A day before the next Deepwoods event, I headed out to Thundering Waters Golf Club, in Niagara Falls. It was a long drive, thanks to the weekend traffic. Weather was fine on the drive over, but as I approached the Falls, I saw a black cloud hanging directly over the course. We had a late tee time to begin with, so I was worried that any delay would make it hard for us to finish before sunset. Rain fell as I took my clubs out of the trunk and walked over to the clubhouse. It passed fairly quickly and we were sent off at our scheduled tee time.
I had never played Thundering Waters before, so I was looking forward to it. The reviews I had seen over the years were mixed, so I was anxious to reach my own conclusion. I made bogey on the opening par-4, then piped a drive straight down fairway #2. At this point, it started raining again. I played two poor shots in the rain and then we experienced some thunder and lightning, so we took shelter in the golf carts beside the green. We had to wait a while for the system to pass, after which I chipped on and 2-putt for a double-bogey.
Hole #3 is a very challenging par-3 at 195 yards. I hit what looked like a perfect 3-iron. It was flag high, but rolled off the closely mowed area right of the green. A chip and two putts earned bogey and we were off to the next hole. On tee #4, the rain came back again and not surprisingly, I started hitting bad shots. I sliced my drive into the weeds right. I pulled an iron to the water hazard left. My fifth shot settled just right of the green and we waited there as the thunder and lightning came back. When it was over, I chipped on and 2-putt for a triple-bogey.
The good news is that was the end of the rain, thunder and lightning. I averaged bogey over the remainder of the front nine. Specifically, I collected one par, three bogeys and a double. The par was on a short par-3. It was the only hole on the front nine where I hit the green in regulation. The double was on a long par-3. I pushed my tee shot right near some trees. Some branches interfered with my backswing and cause me to plunk the next shot into a bunker. I then got out safely and 2-putt for the double. At the turn I was shooting 48.
After a bogey on hole #10, another long par-3, I had my best hole of the day. Hole #11 is a 304-yard par-4. If you drive in the direction of the green, you have to carry water most of the way. The safe play is to hit a mid iron toward the fairway and then attack the green with a wedge. I didn't hit a great tee shot, but I finished in the left rough, 135 yards from the green. My next shot was a spectacular pitching wedge that rolled to a stop two inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie.
Hole #12 is a par-5 that was playing straight into the wind. I tried to split two tree trunks on my second shot, but caught one solidly, which deflected the ball to the fairway, but well back. My third shot failed to clear a water hazard crossing the fairway and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. After pitching on the green with my fifth shot, I 3-putt for a disappointing triple-bogey. A bogey on a long par-3 and par on a par-4 helped ease some of the pain.
Unfortunately, the last four holes were something of a struggle. After the long drive to the course and the rain delays, I was feeling pretty tired. We had enough daylight remaining to finish the round, but it was close. I don't like playing while fighting the light – it's just a distraction. I started hitting some bad drives off the heel of the club. I think I was reverse pivoting and sweeping the club face sharply from the outside-in. In some cases, I got away with it, while in others, I didn't. I took a quadruple-bogey on hole #15 and #17. On the former, I pushed my second shot into the woods. On the latter, I pulled my drive into the woods left. In both cases, I had to take a penalty stroke. In fact, I had six penalty strokes on the day. Far too many!
I did manage to make par on hole #16, a par-3 that is all carry over water. I also made bogey on the final hole, a 526-yard par-5. I reached the green fringe in three shots, but a poor lag attempt left me little chance at the par.
Score: 97
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6
June 27, 2017
June 26, 2017
Welcome to Slowville
I last played golf at Lowville Golf Club, home of the five hour round. There's a lot to like about the club, but pace of play is not one of them. By no means am I one of those pace of play nazis, but even I was frustrated with the glacial rate of progress on this particular day. And let's be clear: the pace of play had nothing to do with the players out on the course and what they were or were not doing. Rather, it had everything to do with the club itself and how it manages its tee sheet.
Enough of that, let's move on to the actual golf. The front nine at Lowville consists of three par-5, three par-4, and three par-3 holes. I made bogey on all of the par-5 holes, beginning with #1. My third shot from 110 yards ended up on the left fringe and I took a chip and two putts to finish. On #4, I was behind and right of the green after getting there in just two shots. A great pitch shot wasn't rewarded, as the ball rolled off the other side of the green into the rough. The comeback chip was okay, but I missed the par putt and hence, the bogey. So much for reaching the green in two. On #7, I pumped a drive deep, leaving 190 yards to the green. After a terribly pulled 4-iron, I did well just to get on the green in four, setting up a 2-putt.
I made double-bogey on the par-3 holes, beginning with #3. I hit a good looking 5-iron off the tee, but found a green side bunker, flag high. That's what accounted for the double, as I flew right across the green with my bunker shot. A pitch and two putts wrapped things up. On hole #5, I hit a 6-iron so pure that it went 200 yards and ended up behind the green. I made a nice pitch, but then 3-putt like an idiot. On hole #8, my sand wedge off the tee was a little thin. I was lucky that a bunker snagged my ball behind the green. I was unlucky that I was on the down slope, facing a massive lip. I rammed one into the lip, before popping out safely. Two putts ended it.
I made triple-bogey on two of the first three par-4 holes. After visiting an opposite fairway with my drive on hole #2, I practically shanked a 7-iron way to the right side. Unfortunately, I hit a cart path, which carried my ball to yet another fairway. With a terrible downhill lie, I could not pitch over a large bunker that was in my way. From the bunker, I flew over the green. A chip and two putts ended the misery. On hole #6, I waited forever to hit my second shot with the gap wedge. After the massive wait, I proceeded to scull one right and into waist high fescue and weeds. With a wedge! I took a penalty and drop, then hit the green, only to set up a 3-putt. Fortunately, I made par on the last of the par-4 holes, which was #9. Amazingly, I did it by getting up and down from a green side bunker, proving that miracles can indeed happen. I was shooting 51 at the turn.
The rest of the round highlights one of the frustrating things about this game. I shot 42 on the back nine. That's pretty good! So why did I happen to shoot 51, 42 and not 42, 42 or even something like 46, 42? I'll tell you why. It's because golf is evil. It has to be, because there is no other logical explanation. Anyway, I started the back nine with three consecutive bogeys, including one on hole #10 when my birdie chip lipped out and my par putt stopped one inch in front of the cup. To be honest, none of these holes featured a good drive, but I missed to the correct side and made good follow-up shots.
I made par on hole #13, a 150-yard par-3. This was the only green that I hit in regulation, but I was nowhere near the hole and had to make a fantastic 2-putt to earn the result. I went one better on hole #14, collecting a birdie on this downhill par-4. My drive was perfect, leaving just 120 yards to the green. I thinned a wedge to the low spot just in front of the green. It was a really terrible effort. Fortunately, I drained the uphill chip to save the day.
Now, some stupidity – the kind that makes me really irate. Hole #15, a par-3, was playing 180 yards. The entire left side of this hole is red staked marshland. Everything slopes toward the marsh as well. Fortunately, the right side of the hole is fairly benign. As long as you carry the ball over a weed covered gulley, you have plenty of room right of the green. I made the correct decision to aim for the right edge of the green, or even a bit right of that. I hit a perfect 5-iron (my 180-yard club) directly on my intended line. It was so perfect that I didn't even bother watching the ball come to rest. It was perfect, after all. Well, when I walked over to that area, my ball was nowhere to be seen. There are no trees there, no shrubs, no long grass – just some very tame rough. Where the hell was my ball? The only thing remotely close that could conceal a ball was a flower bed well behind the green. I looked there to no avail. I hate losing balls in wide open spaces. It boggles the mind. Anyway, I took a double-bogey reward for my “perfect” tee shot.
More frustration ensued on hole #16, a 422-yard par 4 that plays much longer because it's all uphill. Fuming over the lost ball on the previous hole, I decided to go with the “berserk” swing on my drive. I swung as fast as I could and drilled the ball deep to the left side of the fairway. I had played this course a dozen times and never been in such a good position on this hole. I had a little 9-iron left into the green, but what did I do? I pulled it ever so slightly, but enough to trickle on the cart path and bounce into a hazard. The path is too close to the green here if you ask me. If you miss the green by five yards, the path kicks your ball out. I ALWAYS end up going there with my approach shot. In the past, it has happened with a 4-iron or maybe 5-iron, but for it to happen again with a 9-iron is so frustrating! After a penalty and drop, I chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey.
Luckily, that was the last of the stupidity. I made par on hole #17, a 412-yard par-4. My approach was in the low spot just in front of the green. I chipped uphill to within 3 feet and drained the uphill par putt. On hole #18, I made a nice drive over the intimidating marshland. I hit a pretty good looking iron toward the green, but came up short and right. My wedge slid right under the ball on the first pitch attempt. My second was much better and a single putt was all I needed for bogey.
Overall, a 93 ain't bad, but the question remains. If I can shoot 42 for nine holes, why can't I approximate that for the other nine and finish with a sub 90 round? It's evil, I tell you.
Score: 93
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
Enough of that, let's move on to the actual golf. The front nine at Lowville consists of three par-5, three par-4, and three par-3 holes. I made bogey on all of the par-5 holes, beginning with #1. My third shot from 110 yards ended up on the left fringe and I took a chip and two putts to finish. On #4, I was behind and right of the green after getting there in just two shots. A great pitch shot wasn't rewarded, as the ball rolled off the other side of the green into the rough. The comeback chip was okay, but I missed the par putt and hence, the bogey. So much for reaching the green in two. On #7, I pumped a drive deep, leaving 190 yards to the green. After a terribly pulled 4-iron, I did well just to get on the green in four, setting up a 2-putt.
I made double-bogey on the par-3 holes, beginning with #3. I hit a good looking 5-iron off the tee, but found a green side bunker, flag high. That's what accounted for the double, as I flew right across the green with my bunker shot. A pitch and two putts wrapped things up. On hole #5, I hit a 6-iron so pure that it went 200 yards and ended up behind the green. I made a nice pitch, but then 3-putt like an idiot. On hole #8, my sand wedge off the tee was a little thin. I was lucky that a bunker snagged my ball behind the green. I was unlucky that I was on the down slope, facing a massive lip. I rammed one into the lip, before popping out safely. Two putts ended it.
I made triple-bogey on two of the first three par-4 holes. After visiting an opposite fairway with my drive on hole #2, I practically shanked a 7-iron way to the right side. Unfortunately, I hit a cart path, which carried my ball to yet another fairway. With a terrible downhill lie, I could not pitch over a large bunker that was in my way. From the bunker, I flew over the green. A chip and two putts ended the misery. On hole #6, I waited forever to hit my second shot with the gap wedge. After the massive wait, I proceeded to scull one right and into waist high fescue and weeds. With a wedge! I took a penalty and drop, then hit the green, only to set up a 3-putt. Fortunately, I made par on the last of the par-4 holes, which was #9. Amazingly, I did it by getting up and down from a green side bunker, proving that miracles can indeed happen. I was shooting 51 at the turn.
The rest of the round highlights one of the frustrating things about this game. I shot 42 on the back nine. That's pretty good! So why did I happen to shoot 51, 42 and not 42, 42 or even something like 46, 42? I'll tell you why. It's because golf is evil. It has to be, because there is no other logical explanation. Anyway, I started the back nine with three consecutive bogeys, including one on hole #10 when my birdie chip lipped out and my par putt stopped one inch in front of the cup. To be honest, none of these holes featured a good drive, but I missed to the correct side and made good follow-up shots.
I made par on hole #13, a 150-yard par-3. This was the only green that I hit in regulation, but I was nowhere near the hole and had to make a fantastic 2-putt to earn the result. I went one better on hole #14, collecting a birdie on this downhill par-4. My drive was perfect, leaving just 120 yards to the green. I thinned a wedge to the low spot just in front of the green. It was a really terrible effort. Fortunately, I drained the uphill chip to save the day.
Now, some stupidity – the kind that makes me really irate. Hole #15, a par-3, was playing 180 yards. The entire left side of this hole is red staked marshland. Everything slopes toward the marsh as well. Fortunately, the right side of the hole is fairly benign. As long as you carry the ball over a weed covered gulley, you have plenty of room right of the green. I made the correct decision to aim for the right edge of the green, or even a bit right of that. I hit a perfect 5-iron (my 180-yard club) directly on my intended line. It was so perfect that I didn't even bother watching the ball come to rest. It was perfect, after all. Well, when I walked over to that area, my ball was nowhere to be seen. There are no trees there, no shrubs, no long grass – just some very tame rough. Where the hell was my ball? The only thing remotely close that could conceal a ball was a flower bed well behind the green. I looked there to no avail. I hate losing balls in wide open spaces. It boggles the mind. Anyway, I took a double-bogey reward for my “perfect” tee shot.
More frustration ensued on hole #16, a 422-yard par 4 that plays much longer because it's all uphill. Fuming over the lost ball on the previous hole, I decided to go with the “berserk” swing on my drive. I swung as fast as I could and drilled the ball deep to the left side of the fairway. I had played this course a dozen times and never been in such a good position on this hole. I had a little 9-iron left into the green, but what did I do? I pulled it ever so slightly, but enough to trickle on the cart path and bounce into a hazard. The path is too close to the green here if you ask me. If you miss the green by five yards, the path kicks your ball out. I ALWAYS end up going there with my approach shot. In the past, it has happened with a 4-iron or maybe 5-iron, but for it to happen again with a 9-iron is so frustrating! After a penalty and drop, I chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey.
Luckily, that was the last of the stupidity. I made par on hole #17, a 412-yard par-4. My approach was in the low spot just in front of the green. I chipped uphill to within 3 feet and drained the uphill par putt. On hole #18, I made a nice drive over the intimidating marshland. I hit a pretty good looking iron toward the green, but came up short and right. My wedge slid right under the ball on the first pitch attempt. My second was much better and a single putt was all I needed for bogey.
Overall, a 93 ain't bad, but the question remains. If I can shoot 42 for nine holes, why can't I approximate that for the other nine and finish with a sub 90 round? It's evil, I tell you.
Score: 93
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
June 17, 2017
Hot Then Cold at Royal Niagara
Before my last round, I had only played Royal Niagara once and it was almost ten years ago. Needless to say, I couldn't remember any of the holes. Without any course knowledge, I would have to rely on whatever I could see from my vantage point as I worked my way along the course.
For the first seven holes, I played brilliantly, at least by my standards. I was one over par through four holes and four over par through seven. The nice stretch included a birdie on Escarpment #2 and par on #4. The first of these is a 352-yard par-4 and I went driver, lob wedge to stick one close. The other is a 492-yard par-5 that I attacked with the same clubs on my first and third shots. I was feeling good, to say the least.
Without warning, I tallied two consecutive triple bogeys to finish up the Escarpment nine with a score of 46. On both occasions, the lob wedge that served me so well earlier was the club that killed me. On #8, a 512-yard par-5, I started with a terrible pull way left of the fairway. I was lucky that the ball stayed out of the fescue and I was able to hit a pitching wedge over some tall trees back to the proper fairway. I was 210 yards from the green and decided to go for it. I hit 5-wood, but it was to the right and really high. The wind held it up and prevented it from diving into the fescue. I was about 70 yards from the flag with a decent lie, so I felt confident I could get on with the lob wedge. Somehow, my shot came up short and landed in a greenside bunker – my nemesis. I got out of the bunker with one shot, but just to the rough. After a chip and a putt that burned the edge, I collected the triple.
Escarpment #9 is a short par-4, measuring just 297 yards. My tee shot was slightly right of the fairway, near the cart path. I was just 60 yards from the flag, so out came the lob wedge again. My feet were on the cart path, but I elected not to take any relief. I proceeded to scull the shot well behind the green. It was a bad place for this to happen, as there is water behind the green, and my ball took a splash. After a penalty and drop, my fourth shot rolled to the front of the green. I made a poor uphill lag and ended up 3-putting as a result.
Moving to the Old Canal nine, the poor play continued. Not knowing the course was a problem on holes #2 and #3. The first of these is a par-5 featuring a chute of trees that you must navigate on your second shot. I pulled the ball slightly and found the woods on the left side. Later on, I saw that the proper play is to go right over the trees on the right. You just have to get the ball elevated and there is lots of fairway on that line. After taking a penalty and drop, I bounced one into more woods back and left of the green, en route to a triple-bogey.
The next hole is a pretty severe dogleg to the left. From the tee, I couldn't tell if there was room over the trees on the left. I also wasn't sure how much room there was to miss on the right side. I had too many thoughts and pulled one straight into the trees just ahead of the tee. After a penalty and drop, I hit two great shots to find the green and two nice putts. Lots of nice stuff there, but it was a double-bogey.
On Old Canal #6, I flared my drive attempt way right into an opposite fairway. I missed right a lot on the day. I was trying to keep my backswing short, but I was rushing the downswing, not allowing the club head to catch up to my hands. It was a case of something that had been working well for me going too far and now causing problems. After the drive, the angle back to the fairway was straight at a large pond on the other side and I was worried about going long. I favoured the right side and ended up hitting one into waist high fescue. Any ball into fescue was lost, as evidenced by the fact that I had seven penalty strokes. A lot of those were due to the hay. I ended up with another triple-bogey.
I limped in to the finish and actually was surprised that I came so close to the century mark. It felt like I played better than that. I did, but it was only over the first seven holes. Once again, 18 holes proved to be way too much for me to handle.
Score: 99
Putts: 36
Fairways: 1
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
For the first seven holes, I played brilliantly, at least by my standards. I was one over par through four holes and four over par through seven. The nice stretch included a birdie on Escarpment #2 and par on #4. The first of these is a 352-yard par-4 and I went driver, lob wedge to stick one close. The other is a 492-yard par-5 that I attacked with the same clubs on my first and third shots. I was feeling good, to say the least.
Without warning, I tallied two consecutive triple bogeys to finish up the Escarpment nine with a score of 46. On both occasions, the lob wedge that served me so well earlier was the club that killed me. On #8, a 512-yard par-5, I started with a terrible pull way left of the fairway. I was lucky that the ball stayed out of the fescue and I was able to hit a pitching wedge over some tall trees back to the proper fairway. I was 210 yards from the green and decided to go for it. I hit 5-wood, but it was to the right and really high. The wind held it up and prevented it from diving into the fescue. I was about 70 yards from the flag with a decent lie, so I felt confident I could get on with the lob wedge. Somehow, my shot came up short and landed in a greenside bunker – my nemesis. I got out of the bunker with one shot, but just to the rough. After a chip and a putt that burned the edge, I collected the triple.
Escarpment #9 is a short par-4, measuring just 297 yards. My tee shot was slightly right of the fairway, near the cart path. I was just 60 yards from the flag, so out came the lob wedge again. My feet were on the cart path, but I elected not to take any relief. I proceeded to scull the shot well behind the green. It was a bad place for this to happen, as there is water behind the green, and my ball took a splash. After a penalty and drop, my fourth shot rolled to the front of the green. I made a poor uphill lag and ended up 3-putting as a result.
Moving to the Old Canal nine, the poor play continued. Not knowing the course was a problem on holes #2 and #3. The first of these is a par-5 featuring a chute of trees that you must navigate on your second shot. I pulled the ball slightly and found the woods on the left side. Later on, I saw that the proper play is to go right over the trees on the right. You just have to get the ball elevated and there is lots of fairway on that line. After taking a penalty and drop, I bounced one into more woods back and left of the green, en route to a triple-bogey.
The next hole is a pretty severe dogleg to the left. From the tee, I couldn't tell if there was room over the trees on the left. I also wasn't sure how much room there was to miss on the right side. I had too many thoughts and pulled one straight into the trees just ahead of the tee. After a penalty and drop, I hit two great shots to find the green and two nice putts. Lots of nice stuff there, but it was a double-bogey.
On Old Canal #6, I flared my drive attempt way right into an opposite fairway. I missed right a lot on the day. I was trying to keep my backswing short, but I was rushing the downswing, not allowing the club head to catch up to my hands. It was a case of something that had been working well for me going too far and now causing problems. After the drive, the angle back to the fairway was straight at a large pond on the other side and I was worried about going long. I favoured the right side and ended up hitting one into waist high fescue. Any ball into fescue was lost, as evidenced by the fact that I had seven penalty strokes. A lot of those were due to the hay. I ended up with another triple-bogey.
I limped in to the finish and actually was surprised that I came so close to the century mark. It felt like I played better than that. I did, but it was only over the first seven holes. Once again, 18 holes proved to be way too much for me to handle.
Score: 99
Putts: 36
Fairways: 1
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
June 16, 2017
Threatening Holes at Calerin
I picked a perfect day and headed out to Calerin Golf Club for an early afternoon round. This is a 9-hole course, which I played twice, each time from a different set of tees. On the opening par-5, I drove the ball over some bunkers to the safety of the fairway. Next, a nice 5-wood carried me to the right edge of the fairway, 90 yards from the flag. Lob wedge to the green left me an uphill breaker for birdie. I lagged it to within a foot and tapped in for par.
Next up was a par-3 measuring just 108 yards. I stuck a sand wedge within 12 feet and had a really good look at birdie, but it didn't drop. I tapped in for my second stress-free par of the day. Hole #3 is a 405-yard par-4 and I started by splitting the fairway, leaving 160 yards to the green. Left of the green is a hillside, while right is a large pond. I normally play to miss left, but I hadn't made a bad stroke yet, so I aimed for centre of the green. Of course, it was my first miss hit and it trickled into the pond short and right of the green. After a penalty and drop, my pitch shot was mediocre, leading to a 2-putt and double-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was marvellous, though I only tallied one more par, to go along with five bogeys. The par came on hole #6, a well-designed par-4. It's well designed because it makes you think off the tee and the green is nestled nicely into a hillside, protected by a deep bunker and large tree. I opted for driver off the tee, fading one beautifully to the 100-yard marker. Next, I sculled the sand wedge, but it hit the hill above the bunker face and settled gently on the green, flag high. I had a really good go at birdie, but just burned the edge.
With one exception, the steady play continued on the back nine. The exception was hole #13, a 552-yard par-5. After a perfect drive, I chunked a 3-iron, leaving myself too far back to reach the green in three. My third shot, also with the 3-iron, was perfect, but I had 65 yards remaining to the flag. I would have been happy with lob wedge on and 2-putt for bogey. Unfortunately, I sculled the lob wedge shot and ended up stymied by a large tree behind the green. It took two more shots to get on and then I 3-put for a disastrous quadruple-bogey.
Those first two putts weren't even that bad. I lagged the first to inside five feet, but left a downhill breaker, which was very tricky. I made a really nice attempt, but missed. In fact, this happened a lot on this day. I counted about ten putts that were very good and seriously threatened the hole, but just didn't drop. Most burned the edge and finished a foot behind the hole, but I also left a couple hanging right on the lip. If half of those go in and I avoid that sculled lob wedge on #13, this would have been a score in the very low eighties.
The one putt of any length that did drop came on hole #15 and it produced a birdie. This is the same hole (#6) that I made par on earlier, after catching a break with a poor approach shot. The second time around, I hit the same great drive, although this time I was in the right rough, 90 yards from the green. My lob wedge landed on the very front of the putting surface, setting up the opportunity. From 14 feet away, I lined it up and drained the uphill putt.
I was pretty happy with this round. I hit 10 of 14 fairways and whenever I missed one, I was still in a very safe position. I also hit six greens in regulation. That's not a lot, but it's more than I usually get. Of course, I would have liked to break 90, but alas. Last year, I broke 90 three times in my first seven rounds. This year, I've played nine rounds and have yet to accomplish that. Patience.
Score: 90
Putts: 38
Fairways: 10
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
Next up was a par-3 measuring just 108 yards. I stuck a sand wedge within 12 feet and had a really good look at birdie, but it didn't drop. I tapped in for my second stress-free par of the day. Hole #3 is a 405-yard par-4 and I started by splitting the fairway, leaving 160 yards to the green. Left of the green is a hillside, while right is a large pond. I normally play to miss left, but I hadn't made a bad stroke yet, so I aimed for centre of the green. Of course, it was my first miss hit and it trickled into the pond short and right of the green. After a penalty and drop, my pitch shot was mediocre, leading to a 2-putt and double-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was marvellous, though I only tallied one more par, to go along with five bogeys. The par came on hole #6, a well-designed par-4. It's well designed because it makes you think off the tee and the green is nestled nicely into a hillside, protected by a deep bunker and large tree. I opted for driver off the tee, fading one beautifully to the 100-yard marker. Next, I sculled the sand wedge, but it hit the hill above the bunker face and settled gently on the green, flag high. I had a really good go at birdie, but just burned the edge.
With one exception, the steady play continued on the back nine. The exception was hole #13, a 552-yard par-5. After a perfect drive, I chunked a 3-iron, leaving myself too far back to reach the green in three. My third shot, also with the 3-iron, was perfect, but I had 65 yards remaining to the flag. I would have been happy with lob wedge on and 2-putt for bogey. Unfortunately, I sculled the lob wedge shot and ended up stymied by a large tree behind the green. It took two more shots to get on and then I 3-put for a disastrous quadruple-bogey.
Those first two putts weren't even that bad. I lagged the first to inside five feet, but left a downhill breaker, which was very tricky. I made a really nice attempt, but missed. In fact, this happened a lot on this day. I counted about ten putts that were very good and seriously threatened the hole, but just didn't drop. Most burned the edge and finished a foot behind the hole, but I also left a couple hanging right on the lip. If half of those go in and I avoid that sculled lob wedge on #13, this would have been a score in the very low eighties.
The one putt of any length that did drop came on hole #15 and it produced a birdie. This is the same hole (#6) that I made par on earlier, after catching a break with a poor approach shot. The second time around, I hit the same great drive, although this time I was in the right rough, 90 yards from the green. My lob wedge landed on the very front of the putting surface, setting up the opportunity. From 14 feet away, I lined it up and drained the uphill putt.
I was pretty happy with this round. I hit 10 of 14 fairways and whenever I missed one, I was still in a very safe position. I also hit six greens in regulation. That's not a lot, but it's more than I usually get. Of course, I would have liked to break 90, but alas. Last year, I broke 90 three times in my first seven rounds. This year, I've played nine rounds and have yet to accomplish that. Patience.
Score: 90
Putts: 38
Fairways: 10
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
June 05, 2017
Wasted Outing at King's Forest
King's Forest is becoming my new nemesis. I've played there ten times and the best result (only a 95) came in my first visit. It was also nine years ago! How do you explain that? Familiarity with a course is supposed to help you score better, isn't it? The course is no slouch, but my problems there have been my own doing entirely.
The first hole is really not very difficult. Par may not be straightforward, but bogey should be a guarantee, every time out. You tee off from an elevated tee to a generous fairway. You can miss on both sides and still be okay. There is especially a lot of room on the right side. However, everything slopes down from right to left. From the right side, the ball will be above your feet (for right handers) on the second shot, not to mention that you will be coming out of the rough. A small cluster of spruce trees up ahead will block your path to the green.
If you choose a lofted club to get out of the rough and fly over the trees, you will likely not reach the green and will enter the trees from above. If you choose a less lofted club for more distance, you risk hitting the trees with a line drive. I've tried both approaches and end up in the spruce trees, either way. These trees are the kind where the lowest branches touch the ground, so it's impossible to get out of there with a shot toward the green.
If you take your medicine and lay up left of the trees, roughly 40 yards short of the green, the line you need to take is directly at a creek on the left side of the hole. It's difficult to judge the exact distance. Whenever I've tried this, I hit the ball too far and bounced it into the creek. So much for playing safe. The fact that you have a pull lie to contend with increases the likelihood of this happening.
This time, I wasn't going to fall victim to the scenarios outlined above. I aimed for the left side of the fairway, content to miss to the left side, for once. That's exactly what happened; I was about 8 yards into the rough and 200 yards from the green centre. From this angle, I had an unobstructed path to the green. My lie was good, too. Well, I proceeded to push a long iron – directly into the dreaded spruce trees on the right side! Seriously? What do I have to do to avoid those things?
I could only punch out to the extreme left edge of the green, as the rest was blocked out. Too far left would put me in a green side bunker. Too far right and I would smack the branches directly in front of me. The lie looked muddy, so I thought it might be difficult to get good contact. Well, I contacted it so perfectly that the ball rocketed out of there. The line was perfect, but the ball bounced on the visible sliver of green and went right into the creek! Sigh.
This is where it gets ugly. The bank of the creek is like a shelf and it's covered in long grasses. My ball stopped on the shelf and was dry, but the grass was knee high, at least. One hack moved the ball three feet. Another one moved it another foot. A third hack got it up to the upper edge of the hazard. My seventh shot was a pitch to the green and I 2-putt for a score of 9 on this par-4. Lovely.
That was pretty much the end of the round. I won't describe any more, because it was a write off from that point forward. You get all hyped up for a round and then throw it away on the very first hole. It's demoralizing. And what makes it worse is that this scenario has played itself out almost every time I've played this course. After the fourth hole, I dismissed my playing partners, advising them that if they wanted to enjoy the round, they were better off going ahead and leaving me alone.
Ironically, I played well on the part of the course that usually gives me the most trouble (holes #10 through #13). It didn't matter, as I already had triples, quads and quints on my scorecard. I would add more in the closing holes, thanks to great shots that were nevertheless punished and some patterns that repeated themselves like clockwork on a couple of holes.
Absolute garbage.
Score: 113
Putts: 39
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
The first hole is really not very difficult. Par may not be straightforward, but bogey should be a guarantee, every time out. You tee off from an elevated tee to a generous fairway. You can miss on both sides and still be okay. There is especially a lot of room on the right side. However, everything slopes down from right to left. From the right side, the ball will be above your feet (for right handers) on the second shot, not to mention that you will be coming out of the rough. A small cluster of spruce trees up ahead will block your path to the green.
If you choose a lofted club to get out of the rough and fly over the trees, you will likely not reach the green and will enter the trees from above. If you choose a less lofted club for more distance, you risk hitting the trees with a line drive. I've tried both approaches and end up in the spruce trees, either way. These trees are the kind where the lowest branches touch the ground, so it's impossible to get out of there with a shot toward the green.
If you take your medicine and lay up left of the trees, roughly 40 yards short of the green, the line you need to take is directly at a creek on the left side of the hole. It's difficult to judge the exact distance. Whenever I've tried this, I hit the ball too far and bounced it into the creek. So much for playing safe. The fact that you have a pull lie to contend with increases the likelihood of this happening.
This time, I wasn't going to fall victim to the scenarios outlined above. I aimed for the left side of the fairway, content to miss to the left side, for once. That's exactly what happened; I was about 8 yards into the rough and 200 yards from the green centre. From this angle, I had an unobstructed path to the green. My lie was good, too. Well, I proceeded to push a long iron – directly into the dreaded spruce trees on the right side! Seriously? What do I have to do to avoid those things?
I could only punch out to the extreme left edge of the green, as the rest was blocked out. Too far left would put me in a green side bunker. Too far right and I would smack the branches directly in front of me. The lie looked muddy, so I thought it might be difficult to get good contact. Well, I contacted it so perfectly that the ball rocketed out of there. The line was perfect, but the ball bounced on the visible sliver of green and went right into the creek! Sigh.
This is where it gets ugly. The bank of the creek is like a shelf and it's covered in long grasses. My ball stopped on the shelf and was dry, but the grass was knee high, at least. One hack moved the ball three feet. Another one moved it another foot. A third hack got it up to the upper edge of the hazard. My seventh shot was a pitch to the green and I 2-putt for a score of 9 on this par-4. Lovely.
That was pretty much the end of the round. I won't describe any more, because it was a write off from that point forward. You get all hyped up for a round and then throw it away on the very first hole. It's demoralizing. And what makes it worse is that this scenario has played itself out almost every time I've played this course. After the fourth hole, I dismissed my playing partners, advising them that if they wanted to enjoy the round, they were better off going ahead and leaving me alone.
Ironically, I played well on the part of the course that usually gives me the most trouble (holes #10 through #13). It didn't matter, as I already had triples, quads and quints on my scorecard. I would add more in the closing holes, thanks to great shots that were nevertheless punished and some patterns that repeated themselves like clockwork on a couple of holes.
Absolute garbage.
Score: 113
Putts: 39
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
June 03, 2017
No Reward at Copetown Woods
This game is cruel; one day you can hack the ball all over the place and shoot 95, while another day you can be striking the ball seemingly well and shoot...95! The latter occurred to me during Round 1 of the Deepwoods championship at Copetown Woods. I made par on three of the first four holes and was rolling right along. I cooled slightly to finish the front nine with four bogeys and a double, but was still in great shape at the turn. Next thing you know, I blew up on two holes in a row. Though I settled down for the remainder of the round, it was a parade of bogeys and whenever a slight miscue occurred, boom there's a double. I felt pretty good through the entire round, but I finished in the bottom half of the field. So what went wrong?
Duffed shots. Even on holes where I registered a good score, there were duffed shots. On the opening par-5, I split the fairway with my drive, leaving 200 yards to the green. Gotta go for it right? Well, I duffed a 3-iron 70 yards ahead. Okay, I nailed the green from 130 yards and had a good birdie attempt before taking par, but maybe I should have been putting for eagle or had an even better birdie chance. On hole #2, I duffed a 7-iron on my second shot from a clean fairway lie. I got on with a pitching wedge and 3-putt for double-bogey.
On hole #6, I once again split the fairway, only to duff the second shot, sending it half the intended distance. I pitched on with a lob wedge and 2-putt for a respectable bogey, but maybe I should have really made par there. Same thing on hole #8. My 5-wood off the tee was high and held back by wind, but I was in the fairway. Cue up a second shot duff, which dribbled ahead, leaving 95 yards to the green. Lob wedge got me on safely and I 2-putt for bogey. Bogeys are fine, but not really when you duff your way to one. Take out those duffed shots and all the others were executed in textbook fashion. Drives were great and approach shots, albeit from shorter distances, were good too. I was 8-over par on the front nine, but maybe I should have been 3 or 4-over.
Blowup holes. I define a blowup hole as a triple-bogey or worse. I only had two of them, but that's enough to ruin a good score. I can't play a round without a couple of them popping up. They may come right at the start, right at the end, or anywhere in between. One thing is for certain though – they WILL happen sooner or later. On hole #10, a par-5, I pushed a drive slightly right, over a bunker. The ball hit an embankment, which pushed it into a water hazard. After a penalty and drop, I tried the hero shot to reach the green in 3. It was worth a try, as the straight line distance was only 200 yards and my lie after the drop looked relatively decent. Well, the lie wasn't as good as I thought and I advanced the ball a whole 5 yards. Now I took my medicine, and hit a wedge back to the fairway. With a good approach from 150 yards, I could still 2-putt for a double-bogey. Unfortunately, my approach failed to clear a bunker by one foot. It took me two shots to get out, plus the two putts for a score of 9.
On the next hole, a 188-yard par-3, I made poor contact with the 5-iron and plunked a ball into a pond. From the drop zone, I sculled my third shot to the back of the large green, while the hole was in the front. It was legitimate 3-putt territory, and that's what I did to earn a lovely triple-bogey. One mistake on a hole will lead to a bogey. When you string two or more mistakes together, the results are predictable.
Long lag putts. On hole #2, I blew a long uphill putt well past the hole. I was so far away from the hole to start, and the tendency is to leave those uphill putts short, so I clearly over-compensated. I almost made the comebacker, but almost ain't good enough, so a 3-putt it was. On hole #11, the same thing happened, but this time, it was a super long downhill putt. I didn't want to over-compensate and leave the putt short, so well past the hole I went. Chalk up my second 3-putt of the day.
Now hole #13 I was on the green in regulation, facing another downhill putt, though not as long as the other two I described. The memory of being too aggressive on a downhill putt was fresh in my memory, so of course I left this one woefully short. The second putt lipped out and there goes another 3-putt. The exact same thing happened on holes #16 and #17. The latter was particularly bothersome. I was the only one in my foursome to hit the green in regulation on this par-3. Nevertheless, two guys I was playing with chipped on and drained a putt for par, while I 3-putt for bogey. Seriously?
Bunker shots. I'm talking about green side bunkers here. I have been awful at these for a long time now and it's clear I am clueless about what to do. The first bunker I found was the one on hole #10, which as I described, took me two strokes to tame. On hole #15, a par-4, my approach shot hit an embankment two yards short of the green and rolled backwards into a sand pit. For a pro, this is an easy up and down. For your average amateur, it means one shot to get on the green and perhaps two putts. For me, it meant one hack to barely get out of the bunker, a chip to get on the green, and two putts for double-bogey. On hole #16, a par-5, my third shot found the green side bunker. Exactly the same situation. This time, I semi-sculled the shot to the opposite end of the green, setting up a 3-putt. Not once during the round did I hit a nice bunker shot. Every time was a disaster of one kind or another.
So at the end of the day, that's how great shots get wasted. I fired many, many great shots on this day, to no avail. The mistakes listed above erased any advantage those good shots gave me. It's frustrating, to say the least.
Score: 95
Putts: 40
Fairways: 7
Greens: 6
Penalties: 2
Duffed shots. Even on holes where I registered a good score, there were duffed shots. On the opening par-5, I split the fairway with my drive, leaving 200 yards to the green. Gotta go for it right? Well, I duffed a 3-iron 70 yards ahead. Okay, I nailed the green from 130 yards and had a good birdie attempt before taking par, but maybe I should have been putting for eagle or had an even better birdie chance. On hole #2, I duffed a 7-iron on my second shot from a clean fairway lie. I got on with a pitching wedge and 3-putt for double-bogey.
On hole #6, I once again split the fairway, only to duff the second shot, sending it half the intended distance. I pitched on with a lob wedge and 2-putt for a respectable bogey, but maybe I should have really made par there. Same thing on hole #8. My 5-wood off the tee was high and held back by wind, but I was in the fairway. Cue up a second shot duff, which dribbled ahead, leaving 95 yards to the green. Lob wedge got me on safely and I 2-putt for bogey. Bogeys are fine, but not really when you duff your way to one. Take out those duffed shots and all the others were executed in textbook fashion. Drives were great and approach shots, albeit from shorter distances, were good too. I was 8-over par on the front nine, but maybe I should have been 3 or 4-over.
Blowup holes. I define a blowup hole as a triple-bogey or worse. I only had two of them, but that's enough to ruin a good score. I can't play a round without a couple of them popping up. They may come right at the start, right at the end, or anywhere in between. One thing is for certain though – they WILL happen sooner or later. On hole #10, a par-5, I pushed a drive slightly right, over a bunker. The ball hit an embankment, which pushed it into a water hazard. After a penalty and drop, I tried the hero shot to reach the green in 3. It was worth a try, as the straight line distance was only 200 yards and my lie after the drop looked relatively decent. Well, the lie wasn't as good as I thought and I advanced the ball a whole 5 yards. Now I took my medicine, and hit a wedge back to the fairway. With a good approach from 150 yards, I could still 2-putt for a double-bogey. Unfortunately, my approach failed to clear a bunker by one foot. It took me two shots to get out, plus the two putts for a score of 9.
On the next hole, a 188-yard par-3, I made poor contact with the 5-iron and plunked a ball into a pond. From the drop zone, I sculled my third shot to the back of the large green, while the hole was in the front. It was legitimate 3-putt territory, and that's what I did to earn a lovely triple-bogey. One mistake on a hole will lead to a bogey. When you string two or more mistakes together, the results are predictable.
Long lag putts. On hole #2, I blew a long uphill putt well past the hole. I was so far away from the hole to start, and the tendency is to leave those uphill putts short, so I clearly over-compensated. I almost made the comebacker, but almost ain't good enough, so a 3-putt it was. On hole #11, the same thing happened, but this time, it was a super long downhill putt. I didn't want to over-compensate and leave the putt short, so well past the hole I went. Chalk up my second 3-putt of the day.
Now hole #13 I was on the green in regulation, facing another downhill putt, though not as long as the other two I described. The memory of being too aggressive on a downhill putt was fresh in my memory, so of course I left this one woefully short. The second putt lipped out and there goes another 3-putt. The exact same thing happened on holes #16 and #17. The latter was particularly bothersome. I was the only one in my foursome to hit the green in regulation on this par-3. Nevertheless, two guys I was playing with chipped on and drained a putt for par, while I 3-putt for bogey. Seriously?
Bunker shots. I'm talking about green side bunkers here. I have been awful at these for a long time now and it's clear I am clueless about what to do. The first bunker I found was the one on hole #10, which as I described, took me two strokes to tame. On hole #15, a par-4, my approach shot hit an embankment two yards short of the green and rolled backwards into a sand pit. For a pro, this is an easy up and down. For your average amateur, it means one shot to get on the green and perhaps two putts. For me, it meant one hack to barely get out of the bunker, a chip to get on the green, and two putts for double-bogey. On hole #16, a par-5, my third shot found the green side bunker. Exactly the same situation. This time, I semi-sculled the shot to the opposite end of the green, setting up a 3-putt. Not once during the round did I hit a nice bunker shot. Every time was a disaster of one kind or another.
So at the end of the day, that's how great shots get wasted. I fired many, many great shots on this day, to no avail. The mistakes listed above erased any advantage those good shots gave me. It's frustrating, to say the least.
Score: 95
Putts: 40
Fairways: 7
Greens: 6
Penalties: 2
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