I had a pretty good result in Round 2 of the Deepwoods championship at Peninsula Lakes. I finished with a score of 87 – my personal best for the course. It was a lot like my round at Bradford Highlands a while back, where I shot 86. Both are among the courses I've played most, so I'm very familiar with the layouts. My experience at both courses has been mixed; I've had rounds in the low nineties, but have also blown up for scores above the century mark. The main difference is the fact that this latest round was in competition, which adds an element of urgency to the proceedings.
Quarry #1 is a tough hole and one I don't like starting with at Peninsula Lakes. A large lake protects the inside of this dogleg left par-4. Invariably, I seem to find the water with my tee shot. I hit a horrific drive that popped up and was pulled so far left that the ball entered the lake on the side opposite the fairway. I fished the ball out of the water and took a drop near the point where it last crossed the margin of the hazard. Not content to hit a wedge over the lake and back to the fairway, I took aim in the direction of the green. I had to cross the lake, while keeping the ball down to avoid overhanging branches. I was 190 yards from the green centre and the ball was below my feet. I hit a perfect 4-iron that would have made the green if not for some more tree branches past the water. As it was, the ball came to rest five yards from the putting surface. I hit a chip to within 4 feet and drained the putt for a miraculous bogey.
Next came a really good stretch that included just one small error. I made par on Quarry #2, #3 and #5, reaching the greens in regulation each time, followed by a 2-putt. Hole #2 provided the best birdie chance, but the uphill putt came up short. Hole #5 was a scramble, as I pulled my tee shot way left of the fairway. No problem, as I hoisted a 7-iron over the tree line to reach the green safely. The small error was on Quarry #4. After splitting the fairway on this par-4, my 7-iron approach was dead straight, but I missed the sweet spot of the club face. As a result, my shot came up short in a bunker fronting the green. I got out of the bunker with a single shot, but was still in the rough bordering the green. I made a mess of a simple uphill chip shot, sculling the ball well past the hole. I almost saved bogey with a breaking downhill putt, but had to settle for a double.
A bad iron shot off the tee on Quarry #6 led to another double-bogey. I'm always uncomfortable on this par-3, which measures 181 yards. The entire left side is out of bounds, while a lake protects the right side. The water is not even visible from the tee, but everything around the lake slopes heavily toward it. No doubt because of my discomfort, I chunked a 6-iron about 90 yards. My wedge into the green was a little right, just off the green. I should have been able to get up and down from that position, but my chip once again failed me, rolling well past the hole. Three bogeys finished the Quarry nine for a score of 43 at the turn.
Hillside #1 is the easiest on the course, but it produced my worst result – a triple-bogey. This par-4 is only 290 yards from the white tees, so I opted to hit 6-iron from the tee. Once again, I mangled the shot, with my ball squirting short and right of the fairway. I was blocked out by trees, but thought I could get a high draw over them and to the green. The ball didn't get airborne and now I was stymied by spruce trees closer to the green. A sideways chip to the fairway and 50 yard pitch got me on the green in four. When I missed the bogey putt, I was out of the Deepwoods points. I missed a 3-footer next, resulting in a 3-putt and the dreaded triple.
Two small errors were the only blemish over the next five holes or so. They led to a pair of double-bogeys. The first was on Hillside #4 – the hardest on the Hillside nine. All the trouble on this par-4 involves reaching the green safely. You have to split two lakes to find the fairway, then carry water from a healthy distance to find the green. Oh yeah, the green is also just a couple yards from out of bounds. I executed the first two shots well, first finding the fairway, then hitting a 4-iron to just in front of the green. I walked to my ball with wedge in hand, only to find it on the severe up-slope of a small mound. I had the wrong club, but was too lazy to walk back to my cart. The lie added much loft to an already lofted club and my shot stopped a yard short of the green. I made a decent chip from there, but missed the bogey putt.
Similarly, on Hillside #5, my approach on this par-3 was flag high, just right of the green. This time, it was on a severe side hill lie, with the ball well above my feet. Conscious of a bunker slightly to my left, I hit my pitch shot short, still not on the green. The short game was killing me. I made a decent pitch and again had a make-able putt for bogey, but missed it. Those two errors aside, I did collect a par on Hillside #2, along with bogeys on #3 and #6. This set up the final three holes, which I played very well.
Hillside #7 is a nice par-5, with an elevated green tucked behind a large lake. I hit a perfect drive, then tried to hit a 6-iron to a landing area right of the green. I pushed it slightly, finishing on the side of a hill, 100 yards from the green. It was an awkward lie and though my shot was straight, I was 10 yards short of the green. I was also short sided with the front pin position. I made sure to pitch the ball past the hole, taking no chances. From there, I drained an excellent putt to save par. Hillside #8 is a par-3, stretching 150 yards over water. I hit a 9-iron just behind the hole and ended up winning closest to the pin among our group. Better than that, was the downhill putt that I drained for birdie! The last hole of the day was a par-5 that started with two decent shots. My third was with the pitching wedge, but I duffed it badly because I was at the base of a hill with the ball below my feet. No worries, as I stuck a sand wedge shot from 100 yards and drained another putt to make par.
Overall, a nice result. My handicap factor also dipped to 15.5 – officially, my lowest ever. Hooray!
Score: 87
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
Good post.
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