In a way, my latest round at Scenic Woods Golf Club was unbelievable. Prior to the round, I shot 85 or better just eleven times in my lifetime. Two of those rounds were on a par 71 golf course, so I had only nine rounds where I shot 13 under par or better. Of the nine rounds, three were scores of 85 even at Scenic Woods (Oct 2014, Oct 2015, May 2016). That's pretty strange, but weirder yet is the fact that those were my only three visits to the course. I recently made my fourth visit to Scenic Woods and sure enough, I shot 85 once again! Four of my top ten rounds of all time have now been played at this course and I've only been there four times. Unreal.
My front nine this time around was the best of the bunch. On previous occasions, I tallied 40, 42 and 40 at the turn. This time, I shot a tidy 38 (3 over par), thanks to a couple of nice birdies. The first one came after a bogey, par, double-bogey start to the round. On hole #4, a short par-4, you have two options off the tee. You can hit an iron off the tee, leaving your preferred wedge distance into an elevated green for your second shot. Alternately, you can try to drive the ball somewhere close to the green. Anywhere to the left is no good, as thick forest covers the entire hillside. To the right is okay, but you must carry a fescue covered slope to reach the upper plateau. More fescue awaits up top, so a lost ball is a distinct possibility.
I opted to go deep, easily carrying the ball to the upper level. Next, the search for the ball was on. I found it three yards from the front edge of the fescue, but the area was a little thin and I had a good lie. I hit a beautiful lob wedge over a couple of small trees about 70 yards to a back pin location. That was an amazing shot, and it was followed by a perfectly executed putt from about eight feet.
I went par, double-bogey, par, par over the next four holes. Mixed in there were a couple of bad shots and penalty strokes. On hole #6, a bad drive attempt smacked a large tree just ahead of the teeing ground and dropped into the creek. I had to hit from the drop area and finished with a double. On hole #8, however, I recovered from a pulled drive with an amazing shot from 100 yards and a 4-foot putt. On hole #9, a 168-yard par-3, I went even better. My 8-iron off the tee landed in front of the pin and released directly to the hole. I had less than two feet remaining for par and drained it easily for my second birdie of the day. Incidentally, I had only eleven putts on the front nine, including six consecutive 1-putts to finish.
My drive on hole #10 was a slice that finished directly behind a spruce tree. I had to declare the ball unplayable and take a penalty. Going for the green with my fourth shot, I pulled a 9-iron slightly. I was unable to get up and down, finishing the hole with a double. On hole #11, I moved in the right direction with a bogey and then rattled off three pars in a row on holes #12 through #14. My ball striking wasn't stellar during this stretch, but I stayed out of trouble. Through 14 holes, I was just 6 over par.
Unfortunately, I was 7 over par for the last four holes. This included a bogey and three doubles. It all started with a bad gap wedge shot on hole #15. I hit a great drive to the right fairway and had just 122 yards to the green. I hit ever so slightly behind the ball and came up way short in a creek that crosses the fairway. After the penalty stroke, I pitched on and 2-putt. It was disappointing because I knew I was easily on pace for a personal best. After that hole, I suddenly needed to par the three remaining holes in order to reach that goal. I played hole #16 poorly, quickly ruining that chance. I basically fell back to the final score of 85.
It was a good round, but could have been just a hair better. What is up with Scenic Woods though?
Score: 85
Putts: 29
Fairways: 2
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6
July 22, 2016
July 21, 2016
Deepwoods at Crosswinds
I haven't played much, so I wasn't sure what was going to show up at the latest Deepwoods Golf Associaton event. Would I struggle with my ball striking, as I did in my previous round at Paris Grand? Or would I show the same form that produced scores in the eighties a number of times this season? I headed out to the familiar grounds of Crosswinds Golf & Country Club to find out.
Hole #1 is the shortest par-4 on the course at just 272 yards from the white tees, but it's no cakewalk. There's a water hazard on the right side which can corral weak miss hits. There are thick trees on both sides of the fairway and up near the green. Playing a long ball off the tee is risky. The safer bet is to play a 150 – 170 yard shot, followed by a wedge into the green. I lined up a 7-iron and made good contact, but the ball sailed high and left into the trees. I teed up a provisional and hit the exact same shot.
I quickly found both balls, so my first was in play. Unfortunately, it was in a 3-foot deep ditch, covered in bushes and trees. My only option was to declare it unplayable. I took a penalty and dropped about 50 yards behind where the ball lay, keeping that spot directly between myself and the flag. I needed to go that far back to have a chance at getting over the trees. I hit a good 8-iron that cleared almost all of the trees. The tallest branches were some spindly ones that belonged to a dead tree. Of course, I nicked one of them, but did not see where the ball deflected. Neither did any of my fellow competitors, so I had a lost ball and another penalty. My fifth shot cleared the trees and then I pitched on and 2-putt for a disastrous quadruple-bogey.
The next few holes were crucial in determining how successful (or not) the day would be. On hole #2, a par-5, I hit a workable drive that left just 210 yards to the green. Well, there was no doubt I was going for it. I hit the 5-wood slightly behind the ball, sending it ahead just 120 yards. What a waste! Worse yet, my subsequent approach from just 90 yards came up 20 yards short. The course was dry as we've had very little rain, and the sole of the club was reacting in unpredictable ways, especially in the rough. I pitched on and at this point, a 2-putt would salvage bogey. Well, I went past the hole with my par putt and then needed three more to hole out! This wasn't the recovery I was hoping for after the first hole fiasco.
I made bogey on each of the next three holes, while playing reasonably well. I knew if I stayed patient, some pars would eventually materialize. Unfortunately, some weak chip shots on hole #6 resulted in a double-bogey. I slammed my wedge into the ground in an attempt to release the frustration, but it didn't work. On the next hole, I flubbed another 100-yard shot from the rough, comping up 20 yards short. A 3-putt ensued for another double-bogey. The hole was getting deeper, so an up and down par on hole #8 didn't exactly thrill me. I finished the front nine with a score of 51 and just 13 Deepwoods points.
I opened the back nine with a bogey and par, but the way they happened still left me upset. On hole #10, I had a very workable drive to start, but came up short twice with attempted punch shots. On hole #11, a par-5, I hit a deep drive just a couple yards into the right rough. Next, I hit a towering 5-wood from 215 yards, sailing over a hazard that crosses the fairway and finding the green. I had an eagle putt, but birdie was almost certain. Well, I blew the eagle putt way past the hole and suddenly, birdie was no longer certain. It was a disappointing par.
Quadruple-bogey on hole #12 did nothing to calm my nerves, nor did bogey on hole #13. On hole #14, the easiest hole on the course, I hit perhaps the worst drive of the day, smothering the ball and it went nowhere. It was hit so poorly, that I had 220 yards to reach the green – and the entire hole is only 344 yards. I had to go for it, so I pulled out the 3-wood, only to top the ball miserably. That one travelled a full 30 yards, which was a little more than the distance I tossed the 3-wood in disgust.
Throwing that club was the best thing I did all day. In fact, I should have done something like that much earlier in the round. Back on the sixth hole, I tried to slam a club, but that is just too discrete. To rid oneself of frustration, nothing works like a club toss. After I launched that 3-wood, I didn't hit a bad shot for the remainder of the round. From 190 yards, I hit a beautiful 4-iron to find the green on hole #14. Then I made a great 2-putt from a really tricky position.
On hole #15, a par-5, I hit an easy driver to split the fairway. From 205 yards, I hit a 50% 4-iron that was a thing of beauty. This left less than 30 yards to the flag. I bumped a low one in past the flag, then nailed a downhill breaker for birdie! On hole #16, a short par-4, I hit driver just short and right of the green. My lob wedge gave me a downhill look at birdie from about 10 feet. I read it beautifully and thought it was in, but it didn't drop. I tapped in for par. On hole #17, a 145-yard par-3, I hit a sweet 9-iron that was all over the flag. The ball released and missed the cup by a couple inches, settling 10 feet behind. This birdie attempt didn't really have a chance to drop, but I had another easy tap-in for par. Finally, I hit a drive to the end of the fairway on hole #18. It was a perfect position to attack the flag and I stuck a sand wedge to within 8 feet. This birdie putt had little or no break and I drained it calmly.
I ended up shooting 41 on the back nine and 92 overall. Most importantly, I managed 34 Deepwoods points to keep my season alive. Others in the group played well that day, so I still have a lot of work to do. However, if I play well at the next event, there's no reason I can't be in contention by season's end.
Score: 92
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
Penalties: 2
Hole #1 is the shortest par-4 on the course at just 272 yards from the white tees, but it's no cakewalk. There's a water hazard on the right side which can corral weak miss hits. There are thick trees on both sides of the fairway and up near the green. Playing a long ball off the tee is risky. The safer bet is to play a 150 – 170 yard shot, followed by a wedge into the green. I lined up a 7-iron and made good contact, but the ball sailed high and left into the trees. I teed up a provisional and hit the exact same shot.
I quickly found both balls, so my first was in play. Unfortunately, it was in a 3-foot deep ditch, covered in bushes and trees. My only option was to declare it unplayable. I took a penalty and dropped about 50 yards behind where the ball lay, keeping that spot directly between myself and the flag. I needed to go that far back to have a chance at getting over the trees. I hit a good 8-iron that cleared almost all of the trees. The tallest branches were some spindly ones that belonged to a dead tree. Of course, I nicked one of them, but did not see where the ball deflected. Neither did any of my fellow competitors, so I had a lost ball and another penalty. My fifth shot cleared the trees and then I pitched on and 2-putt for a disastrous quadruple-bogey.
The next few holes were crucial in determining how successful (or not) the day would be. On hole #2, a par-5, I hit a workable drive that left just 210 yards to the green. Well, there was no doubt I was going for it. I hit the 5-wood slightly behind the ball, sending it ahead just 120 yards. What a waste! Worse yet, my subsequent approach from just 90 yards came up 20 yards short. The course was dry as we've had very little rain, and the sole of the club was reacting in unpredictable ways, especially in the rough. I pitched on and at this point, a 2-putt would salvage bogey. Well, I went past the hole with my par putt and then needed three more to hole out! This wasn't the recovery I was hoping for after the first hole fiasco.
I made bogey on each of the next three holes, while playing reasonably well. I knew if I stayed patient, some pars would eventually materialize. Unfortunately, some weak chip shots on hole #6 resulted in a double-bogey. I slammed my wedge into the ground in an attempt to release the frustration, but it didn't work. On the next hole, I flubbed another 100-yard shot from the rough, comping up 20 yards short. A 3-putt ensued for another double-bogey. The hole was getting deeper, so an up and down par on hole #8 didn't exactly thrill me. I finished the front nine with a score of 51 and just 13 Deepwoods points.
I opened the back nine with a bogey and par, but the way they happened still left me upset. On hole #10, I had a very workable drive to start, but came up short twice with attempted punch shots. On hole #11, a par-5, I hit a deep drive just a couple yards into the right rough. Next, I hit a towering 5-wood from 215 yards, sailing over a hazard that crosses the fairway and finding the green. I had an eagle putt, but birdie was almost certain. Well, I blew the eagle putt way past the hole and suddenly, birdie was no longer certain. It was a disappointing par.
Quadruple-bogey on hole #12 did nothing to calm my nerves, nor did bogey on hole #13. On hole #14, the easiest hole on the course, I hit perhaps the worst drive of the day, smothering the ball and it went nowhere. It was hit so poorly, that I had 220 yards to reach the green – and the entire hole is only 344 yards. I had to go for it, so I pulled out the 3-wood, only to top the ball miserably. That one travelled a full 30 yards, which was a little more than the distance I tossed the 3-wood in disgust.
Throwing that club was the best thing I did all day. In fact, I should have done something like that much earlier in the round. Back on the sixth hole, I tried to slam a club, but that is just too discrete. To rid oneself of frustration, nothing works like a club toss. After I launched that 3-wood, I didn't hit a bad shot for the remainder of the round. From 190 yards, I hit a beautiful 4-iron to find the green on hole #14. Then I made a great 2-putt from a really tricky position.
On hole #15, a par-5, I hit an easy driver to split the fairway. From 205 yards, I hit a 50% 4-iron that was a thing of beauty. This left less than 30 yards to the flag. I bumped a low one in past the flag, then nailed a downhill breaker for birdie! On hole #16, a short par-4, I hit driver just short and right of the green. My lob wedge gave me a downhill look at birdie from about 10 feet. I read it beautifully and thought it was in, but it didn't drop. I tapped in for par. On hole #17, a 145-yard par-3, I hit a sweet 9-iron that was all over the flag. The ball released and missed the cup by a couple inches, settling 10 feet behind. This birdie attempt didn't really have a chance to drop, but I had another easy tap-in for par. Finally, I hit a drive to the end of the fairway on hole #18. It was a perfect position to attack the flag and I stuck a sand wedge to within 8 feet. This birdie putt had little or no break and I drained it calmly.
I ended up shooting 41 on the back nine and 92 overall. Most importantly, I managed 34 Deepwoods points to keep my season alive. Others in the group played well that day, so I still have a lot of work to do. However, if I play well at the next event, there's no reason I can't be in contention by season's end.
Score: 92
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
Penalties: 2
July 20, 2016
Grinding in Paris
We had a few stretches of very hot and humid weather, which limited my opportunities to play golf. I wanted to squeeze a round in before the next Deepwoods event, so I headed out to Paris Grand. The first shot of the day – a drive attempt through a chute of trees from an elevated tee – failed miserably. I pulled the shot left, smacking a large tree 50 yards ahead. I was fortunate that my fellow competitors found my ball right of the fairway at the base of the hill. Pitching wedge was required to clear some tall trees and get back to the fairway. From there, I did very well to salvage bogey on this par-5 hole.
Unfortunately, I couldn't salvage the same result on the next hole, finishing with a double. I smothered a 6-iron off the tee, then hooked a 3-iron 50 yards left of the green. A shot with the lob wedge was a tad short, coming to rest in a bunker. I got out of it in decent shape, but still needed two putts to hole out. And so continued my play for the remainder of the front nine. When I had a decent hole, all I could muster was a bogey, and on two occasions when things went badly, I took a double and a triple. One of these was an approach shot from 110 yards on hole #6. The ball popped up inexplicably, 20 yards short of the target. Worse was the fact that it found a bunker and I proceeded to play my patented clean pick straight over the green.
Holes #8 and #9 are back to back par-5 holes that are quite challenging. I played conservatively on the former, teeing off with a 6-iron, rather than trying to carry a hazard from 260 yards. I tried 6-iron again with my second shot, only to pull it left into the trees within the hazard. If I knew that was going to happen, I would have tried my luck carrying the hazard with the first shot. As it was, triple-bogey was the result.
On hole #9, I hit a gem of a drive, coaxing the ball down the middle of the fairway, overlooking the large ravine that must be carried with the second shot. I was only 210 yards from the green and in perfect position. Sure enough, I absolutely topped the ball, sending it dribbling 10 yards forward – just enough to trickle over the edge and into the ravine. After taking a penalty and a drop, I hit the shot as I should have the first time, finishing just left of the green. I got up and down to rescue a bogey.
Shooting 50 at the turn, I knew I had to make a few pars. Unfortunately, I began the back nine with a trio of double-bogeys. My drives were off and I was forced to hit some long irons. Some of these were good, while others were mediocre. Believe it or not, my chipping and putting was good. Otherwise, the damage would have been worse.
The pars finally came on holes #13 and #15. The former is a short par-4 running right beside the Grand River. I punched a low 3-iron off the tee, followed by a decent pitching wedge to the left edge of the putting surface. A solid lag and easy tap-in finished things off. The latter is a nice par-5, with danger along the entire left side. Despite a poor drive, I was flag high, just off the green in three shots. When my first chip rolled off the other side of the green, I responded by chipping the ball straight in the cup.
I should have had another par on hole #14, a par-3. Though I missed the green, I made a great chip, leaving just four feet for par. A hard lip-out ruined the previous stroke. A couple more bogeys finished the round, producing a score of 46 on the back nine and 96 overall. Considering that my ball striking was hit and miss, it's not a bad result. Clearly, my ball striking suffers when I play infrequently. Another positive was my putting.
Let's see what the next round brings!
Score: 96
Putts: 30
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
Unfortunately, I couldn't salvage the same result on the next hole, finishing with a double. I smothered a 6-iron off the tee, then hooked a 3-iron 50 yards left of the green. A shot with the lob wedge was a tad short, coming to rest in a bunker. I got out of it in decent shape, but still needed two putts to hole out. And so continued my play for the remainder of the front nine. When I had a decent hole, all I could muster was a bogey, and on two occasions when things went badly, I took a double and a triple. One of these was an approach shot from 110 yards on hole #6. The ball popped up inexplicably, 20 yards short of the target. Worse was the fact that it found a bunker and I proceeded to play my patented clean pick straight over the green.
Holes #8 and #9 are back to back par-5 holes that are quite challenging. I played conservatively on the former, teeing off with a 6-iron, rather than trying to carry a hazard from 260 yards. I tried 6-iron again with my second shot, only to pull it left into the trees within the hazard. If I knew that was going to happen, I would have tried my luck carrying the hazard with the first shot. As it was, triple-bogey was the result.
On hole #9, I hit a gem of a drive, coaxing the ball down the middle of the fairway, overlooking the large ravine that must be carried with the second shot. I was only 210 yards from the green and in perfect position. Sure enough, I absolutely topped the ball, sending it dribbling 10 yards forward – just enough to trickle over the edge and into the ravine. After taking a penalty and a drop, I hit the shot as I should have the first time, finishing just left of the green. I got up and down to rescue a bogey.
Shooting 50 at the turn, I knew I had to make a few pars. Unfortunately, I began the back nine with a trio of double-bogeys. My drives were off and I was forced to hit some long irons. Some of these were good, while others were mediocre. Believe it or not, my chipping and putting was good. Otherwise, the damage would have been worse.
The pars finally came on holes #13 and #15. The former is a short par-4 running right beside the Grand River. I punched a low 3-iron off the tee, followed by a decent pitching wedge to the left edge of the putting surface. A solid lag and easy tap-in finished things off. The latter is a nice par-5, with danger along the entire left side. Despite a poor drive, I was flag high, just off the green in three shots. When my first chip rolled off the other side of the green, I responded by chipping the ball straight in the cup.
I should have had another par on hole #14, a par-3. Though I missed the green, I made a great chip, leaving just four feet for par. A hard lip-out ruined the previous stroke. A couple more bogeys finished the round, producing a score of 46 on the back nine and 96 overall. Considering that my ball striking was hit and miss, it's not a bad result. Clearly, my ball striking suffers when I play infrequently. Another positive was my putting.
Let's see what the next round brings!
Score: 96
Putts: 30
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
July 16, 2016
Rainy Start at Willodell
I got a little busy recently and wasn't able to go golfing for almost two weeks. Finally, I made it out to Willodell Golf Club for a mid morning tee time. It was raining with no signs of letting up, so I told the starter I would forge ahead alone. The rain lasted for about four holes and then it was actually pleasant. Playing alone and with nobody else out there, I zipped through the front nine in no time.
My scorecard on the front nine was interesting. I made eight bogeys and one triple – the latter coming on hole #2, a par-5. After two shots, I had 135 yards to the green from the left centre of the fairway. Inexplicably, I sculled one directly into a small pond on the right side. After a penalty stroke and drop, I flew one over the back of the green. It's always disappointing when a hole that starts up so promising, ends up so horrible.
Aside from that poor sequence, I was getting around the course quite nicely. I missed the greens on a couple of par-3 holes, but hit some nice pitches to give me a chance at saving par. Those putts didn't drop, but bogeys were fair results considering my tee shots. Whenever I missed fairways, I was able to punch shots below overhanging tree branches. I had a decent number of par attempts, but they just didn't go, so my score was not great. Despite the score, I was not really struggling at all.
On the back nine, I got caught behind a threesome of old guys. When I reached the tee on hole #10, they were just 50 yards up the fairway. They should have let me through right there and then, but they didn't. So I played the entire back nine waiting on every single shot. I don't know what it is about some of these old guys; it's as though they feel less like men if they allow someone to play through. I find it's much less of a problem with younger players. Oh well.
I managed three pars on the back nine, as my putting started to heat up. Single putts earned par on holes #12 and #13, while a more conventional 2-putt did the trick on hole #15. I had just 13 putts on the back nine, and 30 overall. Unfortunately, there were a pair of double-bogeys and another triple thrown into the mix. Hole #14 is a short par-4 that I got aggressive on and it backfired. On hole #17, a wild slicing drive was the culprit. Both holes produced penalty strokes and the aforementioned double bogeys.
The triple came on a par-4 after finding a greenside bunker with my third shot. My struggles with bunker shots have been well documented. This time, it took three shots to get out, and then only into the rough. A chip and a putt ended the misery. Once in a while, I pull off a satisfactory bunker shot, but overwhelmingly, it's a real slog.
In the end, it was a score of 94. Now that I'm in the 15-16 handicap range, anything over 90 is kind of a bad round. It's better than shooting 100 or more, but I'm aiming to be in the eighties almost every time.
Score: 94
Putts: 30
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
My scorecard on the front nine was interesting. I made eight bogeys and one triple – the latter coming on hole #2, a par-5. After two shots, I had 135 yards to the green from the left centre of the fairway. Inexplicably, I sculled one directly into a small pond on the right side. After a penalty stroke and drop, I flew one over the back of the green. It's always disappointing when a hole that starts up so promising, ends up so horrible.
Aside from that poor sequence, I was getting around the course quite nicely. I missed the greens on a couple of par-3 holes, but hit some nice pitches to give me a chance at saving par. Those putts didn't drop, but bogeys were fair results considering my tee shots. Whenever I missed fairways, I was able to punch shots below overhanging tree branches. I had a decent number of par attempts, but they just didn't go, so my score was not great. Despite the score, I was not really struggling at all.
On the back nine, I got caught behind a threesome of old guys. When I reached the tee on hole #10, they were just 50 yards up the fairway. They should have let me through right there and then, but they didn't. So I played the entire back nine waiting on every single shot. I don't know what it is about some of these old guys; it's as though they feel less like men if they allow someone to play through. I find it's much less of a problem with younger players. Oh well.
I managed three pars on the back nine, as my putting started to heat up. Single putts earned par on holes #12 and #13, while a more conventional 2-putt did the trick on hole #15. I had just 13 putts on the back nine, and 30 overall. Unfortunately, there were a pair of double-bogeys and another triple thrown into the mix. Hole #14 is a short par-4 that I got aggressive on and it backfired. On hole #17, a wild slicing drive was the culprit. Both holes produced penalty strokes and the aforementioned double bogeys.
The triple came on a par-4 after finding a greenside bunker with my third shot. My struggles with bunker shots have been well documented. This time, it took three shots to get out, and then only into the rough. A chip and a putt ended the misery. Once in a while, I pull off a satisfactory bunker shot, but overwhelmingly, it's a real slog.
In the end, it was a score of 94. Now that I'm in the 15-16 handicap range, anything over 90 is kind of a bad round. It's better than shooting 100 or more, but I'm aiming to be in the eighties almost every time.
Score: 94
Putts: 30
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
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