The first four times I visited Scenic Woods, I shot a very respectable 85. The fifth time, which was also my last, I shot 103. The streak was bound to end, but to surpass the century mark was pretty disappointing. I headed out for an early afternoon round to see if I could break 90 once again.
I've had many great shots at Scenic Woods, but I've also had some bad ones. It's amazing how your memory of these shots affects your current play. Hole #1 is a perfect example. It's a long par-5, but very flat and with a wide fairway. I've always felt like I could let loose with the driver here and as a result, I've nailed the centre of the fairway every single time. This time was no exception. In the past, however, I've pulled or hooked a long iron into the weeds with my second shot. That memory must have crept into my subconscious, because I did exactly the same thing this time around. The ball was lost and I was forced to take a penalty, leading to a double-bogey.
I went par, bogey, par over the next three holes, so I was doing okay. The bogey came when I just barely missed an up and down, while the last par came when I successfully pulled one off. A double-bogey resulted on hole #5, only because of some bad chipping near the green. I was right beside the green in two on this par-4, but duffed my first chip and then made a mediocre one, before finishing up with a 2-putt. I was thinking about following through to the target, as I usually pull my chips slightly. The thought was too technical – my thought should have simply been to get the ball near the hole.
The tee shot on hole #6 is one that has given me problems in the past. This is a par-4 with a creek crossing the fairway and then running along the right side of the fairway toward the green. I decided to lay up behind the creek the first time I played this hole and it worked well. The next time, I hit driver over the creek and it also worked well. I guess that second instance convinced me that driver was a good option. On subsequent visits though, it has not worked at all. I've sliced a couple near the 7th hole, right of the creek, and I've also pulled one into some trees very near the teeing area. This time, I sliced one deep toward the 7th hole, leaving me stymied by the tall trees on the banks of the creek. I had to put one in the creek intentionally, just so I could drop back on the other side of the lateral hazard. It all lead to a double-bogey. Next time, I will lay up off the tee.
I went bogey, par, par to finish the front nine, for a score of 43 at the turn. The par on hole #9 was well earned, but should have been a birdie. This is a 168-yard par-3. I have hit very nice tee shots on this hole before. Those positive memories give you confidence, which is priceless. I took aim at the flag just back and left of the green centre and it was a beauty. The 6-iron struck the ball perfectly, launching it on a direct line to the target. The ball bounced a foot and a half in front of the hole and hit the flag stick, ricocheting slightly behind and to the right of the hole. I had about six feet left for birdie, with a putt that broke right to left. I made a really good effort, but it lipped out and I settled for the par.
An atrocious drive on hole #10 struck some trees just ahead of the teeing ground and I found myself just in front of #18 green. A good 5-wood got me back to the right rough on this par-5 hole. I was 210 yards from the green, so it had been a pretty good recovery. I tried to hit another 5-wood, but the rough closed the face of the club and I pulled one into the weeds left. One mistake on a hole is something you can overcome. Two mistakes is another story. I had to take a penalty stroke and finished with a triple-bogey.
I went par, bogey, par, double-bogey, par over the next five holes. Three over par for five holes of golf is pretty good. This included a great approach shot on hole #11, where I was partially blocked out by a large tree. It also included a great 8-iron off the tee on hole #13, a par-3 with a forced carry over a creek. The creek angles back toward the green, hugging the entire left side. It's a great hole. I nailed the right side of the green, then hit a perfect lag to within 12 inches.
Unfortunately, this stretch also included more chipping trouble on hole #14. It was a repeat of what happened on hole #5. Beside the green on this par-4 after two, I duffed a chip, then hit a mediocre one, before 2-putting for double-bogey. An up and down for par on hole #15 took some of the sting out, but those were strokes I just gave away.
Hole #16 is a par-3 that was playing 200 yards. I've hit good tee shots on this hole, but I've also hit some real stinkers, which flooded back to memory as I stood on the tee. As a result, it was another stinker – a duff that travelled 25 yards ahead. My second shot was just off the green, followed by a chip and two putts for double-bogey. Bogey, bogey finish gave me 47 on the back nine and 90 overall. Not bad, but could have been better.
Score: 90
Putts: 30
Fairways: 7
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
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