At this time of year, the typical high in southern Ontario is about 14 degrees Celsius. I was elated, therefore, when the forecast called for a high of 25, with the humidity making it feel even warmer. I booked an early afternoon round at Indian Wells Golf Club, no questions asked. In fact, it was some very pleasant weather. The fall colours looked spectacular in the sunshine, as I strolled the fairways wearing short pants and a short-sleeved shirt. The only problem, in terms of scoring well, was the stiffest wind I've experienced all season.
It was worst on the front nine, with the wind whipping down mercilessly off the escarpment. Nevertheless, I found the green in regulation on the opening par-5 and made par. On hole #2, a 413-yard par-4, a gentle poke off the tee rode the wind 280 yards. The ball travelled through the end of the fairway, across the cart path and stopped just two yards short of a large pond. I used every yard of space available, leaving just 130 yards to the flag. I thought the wind would carry a sand wedge the required distance, but it came up 10 yards short. As a result, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.
While the wind was at my back on hole #2, it was right in my face on hole #3. This is a par-4 featuring two forced carries over large ponds. I waited for a break in the wind but it wouldn't come, so I swung away. I was completely off balance and deposited a low bullet into the first pond. Using the drop zone on the other side, I was too far to carry the second pond with my third shot, so I laid up to the 100-yard marker. I hit a decent gap wedge to the left side of the green, but it skirted the edge and caught a slope that kicked the ball toward a creek. There were tons of leaves there and I didn't find my ball. I assumed it was in the creek and took another penalty. I chipped on and 2-putt for a disastrous score of 8.
I wasn't upset, because the conditions were pretty ridiculous, and that helped me on the next hole. I hit a beautiful 5-wood flag-high to this 180-yard par-3. Two putts later, I had another par under my belt. The same composure earned bogey on hole #5. This par-4 features a drop-off to a green that is surrounded on three sides by forest. I played hole #6 well, although the result was double-bogey. This is an uphill par-5 that runs parallel to hole #3, where I had exploded earlier. Once again, I was playing straight into the wind. Again, the tee shot was the problem, as I pulled one left into some long fescue. I was forced to take a penalty, but from then on I managed things quite well.
Hole #7 is a par 3, measuring 239 yards from an elevated tee. I used 5-wood, which was the same club I had used on the 180-yard par-3 earlier. I took aim at the left side, hoping to ride the wind back to the flag position. The ball didn't come back as much as I anticipated, but I was on the green safely. I made a lengthy lag putt and then a 4-footer for par.
The worst stretch of the day came over the next two holes. On hole #8, I drove my ball to the right side, inches away from some fescue. The green was blocked out by thick trees and I should have pitched back to the fairway. Because of the windy conditions, it didn't look like this was going to be a scoring day, so I tried the hero shot over the trees. The lie wasn't conducive to the high shot and I nailed one straight into the forest. I took a penalty stroke and was still in the same predicament. By the time the hole was done, I registered another score of 8. I only did marginally better on hole #9, earning a triple-bogey after two duffed irons to start. I was shooting 52 at the turn.
Suddenly, the wind died down. Don't get me wrong – it was still pretty heavy wind. However, it became much more manageable for the remainder of the round. I seized the opportunity and started belting some lasers. A 3-iron off the tee on hole #10 was down the pipe. A 5-iron from the elevated tee on hole #11 was the same. Most impressive was another 3-iron off the tee on hole #12 – a straight par-4 with thick forest on both sides. Approaches were not perfect on these three holes, but entirely serviceable. I earned bogey on all three.
Double-bogey was the result on hole #13, a par-3 that plays much tougher from the back tees where I was playing. I had a rough start to hole #14, but recovered extremely well to save bogey. The hole of the day, however, was #15. This is a 492-yard par-5 that doglegs left, before crossing a creek that is bordered on both sides by trees. A wonderful drive went 292-yards, settling about five yards right of the 200-yard stick. This left an ideal angle to the green, about 205 yards away. I went for it with 5-wood, launching a high cut that cleared a greenside bunker and settled flag-high. Amazing shot! I had a 14-foot putt for eagle and just burned the edge, settling for birdie.
The last three holes were all bogeys, thanks mostly to the fact that I 1-putted them all. A 3-iron off the tee on hole #16 was good but trees blocked my path to the green on this sharp dogleg par-4. A 5-iron off the tee on hole #17 was struck well, but just a hair left of the par-3 target and long due to the wind. A drive attempt into the wind on the final hole was disastrous, but getting up and down from 130 yards has a way of erasing those mistakes.
I shot a wonderful 43 on the back nine. Had I known that was coming, I would have buckled down on a couple front nine holes where I tried difficult shots just for the heck of it. Oh well, I'm happy with the final score, given the conditions.
Score: 95
Putts: 33
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 6
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