. I blocked one well right into a large group of trees. A punch out was followed by a couple of pitches in order to find the putting surface. Two putts earned a disappointing double-bogey after a great first shot.
I went par, bogey, bogey over the next three holes as I settled into a nice rhythm. Drives were in the fairway and approach shots were close to the greens. In one case I got up and down, while the other two holes required a couple of putts to finish. I began hole #5 with a straight and deep drive, but this is a dogleg right and I ran through the end of the fairway. I tried to punch a low shot underneath some tree branches, but the ball didn't even get out of the rough, advancing just 20 yards or so. Next, I pushed one into a greenside bunker. Out of the sand, I hit the lip, then emerged safely. Two putts finished it up for a shocking triple-bogey.
It's amazing how quickly a score can run up on you, even when your mistakes are not terrible. The bad karma carried to the next hole, a short par-4 that requires a drive over a wide creek. I pulled my first attempt into the water, then hit one fat and found the water again from the drop zone. The result was even worse this time, as I finished the par-4 with a score of 8. I did comparatively well on holes #7 through #9, collecting a couple of bogeys and a double. The latter was due to a sculled pitch shot after missing the green on this par-3 by just a few yards on the right. My score at the turn was 50.
Two thirds of the back nine were free of major problems. I was 5 over par for the stretch beginning with hole #10 and finishing with hole #15. I was hitting a good percentage of fairways, but only found one green in regulation. That was on hole #12, thanks to the pitching wedge. I made a traditional 2-putt par. I also made par on hole #13, thanks to a great up and down from left of the green. The only questionable result during this run was a double-bogey on hole #13, a 180-yard par-3 to an elevated green, protected in front by a wide creek and huge hill. I didn't hit my tee shot clean and struck the retaining wall bordering the creek. After a penalty stroke and shot from the drop zone, I rattled a chip off the flagstick, then tapped in.
The final three holes ruined what was looking like a pretty good recovery. On #16, a 200-yard par-3, I pushed a 3-iron into a water reservoir right of the green. Penalty stroke and double-bogey ensued. On #17, a par-4, I was just left of the green after two. Unfortunately, I had to go under some spruce tree branches. I struck the ball into a bit of a slope and it died instantly. Another shot was required to get on the green and I 2-putt for another double. The last hole is a par-5 that I completed with 6 shots from tee to cup. The problem was that my first drive attempt was a huge pull into a lateral hazard. I could have taken a penalty stroke and dropped near the point where the ball last crossed the margin, but I wanted to replay the drive. I hit my third off the tee and it was a good one. Because of the first mistake, my score on the hole was an ugly triple-bogey – for a final score of 99.
That's pretty grim, but it's late in the year and I have played very little recently.
Score: 99
Putts: 31
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
November 08, 2016
Stone Cold at Bond Head
My last round at Royal Woodbine was timed perfectly to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day. I was holding out for similar conditions, which seemed like they would finally materialize two weeks later, on the 1st of November. I booked a round at Bond Head four days in advance, as I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity. The forecast was calling for a mix of sun and cloud, with just 20% chance of rain and a high of 18 degrees Celsius. This was going to be sweet!
As I drove to the course, there was not a hint of sunshine in the sky. It was completely overcast. To make matters worse, I drove through a few patches of drizzle, which required the use of the windshield wipers. Out on the practice green, there was no rain, but it was freezing as hell and the wind was whipping around. I was scheduled to play the South Course, which is exposed in many areas, including the first hole.
I tried to put the weather out of my mind, but I was definitely not pleased. I hit a wicked pull hook off the first tee, losing the ball in a vast expanse of long fescue. I had opted for an iron off the tee for more control – so much for that idea. I took a penalty and dropped the ball near the spot where I lost it. That's against the rules, of course, but I was already holding people up and the round had just begun. I proceeded to plunk a ball into the creek fronting the green, collecting my second penalty of the hole. A great up and down only salvaged a double-bogey (with an asterisk).
I was so pissed off with the weather that I didn't even feel like playing. I pulled my drive on hole #2 into a lateral hazard. After a penalty and drop, I hooked an iron into the same hazard further afield. Taking my fourth penalty of the day and another drop, I took a halfhearted pitch toward the green – not even close. I picked up the ball in disgust and waited by the side of the green for my fellow competitors to finish up. I stopped keeping score at this point – though I've gone back over the round and filled in the blanks as I write this review. For the hole where I picked up, which is a par-4, I gave myself an 8.
For two more holes, there was no change in the weather. Through the first four holes, I was 11 over par and had collected four penalty strokes. I was miserable and had no desire to play. Suddenly, as we stood on the tee of hole #5, the wind stopped. This is a short par-3 from an elevated tee. I hit a pitching wedge flag high, just left of the green. A solid chip gave me a chance at par, but I missed and settled for bogey. Okay, not bad. On the next hole, a 294-yard par-4 from an elevated tee, the sun started poking out from behind the clouds. I tried to drive the green, which is risky because the right side features a steep drop to a large pond. My shot finished flag high, five yards left of the green. In other words, the safe side. I pitched one close and tapped in for birdie.
For the remainder of the front nine, and in fact for the remainder of the round, the weather was just fine. For the final five holes of the front nine, I was just three over par. It's amazing how weather can affect your game – especially when you're mentally weak, as this front nine would seem to indicate I am. The terrible start to the round meant I was shooting 50 at the turn, despite the good play from the fifth hole onward.
On the back nine, I had a number of good results. Holes #10 and #11, both of the par-4 variety, produced a pair of bogeys. Both began with excellent drives that split the fairway. Unfortunately, I could not find the greens with what should have been easy iron shots. I pulled a 9-iron on #10 and duffed a 40-yard wedge shot on #11. This failure to hit greens has been a pattern recently, even with very lofted clubs. On hole #13, a 394-yard par-4, I again hit my drive deep and straight. This time, with 120 yards to the flag, I hit a good gap wedge that found the putting surface and ultimately set up par.
The problem on the back nine was a couple of blowup holes interspersed with the good ones. Hole #12, a par-5, produced a triple bogey. Hole #14, a long par-4, resulted in a score of 9! Poor drives started both of these holes, followed by more bad shots and even some bad luck. The latter even produced a 4-putt. Though I had recovered some of my will to play, I still felt like the first four holes had ruined the round and those thoughts re-emerged during these troublesome situations.
The last four holes were played under duress, not because of the weather, but because we were losing light fast. The course was booked solid, so it was pretty slow going. When you're fighting the light, you lose focus and rush your shots. Amidst this backdrop, it's no surprise I went double-bogey, bogey, triple-bogey, and bogey to close out the round. The last two holes were played with the sun already below the horizon. It was only the residual glare that allowed us to play at all.
Overall, it was a disappointing day. Though there were good moments, the weather burned me and spoiled the round. The rush to finish in the dark was also not pleasant. The score is meaningless, but I would hate for this to be my final round of the season.
Score: 103
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
As I drove to the course, there was not a hint of sunshine in the sky. It was completely overcast. To make matters worse, I drove through a few patches of drizzle, which required the use of the windshield wipers. Out on the practice green, there was no rain, but it was freezing as hell and the wind was whipping around. I was scheduled to play the South Course, which is exposed in many areas, including the first hole.
I tried to put the weather out of my mind, but I was definitely not pleased. I hit a wicked pull hook off the first tee, losing the ball in a vast expanse of long fescue. I had opted for an iron off the tee for more control – so much for that idea. I took a penalty and dropped the ball near the spot where I lost it. That's against the rules, of course, but I was already holding people up and the round had just begun. I proceeded to plunk a ball into the creek fronting the green, collecting my second penalty of the hole. A great up and down only salvaged a double-bogey (with an asterisk).
I was so pissed off with the weather that I didn't even feel like playing. I pulled my drive on hole #2 into a lateral hazard. After a penalty and drop, I hooked an iron into the same hazard further afield. Taking my fourth penalty of the day and another drop, I took a halfhearted pitch toward the green – not even close. I picked up the ball in disgust and waited by the side of the green for my fellow competitors to finish up. I stopped keeping score at this point – though I've gone back over the round and filled in the blanks as I write this review. For the hole where I picked up, which is a par-4, I gave myself an 8.
For two more holes, there was no change in the weather. Through the first four holes, I was 11 over par and had collected four penalty strokes. I was miserable and had no desire to play. Suddenly, as we stood on the tee of hole #5, the wind stopped. This is a short par-3 from an elevated tee. I hit a pitching wedge flag high, just left of the green. A solid chip gave me a chance at par, but I missed and settled for bogey. Okay, not bad. On the next hole, a 294-yard par-4 from an elevated tee, the sun started poking out from behind the clouds. I tried to drive the green, which is risky because the right side features a steep drop to a large pond. My shot finished flag high, five yards left of the green. In other words, the safe side. I pitched one close and tapped in for birdie.
For the remainder of the front nine, and in fact for the remainder of the round, the weather was just fine. For the final five holes of the front nine, I was just three over par. It's amazing how weather can affect your game – especially when you're mentally weak, as this front nine would seem to indicate I am. The terrible start to the round meant I was shooting 50 at the turn, despite the good play from the fifth hole onward.
On the back nine, I had a number of good results. Holes #10 and #11, both of the par-4 variety, produced a pair of bogeys. Both began with excellent drives that split the fairway. Unfortunately, I could not find the greens with what should have been easy iron shots. I pulled a 9-iron on #10 and duffed a 40-yard wedge shot on #11. This failure to hit greens has been a pattern recently, even with very lofted clubs. On hole #13, a 394-yard par-4, I again hit my drive deep and straight. This time, with 120 yards to the flag, I hit a good gap wedge that found the putting surface and ultimately set up par.
The problem on the back nine was a couple of blowup holes interspersed with the good ones. Hole #12, a par-5, produced a triple bogey. Hole #14, a long par-4, resulted in a score of 9! Poor drives started both of these holes, followed by more bad shots and even some bad luck. The latter even produced a 4-putt. Though I had recovered some of my will to play, I still felt like the first four holes had ruined the round and those thoughts re-emerged during these troublesome situations.
The last four holes were played under duress, not because of the weather, but because we were losing light fast. The course was booked solid, so it was pretty slow going. When you're fighting the light, you lose focus and rush your shots. Amidst this backdrop, it's no surprise I went double-bogey, bogey, triple-bogey, and bogey to close out the round. The last two holes were played with the sun already below the horizon. It was only the residual glare that allowed us to play at all.
Overall, it was a disappointing day. Though there were good moments, the weather burned me and spoiled the round. The rush to finish in the dark was also not pleasant. The score is meaningless, but I would hate for this to be my final round of the season.
Score: 103
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
October 21, 2016
Playing Until Dark
Having finished a full round at Royal Woodbine, I had the option of playing some more, so I did exactly that. The first few holes of the front nine produced identical scores the second time around, albeit in somewhat different fashion. Hole #3, for example, began with a drive that sliced into the water hazard – a far cry from the 300-yard laser I nailed the first time up. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a 3-wood from 240 yards. It was a little short and right of the green, but I made a lovely 30-yard pitch and drained the putt to earn another par.
Hole #6 began with a good drive, but the ball nestled up against the lip of a fairway bunker. I could not go for the green, but managed to advance the ball to the same position I was in after two shots earlier in the day. This time, I successfully hit the high lob wedge shot, finishing 10 feet from the cup. Unfortunately, I missed the par putt, but took bogey for the second time on the hole.
I moved along at better than bogey pace until hole #7, the 136-yard par-3 over water. This hole, as well as #4 (the other par-3) were playing directly into the setting sun. It was almost impossible to track the ball off the tee and definitely distracting. I pushed a 7-iron into the creek on #4, but stuck a shot close from the drop zone and 1-putt to salvage bogey.
No such luck on #7, as my tee shot drifted a bit right and failed to clear the pond. The sun was worse on this hole because it was reflecting off the pond. It was like playing on an alien planet with two suns shining directly into your eyes. The drop zone on this hole is at the red tees and I pulled a sand wedge from that location. I faced an impossible chip shot with the green falling steeply away from me. Rather carelessly, I blasted a putt through the fringe, requiring two more putts to finish. My final score was a nasty 7.
With that out of the way, I played the rest of the holes better than I had the first time around. On hole #8, I hit a 260 yard drive to the left rough, followed by an 8-iron to just in front of the green. I lagged one close through the fringe and finished with a 3-footer for par. On hole #8, I hit a drive 280 yards to the right side of the fairway. The ball actually rolled about six inches into the rough. With that lie, it was a bit risky to go for the green in two, so I hit 5-iron just short and right of the green. This set up a 30-yard pitch and 6-foot putt for birdie!
The last hole and a half were played in the shadows and we were losing light fast, so we decided to cart back to the clubhouse. We teed off on hole #18, but it was in vain. You could not see a thing and we had no idea where the balls went. No problem, it was great to get an extra nine holes played.
Score: 44
Putts: 14
Fairways: 2
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
Hole #6 began with a good drive, but the ball nestled up against the lip of a fairway bunker. I could not go for the green, but managed to advance the ball to the same position I was in after two shots earlier in the day. This time, I successfully hit the high lob wedge shot, finishing 10 feet from the cup. Unfortunately, I missed the par putt, but took bogey for the second time on the hole.
I moved along at better than bogey pace until hole #7, the 136-yard par-3 over water. This hole, as well as #4 (the other par-3) were playing directly into the setting sun. It was almost impossible to track the ball off the tee and definitely distracting. I pushed a 7-iron into the creek on #4, but stuck a shot close from the drop zone and 1-putt to salvage bogey.
No such luck on #7, as my tee shot drifted a bit right and failed to clear the pond. The sun was worse on this hole because it was reflecting off the pond. It was like playing on an alien planet with two suns shining directly into your eyes. The drop zone on this hole is at the red tees and I pulled a sand wedge from that location. I faced an impossible chip shot with the green falling steeply away from me. Rather carelessly, I blasted a putt through the fringe, requiring two more putts to finish. My final score was a nasty 7.
With that out of the way, I played the rest of the holes better than I had the first time around. On hole #8, I hit a 260 yard drive to the left rough, followed by an 8-iron to just in front of the green. I lagged one close through the fringe and finished with a 3-footer for par. On hole #8, I hit a drive 280 yards to the right side of the fairway. The ball actually rolled about six inches into the rough. With that lie, it was a bit risky to go for the green in two, so I hit 5-iron just short and right of the green. This set up a 30-yard pitch and 6-foot putt for birdie!
The last hole and a half were played in the shadows and we were losing light fast, so we decided to cart back to the clubhouse. We teed off on hole #18, but it was in vain. You could not see a thing and we had no idea where the balls went. No problem, it was great to get an extra nine holes played.
Score: 44
Putts: 14
Fairways: 2
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
Nothing to Fear at Royal Woodbine
I like to play 18-hole golf courses that are at least 6,000 yards in length. Among such public courses, Royal Woodbine is perhaps the closest to home. Only Don Valley and Lakeview are a comparable distance away. Despite its proximity, I only played Royal Woodbine once, and that was ten years ago! In the past, the course was one of the more expensive ones around. Not only that, but it's a tight layout with water on every hole. A significant creek meanders across and alongside fairways, often setting up multiple carries on a single hole. You can not bomb away on this course – it's target golf at every single turn. I was a novice golfer when I first played here, and not surprisingly, I got beat up badly. I don't remember my score, but it would have been way past the century mark. In fact, this was the primary reason for my decade long hiatus.
As it turns out, circumstances recently coalesced, and I had an opportunity to make my return to this course that I had feared for so long. I teed off at half past noon on an unseasonably warm fall day. It was 20 degrees Celsius throughout the afternoon – not quite as warm as the day earlier, but this time there was no pesky wind to deal with. I basked in the sunshine, knowing full well that this was likely the last warm weather round of the year. If the long term forecasts were correct, it might even be the final round at all. I was paired up and shared a cart with another single, who turned out to be a decent fellow. On another day, I might have found him chatty and annoying, but on this day, I was not perturbed at all by his storytelling. We played with another pair, who were also friendly, but went about their rounds a bit more quietly.
As for my game, it was pretty sharp right off the bat. I employed irons off the tee whenever additional length was not necessary. Hole #2, for example, is a 338-yard par-4. I hit 3-iron just past a bunker in the middle of the fairway, leaving a 9-iron approach. I was left of the green, but pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. When the situation called for driver, I also hit it well. Hole #3 is a 508-yard par-5 with a little more room than many other holes on the course. I bombed a drive 300 yards down the pipe, settling just behind and left of the 200-yard stick. I went for the green with 3-iron, but I had to be mindful of a lone tree on the left side that was causing some interference. In an effort to keep the ball below any branches, I completely duffed the shot. No worries, however, as I followed up with a brilliant 8-iron from 150 yards to set up a birdie chance. The downhill putt just missed, so I took par.
My first misstep of the round came on hole #5, which at 277 yards, is the shortest par-4 on the course. A large pond protects the right side of this hole from tee to green. The smart play is to hit a mid-iron to the fairway, followed by a wedge into the green. I tried to do just that, but pulled a 7-iron left into a fescue covered hillside. One hack got it out, but an uneven stance on the subsequent shot produced another miss hit. After four shots, I was just off the back of the green. Fortunately, a decent chip and a great putt salvaged double-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was smooth sailing, thanks in large part, to some excellent putting. Hole #6 began with a flared 5-wood to the right side. A 100-yard layup was the right call on the next shot, but I followed this up by sculling a wedge shot straight through the green. No worries, as I made a beautiful pitch and putt for the up-and-down bogey. Another up-and-down earned par on hole #7, a short par-3 that's all carry over water. The best up-and-down, if you can call it that, came on hole #9. My drive on this par-5 was a slice that bounced off the cart path and into the creek. After a penalty stroke and drop, I topped an 8-iron that sent the ball dribbling ahead, still 180 yards from the green. Skirting the trees on the left side, I hit a bullet of a 5-iron that I thought would roll off the back of the green. The ball stopped in the centre of the green, which allowed me to drain a very long par putt to the hole at the front of the putting surface. Sometimes the putter can really make up for other errors.
So how do you follow up a 6-over score of 42 on the front nine? How about with an 8-over score of 43 on the back! Beginning with hole #11, things get even tougher at Royal Woodbine. Hole #11 is a par-4 that doglegs to the left. As a right-hander, if you don't draw the ball with your driver, this is a test. You either have to flirt with tall trees and OB in the elbow of the dogleg, or you have to play to the right – exactly where the ever-present creek follows a path all the way to the green. I pulled my drive into the trees, but it kicked back to the rough, albeit just 50 yards ahead. A good 5-wood and wedge got me to the front of the green and I 2-putt to save bogey.
It was a pattern that would repeat itself on a couple more holes during the day. On hole #12, a par-5, I pulled my drive into a bush covered hillside. It was all I could do to hack one out to the rough. No problem though, as I hit a pure 7-iron, followed by a magnificent lob wedge over a tall tree. Each of these carried the meandering creek without issue. One putt later, par was the result. On hole #16, I pushed my drive slightly, hitting a very large willow. I was 180 yards away from the green on this par-4, but I would have to carry the creek twice in order to reach it. Feeling confident, I hit a brilliant 5-iron from a barren lie to just left of the green. An easy pitch and 2-putt saved bogey.
And so we come to the final hole of the round. Hole #18 is the longest par-5 on the course, measuring 575 yards from the blue tees. I hit a great drive, about 275 yards to the middle of the fairway. The problem now, is that the wind picked up and was in my face as I contemplated the next shot. I had to carry the creek to reach the landing zone near the 100-yard marker. However, the creek angles in such a way that the required carry distance varies greatly, depending on the line you take. It's a fairly long carry, no matter what, so I opted to lay up by punching a 4-iron just 100 yards with a baby swing. I threaded the ball surgically to the perfect layup spot – not too close to flirt with the creek and leaving 180 yards to the green. The wind was still there, and now I had to carry the creek directly in front and a large pond fronting the green if I wanted a chance to putt for birdie. Figuring that 5-wood was enough club to overcome the wind, I went for it. Boom! A perfect high cut that sailed over all the water and found the front of the green, directly below the hole. The uphill birdie putt was straight, but lengthy. I gave it a go and just missed, leaving an 8-inch tap-in for par.
This was the third time I shot 85 this season, equalling my second-best score of the year (I'm still loving that 78 at Braeben). It was an incredibly fun day that makes me wonder why I stayed away from Royal Woodbine for so long. It really is a brilliantly designed course. It's funny how success (or failure) on a particular layout shapes your view of that course. :)
And the day wasn't over yet. I played an extra nine, which I'll talk about in a separate post.
Score: 85
Putts: 32
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
As it turns out, circumstances recently coalesced, and I had an opportunity to make my return to this course that I had feared for so long. I teed off at half past noon on an unseasonably warm fall day. It was 20 degrees Celsius throughout the afternoon – not quite as warm as the day earlier, but this time there was no pesky wind to deal with. I basked in the sunshine, knowing full well that this was likely the last warm weather round of the year. If the long term forecasts were correct, it might even be the final round at all. I was paired up and shared a cart with another single, who turned out to be a decent fellow. On another day, I might have found him chatty and annoying, but on this day, I was not perturbed at all by his storytelling. We played with another pair, who were also friendly, but went about their rounds a bit more quietly.
As for my game, it was pretty sharp right off the bat. I employed irons off the tee whenever additional length was not necessary. Hole #2, for example, is a 338-yard par-4. I hit 3-iron just past a bunker in the middle of the fairway, leaving a 9-iron approach. I was left of the green, but pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. When the situation called for driver, I also hit it well. Hole #3 is a 508-yard par-5 with a little more room than many other holes on the course. I bombed a drive 300 yards down the pipe, settling just behind and left of the 200-yard stick. I went for the green with 3-iron, but I had to be mindful of a lone tree on the left side that was causing some interference. In an effort to keep the ball below any branches, I completely duffed the shot. No worries, however, as I followed up with a brilliant 8-iron from 150 yards to set up a birdie chance. The downhill putt just missed, so I took par.
My first misstep of the round came on hole #5, which at 277 yards, is the shortest par-4 on the course. A large pond protects the right side of this hole from tee to green. The smart play is to hit a mid-iron to the fairway, followed by a wedge into the green. I tried to do just that, but pulled a 7-iron left into a fescue covered hillside. One hack got it out, but an uneven stance on the subsequent shot produced another miss hit. After four shots, I was just off the back of the green. Fortunately, a decent chip and a great putt salvaged double-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was smooth sailing, thanks in large part, to some excellent putting. Hole #6 began with a flared 5-wood to the right side. A 100-yard layup was the right call on the next shot, but I followed this up by sculling a wedge shot straight through the green. No worries, as I made a beautiful pitch and putt for the up-and-down bogey. Another up-and-down earned par on hole #7, a short par-3 that's all carry over water. The best up-and-down, if you can call it that, came on hole #9. My drive on this par-5 was a slice that bounced off the cart path and into the creek. After a penalty stroke and drop, I topped an 8-iron that sent the ball dribbling ahead, still 180 yards from the green. Skirting the trees on the left side, I hit a bullet of a 5-iron that I thought would roll off the back of the green. The ball stopped in the centre of the green, which allowed me to drain a very long par putt to the hole at the front of the putting surface. Sometimes the putter can really make up for other errors.
So how do you follow up a 6-over score of 42 on the front nine? How about with an 8-over score of 43 on the back! Beginning with hole #11, things get even tougher at Royal Woodbine. Hole #11 is a par-4 that doglegs to the left. As a right-hander, if you don't draw the ball with your driver, this is a test. You either have to flirt with tall trees and OB in the elbow of the dogleg, or you have to play to the right – exactly where the ever-present creek follows a path all the way to the green. I pulled my drive into the trees, but it kicked back to the rough, albeit just 50 yards ahead. A good 5-wood and wedge got me to the front of the green and I 2-putt to save bogey.
It was a pattern that would repeat itself on a couple more holes during the day. On hole #12, a par-5, I pulled my drive into a bush covered hillside. It was all I could do to hack one out to the rough. No problem though, as I hit a pure 7-iron, followed by a magnificent lob wedge over a tall tree. Each of these carried the meandering creek without issue. One putt later, par was the result. On hole #16, I pushed my drive slightly, hitting a very large willow. I was 180 yards away from the green on this par-4, but I would have to carry the creek twice in order to reach it. Feeling confident, I hit a brilliant 5-iron from a barren lie to just left of the green. An easy pitch and 2-putt saved bogey.
And so we come to the final hole of the round. Hole #18 is the longest par-5 on the course, measuring 575 yards from the blue tees. I hit a great drive, about 275 yards to the middle of the fairway. The problem now, is that the wind picked up and was in my face as I contemplated the next shot. I had to carry the creek to reach the landing zone near the 100-yard marker. However, the creek angles in such a way that the required carry distance varies greatly, depending on the line you take. It's a fairly long carry, no matter what, so I opted to lay up by punching a 4-iron just 100 yards with a baby swing. I threaded the ball surgically to the perfect layup spot – not too close to flirt with the creek and leaving 180 yards to the green. The wind was still there, and now I had to carry the creek directly in front and a large pond fronting the green if I wanted a chance to putt for birdie. Figuring that 5-wood was enough club to overcome the wind, I went for it. Boom! A perfect high cut that sailed over all the water and found the front of the green, directly below the hole. The uphill birdie putt was straight, but lengthy. I gave it a go and just missed, leaving an 8-inch tap-in for par.
This was the third time I shot 85 this season, equalling my second-best score of the year (I'm still loving that 78 at Braeben). It was an incredibly fun day that makes me wonder why I stayed away from Royal Woodbine for so long. It really is a brilliantly designed course. It's funny how success (or failure) on a particular layout shapes your view of that course. :)
And the day wasn't over yet. I played an extra nine, which I'll talk about in a separate post.
Score: 85
Putts: 32
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
October 20, 2016
Wind Issues at Indian Wells
At this time of year, the typical high in southern Ontario is about 14 degrees Celsius. I was elated, therefore, when the forecast called for a high of 25, with the humidity making it feel even warmer. I booked an early afternoon round at Indian Wells Golf Club, no questions asked. In fact, it was some very pleasant weather. The fall colours looked spectacular in the sunshine, as I strolled the fairways wearing short pants and a short-sleeved shirt. The only problem, in terms of scoring well, was the stiffest wind I've experienced all season.
It was worst on the front nine, with the wind whipping down mercilessly off the escarpment. Nevertheless, I found the green in regulation on the opening par-5 and made par. On hole #2, a 413-yard par-4, a gentle poke off the tee rode the wind 280 yards. The ball travelled through the end of the fairway, across the cart path and stopped just two yards short of a large pond. I used every yard of space available, leaving just 130 yards to the flag. I thought the wind would carry a sand wedge the required distance, but it came up 10 yards short. As a result, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.
While the wind was at my back on hole #2, it was right in my face on hole #3. This is a par-4 featuring two forced carries over large ponds. I waited for a break in the wind but it wouldn't come, so I swung away. I was completely off balance and deposited a low bullet into the first pond. Using the drop zone on the other side, I was too far to carry the second pond with my third shot, so I laid up to the 100-yard marker. I hit a decent gap wedge to the left side of the green, but it skirted the edge and caught a slope that kicked the ball toward a creek. There were tons of leaves there and I didn't find my ball. I assumed it was in the creek and took another penalty. I chipped on and 2-putt for a disastrous score of 8.
I wasn't upset, because the conditions were pretty ridiculous, and that helped me on the next hole. I hit a beautiful 5-wood flag-high to this 180-yard par-3. Two putts later, I had another par under my belt. The same composure earned bogey on hole #5. This par-4 features a drop-off to a green that is surrounded on three sides by forest. I played hole #6 well, although the result was double-bogey. This is an uphill par-5 that runs parallel to hole #3, where I had exploded earlier. Once again, I was playing straight into the wind. Again, the tee shot was the problem, as I pulled one left into some long fescue. I was forced to take a penalty, but from then on I managed things quite well.
Hole #7 is a par 3, measuring 239 yards from an elevated tee. I used 5-wood, which was the same club I had used on the 180-yard par-3 earlier. I took aim at the left side, hoping to ride the wind back to the flag position. The ball didn't come back as much as I anticipated, but I was on the green safely. I made a lengthy lag putt and then a 4-footer for par.
The worst stretch of the day came over the next two holes. On hole #8, I drove my ball to the right side, inches away from some fescue. The green was blocked out by thick trees and I should have pitched back to the fairway. Because of the windy conditions, it didn't look like this was going to be a scoring day, so I tried the hero shot over the trees. The lie wasn't conducive to the high shot and I nailed one straight into the forest. I took a penalty stroke and was still in the same predicament. By the time the hole was done, I registered another score of 8. I only did marginally better on hole #9, earning a triple-bogey after two duffed irons to start. I was shooting 52 at the turn.
Suddenly, the wind died down. Don't get me wrong – it was still pretty heavy wind. However, it became much more manageable for the remainder of the round. I seized the opportunity and started belting some lasers. A 3-iron off the tee on hole #10 was down the pipe. A 5-iron from the elevated tee on hole #11 was the same. Most impressive was another 3-iron off the tee on hole #12 – a straight par-4 with thick forest on both sides. Approaches were not perfect on these three holes, but entirely serviceable. I earned bogey on all three.
Double-bogey was the result on hole #13, a par-3 that plays much tougher from the back tees where I was playing. I had a rough start to hole #14, but recovered extremely well to save bogey. The hole of the day, however, was #15. This is a 492-yard par-5 that doglegs left, before crossing a creek that is bordered on both sides by trees. A wonderful drive went 292-yards, settling about five yards right of the 200-yard stick. This left an ideal angle to the green, about 205 yards away. I went for it with 5-wood, launching a high cut that cleared a greenside bunker and settled flag-high. Amazing shot! I had a 14-foot putt for eagle and just burned the edge, settling for birdie.
The last three holes were all bogeys, thanks mostly to the fact that I 1-putted them all. A 3-iron off the tee on hole #16 was good but trees blocked my path to the green on this sharp dogleg par-4. A 5-iron off the tee on hole #17 was struck well, but just a hair left of the par-3 target and long due to the wind. A drive attempt into the wind on the final hole was disastrous, but getting up and down from 130 yards has a way of erasing those mistakes.
I shot a wonderful 43 on the back nine. Had I known that was coming, I would have buckled down on a couple front nine holes where I tried difficult shots just for the heck of it. Oh well, I'm happy with the final score, given the conditions.
Score: 95
Putts: 33
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 6
It was worst on the front nine, with the wind whipping down mercilessly off the escarpment. Nevertheless, I found the green in regulation on the opening par-5 and made par. On hole #2, a 413-yard par-4, a gentle poke off the tee rode the wind 280 yards. The ball travelled through the end of the fairway, across the cart path and stopped just two yards short of a large pond. I used every yard of space available, leaving just 130 yards to the flag. I thought the wind would carry a sand wedge the required distance, but it came up 10 yards short. As a result, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.
While the wind was at my back on hole #2, it was right in my face on hole #3. This is a par-4 featuring two forced carries over large ponds. I waited for a break in the wind but it wouldn't come, so I swung away. I was completely off balance and deposited a low bullet into the first pond. Using the drop zone on the other side, I was too far to carry the second pond with my third shot, so I laid up to the 100-yard marker. I hit a decent gap wedge to the left side of the green, but it skirted the edge and caught a slope that kicked the ball toward a creek. There were tons of leaves there and I didn't find my ball. I assumed it was in the creek and took another penalty. I chipped on and 2-putt for a disastrous score of 8.
I wasn't upset, because the conditions were pretty ridiculous, and that helped me on the next hole. I hit a beautiful 5-wood flag-high to this 180-yard par-3. Two putts later, I had another par under my belt. The same composure earned bogey on hole #5. This par-4 features a drop-off to a green that is surrounded on three sides by forest. I played hole #6 well, although the result was double-bogey. This is an uphill par-5 that runs parallel to hole #3, where I had exploded earlier. Once again, I was playing straight into the wind. Again, the tee shot was the problem, as I pulled one left into some long fescue. I was forced to take a penalty, but from then on I managed things quite well.
Hole #7 is a par 3, measuring 239 yards from an elevated tee. I used 5-wood, which was the same club I had used on the 180-yard par-3 earlier. I took aim at the left side, hoping to ride the wind back to the flag position. The ball didn't come back as much as I anticipated, but I was on the green safely. I made a lengthy lag putt and then a 4-footer for par.
The worst stretch of the day came over the next two holes. On hole #8, I drove my ball to the right side, inches away from some fescue. The green was blocked out by thick trees and I should have pitched back to the fairway. Because of the windy conditions, it didn't look like this was going to be a scoring day, so I tried the hero shot over the trees. The lie wasn't conducive to the high shot and I nailed one straight into the forest. I took a penalty stroke and was still in the same predicament. By the time the hole was done, I registered another score of 8. I only did marginally better on hole #9, earning a triple-bogey after two duffed irons to start. I was shooting 52 at the turn.
Suddenly, the wind died down. Don't get me wrong – it was still pretty heavy wind. However, it became much more manageable for the remainder of the round. I seized the opportunity and started belting some lasers. A 3-iron off the tee on hole #10 was down the pipe. A 5-iron from the elevated tee on hole #11 was the same. Most impressive was another 3-iron off the tee on hole #12 – a straight par-4 with thick forest on both sides. Approaches were not perfect on these three holes, but entirely serviceable. I earned bogey on all three.
Double-bogey was the result on hole #13, a par-3 that plays much tougher from the back tees where I was playing. I had a rough start to hole #14, but recovered extremely well to save bogey. The hole of the day, however, was #15. This is a 492-yard par-5 that doglegs left, before crossing a creek that is bordered on both sides by trees. A wonderful drive went 292-yards, settling about five yards right of the 200-yard stick. This left an ideal angle to the green, about 205 yards away. I went for it with 5-wood, launching a high cut that cleared a greenside bunker and settled flag-high. Amazing shot! I had a 14-foot putt for eagle and just burned the edge, settling for birdie.
The last three holes were all bogeys, thanks mostly to the fact that I 1-putted them all. A 3-iron off the tee on hole #16 was good but trees blocked my path to the green on this sharp dogleg par-4. A 5-iron off the tee on hole #17 was struck well, but just a hair left of the par-3 target and long due to the wind. A drive attempt into the wind on the final hole was disastrous, but getting up and down from 130 yards has a way of erasing those mistakes.
I shot a wonderful 43 on the back nine. Had I known that was coming, I would have buckled down on a couple front nine holes where I tried difficult shots just for the heck of it. Oh well, I'm happy with the final score, given the conditions.
Score: 95
Putts: 33
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 6
October 13, 2016
Slipping at Rockway Vineyards
Well, this sucks. The season is winding down and my game is getting worse. I've played 38 complete golf rounds so far. Over the first 18 rounds, I broke 90 on six occasions, or once every third round. Not only that, but I broke 90 handily, with scores of 85, 86, 87, 86, 87 and 85. Over the last 20 rounds, I broke 90 just once. It happened to be a personal best of 78, but one good round out of 20 is not good enough. That stretch of 20 rounds includes close scores of 92, 91, 90, 91, 91, 93, 92 and 90, but I'm sick of missing the cut. Even more disturbing are the blowup scores I've had recently. Over the first 18 rounds, I reached 100 or more just once. Over the last 20 rounds, including this latest one, I reached the century mark five times. That is pathetic.
It's hard to pinpoint what changed. As the second part of the season began, small errors here and there crept into my games, pushing my scores into the lower nineties. Then as the season progressed, I pressed more and more to make up for this. If I was not headed for a sub-90 round, I lost interest and focus. Instead of finishing in the low nineties, as I had earlier, I started finishing in the very high nineties or over 100. Such was the case for my latest outing at Rockway Vineyards.
I started the opening par-5 with an atrocious drive off the heel of the club to an opposite fairway. A good 5-wood, 3-iron combination, followed by a great pitch and putt salvaged par, which I really didn't deserve. The wildness continued on hole #2, as I drove the ball left and out of bounds. My third from the tee was safe to the right of the fairway, but I hooked my fourth shot out of bounds again. After a penalty and drop, I hit my sixth into a greenside bunker. A decent out didn't hold the green. My eighth shot blew past the hole and I took two more putts to finish with a score of 10. Stick a fork in me, the round was over after just two holes!
I made bogey on hole #3, a 182-yard par-3, before the stupidity continued on hole #4. This is a short par-4 with OB along the entire left side. My first two tee shots both went OB. Switching to an iron, I finally put my fifth shot in play. From 150 yards, I duffed one across the fairway, under some trees. From there, I plunked one into a greenside bunker. Next , I picked the ball clean, sailing 40 yards past the green. With tree trouble and being short sided, I flew one to the opposite edge of the green. Three putts later, I collected a score of 12. It was a complete waste of time, waste of money, and waste of what might be the last great weather day we have this year.
I made four bogeys and a par to close out the front nine, but who cares? Who bloody cares if I can play five decent holes, or nine, or even fifteen! I need to play eighteen decent holes. Eighteen!
There were no massive blowup holes on the back nine, though there were four double-bogeys, thanks to some really garbage shots. Complete mis-hits! I won't describe them because I need to maintain some sanity.
I also made a couple of nice pars and respectable bogeys, but again, who the hell cares? Eighteen bloody holes! Eighteen, you idiot!
And the handicap factor jumped up to 17.6 – exactly where I finished LAST season! That is classic. I get a hole in one this year, I shoot a personal best of 78, I get my handicap factor down to a personal best of 15.5 – and a month or two later, it's all gone and I'm back to square one.
Great!
Score: 102
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
It's hard to pinpoint what changed. As the second part of the season began, small errors here and there crept into my games, pushing my scores into the lower nineties. Then as the season progressed, I pressed more and more to make up for this. If I was not headed for a sub-90 round, I lost interest and focus. Instead of finishing in the low nineties, as I had earlier, I started finishing in the very high nineties or over 100. Such was the case for my latest outing at Rockway Vineyards.
I started the opening par-5 with an atrocious drive off the heel of the club to an opposite fairway. A good 5-wood, 3-iron combination, followed by a great pitch and putt salvaged par, which I really didn't deserve. The wildness continued on hole #2, as I drove the ball left and out of bounds. My third from the tee was safe to the right of the fairway, but I hooked my fourth shot out of bounds again. After a penalty and drop, I hit my sixth into a greenside bunker. A decent out didn't hold the green. My eighth shot blew past the hole and I took two more putts to finish with a score of 10. Stick a fork in me, the round was over after just two holes!
I made bogey on hole #3, a 182-yard par-3, before the stupidity continued on hole #4. This is a short par-4 with OB along the entire left side. My first two tee shots both went OB. Switching to an iron, I finally put my fifth shot in play. From 150 yards, I duffed one across the fairway, under some trees. From there, I plunked one into a greenside bunker. Next , I picked the ball clean, sailing 40 yards past the green. With tree trouble and being short sided, I flew one to the opposite edge of the green. Three putts later, I collected a score of 12. It was a complete waste of time, waste of money, and waste of what might be the last great weather day we have this year.
I made four bogeys and a par to close out the front nine, but who cares? Who bloody cares if I can play five decent holes, or nine, or even fifteen! I need to play eighteen decent holes. Eighteen!
There were no massive blowup holes on the back nine, though there were four double-bogeys, thanks to some really garbage shots. Complete mis-hits! I won't describe them because I need to maintain some sanity.
I also made a couple of nice pars and respectable bogeys, but again, who the hell cares? Eighteen bloody holes! Eighteen, you idiot!
And the handicap factor jumped up to 17.6 – exactly where I finished LAST season! That is classic. I get a hole in one this year, I shoot a personal best of 78, I get my handicap factor down to a personal best of 15.5 – and a month or two later, it's all gone and I'm back to square one.
Great!
Score: 102
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
October 12, 2016
Dismayed at Maples of Ballantrae
I didn't feel very good about Maples of Ballantrae the last time I played there, but I decided to give it another try. The opening shot is an awkward one to start a round, so I was hoping for a good one. I opted for 5-iron to carry the edge of the pond and hopefully split the woods on the other side. I ended up hitting my best shot of the day. 5-iron is my 180-yard club, but this ball finished 230 yards down the middle of the fairway! Contact was so pure, I didn't even feel the ball hitting the club face. The trajectory was perfect, with not even a hint of side spin. The first bounce in the fairway was a healthy one, which helped produce the great yardage. Shots like that are what make golf so fun.
Unfortunately, the whole round went downhill from there. I had 95 yards remaining to the flag and tried to take a little bit off a sand wedge. In the air it looked really good, but it went long and finished on the cart path, five yards behind the green. The nearest point of relief was a muddy area with almost no grass. After taking a drop, I tried to pitch on, but the sole of the club reacted strangely to the ground. The ball squirted 45 degrees to the left and I still wasn't on the putting surface. After another try and two putts, I walked away with a disappointing double-bogey. It was such a waste!
The next two holes, a par-5 and a par-4, were fine and produced bogeys. Hole #4 began with a drive that looked good from the tee, but actually trickled into a pond left of the fairway. After a penalty stroke and drop, I pulled an approach left of the green on this par-4. A delicate pitch shot and two pretty good putts could only salvage double-bogey.
At this point, I was already not feeling good about the round. Aside from the fact I was 6-over through four holes, I was preoccupied with the pace of play. It was dead slow and I had somewhere to be after the round, so it looked like I wouldn't be able to squeeze the entire round in. These are not the thoughts you should have if you want to focus on playing well.
I tried to hit a “safe” 3-iron off the tee on hole #5, instead of driver. Well, I pulled the shot left into a water hazard. After a penalty and drop, my path to the green was blocked, so I had to lay up near the 100-yard marker. The ball carried a little too far and I had tree issues on my fourth shot. I avoided the overhanging limbs, but deposited the ball in a bunker behind the green. My sand shot rolled off the other side of the green and I pulled the subsequent chip slightly. This left a tricky breaking putt, which I missed, resulting in a horrific quadruple-bogey.
I was livid at this point and it showed over the next two holes. I made a double-bogey on a par-3 and a triple on a par-4. I duffed a 9-iron attempt into a small pond and duffed two consecutive shots with the lob wedge from just short of a green. It didn't matter that I made bogey and par to close out the front nine. Even the par was disappointing given how the hole started. I blasted a 285 yard drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving just 50 yards to the flag. My pitch shot was long, but found the green. I made a beautiful lengthy putt, only to have the ball stop with a third of it hanging over the hole. Are you kidding me?
Bogey and par started the back nine, but I still wasn't feeling good. The bogey was the result of another nice putt stopping on the edge of the hole. The par was thanks to a greenside up and down, but I hit some ugly looking shots to set that up. Then on hole #12, I went off the rails again. I pushed a drive way right into the opposite fairway. My recovery shot hit a tree and then I thinned one over the green and into some thick woods. I finished with a triple-bogey 7.
The final third of the round produced five bogeys an a double. The double once again began with a drive pushed way right of target. I was taking a short backswing, but really accelerating on the downswing as much as I could. I was in no mood to take it easy out there. Once I knew I would be scoring in the mid to high nineties, there really was nothing to play for. At this point, I really consider anything over 90 to be garbage. When you finish one or two strokes above that level, you're at least in the hunt. When you're four or five strokes above that level, you've just wasted your time. Seriously, the fact that I can't shoot 90 or lower with any consistency is a cruel joke.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
Unfortunately, the whole round went downhill from there. I had 95 yards remaining to the flag and tried to take a little bit off a sand wedge. In the air it looked really good, but it went long and finished on the cart path, five yards behind the green. The nearest point of relief was a muddy area with almost no grass. After taking a drop, I tried to pitch on, but the sole of the club reacted strangely to the ground. The ball squirted 45 degrees to the left and I still wasn't on the putting surface. After another try and two putts, I walked away with a disappointing double-bogey. It was such a waste!
The next two holes, a par-5 and a par-4, were fine and produced bogeys. Hole #4 began with a drive that looked good from the tee, but actually trickled into a pond left of the fairway. After a penalty stroke and drop, I pulled an approach left of the green on this par-4. A delicate pitch shot and two pretty good putts could only salvage double-bogey.
At this point, I was already not feeling good about the round. Aside from the fact I was 6-over through four holes, I was preoccupied with the pace of play. It was dead slow and I had somewhere to be after the round, so it looked like I wouldn't be able to squeeze the entire round in. These are not the thoughts you should have if you want to focus on playing well.
I tried to hit a “safe” 3-iron off the tee on hole #5, instead of driver. Well, I pulled the shot left into a water hazard. After a penalty and drop, my path to the green was blocked, so I had to lay up near the 100-yard marker. The ball carried a little too far and I had tree issues on my fourth shot. I avoided the overhanging limbs, but deposited the ball in a bunker behind the green. My sand shot rolled off the other side of the green and I pulled the subsequent chip slightly. This left a tricky breaking putt, which I missed, resulting in a horrific quadruple-bogey.
I was livid at this point and it showed over the next two holes. I made a double-bogey on a par-3 and a triple on a par-4. I duffed a 9-iron attempt into a small pond and duffed two consecutive shots with the lob wedge from just short of a green. It didn't matter that I made bogey and par to close out the front nine. Even the par was disappointing given how the hole started. I blasted a 285 yard drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving just 50 yards to the flag. My pitch shot was long, but found the green. I made a beautiful lengthy putt, only to have the ball stop with a third of it hanging over the hole. Are you kidding me?
Bogey and par started the back nine, but I still wasn't feeling good. The bogey was the result of another nice putt stopping on the edge of the hole. The par was thanks to a greenside up and down, but I hit some ugly looking shots to set that up. Then on hole #12, I went off the rails again. I pushed a drive way right into the opposite fairway. My recovery shot hit a tree and then I thinned one over the green and into some thick woods. I finished with a triple-bogey 7.
The final third of the round produced five bogeys an a double. The double once again began with a drive pushed way right of target. I was taking a short backswing, but really accelerating on the downswing as much as I could. I was in no mood to take it easy out there. Once I knew I would be scoring in the mid to high nineties, there really was nothing to play for. At this point, I really consider anything over 90 to be garbage. When you finish one or two strokes above that level, you're at least in the hunt. When you're four or five strokes above that level, you've just wasted your time. Seriously, the fact that I can't shoot 90 or lower with any consistency is a cruel joke.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
October 10, 2016
No Ace This Time at Calerin
Earlier this year, I had a hole-in-one at Calerin Golf Club. I wasn't expecting the same this time around, but I was hoping for a good overall score. Well, I finished with a 98, so that didn't really happen. The elevated score was due to three horrific holes, which combined for 28 of the strokes taken (10, 8, 10). Due to equitable stroke control, my score for handicap purposes was just 91. This actually reduced my handicap factor to 16.7 – a drop of two tenths. So, I guess it wasn't a total loss.
The first five holes were great, as I went bogey, par, bogey, bogey and par. The two pars were on par-3 holes, as I was able to hit the greens in regulation and then 2-putt. The remaining holes, including a pair of par-5 tests, required one extra shot each to find the greens, followed by 2-putts. Nearly a third into the round I was in fabulous shape and feeling good.
All of a sudden, I exploded for a 10 and then 8, both on par-4 holes. In both cases, I got in serious trouble right off the tee and couldn't recover. On hole #6, I made contact with the heel of the driver, sending the ball dribbling just a few yards ahead and to the left. It was in long fescue and took two hacks to get out into the fairway. Trees on the inside of the dogleg were blocking the green, but I was in no mood to concede another stroke. I tried to slice a 4-iron, but I flushed it straight, stopping at the edge of the woods. I had no backswing and could only advance the ball into a deep greenside bunker. Shot #6 emerged from the bunker – just barely. It took two chips to get on the green and a couple of putts to hole out. Yech!
On hole #7, my drive went left and was lost in the long fescue. Hitting my third from the tee, I went left again, but found the ball on a steep slope behind a small bush. I hacked it to the fairway, 70 yards from the flag. My wedge shot sailed over the green, into the fescue again. Shot #6 came out clean, but hung up in the rough by the greenside collar. A chip and a putt finished the hole. Wow, things can go sour quickly!
Having seriously messed up two drives in a row, I vowed to try something different. I had been taking a short backswing and following through rather gently. Over the next two holes, I kept the backswing the same, but I accelerated on the downswing to produce as much speed as I could. Boy, did it work! I ripped drives straight down the pipe on holes #8 and #9, setting up a bogey and par.
Unfortunately, the same approach led to a pulled drive on hole #10. The ball was gobbled up once again by the fescue and I couldn't find it. I got frustrated and started taking silly swings. I topped a shot with the 5-wood that led to an unplayable ball, I pulled a sand wedge way left of the green, and so on. The par-5 hole produced my second double-digit score of the day.
Despite the pulled drive on #10, I stayed with the aggressive downswing action and it worked wonders for the rest of the round. I hit four of six fairways over the final eight holes and they were all straight and deep. The two misses were slightly to the right side, but the ball ended up in areas I could work with. I had a double-bogey during this stretch, due to a careless 3-putt. Otherwise, I collected five bogeys and two pars.
Fifteen holes played under control and three played in chaos. The story of my golfing career.
Score: 98
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 5
Penalties: 3
The first five holes were great, as I went bogey, par, bogey, bogey and par. The two pars were on par-3 holes, as I was able to hit the greens in regulation and then 2-putt. The remaining holes, including a pair of par-5 tests, required one extra shot each to find the greens, followed by 2-putts. Nearly a third into the round I was in fabulous shape and feeling good.
All of a sudden, I exploded for a 10 and then 8, both on par-4 holes. In both cases, I got in serious trouble right off the tee and couldn't recover. On hole #6, I made contact with the heel of the driver, sending the ball dribbling just a few yards ahead and to the left. It was in long fescue and took two hacks to get out into the fairway. Trees on the inside of the dogleg were blocking the green, but I was in no mood to concede another stroke. I tried to slice a 4-iron, but I flushed it straight, stopping at the edge of the woods. I had no backswing and could only advance the ball into a deep greenside bunker. Shot #6 emerged from the bunker – just barely. It took two chips to get on the green and a couple of putts to hole out. Yech!
On hole #7, my drive went left and was lost in the long fescue. Hitting my third from the tee, I went left again, but found the ball on a steep slope behind a small bush. I hacked it to the fairway, 70 yards from the flag. My wedge shot sailed over the green, into the fescue again. Shot #6 came out clean, but hung up in the rough by the greenside collar. A chip and a putt finished the hole. Wow, things can go sour quickly!
Having seriously messed up two drives in a row, I vowed to try something different. I had been taking a short backswing and following through rather gently. Over the next two holes, I kept the backswing the same, but I accelerated on the downswing to produce as much speed as I could. Boy, did it work! I ripped drives straight down the pipe on holes #8 and #9, setting up a bogey and par.
Unfortunately, the same approach led to a pulled drive on hole #10. The ball was gobbled up once again by the fescue and I couldn't find it. I got frustrated and started taking silly swings. I topped a shot with the 5-wood that led to an unplayable ball, I pulled a sand wedge way left of the green, and so on. The par-5 hole produced my second double-digit score of the day.
Despite the pulled drive on #10, I stayed with the aggressive downswing action and it worked wonders for the rest of the round. I hit four of six fairways over the final eight holes and they were all straight and deep. The two misses were slightly to the right side, but the ball ended up in areas I could work with. I had a double-bogey during this stretch, due to a careless 3-putt. Otherwise, I collected five bogeys and two pars.
Fifteen holes played under control and three played in chaos. The story of my golfing career.
Score: 98
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 5
Penalties: 3
October 04, 2016
Back to Normal at Settlers' Ghost
I carefully consulted the weather forecast before choosing a date for my latest round of golf, which was played at Settlers' Ghost, just north of Barrie. Let's just say the weather people got it wrong. A steady mist fell the entire time I was out on the course and I didn't see the sun all day long. Thankfully, the temperature was reasonable. As I'm writing this the next day, the sun is gleaming and it's absolutely beautiful outside. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes.
This was my first ever visit to Settlers' Ghost, which is located just a stones throw away from Horseshoe Valley Resort. The course plays over hilly terrain, with fairways either rising or falling toward the greens. None of the holes are on the side of a hill, so you usually have a fair lie. The design is links inspired, which is to say that the contours of the land provide more of an obstacle than do trees. I played the tips at 6,346 yards, which was certainly adequate. The course is wedged into a tight piece of land, but designers did a good job fitting everything in. If you look at an aerial view, the holes appear close together, but you don't really notice when playing.
I bogeyed the opening par-4, thanks mostly to a well placed drive. On hole #2, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a perfect 3-iron to find the green and finished with par. I bogeyed the next hole, a par-4, thanks to a great 2-putt from distance. On hole #4, a 369-yard par-4, I collected another par. This time, a spectacular approach with the 7-iron was the catalyst. As you can see, different parts of my game were coming up big a different moments.
Unfortunately, different parts of my game were also letting me down at different moments. My drive attempt on hole #5, a 526-yard par-5, was pulled off the heel and dove deep into some thick, lush fescue. It took all my might just to hack the ball out 40 yards. Despite good shots that followed, I ended up with double-bogey. After a nice par on hole #6, I took another double on hole #7. This is a short par-3 over water. I got the ball airborne with the 9-iron, but I pulled it left and out of bounds. Hitting my third from the tee, I found the green and 2-putt to finish.
Particularly during the middle of the round, I was struggling to keep my grips dry. This cost me a stroke on hole #9, as the 5-iron slipped completely in my hand off the tee. Luckily, I regrouped for bogey and a decent score of 44 at the turn. I don't usually play with a glove, but I opted to use one because the grip situation was getting out of hand. It didn't help on hole #10, as I hit a high push over some tall trees and straight across the 18th fairway. It was a terrible spot to be in and I ended up with a triple-bogey.
The rain eased up a bit and I got back to playing pretty good golf. After bogeys on holes #11 and #12, I collected par on hole #13. My drive on this par-4 was mediocre, finishing in the left rough and quite short. Fortunately, I delivered a perfect 8-iron to set up the 2-putt par. Bogey ensued on hole #14, a par-3, before another double-bogey reared its ugly head on hole #15. This is a 561-yard par-5 that began with another pulled drive short and into thick, long fescue. Overall, the par-5 holes were my worst. They are all long enough that if you start with a bad drive, it's very difficult to recover.
With that out of my system, I collected back-to-back pars on holes #16 and #17. In both cases, I was just off the green in regulation, but chipped and 1-putt to finish. Hole #18 is a downhill par-4, with thick trees on both sides. It's actually quite narrow, so you have to be really careful from the elevated tee. I hit a straight drive, though not overly long. I could get to the green with 7-iron, but I pushed it slightly and clipped some tall trees. The ball dropped 40 yards from the green, but I had a bush in my backswing. As a result, I needed two shots to get on the putting surface. I then 2-putt for double-bogey.
So it was 46 on the back nine and 90 overall. Not bad, considering I never played the course and weather conditions were not good.
Score: 90
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
This was my first ever visit to Settlers' Ghost, which is located just a stones throw away from Horseshoe Valley Resort. The course plays over hilly terrain, with fairways either rising or falling toward the greens. None of the holes are on the side of a hill, so you usually have a fair lie. The design is links inspired, which is to say that the contours of the land provide more of an obstacle than do trees. I played the tips at 6,346 yards, which was certainly adequate. The course is wedged into a tight piece of land, but designers did a good job fitting everything in. If you look at an aerial view, the holes appear close together, but you don't really notice when playing.
I bogeyed the opening par-4, thanks mostly to a well placed drive. On hole #2, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a perfect 3-iron to find the green and finished with par. I bogeyed the next hole, a par-4, thanks to a great 2-putt from distance. On hole #4, a 369-yard par-4, I collected another par. This time, a spectacular approach with the 7-iron was the catalyst. As you can see, different parts of my game were coming up big a different moments.
Unfortunately, different parts of my game were also letting me down at different moments. My drive attempt on hole #5, a 526-yard par-5, was pulled off the heel and dove deep into some thick, lush fescue. It took all my might just to hack the ball out 40 yards. Despite good shots that followed, I ended up with double-bogey. After a nice par on hole #6, I took another double on hole #7. This is a short par-3 over water. I got the ball airborne with the 9-iron, but I pulled it left and out of bounds. Hitting my third from the tee, I found the green and 2-putt to finish.
Particularly during the middle of the round, I was struggling to keep my grips dry. This cost me a stroke on hole #9, as the 5-iron slipped completely in my hand off the tee. Luckily, I regrouped for bogey and a decent score of 44 at the turn. I don't usually play with a glove, but I opted to use one because the grip situation was getting out of hand. It didn't help on hole #10, as I hit a high push over some tall trees and straight across the 18th fairway. It was a terrible spot to be in and I ended up with a triple-bogey.
The rain eased up a bit and I got back to playing pretty good golf. After bogeys on holes #11 and #12, I collected par on hole #13. My drive on this par-4 was mediocre, finishing in the left rough and quite short. Fortunately, I delivered a perfect 8-iron to set up the 2-putt par. Bogey ensued on hole #14, a par-3, before another double-bogey reared its ugly head on hole #15. This is a 561-yard par-5 that began with another pulled drive short and into thick, long fescue. Overall, the par-5 holes were my worst. They are all long enough that if you start with a bad drive, it's very difficult to recover.
With that out of my system, I collected back-to-back pars on holes #16 and #17. In both cases, I was just off the green in regulation, but chipped and 1-putt to finish. Hole #18 is a downhill par-4, with thick trees on both sides. It's actually quite narrow, so you have to be really careful from the elevated tee. I hit a straight drive, though not overly long. I could get to the green with 7-iron, but I pushed it slightly and clipped some tall trees. The ball dropped 40 yards from the green, but I had a bush in my backswing. As a result, I needed two shots to get on the putting surface. I then 2-putt for double-bogey.
So it was 46 on the back nine and 90 overall. Not bad, considering I never played the course and weather conditions were not good.
Score: 90
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
September 28, 2016
Magic Ends at Scenic Woods
I booked a round at King's Forest, only to find out at the last minute that part of the course was closed for maintenance and that I would have to play the same nine twice. Not only that, but my tee time would have to be pushed back by 45 minutes. I was given the option to cancel, which I did, but now I was left with nowhere to play. After a quick search, the only place I could get a tee time at was Scenic Woods. I had already played there twice this year and was content to leave it at that. This is despite the fact that I've had great success there. In my four visits to the course, I had four scores of 85. Alas, I had no other options, so off I went.
The starter had me join a threesome and that pretty much dictated how this round would play out. Two of the guys were quite friendly, while the third was more aloof. I estimate they were 15-20 years older than me, but they moved around the golf course like they were 40 years older. I'm not talking about their golfing ability – just about how they moved (or didn't move) around the course. I realized on the first hole that this was going to be a slow round. It was frustrating because there was absolutely nobody ahead of us. When I'm fretting about fellow competitors instead of my game, you know the result is going to be bad. There was no rhythm whatsoever to the round and the result was predictable.
I bogeyed the opening hole, then pulled my tee shot on hole #2 into the woods. Hitting my third from the tee, all I could muster was a triple-bogey. I made par on hole #3 to get back on track, but any satisfaction was short-lived. Hole #4 is a short par-4. You can drive one near the green, but there is substantial risk. The safer play is to hit something like 8-iron, then wedge into the putting surface. In previous visits, the aggressive approach worked for me, so I went with it again. On those occasions, however, I was able to focus. This time, my mind was elsewhere. A bad drive led to my second penalty stroke of the day and I finished with a double-bogey.
The penalty strokes continued over the next couple of holes. On hole #5, I hit a drive to the centre of the fairway, only to have my ball stop in a small, dry ditch. The ball was on the up-slope, which interfered with my stance, but otherwise seemed fine. I made great contact with a 6-iron, only to watch the ball curve inexplicably to some bushes on the left. Double-bogey was the result. On hole #6, I hit a weak 6-iron off the tee. My second shot was a low punch beneath a tree and over a creek. Unfortunately, I hit it so well that the ball ran into more bushes left of the green. This time, I finished with a triple-bogey.
I closed out the front nine with three bogeys, but even these were bad bogeys. On hole #8, I piped a 270-yard drive straight down the fairway. My lob wedge into the green flew over the flag, leaving a lengthy downhill putt for birdie. The greens were really slow and I left the first putt way short. This led to a dreaded 3-putt. On hole #9, a 168-yard par-3, I hit an absolutely marvellous tee shot. There was a really stiff crosswind from right to left, so I aimed well right of the flag. Contact was pure, the ball was high, and I rode the wind perfectly. The only negative was that I hit the ball further than I usually do. I was left with a lengthy downhill birdie putt and once again, I came up short, 3-putting to make the turn with a score of 49.
Holes #10 and #13 were disastrous triple-bogeys. A punch shot from beneath a tree smacked the trunk on #10, finishing unplayable in the weeds behind me. A 7-iron off the tee curled into a water hazard on #13, and then I duffed a shot from the drop area. In between, I managed a couple of decent bogeys. I was still hanging on at hole #15, but then my drive attempt hooked a bit into the fescue. At that point, I needed to play well just to secure a score in the high nineties, so I really lost interest. I began playing shots that I normally wouldn't, just to see if I could pull any of them off. I took three penalty strokes on hole #15 alone, leading to a score of 10.
There was a bright spot at the end of the round, on hole #18. This is a 451-yard par-5, with a large pond that runs on the right side from the mid-point up to the green. I was not playing for score, so I tried to hit driver as hard as I could. The funny thing is, the huge swing led to the shortest drive of the day – just 200 yards, finishing in the left rough. LOL. I was 250 yards from the green and decided to hit 5-wood to see how close I could get it. Well, contact was pure, and a tailwind carried the high shot right up to the green. It took one bounce before the putting surface and finished flag-high, 18 feet from the cup. What a great shot! The eagle attempt was very good, leaving less than a foot for the tap-in birdie.
As for the round overall, what a letdown coming on the heels of a 78.
Score: 103
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 9
The starter had me join a threesome and that pretty much dictated how this round would play out. Two of the guys were quite friendly, while the third was more aloof. I estimate they were 15-20 years older than me, but they moved around the golf course like they were 40 years older. I'm not talking about their golfing ability – just about how they moved (or didn't move) around the course. I realized on the first hole that this was going to be a slow round. It was frustrating because there was absolutely nobody ahead of us. When I'm fretting about fellow competitors instead of my game, you know the result is going to be bad. There was no rhythm whatsoever to the round and the result was predictable.
I bogeyed the opening hole, then pulled my tee shot on hole #2 into the woods. Hitting my third from the tee, all I could muster was a triple-bogey. I made par on hole #3 to get back on track, but any satisfaction was short-lived. Hole #4 is a short par-4. You can drive one near the green, but there is substantial risk. The safer play is to hit something like 8-iron, then wedge into the putting surface. In previous visits, the aggressive approach worked for me, so I went with it again. On those occasions, however, I was able to focus. This time, my mind was elsewhere. A bad drive led to my second penalty stroke of the day and I finished with a double-bogey.
The penalty strokes continued over the next couple of holes. On hole #5, I hit a drive to the centre of the fairway, only to have my ball stop in a small, dry ditch. The ball was on the up-slope, which interfered with my stance, but otherwise seemed fine. I made great contact with a 6-iron, only to watch the ball curve inexplicably to some bushes on the left. Double-bogey was the result. On hole #6, I hit a weak 6-iron off the tee. My second shot was a low punch beneath a tree and over a creek. Unfortunately, I hit it so well that the ball ran into more bushes left of the green. This time, I finished with a triple-bogey.
I closed out the front nine with three bogeys, but even these were bad bogeys. On hole #8, I piped a 270-yard drive straight down the fairway. My lob wedge into the green flew over the flag, leaving a lengthy downhill putt for birdie. The greens were really slow and I left the first putt way short. This led to a dreaded 3-putt. On hole #9, a 168-yard par-3, I hit an absolutely marvellous tee shot. There was a really stiff crosswind from right to left, so I aimed well right of the flag. Contact was pure, the ball was high, and I rode the wind perfectly. The only negative was that I hit the ball further than I usually do. I was left with a lengthy downhill birdie putt and once again, I came up short, 3-putting to make the turn with a score of 49.
Holes #10 and #13 were disastrous triple-bogeys. A punch shot from beneath a tree smacked the trunk on #10, finishing unplayable in the weeds behind me. A 7-iron off the tee curled into a water hazard on #13, and then I duffed a shot from the drop area. In between, I managed a couple of decent bogeys. I was still hanging on at hole #15, but then my drive attempt hooked a bit into the fescue. At that point, I needed to play well just to secure a score in the high nineties, so I really lost interest. I began playing shots that I normally wouldn't, just to see if I could pull any of them off. I took three penalty strokes on hole #15 alone, leading to a score of 10.
There was a bright spot at the end of the round, on hole #18. This is a 451-yard par-5, with a large pond that runs on the right side from the mid-point up to the green. I was not playing for score, so I tried to hit driver as hard as I could. The funny thing is, the huge swing led to the shortest drive of the day – just 200 yards, finishing in the left rough. LOL. I was 250 yards from the green and decided to hit 5-wood to see how close I could get it. Well, contact was pure, and a tailwind carried the high shot right up to the green. It took one bounce before the putting surface and finished flag-high, 18 feet from the cup. What a great shot! The eagle attempt was very good, leaving less than a foot for the tap-in birdie.
As for the round overall, what a letdown coming on the heels of a 78.
Score: 103
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 9
September 23, 2016
How I Broke 80 at BraeBen Golf Course
It's been a good year for golf. Spring was highlighted by my first ever hole in one – a satisfying ace at Calerin Golf Club. During the summer, my handicap factor dipped to 15.5 – a personal best. It seems fitting, therefore, that the first day of fall produced another milestone – the first time I broke 80!
It was a long time coming. I started golfing regularly in 2002. Before that, I had only played a handful of rounds. So you could say that this accomplishment is 15 years in the making. My previous best score – an 81 at Deer Creek Golf Club – took place 9 years ago! Golf is certainly a game of ups and downs.
The scene was BraeBen Golf Course on a lovely afternoon. In previous visits to the Mississauga course, I managed scores of 87, 94, 93 and 95. The 87 came earlier this year, while the 95 was way back in 2006. It was a personal best at the time, and I remember how hopeful it made me for the future.
This latest round also makes me hopeful, so I think it merits a shot-by-shot account. Lengthy and boring, yes, but I don't care. This only happens once every 15 years. Let's get started.
Hole #1 – Par-5 (502 yards)
Anything hit to the left on the opening hole is a recipe for disaster, thanks to a very steep drop-off covered in brush. I hit a 240-yard drive that finished two feet into the right rough. The ball was above my feet, promoting a pull hook to the dangerous left side, so I had to be careful. Aiming well right, I hit a 7-iron that finished in the middle of the fairway. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge into the heart of the green. I curled a 12-foot birdie putt very near the hole, tapping in for a stress-free par.
Hole #2 – Par-3 (144 yards)
The left side of this hole is also defined by the brush-covered hillside and must be avoided at all cost. A bit of wind was at our backs, so I pulled pitching wedge from the bag. Aiming at the right edge of the green, I had a sweet swing and watched the ball draw slightly toward the flag. I was surprised that I only reached the front of the green, leaving a fairly lengthy uphill putt. It also had a lot of break, as I was coming over a mound. My weight was good, but a 4-footer remained for par. I drained it convincingly.
Hole #3 – Par-4 (315 yards)
Although this is a short hole, I played driver off the tee. My intention was to steer the ball into a good position, rather than launch one deep. A low cut shot settled two feet into the right rough. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge directly at the flag. It was a little long and came to rest at the back of the green. The birdie putt was straight, but quite lengthy and a bit downhill. I judged the pace well, leaving a 3-footer for par. Once again, it went down without incident.
Hole #4 – Par-3 (131 yards)
Wind features prominently at BraeBen, particularly on this hole. It's really all about club selection. It was in our face at this moment, so I clubbed up to a 9-iron. Once again, I took aim at the right side of the green, envisioning a slight draw back to the centre. That's exactly what happened, but I finished well short of the back hole location. I could have used an 8-iron. No problem, as I lagged a long putt up the hill, followed by a steely 4-footer that dropped for par.
Hole #5 – Par-4 (314 yards)
Another short par-4 where I opted for driver off the tee. The hole suits my eye, but I pushed the drive to the right, well behind some bunkers. It was the first stumble of the round. The fescue at BraeBen was not nearly as thick or high as I remember it, so I ended up with a fairly decent lie and an open line to the green. I hit sand wedge on the proper line, but it didn't come out clean and I was 10 yards short of the green. I lobbed one onto the putting surface within makeable range, but just missed the putt, settling for bogey.
Hole #6 – Par-5 (441 yards)
This hole began with a 250-yard drive to the right rough, where the cart path leads toward the green. It's the safe side of the hole and pretty much where I was aiming. Unfortunately, the ball was way above my feet at mid-thigh level. I choked up on a 4-iron and went for the green. It was a bad miss, as I topped the ball and it dribbled forward just 30 yards. The worst part was that I had the same lie to contend with, albeit with a shorter and more lofted club. I hit a perfect 7-iron that found the left side of the green in regulation. Facing a long downhill putt, I raced it way past the hole. A 10-foot uphill putt remained for par and I drained it. Yes!
Hole #7 – Par-3 (138 yards)
A par-3 with a massive drop-off from the tee to the shallow green, fronted by a pond and backed by thick trees. We were actually playing from 150 yards, so I calculated that pitching wedge would work. This shot can be very intimidating, but I went through the routine that had been working so far and fired a dart, left of the hole but flag high. Great shot! The birdie putt was close to 20 feet, but straight uphill, so I could be aggressive. Like a bonehead, I left the attempt six feet short. I missed the par putt too, taking a disappointing 3-putt bogey.
Hole #8 – Par-5 (475 yards)
Though it wasn't by design, I hit a low cutting drive on this hole that finished two feet into the right rough. I was too far back to go for the green, so I hit a pitching wedge, being careful to avoid a large bunker that sits in the middle of the fairway. The ball stopped in the rough surrounding the bunker, but I had a level lie. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge directly over the flag, setting up a birdie chance. The ten-footer was a delicate downhill try, which I rolled to within a foot. Another stress-free par.
Hole #9 – Par-4 (372 yards)
I tried to drive the ball over the left side bunker on the inside of this dogleg, but missed slightly to the right. I had a nice lie in the right rough, steps away from the nasty fescue and weeds. From there, I directed a sand wedge to the front of the green. This left a lengthy uphill putt for birdie. I didn't make it, but my pace was perfect and I tapped in for par. I shot 38 (+2) on the front nine and it really should have been 37, if not for the ridiculous 3-putt on hole #7. I hit 8 of 9 greens in regulation, which made all the difference.
Hole #10 – Par-3 (140 yards)
The tees were back at 164 yards, so I went with the 7-iron. Again, I aimed at the right edge of the green, looking for a slight draw back to the centre. This time, it was more of a pull. The first bounce was off the cart path, so I finished 40 yards from the flag. I pitched on very well, but did not make a great lag putt, leaving a nervy 6-footer for bogey. This one had a slight break, which I read perfectly. It was a clutch putt, albeit for bogey.
Hole #11 – Par-4 (425 yards)
The hardest hole on the back nine and with good reason. It's quite long, so you need a good drive off the tee. Mine finished two feet into the left rough, a few feet away from a fairway bunker. The ball was below my feet, promoting a push slice, which would direct a right-handed player to the right side of the green, where all the danger lies. I buckled down and hit a great 6-iron. It was flag high, three feet off the left side of the green. With the entire width of the green to work with, I hit a lovely chip to about four feet. I had been making putts of this length all day and I did so again for a nice par.
Hole #12 – Par-4 (355 yards)
With a modest course length of 5867 yards from the blue tees, I was definitely not worrying about length off the tee. I took the same approach on this hole, but I caught it pretty well and sent it 275 yards down the pipe. With 80 yards to the flag, I reached for the lob wedge. It looked great, but actually carried to the back edge of the green. A long downhill putt ensued, which stopped five feet short of the hole. I was feeling confident at that range and rolled another beauty into the cup for par.
Hole #13 – Par-3 (168 yards)
At this point, I had really only missed three shots – the drive on #5, the first putt on #7, and the iron shot on #10. These mistakes were isolated. On this hole, unfortunately, I strung together a few mis-hits. I pushed a 7-iron off the tee, 30 yards to the right of the green. I caught the pitch attempt thin, rolling to the opposite side of the green. Finally, I pushed my long lag putt at the last second, leaving a 10-footer for bogey. This time, I didn't make it and ended up with a double-bogey. It was the worst result of the day.
Hole #14 – Par-4 (321 yards)
Like hole #9, this is a dogleg left. There is a bunker on the left side which is a good aiming point if you want to leave a wedge shot as your approach. I hit a really weak slice, but stayed in the fairway, 150 yards from the green. The wind was in our face, so I opted for 7-iron. It was a mis-hit that came out low and right, stopping in a deep greenside bunker. Next came a fabulous out from wet sand that finished three feet from the cup. Oh baby! It was a great up and down for par.
Hole #15 – Par-4 (411 yards)
This is a sharp dogleg right that plays much shorter than the listed yardage if you cut the corner. I hit a good drive that ran through the end of the fairway, stopping in the rough on a steep downhill lie. I paced off the distance to the green as 72 yards. Because of the lie and stance, it was not an easy shot, but I made it look so by nailing the green with the lob wedge. I tried the uphill birdie putt, but left it three feet short. It was a poor effort, but I was able to make the next one for par.
Hole #16 – Par-5 (476 yards)
I teed off at 2:30 in the afternoon and the course was busy, so we were beginning to lose light. With some cloud cover, it was getting hard to spot the ball. I hit a straight drive to the middle of the fairway, though not very deep. I tried to punch a 5-iron down the fairway with a half-swing, but I caught the toe of the club and the ball squirted short and right. I was in the rough, 125 yards from the green, but on the side of a massive slope. The green is tucked to the right side, so I had to go over a couple small trees. The shot looked okay, but I couldn't see the result as the green was not visible. As I approached the green, there was my ball, 12 feet behind the hole. I gave the birdie putt a good chance, but it missed and I tapped in for par.
Hole #17 – Par-4 (293 yards)
This green is reachable with a good drive and I've put one just a few feet off the front edge in the past. I considered playing a mid-iron off the tee, but felt the risk of playing driver was worth the reward. There is a huge drop-off all along the right side of this hole, so I aimed to the left side. It was a good shot, finishing in some rough just 25 yards short and left of the green. My first pitch attempt came up 10 yards short and my next one rolled a healthy distance past the hole. No worries, as I drained a 10-footer for par.
Hole #18 – Par-5 (446 yards)
A fun finishing hole. I began with a drive that finished three feet into the left rough. It wasn't all that deep, leaving 225 yards to the green. I pulled 5-wood to see if I could get it close. It was a high towering shot that finished flag-high, ten yards right of the green. I could smell a par at this point, maybe even a birdie, but my pitch shot had to barely land on the green, as it was all falling away from me toward the hole. The ball took a bounce in the rough and did not release to the green. I hit a delicate chip that just missed the flagstick, settling in the low spot, ten feet from the hole. It was a straight par putt, but a steep uphill, so I had to be aggressive. Again, I left it short. Oh well, bogey was the result.
I knew all along that this had a chance to be my best round ever. It felt great to rattle off four pars at the start. This gave me confidence that I carried right to the end. It was so much fun to hit greens and make putts. Mind you, I had a couple of 3-putts and 35 putts overall. Perhaps that's why I didn't make a single birdie all day. It's funny – you would think I'd need a couple of birdies to produce a score like this. Not so when you're a par machine.
An amazing round! :)
Score: 78
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 11
Penalties: 0
It was a long time coming. I started golfing regularly in 2002. Before that, I had only played a handful of rounds. So you could say that this accomplishment is 15 years in the making. My previous best score – an 81 at Deer Creek Golf Club – took place 9 years ago! Golf is certainly a game of ups and downs.
The scene was BraeBen Golf Course on a lovely afternoon. In previous visits to the Mississauga course, I managed scores of 87, 94, 93 and 95. The 87 came earlier this year, while the 95 was way back in 2006. It was a personal best at the time, and I remember how hopeful it made me for the future.
This latest round also makes me hopeful, so I think it merits a shot-by-shot account. Lengthy and boring, yes, but I don't care. This only happens once every 15 years. Let's get started.
Hole #1 – Par-5 (502 yards)
Anything hit to the left on the opening hole is a recipe for disaster, thanks to a very steep drop-off covered in brush. I hit a 240-yard drive that finished two feet into the right rough. The ball was above my feet, promoting a pull hook to the dangerous left side, so I had to be careful. Aiming well right, I hit a 7-iron that finished in the middle of the fairway. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge into the heart of the green. I curled a 12-foot birdie putt very near the hole, tapping in for a stress-free par.
Hole #2 – Par-3 (144 yards)
The left side of this hole is also defined by the brush-covered hillside and must be avoided at all cost. A bit of wind was at our backs, so I pulled pitching wedge from the bag. Aiming at the right edge of the green, I had a sweet swing and watched the ball draw slightly toward the flag. I was surprised that I only reached the front of the green, leaving a fairly lengthy uphill putt. It also had a lot of break, as I was coming over a mound. My weight was good, but a 4-footer remained for par. I drained it convincingly.
Hole #3 – Par-4 (315 yards)
Although this is a short hole, I played driver off the tee. My intention was to steer the ball into a good position, rather than launch one deep. A low cut shot settled two feet into the right rough. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge directly at the flag. It was a little long and came to rest at the back of the green. The birdie putt was straight, but quite lengthy and a bit downhill. I judged the pace well, leaving a 3-footer for par. Once again, it went down without incident.
Hole #4 – Par-3 (131 yards)
Wind features prominently at BraeBen, particularly on this hole. It's really all about club selection. It was in our face at this moment, so I clubbed up to a 9-iron. Once again, I took aim at the right side of the green, envisioning a slight draw back to the centre. That's exactly what happened, but I finished well short of the back hole location. I could have used an 8-iron. No problem, as I lagged a long putt up the hill, followed by a steely 4-footer that dropped for par.
Hole #5 – Par-4 (314 yards)
Another short par-4 where I opted for driver off the tee. The hole suits my eye, but I pushed the drive to the right, well behind some bunkers. It was the first stumble of the round. The fescue at BraeBen was not nearly as thick or high as I remember it, so I ended up with a fairly decent lie and an open line to the green. I hit sand wedge on the proper line, but it didn't come out clean and I was 10 yards short of the green. I lobbed one onto the putting surface within makeable range, but just missed the putt, settling for bogey.
Hole #6 – Par-5 (441 yards)
This hole began with a 250-yard drive to the right rough, where the cart path leads toward the green. It's the safe side of the hole and pretty much where I was aiming. Unfortunately, the ball was way above my feet at mid-thigh level. I choked up on a 4-iron and went for the green. It was a bad miss, as I topped the ball and it dribbled forward just 30 yards. The worst part was that I had the same lie to contend with, albeit with a shorter and more lofted club. I hit a perfect 7-iron that found the left side of the green in regulation. Facing a long downhill putt, I raced it way past the hole. A 10-foot uphill putt remained for par and I drained it. Yes!
Hole #7 – Par-3 (138 yards)
A par-3 with a massive drop-off from the tee to the shallow green, fronted by a pond and backed by thick trees. We were actually playing from 150 yards, so I calculated that pitching wedge would work. This shot can be very intimidating, but I went through the routine that had been working so far and fired a dart, left of the hole but flag high. Great shot! The birdie putt was close to 20 feet, but straight uphill, so I could be aggressive. Like a bonehead, I left the attempt six feet short. I missed the par putt too, taking a disappointing 3-putt bogey.
Hole #8 – Par-5 (475 yards)
Though it wasn't by design, I hit a low cutting drive on this hole that finished two feet into the right rough. I was too far back to go for the green, so I hit a pitching wedge, being careful to avoid a large bunker that sits in the middle of the fairway. The ball stopped in the rough surrounding the bunker, but I had a level lie. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge directly over the flag, setting up a birdie chance. The ten-footer was a delicate downhill try, which I rolled to within a foot. Another stress-free par.
Hole #9 – Par-4 (372 yards)
I tried to drive the ball over the left side bunker on the inside of this dogleg, but missed slightly to the right. I had a nice lie in the right rough, steps away from the nasty fescue and weeds. From there, I directed a sand wedge to the front of the green. This left a lengthy uphill putt for birdie. I didn't make it, but my pace was perfect and I tapped in for par. I shot 38 (+2) on the front nine and it really should have been 37, if not for the ridiculous 3-putt on hole #7. I hit 8 of 9 greens in regulation, which made all the difference.
Hole #10 – Par-3 (140 yards)
The tees were back at 164 yards, so I went with the 7-iron. Again, I aimed at the right edge of the green, looking for a slight draw back to the centre. This time, it was more of a pull. The first bounce was off the cart path, so I finished 40 yards from the flag. I pitched on very well, but did not make a great lag putt, leaving a nervy 6-footer for bogey. This one had a slight break, which I read perfectly. It was a clutch putt, albeit for bogey.
Hole #11 – Par-4 (425 yards)
The hardest hole on the back nine and with good reason. It's quite long, so you need a good drive off the tee. Mine finished two feet into the left rough, a few feet away from a fairway bunker. The ball was below my feet, promoting a push slice, which would direct a right-handed player to the right side of the green, where all the danger lies. I buckled down and hit a great 6-iron. It was flag high, three feet off the left side of the green. With the entire width of the green to work with, I hit a lovely chip to about four feet. I had been making putts of this length all day and I did so again for a nice par.
Hole #12 – Par-4 (355 yards)
With a modest course length of 5867 yards from the blue tees, I was definitely not worrying about length off the tee. I took the same approach on this hole, but I caught it pretty well and sent it 275 yards down the pipe. With 80 yards to the flag, I reached for the lob wedge. It looked great, but actually carried to the back edge of the green. A long downhill putt ensued, which stopped five feet short of the hole. I was feeling confident at that range and rolled another beauty into the cup for par.
Hole #13 – Par-3 (168 yards)
At this point, I had really only missed three shots – the drive on #5, the first putt on #7, and the iron shot on #10. These mistakes were isolated. On this hole, unfortunately, I strung together a few mis-hits. I pushed a 7-iron off the tee, 30 yards to the right of the green. I caught the pitch attempt thin, rolling to the opposite side of the green. Finally, I pushed my long lag putt at the last second, leaving a 10-footer for bogey. This time, I didn't make it and ended up with a double-bogey. It was the worst result of the day.
Hole #14 – Par-4 (321 yards)
Like hole #9, this is a dogleg left. There is a bunker on the left side which is a good aiming point if you want to leave a wedge shot as your approach. I hit a really weak slice, but stayed in the fairway, 150 yards from the green. The wind was in our face, so I opted for 7-iron. It was a mis-hit that came out low and right, stopping in a deep greenside bunker. Next came a fabulous out from wet sand that finished three feet from the cup. Oh baby! It was a great up and down for par.
Hole #15 – Par-4 (411 yards)
This is a sharp dogleg right that plays much shorter than the listed yardage if you cut the corner. I hit a good drive that ran through the end of the fairway, stopping in the rough on a steep downhill lie. I paced off the distance to the green as 72 yards. Because of the lie and stance, it was not an easy shot, but I made it look so by nailing the green with the lob wedge. I tried the uphill birdie putt, but left it three feet short. It was a poor effort, but I was able to make the next one for par.
Hole #16 – Par-5 (476 yards)
I teed off at 2:30 in the afternoon and the course was busy, so we were beginning to lose light. With some cloud cover, it was getting hard to spot the ball. I hit a straight drive to the middle of the fairway, though not very deep. I tried to punch a 5-iron down the fairway with a half-swing, but I caught the toe of the club and the ball squirted short and right. I was in the rough, 125 yards from the green, but on the side of a massive slope. The green is tucked to the right side, so I had to go over a couple small trees. The shot looked okay, but I couldn't see the result as the green was not visible. As I approached the green, there was my ball, 12 feet behind the hole. I gave the birdie putt a good chance, but it missed and I tapped in for par.
Hole #17 – Par-4 (293 yards)
This green is reachable with a good drive and I've put one just a few feet off the front edge in the past. I considered playing a mid-iron off the tee, but felt the risk of playing driver was worth the reward. There is a huge drop-off all along the right side of this hole, so I aimed to the left side. It was a good shot, finishing in some rough just 25 yards short and left of the green. My first pitch attempt came up 10 yards short and my next one rolled a healthy distance past the hole. No worries, as I drained a 10-footer for par.
Hole #18 – Par-5 (446 yards)
A fun finishing hole. I began with a drive that finished three feet into the left rough. It wasn't all that deep, leaving 225 yards to the green. I pulled 5-wood to see if I could get it close. It was a high towering shot that finished flag-high, ten yards right of the green. I could smell a par at this point, maybe even a birdie, but my pitch shot had to barely land on the green, as it was all falling away from me toward the hole. The ball took a bounce in the rough and did not release to the green. I hit a delicate chip that just missed the flagstick, settling in the low spot, ten feet from the hole. It was a straight par putt, but a steep uphill, so I had to be aggressive. Again, I left it short. Oh well, bogey was the result.
I knew all along that this had a chance to be my best round ever. It felt great to rattle off four pars at the start. This gave me confidence that I carried right to the end. It was so much fun to hit greens and make putts. Mind you, I had a couple of 3-putts and 35 putts overall. Perhaps that's why I didn't make a single birdie all day. It's funny – you would think I'd need a couple of birdies to produce a score like this. Not so when you're a par machine.
An amazing round! :)
Score: 78
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 11
Penalties: 0
September 21, 2016
Revenge at Hunters Pointe
The last few days of summer have been gorgeous, so I headed out to Hunters Pointe just a day after playing Ussher's Creek. I played Hunters Pointe earlier this season and it was one of my worst rounds of the year. Fortunately, I was able to exact some revenge, as I played a mostly solid round and finished with a respectable score of 92.
Over the first three holes, I made a couple of mistakes, but they were isolated and I was able to save bogeys. One mistake on a hole is tolerable; any more than that is the kiss of death. On hole #4, a 140-yard par-3, I tried to hit a 7-iron to the back pin position, into the wind. It was a miss and the ball ended up well short in a bunker on the right side. I was hoping that would be the only mistake of the hole, but my next shot rolled through the green and into a very deep bunker on the other side. Another miss blasted into the grassy bank, popped up in the air and finished in yet another bunker on the opposite side of the green. Wow, three different bunkers on the same hole, which led to a disastrous score of 7.
Fortunately, I came back with a par on hole #5, a 510-yard par-5. This hole, along with the two preceding it and the one following it, were redesigned last year to prevent wayward balls from finding their way to the nearby highway. The redesign created some awkward situations for those not familiar with the changes. Since this was my second time playing the new holes, I knew where to position the ball in those situations. On #5, I hit the left side of the fairway, then made the correct layup, leaving 105 yards to the semi-hidden green. I hit just over the putting surface, but made a downhill chip and a 4-footer for par.
The rest of the front nine was great, with two bogeys, followed by two pars. Despite a penalty stroke on hole #6, a couple of crisp irons and a sublime chip and putt saved the day. On hole #7, a 420-yard par-4, driver followed by 9-iron got me just off the back of the green. This time, the chip wasn't as good, so a pair of putts were required to finish. On hole #8, a 215-yard par-3, I hit a 3-iron 240 yards off the back of the green! The tee is a little elevated and the prevailing wind is at your back. I semi-duffed my chip shot, coming up way short, but I followed up with an amazing lengthy putt for par. Hole #9 is a great par-5 requiring good shots, especially on the approach to the green over water. I hit a lovely 7-iron just off the back of the green, but once again got up and down for par.
The back nine started out well, with only one costly mistake on hole #11. A pond protects the right side of this par-4 from the mid-point up to the green. I opted for 5-wood off the tee to take the water out of play. Unfortunately, I hit a high shot that drifted to the right side. It caught a mound and kicked further right, barely rolling into the pond. I was forced to take a penalty and drop. I finished up the hole with good shots, but double-bogey was the result. I was just off the back of the green with my approach, as I was on the previous hole and on many holes throughout the day. On the previous hole, I saved bogey.
Holes #12 through #14 produced par, bogey, and par. The first of these is a 160-yard par-3. I hit an 8-iron to four feet behind the hole. The birdie putt had a slight bit of break, but I played it straight and burned the edge. On hole #14, I faced an 8-foot birdie putt, but that burned the edge also.
On hole #15, I dropped back to join a threesome that was playing behind me. I had played as a single all day, except for holes #7 through #9, when I joined up with a couple ahead of me. They only played nine holes, so I was alone again for the start of the back nine. I was on the tee at every hole with the foursome ahead of me, but they didn't let me through, reasoning that there was another foursome ahead of them. That was fine, except that on #15 tee, I had to observe a 5-minute discussion about one particular player and how much he should bend his knees at address. At this point, the group ahead of him was long off the green, so this was really uncalled for.
Perhaps I was distracted by the nonsense with the foursome ahead, or maybe the group I dropped back to join gave me bad karma, but the hole was a disaster. Two guys who teed off before me hit terrible shots – one barely got off the tee and bounced into a pond ahead and on the right. The other followed him, but his ball stayed dry. I went next and had the worst shot of the lot. I stone-cold topped the 5-iron, dribbling the ball five yards ahead into a creek. After a penalty stroke and drop, I flared one right and short, straight into the pond. I did have a nice chip near the green, but ended up with a score of 7 – my second such score of the day on a par-3.
The good news is that I rebounded again with a par on hole #16, a short par-4. I took bogey on the second-last hole of the day and a double-bogey on the last. My approach shot over the water on this par-5 was hit fat and ended up wet. Other than that, I played the rest of the hole well. My handicap factor is back to 18 even.
Score: 92
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
Over the first three holes, I made a couple of mistakes, but they were isolated and I was able to save bogeys. One mistake on a hole is tolerable; any more than that is the kiss of death. On hole #4, a 140-yard par-3, I tried to hit a 7-iron to the back pin position, into the wind. It was a miss and the ball ended up well short in a bunker on the right side. I was hoping that would be the only mistake of the hole, but my next shot rolled through the green and into a very deep bunker on the other side. Another miss blasted into the grassy bank, popped up in the air and finished in yet another bunker on the opposite side of the green. Wow, three different bunkers on the same hole, which led to a disastrous score of 7.
Fortunately, I came back with a par on hole #5, a 510-yard par-5. This hole, along with the two preceding it and the one following it, were redesigned last year to prevent wayward balls from finding their way to the nearby highway. The redesign created some awkward situations for those not familiar with the changes. Since this was my second time playing the new holes, I knew where to position the ball in those situations. On #5, I hit the left side of the fairway, then made the correct layup, leaving 105 yards to the semi-hidden green. I hit just over the putting surface, but made a downhill chip and a 4-footer for par.
The rest of the front nine was great, with two bogeys, followed by two pars. Despite a penalty stroke on hole #6, a couple of crisp irons and a sublime chip and putt saved the day. On hole #7, a 420-yard par-4, driver followed by 9-iron got me just off the back of the green. This time, the chip wasn't as good, so a pair of putts were required to finish. On hole #8, a 215-yard par-3, I hit a 3-iron 240 yards off the back of the green! The tee is a little elevated and the prevailing wind is at your back. I semi-duffed my chip shot, coming up way short, but I followed up with an amazing lengthy putt for par. Hole #9 is a great par-5 requiring good shots, especially on the approach to the green over water. I hit a lovely 7-iron just off the back of the green, but once again got up and down for par.
The back nine started out well, with only one costly mistake on hole #11. A pond protects the right side of this par-4 from the mid-point up to the green. I opted for 5-wood off the tee to take the water out of play. Unfortunately, I hit a high shot that drifted to the right side. It caught a mound and kicked further right, barely rolling into the pond. I was forced to take a penalty and drop. I finished up the hole with good shots, but double-bogey was the result. I was just off the back of the green with my approach, as I was on the previous hole and on many holes throughout the day. On the previous hole, I saved bogey.
Holes #12 through #14 produced par, bogey, and par. The first of these is a 160-yard par-3. I hit an 8-iron to four feet behind the hole. The birdie putt had a slight bit of break, but I played it straight and burned the edge. On hole #14, I faced an 8-foot birdie putt, but that burned the edge also.
On hole #15, I dropped back to join a threesome that was playing behind me. I had played as a single all day, except for holes #7 through #9, when I joined up with a couple ahead of me. They only played nine holes, so I was alone again for the start of the back nine. I was on the tee at every hole with the foursome ahead of me, but they didn't let me through, reasoning that there was another foursome ahead of them. That was fine, except that on #15 tee, I had to observe a 5-minute discussion about one particular player and how much he should bend his knees at address. At this point, the group ahead of him was long off the green, so this was really uncalled for.
Perhaps I was distracted by the nonsense with the foursome ahead, or maybe the group I dropped back to join gave me bad karma, but the hole was a disaster. Two guys who teed off before me hit terrible shots – one barely got off the tee and bounced into a pond ahead and on the right. The other followed him, but his ball stayed dry. I went next and had the worst shot of the lot. I stone-cold topped the 5-iron, dribbling the ball five yards ahead into a creek. After a penalty stroke and drop, I flared one right and short, straight into the pond. I did have a nice chip near the green, but ended up with a score of 7 – my second such score of the day on a par-3.
The good news is that I rebounded again with a par on hole #16, a short par-4. I took bogey on the second-last hole of the day and a double-bogey on the last. My approach shot over the water on this par-5 was hit fat and ended up wet. Other than that, I played the rest of the hole well. My handicap factor is back to 18 even.
Score: 92
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
September 20, 2016
Bouncing Back at Ussher's Creek
I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that my handicap factor jumped up to 18.3 after my latest round of golf. It's not that I had a poor round, mind you. It's just that a terrific round from earlier in the year came off my scoring record. A mid-June round of 86 at Bradford Highlands has been replaced by my most recent round of 93 at Ussher's Creek. The good news is that I played very well at the Legends on the Niagara course. It was my first return to Legends after opening the season there on the Battlefield course.
I played this round by myself on a gorgeous sunny afternoon. The only people I encountered on the course were a couple who drove up behind me on the tenth tee, looking to start their round. I was enjoying the solitude, so I told them I was teeing off and would soon be out of their way. Perhaps because I was playing alone, and not waiting on or rushing through other players, my round was incredibly focused. It's not surprising, really – I play best when I'm thinking about elements of the golf game, not when I'm making small talk or helping other people find their balls, for example.
A big contributor to my success during this round was my driving. I hit 9 of 14 fairways by focusing on a good shoulder turn and the right tempo. My natural inclination is to rotate very little around the spine and to compensate for this by activating the arms. So I told myself to give that little extra spine rotation and to keep the arms relatively quiet. Of course, tempo also has to be right, so that was also part of my swing thought. I did not concern myself at all with distance. I just wanted to hit the ball straight and whatever distance it travelled, was the distance it went. I didn't hit any deep bombs with this approach, but a couple times when I pulled the ball slightly left of target, it stayed in the fairway because it wasn't travelling as far.
My irons weren't as consistent as the driver, but crucially, whenever I made a mistake, I never followed up with another. Hole #3 is a perfect example. This is a par-3 that was playing 140 yards over the creek. The creek winds along the left side of the green, so you definitely don't want to pull the ball as a right-hander. I had too many thoughts as I tried to hit a cut shot, and ended up squirting a shot short and to the right, way short of the green. I composed myself and hit a great lob wedge out of some gnarly grass to reach the green. When the irons were working a little better, I wasn't necessarily hitting greens, but I was somewhere in the vicinity of my target. I can work with those shots – it's the wild ones that are problematic. Finally, when the irons were on, is when the game truly got fun. On hole #7, a 140-yard par-3 over a large pond, I struck a pure 9-iron that cracked off the club face, launched high toward the flag and landed softly in birdie range.
I also had some really excellent game management. On the front nine, there were two holes where I took no chances whatsoever. Holes #6 and #9 are the hardest of the bunch. It's so easy to make mistakes on these holes and explode for a big number. On hole #6, the danger is a huge lake along the entire left side. If you avoid it on your tee shot, you still have to face it on your approach. I drove my ball to the fescue on the right, but was okay with that, since I could work from there without taking a penalty. On hole #9, the danger is Ussher's Creek, which fronts the green and angles in such a way that it is always in play. I striped my drive down the fairway and positioned my second shot perfectly to give me a good angle over the creek.
I continued the wise game management over the back nine. On hole #10, I hit a straight drive, but was far from the green to approach it with my second shot. I could carry that distance, but accuracy suffers, so I opted to punch the ball to a closer position where I could attack the green with confidence. Because of this approach I made a nice bogey.
For the whole round, there were really only three shots that I was truly unhappy with. One was the iron off the tee on hole #3, which I already described. The second was a duffed pitch attempt on hole #11, right after I had hit an amazing approach with the 8-iron that bounced off the back of the green. The green was falling away from me and I tried to be too delicate. The last shot I was unhappy with was my tee shot on hole #18. This is a hard par-4, but the difficulty is not at all in the tee shot. Nevertheless, I always seem to push one way right on this hole. It resulted in my only penalty stroke of the day.
If there was one other slight weakness, it was my putting. I had four 3-putts and three of those came after hitting a green in regulation. In most cases, my first putt came up just a little short, leaving a very uncertain par putt. Some bogeys are good; 3-putt bogeys are never good.
Score: 93
Putts: 37
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
I played this round by myself on a gorgeous sunny afternoon. The only people I encountered on the course were a couple who drove up behind me on the tenth tee, looking to start their round. I was enjoying the solitude, so I told them I was teeing off and would soon be out of their way. Perhaps because I was playing alone, and not waiting on or rushing through other players, my round was incredibly focused. It's not surprising, really – I play best when I'm thinking about elements of the golf game, not when I'm making small talk or helping other people find their balls, for example.
A big contributor to my success during this round was my driving. I hit 9 of 14 fairways by focusing on a good shoulder turn and the right tempo. My natural inclination is to rotate very little around the spine and to compensate for this by activating the arms. So I told myself to give that little extra spine rotation and to keep the arms relatively quiet. Of course, tempo also has to be right, so that was also part of my swing thought. I did not concern myself at all with distance. I just wanted to hit the ball straight and whatever distance it travelled, was the distance it went. I didn't hit any deep bombs with this approach, but a couple times when I pulled the ball slightly left of target, it stayed in the fairway because it wasn't travelling as far.
My irons weren't as consistent as the driver, but crucially, whenever I made a mistake, I never followed up with another. Hole #3 is a perfect example. This is a par-3 that was playing 140 yards over the creek. The creek winds along the left side of the green, so you definitely don't want to pull the ball as a right-hander. I had too many thoughts as I tried to hit a cut shot, and ended up squirting a shot short and to the right, way short of the green. I composed myself and hit a great lob wedge out of some gnarly grass to reach the green. When the irons were working a little better, I wasn't necessarily hitting greens, but I was somewhere in the vicinity of my target. I can work with those shots – it's the wild ones that are problematic. Finally, when the irons were on, is when the game truly got fun. On hole #7, a 140-yard par-3 over a large pond, I struck a pure 9-iron that cracked off the club face, launched high toward the flag and landed softly in birdie range.
I also had some really excellent game management. On the front nine, there were two holes where I took no chances whatsoever. Holes #6 and #9 are the hardest of the bunch. It's so easy to make mistakes on these holes and explode for a big number. On hole #6, the danger is a huge lake along the entire left side. If you avoid it on your tee shot, you still have to face it on your approach. I drove my ball to the fescue on the right, but was okay with that, since I could work from there without taking a penalty. On hole #9, the danger is Ussher's Creek, which fronts the green and angles in such a way that it is always in play. I striped my drive down the fairway and positioned my second shot perfectly to give me a good angle over the creek.
I continued the wise game management over the back nine. On hole #10, I hit a straight drive, but was far from the green to approach it with my second shot. I could carry that distance, but accuracy suffers, so I opted to punch the ball to a closer position where I could attack the green with confidence. Because of this approach I made a nice bogey.
For the whole round, there were really only three shots that I was truly unhappy with. One was the iron off the tee on hole #3, which I already described. The second was a duffed pitch attempt on hole #11, right after I had hit an amazing approach with the 8-iron that bounced off the back of the green. The green was falling away from me and I tried to be too delicate. The last shot I was unhappy with was my tee shot on hole #18. This is a hard par-4, but the difficulty is not at all in the tee shot. Nevertheless, I always seem to push one way right on this hole. It resulted in my only penalty stroke of the day.
If there was one other slight weakness, it was my putting. I had four 3-putts and three of those came after hitting a green in regulation. In most cases, my first putt came up just a little short, leaving a very uncertain par putt. Some bogeys are good; 3-putt bogeys are never good.
Score: 93
Putts: 37
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
September 16, 2016
Punished Again by Silver Lakes
A week after getting pummelled at Silver Lakes, I returned looking for a better result. With a group of foursomes scheduled to go ahead of me, the starter asked if I wanted to catch up to a twosome that had just teed off. It was lucky for me, but I did rush my tee shot as a result. I pulled my drive left of the fairway and had to punch through the trees to get back in play. Two punch shots got me in a greenside bunker, from which I splashed out and 2-putt for double-bogey.
The twosome I joined was playing from the blues (6511 yards), so I did the same just to keep things simple. My last outing at Silver Lakes was from the whites (6098 yards). On the second hole, I striped a 5-wood off the tee to the right fairway. I tried a 9-iron over the pond toward the green, but pulled it left and out of bounds. It was a costly miss that led to another double-bogey. On hole #3, a 135-yard par-3 over water, triple-bogey was the result. I duffed my first tee shot into the pond and finished the hole with a 3-putt.
At this point, I was trying to stay relaxed and focused. There was still lots of golf to play. It helps to keep your mind in the game, but at some point, you have to start making pars. I striped a drive down the fourth fairway and followed up with a decent iron just left of the green. A good pitch shot left a 6-footer for par, but a late break burned the edge and I settled for bogey. That was better, but still not good enough.
Three consecutive double-bogeys followed, ruining any chance of righting the ship. I pulled a couple drives into the trees. On both occasions, I found my ball, but I was in less than ideal positions. In one case, I recovered well, only to 3-putt. In the other case, a sandy lie cost me an extra stroke. On hole #7, a 175-yard par-3, I duffed a pitch attempt and that was all she wrote. It didn't help that some yahoo was playing music in his golf cart that could be heard from nearby holes.
Ultimately, I exploded for a score of 12 on hole #8. This is a 492-yard par-5 that bends slightly to the right. A large pond protects the right side from just in front of the tee to just past the mid-way point. I drove my first shot in the pond, then deposited two more in the water, before finally keeping one dry. I was laying 7 at the edge of the hazard, still 250 yards from the green. I played the rest of the hole just fine, but three penalty strokes on a single hole is atrocious!
I shot 60 on the front nine, so I put it behind me and just tried to have a good back nine. Despite a horrific drive on hole #10 to an opposite fairway, I managed to save bogey. This was followed by par on hole #11, a 158-yard par-3. The shenanigans resumed on hole #12, as I took a triple-bogey. My second shot with a 4-iron was from the rough, which was fairly lush. The ball travelled half the intended distance and rolled left into the trees.
Fortunately, I recovered for par on hole #13. A 6-iron, sand wedge combination got me safely over the large pond in front of the green and just off the putting surface. A great 2-putt earned my second and last par of the day. Two bogeys followed on holes #13 and #14. The former was played very well, while I got lucky on the latter when the forest spit my tee ball back toward the fairway.
Hole #16 sums up how most of my day went. This is a 410-yard par-4 cut through the trees. I hit a 250-yard drive to the right fairway, setting up a perfect angle into the green. Next I hit a solid 7-iron that was just about flag high, 10 yards right of the green. With a good pitch, I could maybe get up and down for par. More likely, I could pitch on and 2-putt for bogey. Well, I completely duffed the pitch, then thinned another to the opposite edge of the green. I was now putting from a great distance and the ball had to come over a ridge. It was legitimate 3-putt territory and that's what I ended up doing. Triple-bogey. Come on, man!
Bogey, double-bogey closed out the round for a score of 48 on the back nine and 108 overall. The double-bogey was the result of another pulled drive off the tee. That ball was not found, so I had to play my third from the tee. From that point, I basically made par, but as you know, there are no free re-takes in this game.
So, Silver Lakes pounded me again. This was round #30 of the year and the fourth time I reached 100. Two of those 100+ rounds were at Silver Lakes. More disturbing than that is the fact that three of those 100+ rounds have come over the last six rounds played. My handicap factor is up to 17.5 – exactly two points higher than my season (and all-time) low. Did I hit a wall?
Score: 108
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Penalties: 6
The twosome I joined was playing from the blues (6511 yards), so I did the same just to keep things simple. My last outing at Silver Lakes was from the whites (6098 yards). On the second hole, I striped a 5-wood off the tee to the right fairway. I tried a 9-iron over the pond toward the green, but pulled it left and out of bounds. It was a costly miss that led to another double-bogey. On hole #3, a 135-yard par-3 over water, triple-bogey was the result. I duffed my first tee shot into the pond and finished the hole with a 3-putt.
At this point, I was trying to stay relaxed and focused. There was still lots of golf to play. It helps to keep your mind in the game, but at some point, you have to start making pars. I striped a drive down the fourth fairway and followed up with a decent iron just left of the green. A good pitch shot left a 6-footer for par, but a late break burned the edge and I settled for bogey. That was better, but still not good enough.
Three consecutive double-bogeys followed, ruining any chance of righting the ship. I pulled a couple drives into the trees. On both occasions, I found my ball, but I was in less than ideal positions. In one case, I recovered well, only to 3-putt. In the other case, a sandy lie cost me an extra stroke. On hole #7, a 175-yard par-3, I duffed a pitch attempt and that was all she wrote. It didn't help that some yahoo was playing music in his golf cart that could be heard from nearby holes.
Ultimately, I exploded for a score of 12 on hole #8. This is a 492-yard par-5 that bends slightly to the right. A large pond protects the right side from just in front of the tee to just past the mid-way point. I drove my first shot in the pond, then deposited two more in the water, before finally keeping one dry. I was laying 7 at the edge of the hazard, still 250 yards from the green. I played the rest of the hole just fine, but three penalty strokes on a single hole is atrocious!
I shot 60 on the front nine, so I put it behind me and just tried to have a good back nine. Despite a horrific drive on hole #10 to an opposite fairway, I managed to save bogey. This was followed by par on hole #11, a 158-yard par-3. The shenanigans resumed on hole #12, as I took a triple-bogey. My second shot with a 4-iron was from the rough, which was fairly lush. The ball travelled half the intended distance and rolled left into the trees.
Fortunately, I recovered for par on hole #13. A 6-iron, sand wedge combination got me safely over the large pond in front of the green and just off the putting surface. A great 2-putt earned my second and last par of the day. Two bogeys followed on holes #13 and #14. The former was played very well, while I got lucky on the latter when the forest spit my tee ball back toward the fairway.
Hole #16 sums up how most of my day went. This is a 410-yard par-4 cut through the trees. I hit a 250-yard drive to the right fairway, setting up a perfect angle into the green. Next I hit a solid 7-iron that was just about flag high, 10 yards right of the green. With a good pitch, I could maybe get up and down for par. More likely, I could pitch on and 2-putt for bogey. Well, I completely duffed the pitch, then thinned another to the opposite edge of the green. I was now putting from a great distance and the ball had to come over a ridge. It was legitimate 3-putt territory and that's what I ended up doing. Triple-bogey. Come on, man!
Bogey, double-bogey closed out the round for a score of 48 on the back nine and 108 overall. The double-bogey was the result of another pulled drive off the tee. That ball was not found, so I had to play my third from the tee. From that point, I basically made par, but as you know, there are no free re-takes in this game.
So, Silver Lakes pounded me again. This was round #30 of the year and the fourth time I reached 100. Two of those 100+ rounds were at Silver Lakes. More disturbing than that is the fact that three of those 100+ rounds have come over the last six rounds played. My handicap factor is up to 17.5 – exactly two points higher than my season (and all-time) low. Did I hit a wall?
Score: 108
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Penalties: 6
September 12, 2016
Hot and Cold at Grand Niagara
The final round of the 2016 Deepwoods Championship was played at Grand Niagara, a lovely Rees Jones design. I was already out of contention for the championship, so I was just aiming to have a good round. If you look at my final score of 97, you might think I had a pretty rough day. Actually, it wasn't so. Once again, score was not reflective of the type of round that I had. In fact, I had a lot of positive feelings about the day. There were relatively few bad shots, though they were very penal when they occurred. I hit many more great shots, so I'll try to focus more on those.
I hit only three bad tee shots, all with the driver. The worst of these was the very first shot of the day, which I caught with the heel of the club, sending a dribbler left and into the lake. On hole #13, I caught one solidly, but pulled it well left into the forest. On hole #16, I did the exact same thing. On all three occasions, I had to hit my third shot from the tee. Essentially, I just gave away six strokes.
Aside from those, I was really drilling some beauties off the tee. On hole #4, it was a 260-yard gem that left 150 yards into the green of this par-4. I nailed the green and 2-putt for my first par of the day. On hole #9, it was a 240-yard poke that once again found the centre of the fairway. The best of the bunch may have been on the last hole of the day, a par-5. I'm not sure what the length on that one was, but it was dead straight, with a pretty trajectory. When I had to re-tee, the subsequent drives were also very good. It's a bit frustrating, because you wonder why you didn't pull it off on the first attempt, but alas.
I was also hitting nice irons off the tee. On hole #5, a par-3, I hit a gorgeous 7-iron to the back pin location. Par was the result. On hole #11, a shorter par-3, I hit a pitching wedge close. I was unfortunate that I struck the top of a ridge on the green, sending my ball backwards about 10 feet. Putting up the ridge, I just missed the birdie, sending the ball well past the hole. I burned the edge again on the par putt, settling for a 3-putt bogey.
On hole #14, a short but challenging par-4, I pumped a 3-iron straight into the fairway, leaving me in perfect position to attack the green. My approach found a deep bunker short and left of the green, but a fantastic sand save earned a nice par. The 3-iron also served me well off the tee on hole #17. Perhaps the best iron off the tee came on hole #15, a 170-yard par-3. I hit an absolutely pure 6-iron as straight as can be. I could just feel the ball compressing and exploding on my intended line. I left a great uphill chance for birdie, but had to tap in for par.
For the most part, I avoided the short iron trouble that I had experienced in my previous round at Silver Lakes. There were, however, two notable exceptions. On hole #8, a 510-yard par-5, I found myself just 130 yards from the back, left pin position after two shots. I had split the fairway with driver, then advanced perfectly with the 4-iron. I aimed to the fat of the green with the pitching wedge, but pulled it slightly. The ball hit the slope just left of the green and kicked down and across a deep bunker. I had one foot in the bunker and one out, but the worst part was that I was short sided. I tried to just get on the green, but rolled straight across the other side. My subsequent chip hit the flagstick, but it had too much pace and finished far from the hole. I lipped out the bogey putt, taking a double.
On hole #9, a 370-yard par-4, I was once again 130 yards from the pin in the middle of the fairway after my drive. I grabbed hold of the pitching wedge and this time pulled it severely, landing in the lake. This was the same lake I hit with my first shot of the day and come to think of it, the spot I landed in was very close to where my first ball went in. Spooky! Even with the penalty stroke, I should have finished with no worse than a double-bogey, but perhaps out of frustration, I missed a 3-foot putt and took a triple.
As for my short game, I have no complaints. I managed five 1-putts, largely due to very good chip shots. Unfortunately, these were offset by five 3-putts. Three of these resulted in bogeys after I had reached the greens in regulation. On hole #7 and hole #18 they weren't bad 3-putts – it's just that I was a long way from the cup and curling the lag putts down some steep ridges. The 3-putt on hole #11 was disappointing, as I've already described. Likewise for those on holes #9 and #16.
Score: 97
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 6
Penalties: 6
I hit only three bad tee shots, all with the driver. The worst of these was the very first shot of the day, which I caught with the heel of the club, sending a dribbler left and into the lake. On hole #13, I caught one solidly, but pulled it well left into the forest. On hole #16, I did the exact same thing. On all three occasions, I had to hit my third shot from the tee. Essentially, I just gave away six strokes.
Aside from those, I was really drilling some beauties off the tee. On hole #4, it was a 260-yard gem that left 150 yards into the green of this par-4. I nailed the green and 2-putt for my first par of the day. On hole #9, it was a 240-yard poke that once again found the centre of the fairway. The best of the bunch may have been on the last hole of the day, a par-5. I'm not sure what the length on that one was, but it was dead straight, with a pretty trajectory. When I had to re-tee, the subsequent drives were also very good. It's a bit frustrating, because you wonder why you didn't pull it off on the first attempt, but alas.
I was also hitting nice irons off the tee. On hole #5, a par-3, I hit a gorgeous 7-iron to the back pin location. Par was the result. On hole #11, a shorter par-3, I hit a pitching wedge close. I was unfortunate that I struck the top of a ridge on the green, sending my ball backwards about 10 feet. Putting up the ridge, I just missed the birdie, sending the ball well past the hole. I burned the edge again on the par putt, settling for a 3-putt bogey.
On hole #14, a short but challenging par-4, I pumped a 3-iron straight into the fairway, leaving me in perfect position to attack the green. My approach found a deep bunker short and left of the green, but a fantastic sand save earned a nice par. The 3-iron also served me well off the tee on hole #17. Perhaps the best iron off the tee came on hole #15, a 170-yard par-3. I hit an absolutely pure 6-iron as straight as can be. I could just feel the ball compressing and exploding on my intended line. I left a great uphill chance for birdie, but had to tap in for par.
For the most part, I avoided the short iron trouble that I had experienced in my previous round at Silver Lakes. There were, however, two notable exceptions. On hole #8, a 510-yard par-5, I found myself just 130 yards from the back, left pin position after two shots. I had split the fairway with driver, then advanced perfectly with the 4-iron. I aimed to the fat of the green with the pitching wedge, but pulled it slightly. The ball hit the slope just left of the green and kicked down and across a deep bunker. I had one foot in the bunker and one out, but the worst part was that I was short sided. I tried to just get on the green, but rolled straight across the other side. My subsequent chip hit the flagstick, but it had too much pace and finished far from the hole. I lipped out the bogey putt, taking a double.
On hole #9, a 370-yard par-4, I was once again 130 yards from the pin in the middle of the fairway after my drive. I grabbed hold of the pitching wedge and this time pulled it severely, landing in the lake. This was the same lake I hit with my first shot of the day and come to think of it, the spot I landed in was very close to where my first ball went in. Spooky! Even with the penalty stroke, I should have finished with no worse than a double-bogey, but perhaps out of frustration, I missed a 3-foot putt and took a triple.
As for my short game, I have no complaints. I managed five 1-putts, largely due to very good chip shots. Unfortunately, these were offset by five 3-putts. Three of these resulted in bogeys after I had reached the greens in regulation. On hole #7 and hole #18 they weren't bad 3-putts – it's just that I was a long way from the cup and curling the lag putts down some steep ridges. The 3-putt on hole #11 was disappointing, as I've already described. Likewise for those on holes #9 and #16.
Score: 97
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 6
Penalties: 6
September 10, 2016
No Greens at Silver Lakes
Silver Lakes is a challenging course, owing to the fact that almost every hole is tree-lined. I'm not talking about sparse trees here and there, but rather about thick strands of trees from tee to green. If your ball finds the forest, it's usually lost. The width of the fairways is not massive, but generally there's enough room to get around if you have decent control from side to side. If you start missing your lines, it can be a long day.
I had a poor result on my latest visit, scoring 100+ for the third time this season. However, the round was not even close to being as bad as the score seems to indicate. The trees didn't get me all that often. I drove the ball very well, including a few beauties. I also struck the long irons well, advancing brilliantly on the par-5 holes, for example. What killed me were the short irons – the so-called scoring clubs. With highly lofted clubs, including wedges in my hand, I simply could not hit a green. More often than not, the miss was short or long, rather than off to one side.
On hole #1, a 362-yard par-4, I hit a controlled 240-yard drive to the right centre of the fairway. With a gap wedge in hand, I took a beaver pelt out of the turf, leaving myself 50 yards short of the green. On hole #2, a 328-yard par-4, I hit a lovely 5-wood off the tee, leaving 130 yards from the middle of the fairway. I proceeded to pull a pitching wedge, smacking a tall tree 30 yards in front of the green. On hole #3, a 130-yard par-3, I pulled the very same club left of target. I finished these holes with bogeys, but should have had some pars give the positions from which I was attacking the greens.
On hole #6, a 357-yard par-4, the twosome ahead of me let me play through. This fairway bends through the trees ever so gently to the left. A draw is the ideal shot shape, but I don't really possess that with the driver or any sort of fairway wood. To play a straight shot, I needed to hug the trees on the left side a bit. I took aim and piped an absolute beauty, just avoiding the trees on the left by a yard or two. I could tell the onlookers were impressed. My ball finished on the left side of the fairway, just 95 yards from the green. How did I follow that up? With a duffed sand wedge that was 30 yards short of the green. Another bogey ensued, where there should have been better.
Hole #7 is a par-3 that was playing 160 yards. Using a 7-iron off the tee, I pushed it slightly right, hitting a tall tree 30 yards in front of the green. Again, bogey was the reward. Hole #9 is a 387-yard par-4. I hit a decent drive, but it was slightly left and the ball settled in a fairway bunker. The worst part was that I was up against a high lip and had to play it like a greenside bunker shot. After getting out, I had 150 yards remaining to the green. I was a yard into the left rough, but the lie looked decent. Perhaps it wasn't really, as I struggled to get the 8-iron through. Again, I was 30 yards short of the green. Whether soft fairways, or thick rough, something managed to leave me short all too often. After a string of bogeys on every hole, this time I finished with a double.
A foursome let me through on hole #10, so this time I had more spectators for my tee shot. I piped a drive straight on my intended line. There were no comments from the onlookers, but they had to like that. The shot was actually too good, as it was deep enough to roll through the fairway, which bends ever so slightly to the right on this 365-yard par-4. I chipped sideways from amongst the trees, leaving 85 yards to the green. Do you know what happened next? Another beaver pelt, this time courtesy of the lob wedge. With an extra shot to get on the putting surface, I tallied another double-bogey.
Next up was another foursome that let me through on hole #11, a par-3 that was playing 150 yards. This group had nothing to be impressed by, as I pulled my 8-iron slightly left of the green into a water hazard. Another mistake with a “scoring club” and another double-bogey. The worst of the round came over the next two holes, as I found myself caught behind yet another foursome. I had a long wait before teeing off on hole #12, as every one of their group was buying something from the beverage cart. I flared a drive into the forest – gone! Later on the same hole, a shot with the 3-iron bounced into the same forest – gone again! Rack up a quadruple-bogey. It was truly the only hole where the driver and a long iron let me down.
This latest foursome really should have let me through on hole #12. This is a short par-4 at only 275 yards from the white tees. You have to challenge a large pond in front of the green if you go for it. The safe play is to hit a couple of irons instead. I arrived at the tee before any of the group had teed off. They were waiting for the green to clear, as they all intended to go for the green. Three of them went in the water, while the fourth popped one up into the trees on the right side. Terrible! I fared no better, despite taking the sensible approach. I hit an 8-iron pretty well, but it squirted a little right and rolled off the fairway into the rough. The lie looked okay, but I failed to get through the rough cleanly with my 9-iron. The result, of course, was a water ball. After taking a penalty stroke and drop, I didn't do particularly well, finishing with a triple-bogey.
Unbelievably, the foursome didn't let me through on the next tee, which is the start of a 542-yard par-5. I waited until they were about 270 yards away before piping a laser drive...270 yards! LOL...that was great. Now, they decided to let me through, and I followed up with a laser 4-iron straight and deep down the fairway, leaving just 80 yards to the flag. While these guys were messing around left and right, I showed them how two beauties could have you near the green in no time. So how did I finish the hole? By pushing a lob wedge slightly right into a greenside bunker. I made a great out from there, but the ball released all the way over the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for a disappointing double-bogey. I actually was in greenside bunkers about half a dozen times on the day and made good outs every single time. Again, it didn't help my score because of the woeful short irons.
The only par of the day came on hole #15, a 338-yard par-4. A rare miss with the driver went nowhere, leaving me with 195 yards to the green from the left rough. A large tree was blocking my line up ahead, so I had to go left of the green. I hit a brilliant 4-iron right to my spot, then pitched on and drained it with a single putt. It seems the 4-iron was more productive than my wedges.
Now came hole #16, a 385-yard par-4. Yet another foursome waved me through on the tee. One guy told me to take my time, as he noticed I was rushing so as not to keep them waiting. By now, I was used to having people watch my drives, and I hit a dead-straight shot 250 yards down the line. “Nice pipe,” one guy exclaimed, as the others nodded in agreement. So, how to follow up that beauty? How about thinning a pitching wedge over the back of the green? Yup. With the green falling away from me, I chipped well past the hole. A 2-putt gave me yet another bogey where I should have had better.
By now, you see the pattern, but let me offer one final example. Hole #18 is a 494-yard par-5 from the white tees. I began by piping a towering drive straight to the middle of the fairway. I followed up with one of those gorgeous 4-irons to the left side of the fairway, leaving 80 yards to the flag. Certain green in regulation, right? Wrong! My lob wedge shot was a little short and right. I was short-sided and pitched well past the hole, finishing with a 2-putt and another bogey. Some bogeys are nice, but the ones I had this day were all the ugly kind.
In summary, I hit great drives and long irons. My play near the greens was fine, including putting. I had the best sand game I've had in a very long time. However, I missed greens from prime positions with the following clubs: 6i, 7i, 8i, 8i, 9i, PW, PW, PW, GW, SW, LW, LW, LW. That's at least 10 strokes given away right there. Scoring clubs, my foot! (I was thinking of another body part, but let's stick with foot.)
Score: 101
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 0
Penalties: 5
I had a poor result on my latest visit, scoring 100+ for the third time this season. However, the round was not even close to being as bad as the score seems to indicate. The trees didn't get me all that often. I drove the ball very well, including a few beauties. I also struck the long irons well, advancing brilliantly on the par-5 holes, for example. What killed me were the short irons – the so-called scoring clubs. With highly lofted clubs, including wedges in my hand, I simply could not hit a green. More often than not, the miss was short or long, rather than off to one side.
On hole #1, a 362-yard par-4, I hit a controlled 240-yard drive to the right centre of the fairway. With a gap wedge in hand, I took a beaver pelt out of the turf, leaving myself 50 yards short of the green. On hole #2, a 328-yard par-4, I hit a lovely 5-wood off the tee, leaving 130 yards from the middle of the fairway. I proceeded to pull a pitching wedge, smacking a tall tree 30 yards in front of the green. On hole #3, a 130-yard par-3, I pulled the very same club left of target. I finished these holes with bogeys, but should have had some pars give the positions from which I was attacking the greens.
On hole #6, a 357-yard par-4, the twosome ahead of me let me play through. This fairway bends through the trees ever so gently to the left. A draw is the ideal shot shape, but I don't really possess that with the driver or any sort of fairway wood. To play a straight shot, I needed to hug the trees on the left side a bit. I took aim and piped an absolute beauty, just avoiding the trees on the left by a yard or two. I could tell the onlookers were impressed. My ball finished on the left side of the fairway, just 95 yards from the green. How did I follow that up? With a duffed sand wedge that was 30 yards short of the green. Another bogey ensued, where there should have been better.
Hole #7 is a par-3 that was playing 160 yards. Using a 7-iron off the tee, I pushed it slightly right, hitting a tall tree 30 yards in front of the green. Again, bogey was the reward. Hole #9 is a 387-yard par-4. I hit a decent drive, but it was slightly left and the ball settled in a fairway bunker. The worst part was that I was up against a high lip and had to play it like a greenside bunker shot. After getting out, I had 150 yards remaining to the green. I was a yard into the left rough, but the lie looked decent. Perhaps it wasn't really, as I struggled to get the 8-iron through. Again, I was 30 yards short of the green. Whether soft fairways, or thick rough, something managed to leave me short all too often. After a string of bogeys on every hole, this time I finished with a double.
A foursome let me through on hole #10, so this time I had more spectators for my tee shot. I piped a drive straight on my intended line. There were no comments from the onlookers, but they had to like that. The shot was actually too good, as it was deep enough to roll through the fairway, which bends ever so slightly to the right on this 365-yard par-4. I chipped sideways from amongst the trees, leaving 85 yards to the green. Do you know what happened next? Another beaver pelt, this time courtesy of the lob wedge. With an extra shot to get on the putting surface, I tallied another double-bogey.
Next up was another foursome that let me through on hole #11, a par-3 that was playing 150 yards. This group had nothing to be impressed by, as I pulled my 8-iron slightly left of the green into a water hazard. Another mistake with a “scoring club” and another double-bogey. The worst of the round came over the next two holes, as I found myself caught behind yet another foursome. I had a long wait before teeing off on hole #12, as every one of their group was buying something from the beverage cart. I flared a drive into the forest – gone! Later on the same hole, a shot with the 3-iron bounced into the same forest – gone again! Rack up a quadruple-bogey. It was truly the only hole where the driver and a long iron let me down.
This latest foursome really should have let me through on hole #12. This is a short par-4 at only 275 yards from the white tees. You have to challenge a large pond in front of the green if you go for it. The safe play is to hit a couple of irons instead. I arrived at the tee before any of the group had teed off. They were waiting for the green to clear, as they all intended to go for the green. Three of them went in the water, while the fourth popped one up into the trees on the right side. Terrible! I fared no better, despite taking the sensible approach. I hit an 8-iron pretty well, but it squirted a little right and rolled off the fairway into the rough. The lie looked okay, but I failed to get through the rough cleanly with my 9-iron. The result, of course, was a water ball. After taking a penalty stroke and drop, I didn't do particularly well, finishing with a triple-bogey.
Unbelievably, the foursome didn't let me through on the next tee, which is the start of a 542-yard par-5. I waited until they were about 270 yards away before piping a laser drive...270 yards! LOL...that was great. Now, they decided to let me through, and I followed up with a laser 4-iron straight and deep down the fairway, leaving just 80 yards to the flag. While these guys were messing around left and right, I showed them how two beauties could have you near the green in no time. So how did I finish the hole? By pushing a lob wedge slightly right into a greenside bunker. I made a great out from there, but the ball released all the way over the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for a disappointing double-bogey. I actually was in greenside bunkers about half a dozen times on the day and made good outs every single time. Again, it didn't help my score because of the woeful short irons.
The only par of the day came on hole #15, a 338-yard par-4. A rare miss with the driver went nowhere, leaving me with 195 yards to the green from the left rough. A large tree was blocking my line up ahead, so I had to go left of the green. I hit a brilliant 4-iron right to my spot, then pitched on and drained it with a single putt. It seems the 4-iron was more productive than my wedges.
Now came hole #16, a 385-yard par-4. Yet another foursome waved me through on the tee. One guy told me to take my time, as he noticed I was rushing so as not to keep them waiting. By now, I was used to having people watch my drives, and I hit a dead-straight shot 250 yards down the line. “Nice pipe,” one guy exclaimed, as the others nodded in agreement. So, how to follow up that beauty? How about thinning a pitching wedge over the back of the green? Yup. With the green falling away from me, I chipped well past the hole. A 2-putt gave me yet another bogey where I should have had better.
By now, you see the pattern, but let me offer one final example. Hole #18 is a 494-yard par-5 from the white tees. I began by piping a towering drive straight to the middle of the fairway. I followed up with one of those gorgeous 4-irons to the left side of the fairway, leaving 80 yards to the flag. Certain green in regulation, right? Wrong! My lob wedge shot was a little short and right. I was short-sided and pitched well past the hole, finishing with a 2-putt and another bogey. Some bogeys are nice, but the ones I had this day were all the ugly kind.
In summary, I hit great drives and long irons. My play near the greens was fine, including putting. I had the best sand game I've had in a very long time. However, I missed greens from prime positions with the following clubs: 6i, 7i, 8i, 8i, 9i, PW, PW, PW, GW, SW, LW, LW, LW. That's at least 10 strokes given away right there. Scoring clubs, my foot! (I was thinking of another body part, but let's stick with foot.)
Score: 101
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 0
Penalties: 5
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