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
September 28, 2016
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
September 07, 2016
Lowville Redux
I almost never play the same golf course twice in a row, so my return to Lowville just four days after my previous visit was going to be interesting. I was anxious to see if I learned anything from the first attempt and if I could improve my score. We continue to have hot, humid weather, so I was also very concerned about staying cool and remaining hydrated.
I matched my first hole bogey from the previous round, then did much better on hole #2, recording a par instead of a double-bogey. This time, I hit a 322-yard drive that trickled two yards into the right rough. Don't get too excited about the length of the drive – this par-4 is all downhill from tee to green and the course was fairly dry. I followed up with a lob wedge into the green, 95 yards away. The birdie putt from 12 feet just missed, leaving a 6-inch tap-in for par.
I collected a couple more pars on holes #4 and #5. The first of these is a straight par-5 with OB along the entire left side. I hit a 275-yard drive to the middle of the fairway, followed by a 3-iron from 195 yards that skipped off the back of the green. The pin was at the front, so I had lots of green to work with. Unfortunately, my chip was a bit of a softie, leaving a longish birdie putt that I failed to make. Still, par was nice.
On hole #5, a 177-yard par-3, I hit a pure 6-iron flag high to the right fringe. This left an uphill birdie putt that I made a good effort on, but it was about 12 inches short. I tapped in for another easy par. On hole #6, I hit the 6-iron again, but it travelled 215 yards just into the right rough. Again, I benefited from the dry conditions, but that doesn't change the fact that the shot was struck pure. Lob wedge from 80 yards came up short and I then 3-putt from off the green for a bogey.
Hole #7 is an uphill par-5 with OB along the entire right side. I drove the ball 270 yards to the right side of the fairway. I had been in virtually the same position a few days before and mis-hit my second shot, pulling it left and well short of the green. Vowing not to do that again, I targeted the green again from 185 yards away. It plays much longer than that, because of the change in elevation, so I opted for the 3-iron. Unfortunately, I pushed it ever so slightly and it went out of bounds. After a penalty stroke and drop, I managed to get the ball just in front of the green. A chip and two putts finished it off for a double-bogey. I took a chance and it didn't pan out, but it was still the right decision.
I finished the front nine with a bogey and rather unlucky double, for a score of 45. In my last visit, I made the turn with a score of 44, so this was comparable, despite the fact that my ball striking had improved substantially.
The first three holes of the back nine produced exactly the same scores as the previous occasion: bogey, double-bogey, par. There was no penalty stroke on hole #11 this time, but a spongy lie after my tee shot led to the same result. I was happy to par hole #12 again, as this is a challenging uphill par-5. I played it more conventionally this time, hitting driver to the right fairway, followed by a couple of irons into the green and a pair of putts.
Hole #13, which is ranked the easiest on the course, burned me again. It was for a double-bogey this time, instead of a triple. I once again pulled an 8-iron off the tee, perhaps bailing out from OB on the right. This time, my ball rolled much further down the hill, leaving a 40-yard pitch to an elevated green. I carried the ball too far and it rolled off the green. The pin was far away and I finished with the inevitable 3-putt.
My final par of the day was on hole #14, a 354-yard par-4. I hit driver, gap wedge to the back fringe, before 2-putting for the par. I would have taken a 2-putt on hole #15, but 3-putt instead for a double. I hit my tee shot on this par-3 into a bunker and splashed out well past the hole. I should have made no worse than bogey from there, but it just wasn't meant to be.
I closed out the final three holes in decent fashion, including a nice bogey on hole #16. I usually mess up my drive on this uphill par-4, but this time I hit a serviceable one just left of the fairway. It was deep enough that I could go for the green with a 9-iron. As it turned out, I came up short. The hole was located below a steep ridge on the green, so I had little chance of getting up and down. I did well to take bogey. Hole #17 produced the same result, while the final hole of the day produced a double. The hardest part of this hole is the tee shot, which must carry a healthy distance over some wetlands. I nailed the centre of the fairway, but messed up the next two shots.
In the end, I had the exact same score as last time. However, this round was completely different. I drove the ball better and hit better iron shots. I also stayed out of trouble more often. Consider that I hit five more fairways and four more greens in regulation. I also had two fewer penalties. Unfortunately, my short game let me down. It actually wasn't bad, but I didn't get up and down like I did in the previous round. Consider that I tallied 10 additional putts! Whereas some putts saved me last time, I failed to make putts of any significant length this time around. My handicap factor jumped half a point to 17.4 – oh no!
Score: 91
Putts: 40
Fairways: 8
Greens: 5
Penalties: 1
I matched my first hole bogey from the previous round, then did much better on hole #2, recording a par instead of a double-bogey. This time, I hit a 322-yard drive that trickled two yards into the right rough. Don't get too excited about the length of the drive – this par-4 is all downhill from tee to green and the course was fairly dry. I followed up with a lob wedge into the green, 95 yards away. The birdie putt from 12 feet just missed, leaving a 6-inch tap-in for par.
I collected a couple more pars on holes #4 and #5. The first of these is a straight par-5 with OB along the entire left side. I hit a 275-yard drive to the middle of the fairway, followed by a 3-iron from 195 yards that skipped off the back of the green. The pin was at the front, so I had lots of green to work with. Unfortunately, my chip was a bit of a softie, leaving a longish birdie putt that I failed to make. Still, par was nice.
On hole #5, a 177-yard par-3, I hit a pure 6-iron flag high to the right fringe. This left an uphill birdie putt that I made a good effort on, but it was about 12 inches short. I tapped in for another easy par. On hole #6, I hit the 6-iron again, but it travelled 215 yards just into the right rough. Again, I benefited from the dry conditions, but that doesn't change the fact that the shot was struck pure. Lob wedge from 80 yards came up short and I then 3-putt from off the green for a bogey.
Hole #7 is an uphill par-5 with OB along the entire right side. I drove the ball 270 yards to the right side of the fairway. I had been in virtually the same position a few days before and mis-hit my second shot, pulling it left and well short of the green. Vowing not to do that again, I targeted the green again from 185 yards away. It plays much longer than that, because of the change in elevation, so I opted for the 3-iron. Unfortunately, I pushed it ever so slightly and it went out of bounds. After a penalty stroke and drop, I managed to get the ball just in front of the green. A chip and two putts finished it off for a double-bogey. I took a chance and it didn't pan out, but it was still the right decision.
I finished the front nine with a bogey and rather unlucky double, for a score of 45. In my last visit, I made the turn with a score of 44, so this was comparable, despite the fact that my ball striking had improved substantially.
The first three holes of the back nine produced exactly the same scores as the previous occasion: bogey, double-bogey, par. There was no penalty stroke on hole #11 this time, but a spongy lie after my tee shot led to the same result. I was happy to par hole #12 again, as this is a challenging uphill par-5. I played it more conventionally this time, hitting driver to the right fairway, followed by a couple of irons into the green and a pair of putts.
Hole #13, which is ranked the easiest on the course, burned me again. It was for a double-bogey this time, instead of a triple. I once again pulled an 8-iron off the tee, perhaps bailing out from OB on the right. This time, my ball rolled much further down the hill, leaving a 40-yard pitch to an elevated green. I carried the ball too far and it rolled off the green. The pin was far away and I finished with the inevitable 3-putt.
My final par of the day was on hole #14, a 354-yard par-4. I hit driver, gap wedge to the back fringe, before 2-putting for the par. I would have taken a 2-putt on hole #15, but 3-putt instead for a double. I hit my tee shot on this par-3 into a bunker and splashed out well past the hole. I should have made no worse than bogey from there, but it just wasn't meant to be.
I closed out the final three holes in decent fashion, including a nice bogey on hole #16. I usually mess up my drive on this uphill par-4, but this time I hit a serviceable one just left of the fairway. It was deep enough that I could go for the green with a 9-iron. As it turned out, I came up short. The hole was located below a steep ridge on the green, so I had little chance of getting up and down. I did well to take bogey. Hole #17 produced the same result, while the final hole of the day produced a double. The hardest part of this hole is the tee shot, which must carry a healthy distance over some wetlands. I nailed the centre of the fairway, but messed up the next two shots.
In the end, I had the exact same score as last time. However, this round was completely different. I drove the ball better and hit better iron shots. I also stayed out of trouble more often. Consider that I hit five more fairways and four more greens in regulation. I also had two fewer penalties. Unfortunately, my short game let me down. It actually wasn't bad, but I didn't get up and down like I did in the previous round. Consider that I tallied 10 additional putts! Whereas some putts saved me last time, I failed to make putts of any significant length this time around. My handicap factor jumped half a point to 17.4 – oh no!
Score: 91
Putts: 40
Fairways: 8
Greens: 5
Penalties: 1
September 05, 2016
Bouncing Back at Lowville
I was eager to erase the memory of my last round, so I headed out to Lowville Golf Club. It was a beautiful day and I was playing by myself. The course was not busy, so I had the luxury of taking my time. I was in a good mind frame as I teed up a ball on the first hole. I hit it off the heel and didn't even reach the fairway. Not a good start. I recovered with a nice 5-wood and eventually made bogey on this uphill par-5. Okay, everything was still fine.
Now facing a downhill drive on hole #2, I pulled the ball terribly, smacking a lone tree on the opposite side of a water hazard. If I managed to avoid the tree, I might have been in the opposite fairway, but the ball would have travelled another 100 yards, giving me a chance to approach the green. As it was, the ball came to rest just in front of the water hazard and I had long weeds impeding my backswing. It was a terrible position and all I could manage on the hole was a double-bogey.
Fortunately, I straightened things out over the remainder of the front nine. By straightening out, I don't mean that I was hitting the ball straight. I mean that I managed to score five bogeys and a couple of pars. I did hit fairways on holes #7 and #9, but the final green was the only one found in regulation. The good part was that I managed to get up and down on three separate occasions. One of these, on hole #5, required a fairly lengthy putt. Incidentally, I hit a beautiful iron off the tee on this 177-yard par-3, but it rolled off the back of the green. My chip shot was weak, but the putt saved a precious par.
The back nine started as the front nine did, with a bogey and double-bogey. I hit a great drive on hole #10 and as I was walking up to my ball, I took note of a water hazard to my right. It caught my eye because it was a lot more thick and lush than I ever remember it being. Perhaps it was bad karma, as I drove my ball into that hazard while playing the next hole. It resulted in my first penalty stroke of the day and second double-bogey.
I recovered for a very nice par on hole #12, despite a wickedly pulled drive to an opposite fairway. The trusty 5-wood got me back in the heart of the fairway on this par-5, just 30 yards from the green. I pitched long, but chipped on and made another great putt. Too bad I didn't do the same on hole #13, which is ranked the easiest hole on the course. It's a 151-yard par-3 with OB along the entire right side, but there is plenty of room to bail out to the left. That's exactly what I did. All I needed was a pitch and two putts for bogey, but I duffed the first pitch and made a mediocre second. This was followed by my only 3-putt of the day for a disastrous triple-bogey.
When my drive on hole #14 sliced right into a lateral hazard, it could have been the beginning of the end. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a weak pitching wedge short of the green. No problem, as I managed another key up and down to save bogey. There was a final up and down on hole #16, a very tough uphill par-4. Though I finished the hole well, it came after a bunch of poor shots, including an approach shot that trickled into the hazard left of the green. Double-bogey was the result.
The remaining holes all produced bogeys, with nothing remarkable to say about them. My final score was a respectable 91, but aside from my up and down percentages, I don't really feel like I played well. Golf is strange that way. I've had rounds of 91 where I feel like I played amazingly. Score does not always reflect how you play.
Score: 91
Putts: 30
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
Now facing a downhill drive on hole #2, I pulled the ball terribly, smacking a lone tree on the opposite side of a water hazard. If I managed to avoid the tree, I might have been in the opposite fairway, but the ball would have travelled another 100 yards, giving me a chance to approach the green. As it was, the ball came to rest just in front of the water hazard and I had long weeds impeding my backswing. It was a terrible position and all I could manage on the hole was a double-bogey.
Fortunately, I straightened things out over the remainder of the front nine. By straightening out, I don't mean that I was hitting the ball straight. I mean that I managed to score five bogeys and a couple of pars. I did hit fairways on holes #7 and #9, but the final green was the only one found in regulation. The good part was that I managed to get up and down on three separate occasions. One of these, on hole #5, required a fairly lengthy putt. Incidentally, I hit a beautiful iron off the tee on this 177-yard par-3, but it rolled off the back of the green. My chip shot was weak, but the putt saved a precious par.
The back nine started as the front nine did, with a bogey and double-bogey. I hit a great drive on hole #10 and as I was walking up to my ball, I took note of a water hazard to my right. It caught my eye because it was a lot more thick and lush than I ever remember it being. Perhaps it was bad karma, as I drove my ball into that hazard while playing the next hole. It resulted in my first penalty stroke of the day and second double-bogey.
I recovered for a very nice par on hole #12, despite a wickedly pulled drive to an opposite fairway. The trusty 5-wood got me back in the heart of the fairway on this par-5, just 30 yards from the green. I pitched long, but chipped on and made another great putt. Too bad I didn't do the same on hole #13, which is ranked the easiest hole on the course. It's a 151-yard par-3 with OB along the entire right side, but there is plenty of room to bail out to the left. That's exactly what I did. All I needed was a pitch and two putts for bogey, but I duffed the first pitch and made a mediocre second. This was followed by my only 3-putt of the day for a disastrous triple-bogey.
When my drive on hole #14 sliced right into a lateral hazard, it could have been the beginning of the end. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a weak pitching wedge short of the green. No problem, as I managed another key up and down to save bogey. There was a final up and down on hole #16, a very tough uphill par-4. Though I finished the hole well, it came after a bunch of poor shots, including an approach shot that trickled into the hazard left of the green. Double-bogey was the result.
The remaining holes all produced bogeys, with nothing remarkable to say about them. My final score was a respectable 91, but aside from my up and down percentages, I don't really feel like I played well. Golf is strange that way. I've had rounds of 91 where I feel like I played amazingly. Score does not always reflect how you play.
Score: 91
Putts: 30
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
September 03, 2016
Building Character at Mill Run
My latest round of golf at Mill Run produced a woeful score of 104. Officially, it's my worst result of the season and first time this year that I've reached the century mark. Mind you, I had a round at Hunters Pointe back in June when I was certain to surpass 100, but gave up keeping score.
I played the Wheel and Grind nines this time around, which was a little different. I had only played the Wheel once before and it was a long time ago. So long, in fact, that I couldn't remember any of the holes. All of my recent visits began with Grind and ended with the Grist nine.
Wheel #1 is a 545-yard par-5 with forest on both sides and a water hazard that crosses twice in front of the green. It's the #1 handicap hole on the course, which makes for a difficult start. I hugged the left side with my first two shots, leaving myself too far back to challenge the green with my third. I tried to lay up between the water hazards and got the distance right, but pushed the ball to the edge of the bushes on the right. I hacked a lob wedge clear across the green, as the ball came out much cleaner than I thought it would. After a chip and 3-putt, I walked away with a triple-bogey. What a terrible way to start a round!
I made double bogey on Wheel #2, followed by four consecutive bogeys and another double on Wheel #7. The double-bogeys were completely uncalled for. On hole #2, a par-4, I pitched my third shot a hair too long and finished a couple yards off the back of the green. With the green sloping away from me, I had to be delicate. As it turned out, I was too delicate and barely got the ball to the green. I did well to 2-putt from there. On hole #7, a short par-3, I pushed a pitching wedge into a hazard, picking up my first penalty stroke of the day. Pitching wedge!
There was a disastrous quadruple-bogey on Wheel #8, when I smothered the ball with a 7-iron from 160 yards. The ball was slightly above my feet, but the lie in the fairway was fine. I don't remember experiencing contact like that ever before. It was weird. It almost felt like a double hit, but wasn't. The ball ended up under some spruce trees and my subsequent punch shot crossed the fairway into a water hazard. It was terrible. Fortunately, I made a nice bogey on Wheel #9, which is the sister hole to #1 and ranked the #2 handicap hole.
Shooting 52 at the turn, I still had hopes of salvaging a score in the mid nineties. I started the Grind nine with bogey, bogey, and par, which gave me some encouragement. Unfortunately, I pulled my tee shot into the hazard on Grind #4, leading to a penalty stroke, 3-putt and ultimately a triple-bogey. A couple of bogeys ensued over the next few holes and by the time I reached the penultimate hole of the day, I knew I was in trouble. A bogey, bogey finish was needed just to score 99, but that went out the window with my drive attempt on Grind #8. The ball popped up and went way left into the forest. I had to hit my third from the tee and eventually tallied a score of 10 on this par-4. Man!
I couldn't hit fairways, find greens when I needed to, or putt with any consistency. In fact, a string of 3-putts on the Grind nine was probably my undoing. There's nothing to take away from this round except to call it a character builder and move on.
Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
I played the Wheel and Grind nines this time around, which was a little different. I had only played the Wheel once before and it was a long time ago. So long, in fact, that I couldn't remember any of the holes. All of my recent visits began with Grind and ended with the Grist nine.
Wheel #1 is a 545-yard par-5 with forest on both sides and a water hazard that crosses twice in front of the green. It's the #1 handicap hole on the course, which makes for a difficult start. I hugged the left side with my first two shots, leaving myself too far back to challenge the green with my third. I tried to lay up between the water hazards and got the distance right, but pushed the ball to the edge of the bushes on the right. I hacked a lob wedge clear across the green, as the ball came out much cleaner than I thought it would. After a chip and 3-putt, I walked away with a triple-bogey. What a terrible way to start a round!
I made double bogey on Wheel #2, followed by four consecutive bogeys and another double on Wheel #7. The double-bogeys were completely uncalled for. On hole #2, a par-4, I pitched my third shot a hair too long and finished a couple yards off the back of the green. With the green sloping away from me, I had to be delicate. As it turned out, I was too delicate and barely got the ball to the green. I did well to 2-putt from there. On hole #7, a short par-3, I pushed a pitching wedge into a hazard, picking up my first penalty stroke of the day. Pitching wedge!
There was a disastrous quadruple-bogey on Wheel #8, when I smothered the ball with a 7-iron from 160 yards. The ball was slightly above my feet, but the lie in the fairway was fine. I don't remember experiencing contact like that ever before. It was weird. It almost felt like a double hit, but wasn't. The ball ended up under some spruce trees and my subsequent punch shot crossed the fairway into a water hazard. It was terrible. Fortunately, I made a nice bogey on Wheel #9, which is the sister hole to #1 and ranked the #2 handicap hole.
Shooting 52 at the turn, I still had hopes of salvaging a score in the mid nineties. I started the Grind nine with bogey, bogey, and par, which gave me some encouragement. Unfortunately, I pulled my tee shot into the hazard on Grind #4, leading to a penalty stroke, 3-putt and ultimately a triple-bogey. A couple of bogeys ensued over the next few holes and by the time I reached the penultimate hole of the day, I knew I was in trouble. A bogey, bogey finish was needed just to score 99, but that went out the window with my drive attempt on Grind #8. The ball popped up and went way left into the forest. I had to hit my third from the tee and eventually tallied a score of 10 on this par-4. Man!
I couldn't hit fairways, find greens when I needed to, or putt with any consistency. In fact, a string of 3-putts on the Grind nine was probably my undoing. There's nothing to take away from this round except to call it a character builder and move on.
Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
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