I was disappointed with my last visit to Battlefield, because of the conditions and because of my performance, so I returned quickly to have another crack at the course. I teed off at 1:30 pm, which should have provided plenty of time to finish before sundown. Unfortunately, a group of hooligans was playing ahead of me and they had no regard for time or for anyone playing behind them. The round took just over five hours to play, with the last two holes played after the sun had dipped below the horizon. All the while, these good ol' boys were having the time of their lives, hooting, hollering and holding committee discussions after every shot. This continued with a boisterous chipping contest on the practice green, as my group tried to putt on the nearby 18th green.
The good news is that conditions were better than the last time at Battlefield. It had not rained in the days prior to my round, so the ground was not completely saturated with water. Unfortunately, I got off to a bad start. A perfect drive on the opening par-5 was wasted with a duffed second shot. This made the third shot much longer than it needed to be, and I landed in a bunker fronting the green. My out from the bunker overshot the green by 10 yards and the comebacker rolled downhill off the putting surface. I made a decent chip, but still needed a couple of putts to finish with a triple-bogey.
The next two holes were quite good, producing scores of bogey and par. A great pitch from 30 yards gave me a chance to save par on the first of these, a par-4. Unfortunately, I just missed the putt. A fantastic tee shot on the second, a par-3, gave me a legitimate chance at birdie. Unfortunately, I missed the putt again. These misses would be costly, because I blew up for another triple-bogey on the subsequent hole, a par-4. My drive missed the fairway to the right and I had a poor lie, with a clump of dirt and grass right behind my ball. My second shot went 10 yards and my third found a greenside bunker. Two shots to get out were followed by a chip and a putt for the offensive triple.
The rest of the front nine was smooth sailing, as I registered four bogeys and a par. I wasn't striking the ball great, but I was avoiding bad misses and making progress with each shot. In fact, I had chances at more pars, but could not make the putts I needed. I 2-putt all of these holes, but almost all of those first putts were makeable ones that I barely missed. Over the course of a round, you really hope to drain a few of those. I made the turn with a score of 47, which is pretty typical.
The back nine is when I really became concerned about finishing the round before sunset. I peeked at my watch on the 10th tee and knew that we were going to be in trouble. I'm not sure if this upset my focus, but I started the back nine with three consecutive double-bogeys. On hole #10, the problem was a horribly pulled tee shot into the woods. On hole #11, it was a shanked pitch attempt from 50 yards that dove into a pond near the green. I hit two good shots on this par-5 to get into that position, so it was a complete waste of two strokes. On hole #12, the problem was a series of bad shots in a row, beginning off the tee.
The middle third of the back nine was fine, as I collected a par and two bogeys. One of the bogeys resulted from a 3-putt on a par-3, so that was a bit disappointing. At this point, we were already fighting the light, so my mind was not really in the right place. We waited for ages on the 16th tee, as the hooligans ahead had a cart parked near the woods on the right side of the fairway. I figured one guy must have been looking for balls in the woods, as he simply drove off when he finally emerged. Of course, I duffed my tee shot after the wait. Since my ball didn't even reach the fairway, I was just trying to save bogey. Alas, I was a little imprecise and double-bogey was the outcome.
As I mentioned earlier, the last two holes were played after sunset. Hole #17 is a 166-yard par-3 over water. Every player in my foursome dunked a ball in the drink, including myself. I proceeded from the drop zone and took a ridiculous triple-bogey. No way I would blow up like that in decent conditions, but playing in semi darkness has a way of throwing you off. In spite of the dark, I managed to par the last hole, a 480-yard par-5. My drive split the fairway, followed by a 5-wood that did the same. From 50 yards out, I punched a low one to the front of the green and finished with a 2-putt.
Score: 96
Putts: 36
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
Penalties: 3
October 29, 2017
October 22, 2017
Lessons Applied at Century Pines
My last two rounds produced disappointing scores of 101. I thought the best way to turn those results into something positive would be to return immediately to the same courses and to apply any lessons learned from the previous visits. So, first up was a return to Century Pines Golf Club.
As on the previous visit, I began on the back nine. I scrambled my way to bogey on hole #10, before reaching hole #11. This is a 309-yard par-4 with woods and OB on the right and a large hazard on the left. I decided to go for the green with driver, aiming over the hazard on the left side. I hit a laser of a shot directly on line. When I walked up to the green, I saw that I was in the fairway, just five yards short of the putting surface. Nice! I made a beautiful chip that very nearly dropped for eagle, just missing the hole. The birdie putt was a mere 10 inches.
Hole #12 can present a problem, as tee shots to the extreme right side the fairway do not leave a clear line to the green. It's dangerous to play too far left, however, as the hazard I spoke of earlier is on this side. I hit a great 5-wood, but as on the previous visit, I finished on that right edge once again. I punched a low shot in an attempt to catch the left edge of the green, but I finished three yards off the edge, flag high. I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. This was followed by a 3-putt double-bogey on hole #13, a par-3 over water. I was not focused enough on my first putt and blew the downhill shot way past the hole.
The problem for me on hole #14, a par-5, is simply that it's a dogleg left. I cannot draw the ball with the driver and the trees on the inside corner are too large to flirt with. I hit my regular shot and faded it into the trees on the right, as I almost always do. After a good punch shot back to the fairway, I pulled a 9-iron ten yards left of the green, albeit flag high. A pitch and two putts earned a bogey. This was followed by a double-bogey on hole #15, another par-3. My 7-iron was headed right at the flag, but I failed to clear a bunker by about a foot. The bunkers at Century Pines are not good and I was prepared for that. Nevertheless, it took two more shots to get on the green and two putts to finish.
Next up was the killer hole, #16. The whole left side of the fairway is no good, as you are blocked out of the green from that side. This makes the hole much narrower than it appears. My 5-wood off the tee wasn't bad, but my ball finished precisely on the left edge of the fairway. All I could do was chip sideways, leaving a wedge shot into the green. Last time, I chipped to the end of the fairway, keeping my ball on the short grass. I ended up thinning a shot from there into a creek. This time, I chipped a couple yards further, finishing in the rough. This was by design, as I figured I could get a bit of a fluffy lie. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a clump directly behind my ball. My wedge shot only travelled two thirds of the intended distance, so I finished in the creek once again! After a penalty and drop, I hit one to the front fringe. I 3-putt from there for a disastrous quadruple-bogey. You simply can't make a bad shot on this hole or you're dead.
Hole #17 is also problematic for me, as discussed after my last visit. It's long, a dogleg left, and pesky “Vince” trees do not allow you to start the ball left off the tee. My strategy was to hit 5-wood off the tee. The hope was that it would not travel as far as driver, which inevitably ends up in the trees on the right side. The concession is that I wouldn't be able to reach the green in two, but that's fine. It worked as I envisioned, but despite landing short of the trees on the right, they still interfered with my next shot. All I could do was take a sand wedge high over the branches, finishing in the middle of the fairway, still 140 yards from the green. From there, I punched a low runner just off the right edge of the green. An up and down salvaged a bogey, so the strategy wasn't bad after all. I finished hole #18 with a bogey, for a score of 48 at the turn.
Hole #1 went remarkably well. I aimed for the very right edge of the fairway (away from OB) and finished just two yards into the right rough. A half swing with the 6-iron advanced the ball perfectly to 110 yards. Another half swing with the same club rolled just a hair long and through the back of the green. The half swings were by design, as a full swing with less club could miss by a larger margin and end up either in the water or out of bounds. I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Bogey was also the result on hole #2, after I nailed the fairway of this par-4 with one of my best drives of the day.
One of my worst drives of the day came on the next hole. Determined not to pull the ball, I push sliced it straight across the opposite fairway. A couple of recovery attempts were not very good, but an up and down salvaged a double-bogey. On hole #4, a 318-yard par-4, I hit a good 5-wood off the tee, followed by an excellent gap wedge that threatened the flag at the back of the green. The ball landed short of the hole, but released off of the putting surface. No worries, as I chipped on and drained the par putt. On hole #5, a par-3, I thinned my tee shot into a bunker fronting the green. I was right up against the lip, but that turned out to be good because there was actually a nice depth of sand there. I hit into the sand with a closed face and the ball popped straight up, landing gently on the green. A 2-putt finished off the hole for a bogey.
I discussed the challenge of hole #6 after my last outing. Just as I did last time, I pulled my drive off the heel of the club and failed to clear the marsh. Hitting my third from the tee, I somehow pulled off a baby draw that split the fairway, leaving just 120 yards to the green centre. The flag was at the front, so I hit sand wedge. I was playing to miss short and left and I finished flag high, three yards left of the green. I chipped on and made a great putt attempt, but got robbed when the ball lipped out. Triple-bogey was the result, all because of the first tee shot.
The rest of the round was great, as I registered a couple of pars and a bogey. I got lucky on the first par, as a thinned tee shot cleared a pond and still found the putting surface on this par-3 hole. The second par was well earned, beginning with an impressive drive. The bogey on the final hole was spectacular, as my fourth shot into this par-5 was a 70-yard punch from a sketchy lie, that crossed over a creek and through an opening in the trees. The ball bounced into a mound fronting the green and stopped a yard short of the putting surface. I chipped on and made the putt. The punch shot that set it all up may have been the shot of the day – not easy at all.
In summary, I think some of the strategic changes I made were successful. In some cases where there was no alternate strategy, I just failed to execute, so the result was the same as the last visit. I finished with a score of 93 – an 8 stroke improvement over the previous try. That also matches my personal best at Century Pines.
Score: 93
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
As on the previous visit, I began on the back nine. I scrambled my way to bogey on hole #10, before reaching hole #11. This is a 309-yard par-4 with woods and OB on the right and a large hazard on the left. I decided to go for the green with driver, aiming over the hazard on the left side. I hit a laser of a shot directly on line. When I walked up to the green, I saw that I was in the fairway, just five yards short of the putting surface. Nice! I made a beautiful chip that very nearly dropped for eagle, just missing the hole. The birdie putt was a mere 10 inches.
Hole #12 can present a problem, as tee shots to the extreme right side the fairway do not leave a clear line to the green. It's dangerous to play too far left, however, as the hazard I spoke of earlier is on this side. I hit a great 5-wood, but as on the previous visit, I finished on that right edge once again. I punched a low shot in an attempt to catch the left edge of the green, but I finished three yards off the edge, flag high. I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. This was followed by a 3-putt double-bogey on hole #13, a par-3 over water. I was not focused enough on my first putt and blew the downhill shot way past the hole.
The problem for me on hole #14, a par-5, is simply that it's a dogleg left. I cannot draw the ball with the driver and the trees on the inside corner are too large to flirt with. I hit my regular shot and faded it into the trees on the right, as I almost always do. After a good punch shot back to the fairway, I pulled a 9-iron ten yards left of the green, albeit flag high. A pitch and two putts earned a bogey. This was followed by a double-bogey on hole #15, another par-3. My 7-iron was headed right at the flag, but I failed to clear a bunker by about a foot. The bunkers at Century Pines are not good and I was prepared for that. Nevertheless, it took two more shots to get on the green and two putts to finish.
Next up was the killer hole, #16. The whole left side of the fairway is no good, as you are blocked out of the green from that side. This makes the hole much narrower than it appears. My 5-wood off the tee wasn't bad, but my ball finished precisely on the left edge of the fairway. All I could do was chip sideways, leaving a wedge shot into the green. Last time, I chipped to the end of the fairway, keeping my ball on the short grass. I ended up thinning a shot from there into a creek. This time, I chipped a couple yards further, finishing in the rough. This was by design, as I figured I could get a bit of a fluffy lie. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a clump directly behind my ball. My wedge shot only travelled two thirds of the intended distance, so I finished in the creek once again! After a penalty and drop, I hit one to the front fringe. I 3-putt from there for a disastrous quadruple-bogey. You simply can't make a bad shot on this hole or you're dead.
Hole #17 is also problematic for me, as discussed after my last visit. It's long, a dogleg left, and pesky “Vince” trees do not allow you to start the ball left off the tee. My strategy was to hit 5-wood off the tee. The hope was that it would not travel as far as driver, which inevitably ends up in the trees on the right side. The concession is that I wouldn't be able to reach the green in two, but that's fine. It worked as I envisioned, but despite landing short of the trees on the right, they still interfered with my next shot. All I could do was take a sand wedge high over the branches, finishing in the middle of the fairway, still 140 yards from the green. From there, I punched a low runner just off the right edge of the green. An up and down salvaged a bogey, so the strategy wasn't bad after all. I finished hole #18 with a bogey, for a score of 48 at the turn.
Hole #1 went remarkably well. I aimed for the very right edge of the fairway (away from OB) and finished just two yards into the right rough. A half swing with the 6-iron advanced the ball perfectly to 110 yards. Another half swing with the same club rolled just a hair long and through the back of the green. The half swings were by design, as a full swing with less club could miss by a larger margin and end up either in the water or out of bounds. I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Bogey was also the result on hole #2, after I nailed the fairway of this par-4 with one of my best drives of the day.
One of my worst drives of the day came on the next hole. Determined not to pull the ball, I push sliced it straight across the opposite fairway. A couple of recovery attempts were not very good, but an up and down salvaged a double-bogey. On hole #4, a 318-yard par-4, I hit a good 5-wood off the tee, followed by an excellent gap wedge that threatened the flag at the back of the green. The ball landed short of the hole, but released off of the putting surface. No worries, as I chipped on and drained the par putt. On hole #5, a par-3, I thinned my tee shot into a bunker fronting the green. I was right up against the lip, but that turned out to be good because there was actually a nice depth of sand there. I hit into the sand with a closed face and the ball popped straight up, landing gently on the green. A 2-putt finished off the hole for a bogey.
I discussed the challenge of hole #6 after my last outing. Just as I did last time, I pulled my drive off the heel of the club and failed to clear the marsh. Hitting my third from the tee, I somehow pulled off a baby draw that split the fairway, leaving just 120 yards to the green centre. The flag was at the front, so I hit sand wedge. I was playing to miss short and left and I finished flag high, three yards left of the green. I chipped on and made a great putt attempt, but got robbed when the ball lipped out. Triple-bogey was the result, all because of the first tee shot.
The rest of the round was great, as I registered a couple of pars and a bogey. I got lucky on the first par, as a thinned tee shot cleared a pond and still found the putting surface on this par-3 hole. The second par was well earned, beginning with an impressive drive. The bogey on the final hole was spectacular, as my fourth shot into this par-5 was a 70-yard punch from a sketchy lie, that crossed over a creek and through an opening in the trees. The ball bounced into a mound fronting the green and stopped a yard short of the putting surface. I chipped on and made the putt. The punch shot that set it all up may have been the shot of the day – not easy at all.
In summary, I think some of the strategic changes I made were successful. In some cases where there was no alternate strategy, I just failed to execute, so the result was the same as the last visit. I finished with a score of 93 – an 8 stroke improvement over the previous try. That also matches my personal best at Century Pines.
Score: 93
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
October 12, 2017
A Saturated Battlefield
The weather is pretty grim this week, so I picked the nicest day for a round of golf. It was sunny, with clear skies and temperature in the low twenties (Celsius). It rained the day before, but there had been plenty of time for any water to drain away. Unfortunately, I chose to play the Battlefield course at Legends on the Niagara. It's an excellent course, but it has absolutely dreadful drainage.
Not surprisingly, it was cart path only. I hit just two shots to the cart path side all day. Every other shot was to the side opposite the cart path. I often had to take my whole bag off the cart and traverse the fairway in order to select a club. After hitting my shot, it was another sideways trek to the cart before I could move forward. It would have been more efficient to leave the cart behind entirely.
Much worse than the cart situation was hitting balls off the water logged ground. It didn't matter if you were in the fairway or rough; it was like hitting off a bed of Jello. If you brush the ball off the surface, it was bad enough. If you hit down on the ball and take divots, as I do, it was absolutely horrible. The club had no difficulty slicing through the turf, but it was very easy to end up 30 yards short.
And then there were the bunkers. Many were full of standing water. Where there was no water, the sand was still moist and tightly compressed. It was obvious that the vast majority of bunkers had not been tended to following the previous day's rainfall. My trouble with bunkers has been well documented. Considering how I struggle with bunkers even when they're properly maintained, the last thing I need is to play from crappy ones.
I started well despite the poor conditions, going bogey, par, bogey over the first three holes. I hit the first two fairways off the tee, before falling victim to the wet ground. My approach shots were well short, but I got up and down a couple of times. The bogey on hole #3, a 172-yard par-3, was actually a bad one. I hit my tee shot to within 15 feet, but played way too little break on the birdie attempt and then burned the edge on the par putt.
Another 3-putt contributed to a triple-bogey on hole #4. It was one of a pair that I registered on the front nine. The other came on hole #7. A duffed second shot off the wet turf was a large contributor to that one. My third shot hooked to the edge of a water hazard, leaving a poor lie. Aside from these blowups, I managed pretty well on the remaining holes, collecting three bogeys and a double. The double was on hole #9, a par-4. My second shot landed in one of those terrible bunkers, so there was not much I could do. I was shooting 49 at the turn.
My worst stretch of golf came on holes #10 through #12, as I took a triple, double, and quadruple-bogey. I had a technical thought about my driver swing which hadn't been working, so on #10 I decided to just swing without any thought at all. It was my worst drive of the day, a smother pull that went about 100 yards. I had a poor lie in the stalks of some fescue that had been cut down. Further up the hole, I was beside the tree line and had to hit left handed with the back of my putter. Basically, everything went wrong.
Hole #12 was particularly infuriating. I split the fairway with a perfect drive, leaving 150 yards to the green. I pushed the approach shot ever so slightly, finishing flag high in a greenside bunker. Oh geez! My first attempt out of the muck didn't get out. My second only got out to the rough. My fifth shot was a chip that I sculled over the green to a collection area. From there, I rolled one to the green and then 2-putt for the quad. All of this because my approach shot was off line by one degree!
At this point, I was in real danger of shooting 100 and I knew it. I buckled down and went par, bogey, bogey over the next three holes. The first of these bogeys was a bad one – another 3-putt on a par-3 after hitting the green in regulation. Still, if I could make bogey on the remaining three holes, I would sneak in with a score of 99. Well, it was putting that ruined that plan. Two consecutive 3-putts on holes #16 and #17 produced a pair of double-bogeys. A bogey on the final hole pushed my score to a disgusting 101.
I've now played Battlefield 5 times and my scores look like this: 101, 97, 101, 99, 101. There's nothing worse than shooting an even 100 or thereabouts. At least three of those results had a lot to do with the course's terrible drainage. If I can avoid it at all, I will not go back to the course the day after any rainfall whatsoever.
Score: 101
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
Not surprisingly, it was cart path only. I hit just two shots to the cart path side all day. Every other shot was to the side opposite the cart path. I often had to take my whole bag off the cart and traverse the fairway in order to select a club. After hitting my shot, it was another sideways trek to the cart before I could move forward. It would have been more efficient to leave the cart behind entirely.
Much worse than the cart situation was hitting balls off the water logged ground. It didn't matter if you were in the fairway or rough; it was like hitting off a bed of Jello. If you brush the ball off the surface, it was bad enough. If you hit down on the ball and take divots, as I do, it was absolutely horrible. The club had no difficulty slicing through the turf, but it was very easy to end up 30 yards short.
And then there were the bunkers. Many were full of standing water. Where there was no water, the sand was still moist and tightly compressed. It was obvious that the vast majority of bunkers had not been tended to following the previous day's rainfall. My trouble with bunkers has been well documented. Considering how I struggle with bunkers even when they're properly maintained, the last thing I need is to play from crappy ones.
I started well despite the poor conditions, going bogey, par, bogey over the first three holes. I hit the first two fairways off the tee, before falling victim to the wet ground. My approach shots were well short, but I got up and down a couple of times. The bogey on hole #3, a 172-yard par-3, was actually a bad one. I hit my tee shot to within 15 feet, but played way too little break on the birdie attempt and then burned the edge on the par putt.
Another 3-putt contributed to a triple-bogey on hole #4. It was one of a pair that I registered on the front nine. The other came on hole #7. A duffed second shot off the wet turf was a large contributor to that one. My third shot hooked to the edge of a water hazard, leaving a poor lie. Aside from these blowups, I managed pretty well on the remaining holes, collecting three bogeys and a double. The double was on hole #9, a par-4. My second shot landed in one of those terrible bunkers, so there was not much I could do. I was shooting 49 at the turn.
My worst stretch of golf came on holes #10 through #12, as I took a triple, double, and quadruple-bogey. I had a technical thought about my driver swing which hadn't been working, so on #10 I decided to just swing without any thought at all. It was my worst drive of the day, a smother pull that went about 100 yards. I had a poor lie in the stalks of some fescue that had been cut down. Further up the hole, I was beside the tree line and had to hit left handed with the back of my putter. Basically, everything went wrong.
Hole #12 was particularly infuriating. I split the fairway with a perfect drive, leaving 150 yards to the green. I pushed the approach shot ever so slightly, finishing flag high in a greenside bunker. Oh geez! My first attempt out of the muck didn't get out. My second only got out to the rough. My fifth shot was a chip that I sculled over the green to a collection area. From there, I rolled one to the green and then 2-putt for the quad. All of this because my approach shot was off line by one degree!
At this point, I was in real danger of shooting 100 and I knew it. I buckled down and went par, bogey, bogey over the next three holes. The first of these bogeys was a bad one – another 3-putt on a par-3 after hitting the green in regulation. Still, if I could make bogey on the remaining three holes, I would sneak in with a score of 99. Well, it was putting that ruined that plan. Two consecutive 3-putts on holes #16 and #17 produced a pair of double-bogeys. A bogey on the final hole pushed my score to a disgusting 101.
I've now played Battlefield 5 times and my scores look like this: 101, 97, 101, 99, 101. There's nothing worse than shooting an even 100 or thereabouts. At least three of those results had a lot to do with the course's terrible drainage. If I can avoid it at all, I will not go back to the course the day after any rainfall whatsoever.
Score: 101
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
October 05, 2017
A Formidable Test at Century Pines
I've played Century Pines quite a bit; aside from Bradford Highlands, it may be the course I've played most. With a rating of 70 and a slope of 125 from the Blue tees, it ranks about as difficult as the other courses I usually play. Rating and slope, however, don't tell the full story. My best score on the course is 93 and I've hit the century mark or higher more times than I care to remember. Why is that?
There are just a couple of holes that I consider quite difficult. The hardest may be #16, which is a devilish par-4 at just 343 yards. You have to hit less than driver off the tee, or you'll find trouble left, long and right. The ideal drive is between 200-220 yards, which for me is a 5-wood. However, it's not enough to hit the fairway. If you're too far left, large trees completely prevent you from going for the green. With a winding creek in front and left of the green and a large pond to the right, your second shot in that scenario would be a short chip to the right side, leaving about 125-130 yards to the green. My tee shot was pulled into the trees left and was unplayable. After taking a penalty stroke and drop, the short pitch to the right side of the fairway was my only option.
With a good gap wedge shot, I could get on and 2-putt for a double-bogey. However, I caught the wedge shot thin and failed to cross the winding creek. I had to take another penalty stroke and drop. My sixth shot was a short pitch that bounced once and hit the flag stick. The ball came to rest 8 feet away from the hole. I burned the edge of the cup with my first putt, walking away with a disheartening quadruple-bogey. I have made par on this hole in the past, when all my shots were good ones. The point is that this hole does not allow for even one bad shot. It's not like other holes where you can possibly recover after a bad shot. In a nutshell, that's what makes this such a hard hole.
Hole #17 is less difficult, in my opinion, but it can be a nightmare for right handed faders of the ball, such as myself. The hole is long at 440 yards. If an average drive is 240-250 yards, even a perfect tee shot will leave an approach of 190-200 yards to the green. With strands of trees left and especially right, that's not an easy shot. But the real problem is getting the ball to this position from the tee. There is a pond to cross, which is not an issue. The real issue is a half dead tree and a couple others just ahead of and left of the teeing ground. If you typically start the ball left and fade it back, these trees come into play every time. Avoid them by starting the ball straight and you will inevitably fade into thick trees on the right side of this dogleg left hole. You will have to be lucky just to chip one back to the fairway from that position. I can't tell you how many times I've smacked those “Vince” trees just ahead of the teeing ground. It's unbelievable.
This time, I smacked one of those trees with my first drive attempt. The ball deflected into the pond below. Hitting my third from the tee, I faded into the trees on the right side of the fairway. I actually lost the ball, but for pace of play, I took a penalty and drop at the spot where it entered the trees. My fifth shot was just a chip back to the fairway, as there was no other option. My sixth shot was a fabulous 5 iron from 180 yards that found the centre of the green. A 2-putt finished things off for my second consecutive quadruple-bogey.
Aside from the two quads, my back nine (which I played first) was actually pretty good. I collected a par, five bogeys, and a double. That doesn't really matter, however, when you take two disastrous holes like I did. More pars could have offset the blowup holes, but the course doesn't give you many opportunities for those, even on easier holes. A good example is hole #12, a 312-yard par-4. Although the hole is short, you have to be very accurate with your tee shot to set up an approach into the green. Your drive has to cut over the edge of a lateral hazard on the left, while not straying into the trees on the right side. I hit what looked like a perfect 5-wood about 213 yards. I had 99 yards to the green, but because I was a single yard into the right rough, a tree just ahead prevented me from going for the green. One or two yards to the left and I would have been in the clear. As such, I had to punch something low and try to run it up there. My punch was good, but the ball stopped about 10 yards short of the green. From there, I pitched on and 2-putt. Unless you have the short game of a pro, these potential pars always turn into bogeys.
On the front nine, I usually explode on hole #1, a long par-5 with OB along the entire left side. This time, I limited the damage to a double-bogey. My drive was deep, but to an opposite fairway on the right side. I've played there before by design. It's not a bad strategy, except that you have to contend with a pond on your second shot and the shot angle is back towards OB. I hit 5-wood over the pond, but it was tailing ever so slightly right and went into some bushes on the corner of the hazard. After a penalty and drop, I punched a low shot under some overhanging branches. The ball actually rolled through the back of the green, where I pitched on and 2-putt.
I rolled along smoothly on holes #2 through #5, collecting bogey, bogey, par, and par. Next came another hole that is problematic for me. Hole #6 is a par-4 with a dogleg left. The first part of the hole is all carry over marsh land. Thick woods continue along the left side right up to the green, as do some mature trees on the right side. I always play this hole defensively, intentionally fading a drive over the marsh to an area right of the fairway where there is some room. Unfortunately, this usually means laying up on the second shot because trees block out the green from that position. This time, I tried to hit a straight drive and I paid for it. I pulled the ball into the marsh and trees on the left. I was forced to hit my third from the tee and this time, I made my usual play. Sure enough, I had to lay up from there, but did so perfectly, finding a spot just left and short of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for triple-bogey. I should have stuck to my strategy right from the beginning.
In fact, the last four holes were pretty weak. After the triple on #6, I recorded back-to-back doubles on the next two holes. Hole #7 is a 170-yard par-3 over water. I missed the sweet spot of the club face, and failed to clear the water. After a penalty and drop, I put one on the green and 2-putt to finish. Hole #8 is a relatively easy par-4. Unfortunately, I pushed my drive slightly into the trees. The green was blocked out, so I punched a low one to an area 20 yards in front of the green. The ball rolled into a bunker. Of course, my attempt to get out sailed right over the back of the green to some more trees. I bumped a great punch into a mound and it released onto the green, where I finished with a 2-putt.
Hole #9 is a par-5 rated the most difficult hole on the front. I disagree, as it's not as difficult as some of the holes I've already described. I pulled my drive to an opposite fairway, then hit a lovely pitching wedge over a massive tree to get back to the fairway, right beside the 150-yard stick. The green is on an elevated plateau, so I hit 7-iron. It curved ever so slightly – but enough to miss the green on the left. Unfortunately for me, it rolled down a slope and into a bunker. Well, guess what happened? Yes, the ball sailed straight over the entire green. Looking at the spot where my club made contact, I could see that there was barely any sand in the bunker. It may have been an inch of sand, with hardpan underneath. No wonder! I actually hit the correct spot for a properly maintained bunker, but this wasn't one of those. Looking back, the bunker on hole #8 was the same thing. I'm bad enough at bunker shots; I don't need poor conditions to make things worse. My fifth shot was from an area where some weeds had been cut down. Tough stalks where these had been cut were directly behind my ball. It was an impossible spot and of course, I was only able to advance the ball about five feet. From the regular rough, I pitched on and 2-putt for an unfortunate triple-bogey.
I hit many decent shots during this round. The problem is that when I hit a bad one it was in a very bad spot. Just look at the fact that I collected 7 penalty strokes. You can't score well when you do that. I'm disgusted.
Score: 101
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
There are just a couple of holes that I consider quite difficult. The hardest may be #16, which is a devilish par-4 at just 343 yards. You have to hit less than driver off the tee, or you'll find trouble left, long and right. The ideal drive is between 200-220 yards, which for me is a 5-wood. However, it's not enough to hit the fairway. If you're too far left, large trees completely prevent you from going for the green. With a winding creek in front and left of the green and a large pond to the right, your second shot in that scenario would be a short chip to the right side, leaving about 125-130 yards to the green. My tee shot was pulled into the trees left and was unplayable. After taking a penalty stroke and drop, the short pitch to the right side of the fairway was my only option.
With a good gap wedge shot, I could get on and 2-putt for a double-bogey. However, I caught the wedge shot thin and failed to cross the winding creek. I had to take another penalty stroke and drop. My sixth shot was a short pitch that bounced once and hit the flag stick. The ball came to rest 8 feet away from the hole. I burned the edge of the cup with my first putt, walking away with a disheartening quadruple-bogey. I have made par on this hole in the past, when all my shots were good ones. The point is that this hole does not allow for even one bad shot. It's not like other holes where you can possibly recover after a bad shot. In a nutshell, that's what makes this such a hard hole.
Hole #17 is less difficult, in my opinion, but it can be a nightmare for right handed faders of the ball, such as myself. The hole is long at 440 yards. If an average drive is 240-250 yards, even a perfect tee shot will leave an approach of 190-200 yards to the green. With strands of trees left and especially right, that's not an easy shot. But the real problem is getting the ball to this position from the tee. There is a pond to cross, which is not an issue. The real issue is a half dead tree and a couple others just ahead of and left of the teeing ground. If you typically start the ball left and fade it back, these trees come into play every time. Avoid them by starting the ball straight and you will inevitably fade into thick trees on the right side of this dogleg left hole. You will have to be lucky just to chip one back to the fairway from that position. I can't tell you how many times I've smacked those “Vince” trees just ahead of the teeing ground. It's unbelievable.
This time, I smacked one of those trees with my first drive attempt. The ball deflected into the pond below. Hitting my third from the tee, I faded into the trees on the right side of the fairway. I actually lost the ball, but for pace of play, I took a penalty and drop at the spot where it entered the trees. My fifth shot was just a chip back to the fairway, as there was no other option. My sixth shot was a fabulous 5 iron from 180 yards that found the centre of the green. A 2-putt finished things off for my second consecutive quadruple-bogey.
Aside from the two quads, my back nine (which I played first) was actually pretty good. I collected a par, five bogeys, and a double. That doesn't really matter, however, when you take two disastrous holes like I did. More pars could have offset the blowup holes, but the course doesn't give you many opportunities for those, even on easier holes. A good example is hole #12, a 312-yard par-4. Although the hole is short, you have to be very accurate with your tee shot to set up an approach into the green. Your drive has to cut over the edge of a lateral hazard on the left, while not straying into the trees on the right side. I hit what looked like a perfect 5-wood about 213 yards. I had 99 yards to the green, but because I was a single yard into the right rough, a tree just ahead prevented me from going for the green. One or two yards to the left and I would have been in the clear. As such, I had to punch something low and try to run it up there. My punch was good, but the ball stopped about 10 yards short of the green. From there, I pitched on and 2-putt. Unless you have the short game of a pro, these potential pars always turn into bogeys.
On the front nine, I usually explode on hole #1, a long par-5 with OB along the entire left side. This time, I limited the damage to a double-bogey. My drive was deep, but to an opposite fairway on the right side. I've played there before by design. It's not a bad strategy, except that you have to contend with a pond on your second shot and the shot angle is back towards OB. I hit 5-wood over the pond, but it was tailing ever so slightly right and went into some bushes on the corner of the hazard. After a penalty and drop, I punched a low shot under some overhanging branches. The ball actually rolled through the back of the green, where I pitched on and 2-putt.
I rolled along smoothly on holes #2 through #5, collecting bogey, bogey, par, and par. Next came another hole that is problematic for me. Hole #6 is a par-4 with a dogleg left. The first part of the hole is all carry over marsh land. Thick woods continue along the left side right up to the green, as do some mature trees on the right side. I always play this hole defensively, intentionally fading a drive over the marsh to an area right of the fairway where there is some room. Unfortunately, this usually means laying up on the second shot because trees block out the green from that position. This time, I tried to hit a straight drive and I paid for it. I pulled the ball into the marsh and trees on the left. I was forced to hit my third from the tee and this time, I made my usual play. Sure enough, I had to lay up from there, but did so perfectly, finding a spot just left and short of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for triple-bogey. I should have stuck to my strategy right from the beginning.
In fact, the last four holes were pretty weak. After the triple on #6, I recorded back-to-back doubles on the next two holes. Hole #7 is a 170-yard par-3 over water. I missed the sweet spot of the club face, and failed to clear the water. After a penalty and drop, I put one on the green and 2-putt to finish. Hole #8 is a relatively easy par-4. Unfortunately, I pushed my drive slightly into the trees. The green was blocked out, so I punched a low one to an area 20 yards in front of the green. The ball rolled into a bunker. Of course, my attempt to get out sailed right over the back of the green to some more trees. I bumped a great punch into a mound and it released onto the green, where I finished with a 2-putt.
Hole #9 is a par-5 rated the most difficult hole on the front. I disagree, as it's not as difficult as some of the holes I've already described. I pulled my drive to an opposite fairway, then hit a lovely pitching wedge over a massive tree to get back to the fairway, right beside the 150-yard stick. The green is on an elevated plateau, so I hit 7-iron. It curved ever so slightly – but enough to miss the green on the left. Unfortunately for me, it rolled down a slope and into a bunker. Well, guess what happened? Yes, the ball sailed straight over the entire green. Looking at the spot where my club made contact, I could see that there was barely any sand in the bunker. It may have been an inch of sand, with hardpan underneath. No wonder! I actually hit the correct spot for a properly maintained bunker, but this wasn't one of those. Looking back, the bunker on hole #8 was the same thing. I'm bad enough at bunker shots; I don't need poor conditions to make things worse. My fifth shot was from an area where some weeds had been cut down. Tough stalks where these had been cut were directly behind my ball. It was an impossible spot and of course, I was only able to advance the ball about five feet. From the regular rough, I pitched on and 2-putt for an unfortunate triple-bogey.
I hit many decent shots during this round. The problem is that when I hit a bad one it was in a very bad spot. Just look at the fact that I collected 7 penalty strokes. You can't score well when you do that. I'm disgusted.
Score: 101
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
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