After an 8-year hiatus, I returned to play Cardinal Golf Club earlier this year. The experience wasn't good, mostly because the course was jammed and it was extremely humid. Except for a memorable eagle, I also played terribly. I returned to the same course at the end of October, expecting cooler weather and fewer people. The weather was fine, but once again, there were far too many humanoids – I mean people. It was a slog.
Inexplicably, carts were restricted to paths only. That's bad enough, but my cart was locking up even when I had four wheels on the asphalt. Give me a break! Worst of all was the compressed air that the course was using to clear its sprinkler lines of water. Imaging trying to take a golf shot with a screaming jet engine just a couple yards away. That's what it sounded like. Now imagine the jet engine following you around the course for seven or eight holes in a row. I know why sprinkler lines need to be cleared, but come on, you're selling a golf experience. It's supposed to be pleasant.
With all this nonsense going on, it's no surprise I was playing terribly. Starting on the back nine first, I double-bogeyed hole 10, before making par on hole 11. Hole 12, a par-5, is the one where I made eagle last time out. This time, it's the one where the screaming sprinklers got started. They threw me for a loop, and I finished the hole with a quadruple-bogey. It was my worst hole of the day. Just three holes into the round and the tone for the day was set.
I finished my front nine with three bogeys and three doubles. I was struggling with the driver off the tee, which was the story of the second half of my season. At the start of the year, I had success swinging more from the inside. My ball flight was straight and only slightly low. As the year went on, I had trouble just getting the ball elevated. I may have to go back to playing a fade. The other option is to tee the ball up a lot higher and catch it more on the upswing. Despite the driver trouble, I could have run off a bunch of bogeys, but a 3-putt and a duffed iron shot crept in there to cause the doubles.
My back nine began with triple-bogey on hole 1, a par-5. I missed the elevated green with a blind shot from just 110 yards away. It didn't help that I duffed the subsequent chip attempt. After a couple of respectable bogeys, I collected another triple on hole 4. I teed the ball up high and tried not to turn the club face over at impact. Contact was great, but the ball faded and went out of bounds. Hitting my third from the tee, I hit perhaps my best drive of the day, but the damage was already done.
I played holes 5 and 6 aggressively, attempting to shorten the holes by driving the ball over the inside corner of these two doglegs. In both cases, I had just a lob wedge into the green on my second shot. Bogey was all I could muster on hole 5, as I missed the green left, but I did collect par on hole 6. My satisfaction was short-lived, as I made double bogey on holes 7 and 8, a par-3 and par-5. The former featured a 7-iron off the tee that was hit ever so fat, with the ball landing in a hazard. The latter featured two excellent shots to start, but a sculled wedge from 70 yards ruined it all.
I managed bogey on the final hole of the day, just to spare me the indignity of shooting 100.
Score: 99
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Penalties: 3
November 11, 2018
October 28, 2018
Another Nine at Battlefield
I had time to spare and the course was practically empty, so I played the front nine again at Battlefield. It's amazing how much better you can play when you've already been through the course on a given day. The first time through, I scored 49, with two pars, a bogey, and six doubles. The second time through, I scored 42, with four pars, four bogeys, and one double. So what was different?
Hole 1 is a par-5 with significant bunkering in front of the green. Both times through, I hit my third shot to the safe area right of the green. The first time, I got up and down from there for par. The second time, I just needed an extra putt for bogey. Not much difference at all. Hole 2 is a par-4 that was playing quite long. Both times through, I failed to hit the green with a long approach. The first time, I hit out of a bunker and chipped on, followed by two putts for double-bogey. The second time, I pitched my third shot below the hole and drained a 10-footer for par. Big difference there – all attributable to the short game.
Hole 3 is a par-3. On both occasions, I was on the green in two. The first time, I 3-putt on the slick green for a double-bogey. The second time, I had a better feel of the green speed and 2-putt for a pretty easy bogey. Lag putting was actually one of the biggest differences overall. Hole 4 is a par-4 that I made par on both times. I had a better drive the second time through, but still missed the green with a much shorter approach. Once again, I chipped pretty close and made a single putt. Hole 5 produced bogey on both occasions, but in different fashions. The first time it came via a green in regulation and 3-putt. The second time, I missed the GIR, chipped on, and then 2-putt. Through five holes, I was just two strokes better than I was earlier in the day.
Most of the difference occurred over the final four holes. On hole 6, a par-5, I improved from double-bogey to par. The first time through, I had a duffed shot en route to the green. On the second attempt, I got up and down from the front of the green, effectively saving another stroke. Hole 7 was funny because I played it exactly the same way on both occasions. A safe drive on the dogleg left ran through the fairway and just into the rough. My second shot from a bit of a hook lie was pulled into a water hazard left of the green. After a penalty stroke and drop, my fourth was a pitch on the green, followed by a 2-put for double-bogey.
Hole 8 is a par-3 over water that gave me trouble the first time around. My tee shot was short and held up on some rocks near the water's edge. Two shots were required to get on the green from there, followed by two putts for double-bogey. The second time around, I hit the green in regulation and 2-putt for par. Big difference! Finally, there was hole 9, where I went from double-bogey to bogey. In both cases, I was short and right of the green on this par-4 after two shots. A pitch to the front flag came up short the first time, but I executed it well the next time. That was the difference, as I finished up with a couple of putts both times.
Overall, seven strokes is a significant improvement. I shot 92 over 18 holes earlier in the day. Had I played the front nine as I did the second time around, that score would have been 85. Unfortunately, golf doesn't work that way. LOL
Score: 42
Putts: 15
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
Hole 1 is a par-5 with significant bunkering in front of the green. Both times through, I hit my third shot to the safe area right of the green. The first time, I got up and down from there for par. The second time, I just needed an extra putt for bogey. Not much difference at all. Hole 2 is a par-4 that was playing quite long. Both times through, I failed to hit the green with a long approach. The first time, I hit out of a bunker and chipped on, followed by two putts for double-bogey. The second time, I pitched my third shot below the hole and drained a 10-footer for par. Big difference there – all attributable to the short game.
Hole 3 is a par-3. On both occasions, I was on the green in two. The first time, I 3-putt on the slick green for a double-bogey. The second time, I had a better feel of the green speed and 2-putt for a pretty easy bogey. Lag putting was actually one of the biggest differences overall. Hole 4 is a par-4 that I made par on both times. I had a better drive the second time through, but still missed the green with a much shorter approach. Once again, I chipped pretty close and made a single putt. Hole 5 produced bogey on both occasions, but in different fashions. The first time it came via a green in regulation and 3-putt. The second time, I missed the GIR, chipped on, and then 2-putt. Through five holes, I was just two strokes better than I was earlier in the day.
Most of the difference occurred over the final four holes. On hole 6, a par-5, I improved from double-bogey to par. The first time through, I had a duffed shot en route to the green. On the second attempt, I got up and down from the front of the green, effectively saving another stroke. Hole 7 was funny because I played it exactly the same way on both occasions. A safe drive on the dogleg left ran through the fairway and just into the rough. My second shot from a bit of a hook lie was pulled into a water hazard left of the green. After a penalty stroke and drop, my fourth was a pitch on the green, followed by a 2-put for double-bogey.
Hole 8 is a par-3 over water that gave me trouble the first time around. My tee shot was short and held up on some rocks near the water's edge. Two shots were required to get on the green from there, followed by two putts for double-bogey. The second time around, I hit the green in regulation and 2-putt for par. Big difference! Finally, there was hole 9, where I went from double-bogey to bogey. In both cases, I was short and right of the green on this par-4 after two shots. A pitch to the front flag came up short the first time, but I executed it well the next time. That was the difference, as I finished up with a couple of putts both times.
Overall, seven strokes is a significant improvement. I shot 92 over 18 holes earlier in the day. Had I played the front nine as I did the second time around, that score would have been 85. Unfortunately, golf doesn't work that way. LOL
Score: 42
Putts: 15
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
October 27, 2018
Battlefield at Legends on The Niagara
The season is quickly winding down and I had the opportunity to play Battlefield at Legends on The Niagara. The temperature was cool, but comfortable, and the course was in surprisingly good shape. I couldn't believe how fast the greens were. I had a trio of 3-putts on the front nine, and 4 of them overall. It took me a while to make the proper adjustment.
My score of 49 on the front nine wasn't great, mostly because of the 3-putts, but also because I couldn't drive the ball. It's been a problem over the second half of the season. My natural swing has always been outside-in. I've been trying to swing more from the inside, just to straighten my ball flight a bit and perhaps gain distance. In fact, it has resulted in less distance, as the ball comes out with a very low trajectory. Sometimes I smother the ball completely. When this happens, it fails to get airborne at all, and I'm lucky just to reach the fairway.
Because of my poor drives, I was hitting a lot of longer clubs for my second shot. One exception was hole 5, a short par-4. After a 230-yard drive to the right fairway, I had 90 yards remaining to the green. I nailed it with the lob wedge but then 3-putt for bogey. The birdie putt actually burned the edge of the hole, but with the slick greens, I finished well past and then missed the comebacker. This was my only bogey of the front nine, to go along with a couple of pars and six double-bogeys. Sheesh!
On the back nine, the putting got better and I managed a score of 43, including four pars, three bogeys, and two doubles. The first couple of pars came back-to-back on holes 13 and 14. On the former, a perfect 5-wood off the tee was followed by a pitching wedge that came up short of the green. A lovely pitch shot left a mere 18 inches for the par. On the latter, a gap wedge off the tee set up a 2-putt on this par-3. The next couple of pars were also back-to-back on holes 17 and 18. The first of these is a 166-yard par-3 that's all carry over water. I found the fringe flag high and then 2-putt. The final hole is a par-5. I sculled my third shot a bit from 90 yards, but the ball stopped at the back of the green. I made an amazing 2-putt from there to finish my round.
My driving was also a bit better on the back nine, as I abandoned my effort to swing more from the inside. I just accepted that I would be swinging slightly outside-in. It's not the ideal thing to do, but I've always played that way and I can at least manage my way around when I do so. I actually hit fewer fairways on the back nine (4) than I did on the front (5), but many of those on the front nine were low runners that barely reached the short grass.
As for my final score, well, it was absolutely typical of my season. The bogey golfer special!
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
My score of 49 on the front nine wasn't great, mostly because of the 3-putts, but also because I couldn't drive the ball. It's been a problem over the second half of the season. My natural swing has always been outside-in. I've been trying to swing more from the inside, just to straighten my ball flight a bit and perhaps gain distance. In fact, it has resulted in less distance, as the ball comes out with a very low trajectory. Sometimes I smother the ball completely. When this happens, it fails to get airborne at all, and I'm lucky just to reach the fairway.
Because of my poor drives, I was hitting a lot of longer clubs for my second shot. One exception was hole 5, a short par-4. After a 230-yard drive to the right fairway, I had 90 yards remaining to the green. I nailed it with the lob wedge but then 3-putt for bogey. The birdie putt actually burned the edge of the hole, but with the slick greens, I finished well past and then missed the comebacker. This was my only bogey of the front nine, to go along with a couple of pars and six double-bogeys. Sheesh!
On the back nine, the putting got better and I managed a score of 43, including four pars, three bogeys, and two doubles. The first couple of pars came back-to-back on holes 13 and 14. On the former, a perfect 5-wood off the tee was followed by a pitching wedge that came up short of the green. A lovely pitch shot left a mere 18 inches for the par. On the latter, a gap wedge off the tee set up a 2-putt on this par-3. The next couple of pars were also back-to-back on holes 17 and 18. The first of these is a 166-yard par-3 that's all carry over water. I found the fringe flag high and then 2-putt. The final hole is a par-5. I sculled my third shot a bit from 90 yards, but the ball stopped at the back of the green. I made an amazing 2-putt from there to finish my round.
My driving was also a bit better on the back nine, as I abandoned my effort to swing more from the inside. I just accepted that I would be swinging slightly outside-in. It's not the ideal thing to do, but I've always played that way and I can at least manage my way around when I do so. I actually hit fewer fairways on the back nine (4) than I did on the front (5), but many of those on the front nine were low runners that barely reached the short grass.
As for my final score, well, it was absolutely typical of my season. The bogey golfer special!
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
October 23, 2018
Spoiled a Good Start at Doon Valley
I was recovering from a cold, but some nice weather lured me out to play at Doon Valley. The start was fantastic. I hit driver, gap wedge to within 5 feet on the opening par-4, finishing with a birdie putt. On the subsequent hole, a par-3, I hit 7-iron to the left fringe and then 2-putt for par. I had a momentary lapse on hole 3, a short par-4 with a forced carry off the tee. I pulled the tee shot left into the weeds and had to take a penalty. Double-bogey was the result. No worries, as I followed up with a bogey and two pars over the next three holes. The bogey was on a long par-3 into the wind. The pars came on holes that were playing with the wind, which made a huge difference. Through six holes, I was just 2 over par. At this pace, I would shoot 78, matching my all time best!
Holes 7 through 9 produced three consecutive bogeys. Not a bad result, by any means, but I felt like I let two pars slip away. The first was on hole 7, a 355-yard par-4. I hit driver to the right side of the fairway, leaving 115 yards to the green centre. A slight miss with the gap wedge finished one yard short and right of the green. I made a beautiful pitch up a ridge to the back pin location, finishing three feet below the hole. It was a straight putt, but I lipped out on the right side. The second was on hole 9, a par-5. Despite hitting my drive to another fairway, I was just 125 yards away from the green after my second shot. A slight miss with pitching wedge left me flag high in a bunker on the right side. After a good out, I faced an uphill putt of about 9 feet. Unfortunately, I lipped out again, this time on the left side. Through nine holes, I was 5 over par – on pace for 82, or my fourth best ever.
This is the point where discussions of “best ever” go out the window. My drive on hole 10 leaked a bit right and bounced further right into a hazard. I was forced to take a penalty and ultimately made double-bogey. It didn't help that I sculled a chip near the green. On hole 11, a par-3 with a forced carry, my 6-foot par putt lipped out. I was still feeling positive, but this disappeared on hole 12. It's a short par-4, merely 294 yards. My plan was to hit 5-iron, wedge into the green. The 5-iron hooked immediately into the hazard on the left. After taking a penalty and drop, I duffed an 8-iron from the rough. My fourth was a pitching wedge from 130 yards that only reached the front fringe. I was already disgusted and made it worse by 3-putting from there for a triple-bogey.
One of the most important things in golf is forgetting about poor shots or mistakes, so that they don't affect future shots. For me, putting those mistakes behind me is incredibly difficult. I can let one roll off my back without a problem. I'm not a scratch golfer, so I know those things are going to happen frequently. What really gets me is when I string a few mistakes together, leading to a blowup hole. It's just incredible that these things can happen successively, even when you have a good round going. After the mistakes on hole 12, I spent a few holes cursing every little thing that went wrong. It's not the way to play, either to score well, or just to have fun. Sure, I made a nice par on hole 14, but I also made double-bogeys on holes 13 and 16. Hole 15 was a disastrous quadruple-bogey!
In my previous two visits to Doon Valley, I shot scores of 91 and 93. This round started so well, that it looked like I would obliterate those scores. Alas, with two holes to play, it looked like this would be the worst result of all. My goal, at that point, was to par the last two holes and equal my previous best, or bogey the last two holes and avoid a new worst. I made par on hole 17, a 172-yard par-3, thanks to a nice up and down from left of the green. I had to flop over a bunker and stay on the narrow green, which I did. The putt was a perfect 10-footer. Hole 18 is a par-5 along the Grand River. After two shots, I was barely in the left rough, just 105 yards from the elevated green. My wedge shot missed the green to the left, by just a yard. I didn't get up and down, so I took a bogey. I finished with a 92, which is perfectly in line with my previous results at the course.
In fact, my results at Doon Valley are pretty representative of my whole season. Aside from the occasional excursion into the 80s or 100s, I'm that guy who always shoots just above 90 – a true bogey golfer. I really should be in the 80s far more often.
Score: 92
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
Holes 7 through 9 produced three consecutive bogeys. Not a bad result, by any means, but I felt like I let two pars slip away. The first was on hole 7, a 355-yard par-4. I hit driver to the right side of the fairway, leaving 115 yards to the green centre. A slight miss with the gap wedge finished one yard short and right of the green. I made a beautiful pitch up a ridge to the back pin location, finishing three feet below the hole. It was a straight putt, but I lipped out on the right side. The second was on hole 9, a par-5. Despite hitting my drive to another fairway, I was just 125 yards away from the green after my second shot. A slight miss with pitching wedge left me flag high in a bunker on the right side. After a good out, I faced an uphill putt of about 9 feet. Unfortunately, I lipped out again, this time on the left side. Through nine holes, I was 5 over par – on pace for 82, or my fourth best ever.
This is the point where discussions of “best ever” go out the window. My drive on hole 10 leaked a bit right and bounced further right into a hazard. I was forced to take a penalty and ultimately made double-bogey. It didn't help that I sculled a chip near the green. On hole 11, a par-3 with a forced carry, my 6-foot par putt lipped out. I was still feeling positive, but this disappeared on hole 12. It's a short par-4, merely 294 yards. My plan was to hit 5-iron, wedge into the green. The 5-iron hooked immediately into the hazard on the left. After taking a penalty and drop, I duffed an 8-iron from the rough. My fourth was a pitching wedge from 130 yards that only reached the front fringe. I was already disgusted and made it worse by 3-putting from there for a triple-bogey.
One of the most important things in golf is forgetting about poor shots or mistakes, so that they don't affect future shots. For me, putting those mistakes behind me is incredibly difficult. I can let one roll off my back without a problem. I'm not a scratch golfer, so I know those things are going to happen frequently. What really gets me is when I string a few mistakes together, leading to a blowup hole. It's just incredible that these things can happen successively, even when you have a good round going. After the mistakes on hole 12, I spent a few holes cursing every little thing that went wrong. It's not the way to play, either to score well, or just to have fun. Sure, I made a nice par on hole 14, but I also made double-bogeys on holes 13 and 16. Hole 15 was a disastrous quadruple-bogey!
In my previous two visits to Doon Valley, I shot scores of 91 and 93. This round started so well, that it looked like I would obliterate those scores. Alas, with two holes to play, it looked like this would be the worst result of all. My goal, at that point, was to par the last two holes and equal my previous best, or bogey the last two holes and avoid a new worst. I made par on hole 17, a 172-yard par-3, thanks to a nice up and down from left of the green. I had to flop over a bunker and stay on the narrow green, which I did. The putt was a perfect 10-footer. Hole 18 is a par-5 along the Grand River. After two shots, I was barely in the left rough, just 105 yards from the elevated green. My wedge shot missed the green to the left, by just a yard. I didn't get up and down, so I took a bogey. I finished with a 92, which is perfectly in line with my previous results at the course.
In fact, my results at Doon Valley are pretty representative of my whole season. Aside from the occasional excursion into the 80s or 100s, I'm that guy who always shoots just above 90 – a true bogey golfer. I really should be in the 80s far more often.
Score: 92
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
October 21, 2018
Another Crack at Hoot
They were offering a free upgrade to play all day at Osprey Valley. Luckily, they found a spot for me to play Hoot once again. This suited me perfectly, as I wanted some retribution for a poor first round. My second round wasn't great, by any means, but it was better than the first.
Seven of the front nine were without any real problem. Driver, 5-iron started the opening par-5 straight down the centre of the fairway. I missed the green with a wedge and fluffed a chip, but then got up and down for bogey. Holes 2 and 3 began with fairways hit. On both occasions, I missed the green with approach shots, but chipped on and 2-putt for bogeys.
I finally made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by 2-putting from distance. I also made par on hole 6, a par-5. My drive found some fescue bordering a waste bunker, but a good out enabled me to reach the green in regulation. Holes 7 and 8 resulted in bogeys, and both were well earned. I laid up on the former, rather than attacking the green from a longer distance. On the latter, a nice shot from a greenside bunker helped save the hole.
The problem on the front nine were holes 5 and 9. The short game killed me on both. On hole 5, a dogleg par-4, I hit the fairway and then put my approach shot into a bunker. My sand shot only made it to the rough and then I sculled one through the green. Now severely short sided, I chipped on and 2-putt for a triple-bogey.
Hole 9 produced a ridiculous score of 9 on this downhill par-4. A low pull off the tee went into the woods short and left. A nice punch shot found the right side of the fairway, 200 yards from the hole. I pushed a 3-iron right into some trees. With no backswing, I advanced the ball only slightly, coming to rest in a bunker. Next, I sculled one clear across the green, under more trees. I pitched from there, but the ball rolled off the other side of the green. A decent chip was followed by a decent putt, but it didn't drop. A final tap-in game me the 9. Ugh!
My score on the front nine was 49, while I scored 48 on the back. I made no worse than double-bogey after the turn, but there were three of them, to go along with six bogeys. I can't complain about the bogeys – they are fairly standard for me. Typically, I miss the green slightly and then I'm unable to get up and down. My chips are just mediocre, leaving less than certain putts for par. If one happens to go down, that's great, but it's not the norm.
The double-bogeys came on holes 13, 14, and 18. I played hole 13 horribly both times on this day. The second time through I hit driver to the right rough, followed by a great mid-iron to the middle of the fairway. This is a par-5 and I had just 130 yards remaining to the green. Unfortunately, it's a carry over water. I missed the sweet spot, didn't get my normal distance, and splashed in the water. After a drop, my fifth shot made it to the green, followed by a 2-putt.
I also played hole 14 horribly both times. I duffed my drive into the fescue just a few yards ahead. I needed a lob wedge just to get it out a few yards to safety. I was still over 270 yards away from the green. A 3-wood worked well, but I still needed a 50-yard pitch to get on the green. Once I was on, I 2-putt for the double. A bad drive was all it took to ruin the hole.
I almost didn't finish the last two holes, as I felt nauseous on the 16th green. I decided to quit, but then the feeling quickly passed, so I soldiered on. Much like holes 13 and 14, I played 18 in very similar fashion to the first time through. My drive found the same fairway bunker on the right side, forcing a sideways out before I could attack the green. The approach just missed, so a chip and two putts completed the double-bogey.
It is what it is. At least I got to play 36 holes.
Score: 97
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
Seven of the front nine were without any real problem. Driver, 5-iron started the opening par-5 straight down the centre of the fairway. I missed the green with a wedge and fluffed a chip, but then got up and down for bogey. Holes 2 and 3 began with fairways hit. On both occasions, I missed the green with approach shots, but chipped on and 2-putt for bogeys.
I finally made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by 2-putting from distance. I also made par on hole 6, a par-5. My drive found some fescue bordering a waste bunker, but a good out enabled me to reach the green in regulation. Holes 7 and 8 resulted in bogeys, and both were well earned. I laid up on the former, rather than attacking the green from a longer distance. On the latter, a nice shot from a greenside bunker helped save the hole.
The problem on the front nine were holes 5 and 9. The short game killed me on both. On hole 5, a dogleg par-4, I hit the fairway and then put my approach shot into a bunker. My sand shot only made it to the rough and then I sculled one through the green. Now severely short sided, I chipped on and 2-putt for a triple-bogey.
Hole 9 produced a ridiculous score of 9 on this downhill par-4. A low pull off the tee went into the woods short and left. A nice punch shot found the right side of the fairway, 200 yards from the hole. I pushed a 3-iron right into some trees. With no backswing, I advanced the ball only slightly, coming to rest in a bunker. Next, I sculled one clear across the green, under more trees. I pitched from there, but the ball rolled off the other side of the green. A decent chip was followed by a decent putt, but it didn't drop. A final tap-in game me the 9. Ugh!
My score on the front nine was 49, while I scored 48 on the back. I made no worse than double-bogey after the turn, but there were three of them, to go along with six bogeys. I can't complain about the bogeys – they are fairly standard for me. Typically, I miss the green slightly and then I'm unable to get up and down. My chips are just mediocre, leaving less than certain putts for par. If one happens to go down, that's great, but it's not the norm.
The double-bogeys came on holes 13, 14, and 18. I played hole 13 horribly both times on this day. The second time through I hit driver to the right rough, followed by a great mid-iron to the middle of the fairway. This is a par-5 and I had just 130 yards remaining to the green. Unfortunately, it's a carry over water. I missed the sweet spot, didn't get my normal distance, and splashed in the water. After a drop, my fifth shot made it to the green, followed by a 2-putt.
I also played hole 14 horribly both times. I duffed my drive into the fescue just a few yards ahead. I needed a lob wedge just to get it out a few yards to safety. I was still over 270 yards away from the green. A 3-wood worked well, but I still needed a 50-yard pitch to get on the green. Once I was on, I 2-putt for the double. A bad drive was all it took to ruin the hole.
I almost didn't finish the last two holes, as I felt nauseous on the 16th green. I decided to quit, but then the feeling quickly passed, so I soldiered on. Much like holes 13 and 14, I played 18 in very similar fashion to the first time through. My drive found the same fairway bunker on the right side, forcing a sideways out before I could attack the green. The approach just missed, so a chip and two putts completed the double-bogey.
It is what it is. At least I got to play 36 holes.
Score: 97
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
October 11, 2018
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley – Hoot
We had a couple of unseasonably warm days, so I jumped at the chance to play the Hoot at Osprey Valley. Unfortunately, my game was very rusty. I had plenty of holes that were fine, but when things went badly, I exploded for some massive numbers. Untimely misses put me in bad situations and I compounded problems by stringing mistakes together. Mind you, there were no such mistakes on the opening hole, a 520-yard par-5. I piped a 3-wood to the middle of the fairway, followed by a 4-iron once again down the middle. My approach with the 9-iron finished inside 10 feet. I didn't make birdie, but a stress free par is always a good way to start.
The 3-wood that worked so well on the first hole failed me on the second. I duffed my tee shot into thick fescue just ahead of the teeing ground. I was forced to take an unplayable, leading to double-bogey on this par-4. The same thing happened on hole 3, although it was driver that let me down off the tee. I hit a weak hook to the edge of the forest, then had to chip out sideways. Every once in a while, I smother the ball with that club so badly that the ball appears to actually have topspin. I never did that a single time with my old driver – and I used it for well over a decade! The tail end of these two holes featured some good shots, but there's no real recovery from tee shots like that.
The next four holes were a roller coaster ride. I made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by hitting the green in regulation and 2-putting. On hole 5, a long par-4, my drive sliced to the right, with the ball nestling right up against a tree trunk. When I tried to punch back to the fairway, my ball moved just a couple inches, getting tangled up in some long weeds. My third shot emerged a couple yards from the weeds, while my fourth missed the green to the left. A chip ran long off the other side of the putting surface. Now short sided, I chipped one well past the hole, requiring two putts just for a score of 8 – the dreaded snowman!
On hole 6, a par-5 that's actually shorter than the par-4 that precedes it, I hit driver, 3-iron just left of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for par. The success was again short-lived, as I exploded for another quadruple-bogey on hole 7. This time, my drive was perfect, finishing in the centre of the fairway. Unfortunately, I pushed the attempted approach shot into some spruce trees on the right side. My ball was unplayable. I chunked a pitch shot after taking a penalty. To add insult to injury, I finished with my first 3-putt of the day. I closed out the front nine with a decent bogey on a par-3 and a disappointing double-bogey on a par-4. Bad chipping cost me a stroke on the latter. My score at the turn was an ugly 51.
The back nine was even worse than the front, so I'll spare you the details. I was nine over par for seven holes, excluding holes 13 and 14. This included only one par, which came on hole 15, a par-3 that plays over a huge waste bunker. The remaining holes were split between bogeys and doubles. I 3-putt for one of the doubles, while poor chipping and a poor drive led to the others. The bogey holes generally featured good drives, but less than stellar approach shots.
I was 8-over for holes 13 and 14 alone, thanks to a quintuple-bogey and triple-bogey, respectively. How does that happen? Consider hole 13, a par-5. Start with a topspinning smothered drive to the trees short and left. Take an unplayable and then hit a 7-iron to the middle of the fairway. The fourth shot is a carry over a large pond from 175 yards. Hit that off the toe and splash into the water. After your second penalty stroke of the hole, hit a lob wedge that spins back off the front of the green and comes to rest in a weird depression with longer than usual rough. The seventh shot travels one yard to barely get on the green. All of this is followed by a 3-putt.
It's a shame because it was such a beautiful day on a beautiful course. I still enjoyed myself, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel like a waste. I'm better than this, but it just wasn't my day.
Score: 104
Putts: 38
Fairways: 7
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
The 3-wood that worked so well on the first hole failed me on the second. I duffed my tee shot into thick fescue just ahead of the teeing ground. I was forced to take an unplayable, leading to double-bogey on this par-4. The same thing happened on hole 3, although it was driver that let me down off the tee. I hit a weak hook to the edge of the forest, then had to chip out sideways. Every once in a while, I smother the ball with that club so badly that the ball appears to actually have topspin. I never did that a single time with my old driver – and I used it for well over a decade! The tail end of these two holes featured some good shots, but there's no real recovery from tee shots like that.
The next four holes were a roller coaster ride. I made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by hitting the green in regulation and 2-putting. On hole 5, a long par-4, my drive sliced to the right, with the ball nestling right up against a tree trunk. When I tried to punch back to the fairway, my ball moved just a couple inches, getting tangled up in some long weeds. My third shot emerged a couple yards from the weeds, while my fourth missed the green to the left. A chip ran long off the other side of the putting surface. Now short sided, I chipped one well past the hole, requiring two putts just for a score of 8 – the dreaded snowman!
On hole 6, a par-5 that's actually shorter than the par-4 that precedes it, I hit driver, 3-iron just left of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for par. The success was again short-lived, as I exploded for another quadruple-bogey on hole 7. This time, my drive was perfect, finishing in the centre of the fairway. Unfortunately, I pushed the attempted approach shot into some spruce trees on the right side. My ball was unplayable. I chunked a pitch shot after taking a penalty. To add insult to injury, I finished with my first 3-putt of the day. I closed out the front nine with a decent bogey on a par-3 and a disappointing double-bogey on a par-4. Bad chipping cost me a stroke on the latter. My score at the turn was an ugly 51.
The back nine was even worse than the front, so I'll spare you the details. I was nine over par for seven holes, excluding holes 13 and 14. This included only one par, which came on hole 15, a par-3 that plays over a huge waste bunker. The remaining holes were split between bogeys and doubles. I 3-putt for one of the doubles, while poor chipping and a poor drive led to the others. The bogey holes generally featured good drives, but less than stellar approach shots.
I was 8-over for holes 13 and 14 alone, thanks to a quintuple-bogey and triple-bogey, respectively. How does that happen? Consider hole 13, a par-5. Start with a topspinning smothered drive to the trees short and left. Take an unplayable and then hit a 7-iron to the middle of the fairway. The fourth shot is a carry over a large pond from 175 yards. Hit that off the toe and splash into the water. After your second penalty stroke of the hole, hit a lob wedge that spins back off the front of the green and comes to rest in a weird depression with longer than usual rough. The seventh shot travels one yard to barely get on the green. All of this is followed by a 3-putt.
It's a shame because it was such a beautiful day on a beautiful course. I still enjoyed myself, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel like a waste. I'm better than this, but it just wasn't my day.
Score: 104
Putts: 38
Fairways: 7
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
October 09, 2018
Fall Golf at Lakeview
We are well into fall and it's been difficult to find good weather days for golf. I booked a Sunday afternoon round a few days in advance, with the forecast calling for mild temperature and some sunshine. What I got was a course saturated with water from rainfall a day earlier and overnight. It didn't actually rain during my round, but it was completely overcast and five degrees cooler than originally anticipated. Despite all this, it still wasn't too bad out there. Few people had ventured out to Lakeview Golf Course because of the weather, so I had a lovely solitary round.
I started pretty well, with a couple of pars earned through the first three holes. Hole 1 is a short par-4. I hit 3-wood to the right rough, followed by a wedge to the front of the green. My uphill lag putt was a bit short, but I followed up with a 6-footer for par. Hole 2 is a long par-4 that begins with a drive through a chute of trees. I barely clipped a tree on the right side and my ball dropped straight down, effectively turning the hole into a par-5. I was surprised how poorly the ball came out of the wet rough, which made the hole even longer. It took four shots to find the green and two putts to card a double-bogey. Luckily, I followed up with my second par on hole 3, a 136-yard par-3 design. My wedge shot found the green and then came a good lag and tap-in.
The rest of the front nine was a little shaky. I made no worse than double-bogey, but there were four of those in just a six-hole stretch. Drives popped up and were pushed right on holes 4 and 5, putting me in some trouble immediately off the tee. On the former, I had to chip sideways from a group of trees just to get back to the fairway, 200 yards from the green. On the latter, I played my second shot down an adjacent fairway, rather than punch one sideways. It actually worked well, but I messed up greenside to finish with one of the double bogeys. I managed to fix my drives on holes 6 through 8, but except for a bogey on 6, the results weren't very good. I made bogey on hole 9, a 217-yard par-3, to card a score of 48 at the turn.
The back nine is where I really saved the round. A beautiful up and down from just off the green on hole 10 was good enough for par. Exactly the same thing happened on hole 11. Hole 12 is the infamous “bell” hole at Lakeview. I began with a perfect 3-wood that split the trees up ahead and dropped to the fairway down below. If your tee shot goes too far on this hole your ball can run into a creek. I wasn't worried about that with the wet conditions. Sure enough, my ball was sitting right beside the 100-yard stick. My wedge shot to the elevated green on the right side was not very good. I got to the top of the hill, but was 15 yards short of the green. “Cue up another up and down,” I thought. The pitch was excellent, but I missed a 6-foot par putt and settled for bogey.
My second shot on hole 13, a par-4, was from the left rough. It was thick and wet, so my ball went half the intended distance. From 90 yards I hit a wedge to within 15 feet. I made a beautiful putt over a ridge, but the ball lipped out violently and I took another bogey. No worries, as I got back to par on hole 14, a par-4. After my tee shot found the right centre of the fairway, I thinned a 9-iron to just in front of the green. Putting through the fringe, I lagged one to within inches. Well done! On hole 15, I pulled my drive left into some trees. A good punch allowed me to attack the green with my third shot. I had a long putt to save par, but could only muster bogey.
Hole 16 is a tricky par-5 with a fairway that bends and narrows before players must traverse a creek to a narrow green wedged between the creek and a steep hillside. I hit a great drive, but next could do no more than lay up to the creek only 80 yards ahead. My third shot was a 5-iron to just in front of the green. A beautiful pitch rolled up a ridge on the green and rattled the flagstick, but didn't drop. Still, it was a nice tap-in par. The upper tee was in play on hole 17, meaning this was just a 90 yard par-3, albeit to a tiny, tilted green perched on a steep hillside. I hit a sand wedge to the back of the green, setting up a tricky downhill putt. I played it a bit too tentatively and ended up 3-putting for bogey.
I was four over par through eight holes of the back nine. I ruined this a bit by failing to carry a creek with my drive on the last hole. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a lovely 5-wood, lob wedge combination to set up a chance at bogey. Alas, the putt from about ten feet stopped a couple inches short and left of the hole. I took a double-bogey, which was still good enough to break 90 for the day. A score of 89 on a par 71 course is the very definition of bogey golf. The last time I broke 90 it was also with a score of 89, but that was on a par 70.
Score: 89
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
I started pretty well, with a couple of pars earned through the first three holes. Hole 1 is a short par-4. I hit 3-wood to the right rough, followed by a wedge to the front of the green. My uphill lag putt was a bit short, but I followed up with a 6-footer for par. Hole 2 is a long par-4 that begins with a drive through a chute of trees. I barely clipped a tree on the right side and my ball dropped straight down, effectively turning the hole into a par-5. I was surprised how poorly the ball came out of the wet rough, which made the hole even longer. It took four shots to find the green and two putts to card a double-bogey. Luckily, I followed up with my second par on hole 3, a 136-yard par-3 design. My wedge shot found the green and then came a good lag and tap-in.
The rest of the front nine was a little shaky. I made no worse than double-bogey, but there were four of those in just a six-hole stretch. Drives popped up and were pushed right on holes 4 and 5, putting me in some trouble immediately off the tee. On the former, I had to chip sideways from a group of trees just to get back to the fairway, 200 yards from the green. On the latter, I played my second shot down an adjacent fairway, rather than punch one sideways. It actually worked well, but I messed up greenside to finish with one of the double bogeys. I managed to fix my drives on holes 6 through 8, but except for a bogey on 6, the results weren't very good. I made bogey on hole 9, a 217-yard par-3, to card a score of 48 at the turn.
The back nine is where I really saved the round. A beautiful up and down from just off the green on hole 10 was good enough for par. Exactly the same thing happened on hole 11. Hole 12 is the infamous “bell” hole at Lakeview. I began with a perfect 3-wood that split the trees up ahead and dropped to the fairway down below. If your tee shot goes too far on this hole your ball can run into a creek. I wasn't worried about that with the wet conditions. Sure enough, my ball was sitting right beside the 100-yard stick. My wedge shot to the elevated green on the right side was not very good. I got to the top of the hill, but was 15 yards short of the green. “Cue up another up and down,” I thought. The pitch was excellent, but I missed a 6-foot par putt and settled for bogey.
My second shot on hole 13, a par-4, was from the left rough. It was thick and wet, so my ball went half the intended distance. From 90 yards I hit a wedge to within 15 feet. I made a beautiful putt over a ridge, but the ball lipped out violently and I took another bogey. No worries, as I got back to par on hole 14, a par-4. After my tee shot found the right centre of the fairway, I thinned a 9-iron to just in front of the green. Putting through the fringe, I lagged one to within inches. Well done! On hole 15, I pulled my drive left into some trees. A good punch allowed me to attack the green with my third shot. I had a long putt to save par, but could only muster bogey.
Hole 16 is a tricky par-5 with a fairway that bends and narrows before players must traverse a creek to a narrow green wedged between the creek and a steep hillside. I hit a great drive, but next could do no more than lay up to the creek only 80 yards ahead. My third shot was a 5-iron to just in front of the green. A beautiful pitch rolled up a ridge on the green and rattled the flagstick, but didn't drop. Still, it was a nice tap-in par. The upper tee was in play on hole 17, meaning this was just a 90 yard par-3, albeit to a tiny, tilted green perched on a steep hillside. I hit a sand wedge to the back of the green, setting up a tricky downhill putt. I played it a bit too tentatively and ended up 3-putting for bogey.
I was four over par through eight holes of the back nine. I ruined this a bit by failing to carry a creek with my drive on the last hole. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a lovely 5-wood, lob wedge combination to set up a chance at bogey. Alas, the putt from about ten feet stopped a couple inches short and left of the hole. I took a double-bogey, which was still good enough to break 90 for the day. A score of 89 on a par 71 course is the very definition of bogey golf. The last time I broke 90 it was also with a score of 89, but that was on a par 70.
Score: 89
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
September 29, 2018
Fighting the Light at BraeBen
With a 2:15 pm tee time at BraeBen Golf Course, I should have finished comfortably before sundown. Unfortunately, the groups ahead of mine were not moving very quickly. It was a little challenging to see on the second last hole and virtually impossible on the final hole. We managed to finish, despite not being able to see the ball. You basically sense where you hit the ball and then walk over to that area and hope for the best.
It's always windy at BraeBen, but it was a little more windy than usual on this occasion. The first half of the front nine was up and down. I started with a nice par on the opening par-5, including a great 2-putt from distance. I've been doing a lot of that lately. I was scared to hook a pitching wedge off the tee on hole 2, as that means a lost ball and penalty. As a result, I completely miss hit the ball, sending it dribbling ahead a few yards into some fescue. It ended up lost anyway. My third shot was to the green, followed by a 3-putt for triple-bogey.
Things turned up a bit on hole 3, a par-4. It took me four shots to find the green, including a chip out from some bushes. Luckily, I drained a beautiful putt from distance to salvage bogey. Hole 4, a par-3, started just as badly as the last. Scared of hooking the ball again, I left the club face massively open, losing the ball to the right on a fesue covered mound. My third shot found the putting surface and I drained an even longer putt than on the previous hole. It must have been close to 30 feet. The momentum waned on the next hole, with a disastrous quadruple-bogey. My tee shot missed the fairway left and it took me a few shots just to get out of the fescue.
The remainder of the front nine was a little more stable, as I played holes 6 through 9 at just 3-over par. Hole 6 is a par-5 that featured a great up and down from 50 yards right of the green. The pitch flew over some bunkers and landed softly, finishing below the hole. The best part was the 14-foot par putt that followed. Hole 7 is a short par-3 with a massive drop in elevation. My tee shot was left of the green and I did well just to make double-bogey from that position. I finished par, bogey on holes 8 and 9 with some solid all around play.
The start of the back nine wasn't great, as we were beginning to worry about not finishing the round. The sun had disappeared behind a wall of clouds, making it darker and colder than it should have been. I did bogey hole 10, a par-3, but then collected triple-bogey and double-bogey on holes 11 and 12. I topped two shots on hole 11, a long par-4. Hole 12 is also a par-4 and my second shot found a greenside bunker. It took one shot to get out to the rough and another to get on the green. This was followed by two putts.
It wasn't looking great at this point, but I salvaged a decent result with my play over the last six holes. Hole 13, a 168-yard par-3, was playing more like 200 yards into the wind. My tee shot was well short, but the subsequent pitch nearly rolled into the hole. I finished with two putts for bogey. Next, it was four consecutive pars! Yes, I'm not lying. I drove the ball to within 50 yards of the green on hole 14, a short par-4. A pitch and two putts followed. Two shots carried me just left of the green on hole 15, a dogleg par-4. A brilliant chip finished 12 inches from the hole, followed by a tap-in. Driver, 4-iron carried me to the end of the fairway on hole 17, a par-5. A lob shot trickled off the back of the green, but I chipped close and 1-putt for the par. Finally, a good drive left me 60 yards from the flag on hole 17, another short par-4. A good pitch set up a birdie chance that just missed.
Then came a double bogey in the dark on hole 18. You can't expect much in that situation.
Score: 93
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
It's always windy at BraeBen, but it was a little more windy than usual on this occasion. The first half of the front nine was up and down. I started with a nice par on the opening par-5, including a great 2-putt from distance. I've been doing a lot of that lately. I was scared to hook a pitching wedge off the tee on hole 2, as that means a lost ball and penalty. As a result, I completely miss hit the ball, sending it dribbling ahead a few yards into some fescue. It ended up lost anyway. My third shot was to the green, followed by a 3-putt for triple-bogey.
Things turned up a bit on hole 3, a par-4. It took me four shots to find the green, including a chip out from some bushes. Luckily, I drained a beautiful putt from distance to salvage bogey. Hole 4, a par-3, started just as badly as the last. Scared of hooking the ball again, I left the club face massively open, losing the ball to the right on a fesue covered mound. My third shot found the putting surface and I drained an even longer putt than on the previous hole. It must have been close to 30 feet. The momentum waned on the next hole, with a disastrous quadruple-bogey. My tee shot missed the fairway left and it took me a few shots just to get out of the fescue.
The remainder of the front nine was a little more stable, as I played holes 6 through 9 at just 3-over par. Hole 6 is a par-5 that featured a great up and down from 50 yards right of the green. The pitch flew over some bunkers and landed softly, finishing below the hole. The best part was the 14-foot par putt that followed. Hole 7 is a short par-3 with a massive drop in elevation. My tee shot was left of the green and I did well just to make double-bogey from that position. I finished par, bogey on holes 8 and 9 with some solid all around play.
The start of the back nine wasn't great, as we were beginning to worry about not finishing the round. The sun had disappeared behind a wall of clouds, making it darker and colder than it should have been. I did bogey hole 10, a par-3, but then collected triple-bogey and double-bogey on holes 11 and 12. I topped two shots on hole 11, a long par-4. Hole 12 is also a par-4 and my second shot found a greenside bunker. It took one shot to get out to the rough and another to get on the green. This was followed by two putts.
It wasn't looking great at this point, but I salvaged a decent result with my play over the last six holes. Hole 13, a 168-yard par-3, was playing more like 200 yards into the wind. My tee shot was well short, but the subsequent pitch nearly rolled into the hole. I finished with two putts for bogey. Next, it was four consecutive pars! Yes, I'm not lying. I drove the ball to within 50 yards of the green on hole 14, a short par-4. A pitch and two putts followed. Two shots carried me just left of the green on hole 15, a dogleg par-4. A brilliant chip finished 12 inches from the hole, followed by a tap-in. Driver, 4-iron carried me to the end of the fairway on hole 17, a par-5. A lob shot trickled off the back of the green, but I chipped close and 1-putt for the par. Finally, a good drive left me 60 yards from the flag on hole 17, another short par-4. A good pitch set up a birdie chance that just missed.
Then came a double bogey in the dark on hole 18. You can't expect much in that situation.
Score: 93
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
September 25, 2018
Personal Best at Silver Lakes
Prior to this visit, I played Silver Lakes five times and only broke 100 once. That was a score of 98 on my second visit to the course, which took place in 2009. Silver Lakes is a flat course, but almost every hole is tree lined. If you spray the ball at all, there's a good chance of collecting lost balls and penalty strokes. I was glad to break 100 again, and to do so comfortably with a final score of 92. I was actually a little disappointed not to break 90, as I played very consistently for long stretches of this round. Despite feeling like I played really well, my differential for the round was not good enough to contribute to my handicap factor, which actually increased over half a point. Go figure.
The front nine was really quite remarkable, featuring a lone par on hole 7, along with eight bogeys. I made a small mistake on almost every hole, but only one per hole, and they weren't disastrous. I pulled a 3-wood off the tee on hole 1, but after coming close to the green with my second shot, I chipped on and 2-putt. I hit a perfect 5-wood off the tee on hole 2. My approach with sand wedge was thin and went through the green. I once again chipped on and 2-putt. I hit a perfect pitching wedge off the tee on hole 3, a par-3, though I went on to 3-putt. I pulled 5-wood off the tee on hole 4, but trees kept the ball from going too deep. I chipped sideways and nailed the green from 140 yards with my third shot. A 2-putt followed. Hole 5, a par-5, was the first time I used driver and it was terrible. I hit it way fat and it found the trees right. After a great punch and couple of shots to find the green, I collected another bogey.
The last half of the front nine was more remarkable than the first. 3-wood off the tee on hole 6 went directly into the woods left. After a penalty, I hit 3-iron down the fairway, leaving 50 yards to the flag. This set up a fabulous up and down. Nice! Hole 7 is the one I made par on. After a mediocre chip, I drained a fairly lengthy putt. Hole 8 is a par-5 that began with a perfect 5-wood off the tee. A layup drifted right, forcing me to punch through some trees. My fourth shot trickled off the edge of the green, setting up a delicate up and down. Finally, on hole 9, my drive barely leaked right of the fairway. I had tree trouble and had to punch out to about 70 yards. My third shot landed in a bunker, but I made a fabulous sand shot and a 3-foot putt. It was my fourth 1-putt in a row!
My consistency ended on hole 11, a 150-yard par-3. Conscious of not hooking the 8-iron, I did something weid with my swing and duffed the ball only to the forward tee. The worst part was that I was now on a severe downslope in front of the teeing ground. This caused me to pull the ball into a lateral hazard left of the green. After a penalty, I pitched one on and 2-putt for a triple-bogey. Dang! On a positive note, I followed up immediately with my best hole of the day. Hole 12 is a 400-yard par-4. I pumped a drive 260 yards to the very centre of the fairway. This was followed by a pitching wedge that finished on the green, flag high. I had a good try at birdie, but just missed, settling for par.
The last part of the round was back to some level of consistency, though I collected two double-bogeys, along with four other bogeys. One of the doubles was on hole 13, after a 7-iron off the tee mirrored the 8-iron I hit on hole 11. I wanted to be sure I didn't hook the ball and I didn't. The only problem was that the club slid under the ball and it travelled a whole 40 yards. The other double was on hole 15. A large, lone tree sits on the left edge of the fairway, and it was interfering with my second shot. I tried to get too much out of the situation and wasted a shot. I should have just pitched sideways and tried to save bogey.
I did a couple of things differently in this round. I used driver sparingly, in favour of either 3-wood or 5-wood. I've used 5-wood a lot all year, but 3-wood has been completely out of play. It was nice to use it again, not only off the tee, but on other occasions as well. One was on my second shot of the final hole, a par-5. After a 265-yard drive to the centre of the fairway, I had 230 left to the green. I actually went a little left into some trees, but contact was crisp and I was cutting the ball anyway. It wasn't a huge miss. The other thing I did differently was driving itself. Recently, I had fallen into a pattern of swinging too easily. The goal was to gain more control, especially at the start of the downswing, but I had taken it too far. My good drives were going 230 yards and sometimes they were smothered and barely went 100 yards. I went back to a closed stance, with my right foot back. I still tried to make the start of the downswing gradual, but then accelerated much more to get that speed needed at the moment of impact. It seemed to work, as my drives were back in the 250-260 yard range.
Score: 92
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
The front nine was really quite remarkable, featuring a lone par on hole 7, along with eight bogeys. I made a small mistake on almost every hole, but only one per hole, and they weren't disastrous. I pulled a 3-wood off the tee on hole 1, but after coming close to the green with my second shot, I chipped on and 2-putt. I hit a perfect 5-wood off the tee on hole 2. My approach with sand wedge was thin and went through the green. I once again chipped on and 2-putt. I hit a perfect pitching wedge off the tee on hole 3, a par-3, though I went on to 3-putt. I pulled 5-wood off the tee on hole 4, but trees kept the ball from going too deep. I chipped sideways and nailed the green from 140 yards with my third shot. A 2-putt followed. Hole 5, a par-5, was the first time I used driver and it was terrible. I hit it way fat and it found the trees right. After a great punch and couple of shots to find the green, I collected another bogey.
The last half of the front nine was more remarkable than the first. 3-wood off the tee on hole 6 went directly into the woods left. After a penalty, I hit 3-iron down the fairway, leaving 50 yards to the flag. This set up a fabulous up and down. Nice! Hole 7 is the one I made par on. After a mediocre chip, I drained a fairly lengthy putt. Hole 8 is a par-5 that began with a perfect 5-wood off the tee. A layup drifted right, forcing me to punch through some trees. My fourth shot trickled off the edge of the green, setting up a delicate up and down. Finally, on hole 9, my drive barely leaked right of the fairway. I had tree trouble and had to punch out to about 70 yards. My third shot landed in a bunker, but I made a fabulous sand shot and a 3-foot putt. It was my fourth 1-putt in a row!
My consistency ended on hole 11, a 150-yard par-3. Conscious of not hooking the 8-iron, I did something weid with my swing and duffed the ball only to the forward tee. The worst part was that I was now on a severe downslope in front of the teeing ground. This caused me to pull the ball into a lateral hazard left of the green. After a penalty, I pitched one on and 2-putt for a triple-bogey. Dang! On a positive note, I followed up immediately with my best hole of the day. Hole 12 is a 400-yard par-4. I pumped a drive 260 yards to the very centre of the fairway. This was followed by a pitching wedge that finished on the green, flag high. I had a good try at birdie, but just missed, settling for par.
The last part of the round was back to some level of consistency, though I collected two double-bogeys, along with four other bogeys. One of the doubles was on hole 13, after a 7-iron off the tee mirrored the 8-iron I hit on hole 11. I wanted to be sure I didn't hook the ball and I didn't. The only problem was that the club slid under the ball and it travelled a whole 40 yards. The other double was on hole 15. A large, lone tree sits on the left edge of the fairway, and it was interfering with my second shot. I tried to get too much out of the situation and wasted a shot. I should have just pitched sideways and tried to save bogey.
I did a couple of things differently in this round. I used driver sparingly, in favour of either 3-wood or 5-wood. I've used 5-wood a lot all year, but 3-wood has been completely out of play. It was nice to use it again, not only off the tee, but on other occasions as well. One was on my second shot of the final hole, a par-5. After a 265-yard drive to the centre of the fairway, I had 230 left to the green. I actually went a little left into some trees, but contact was crisp and I was cutting the ball anyway. It wasn't a huge miss. The other thing I did differently was driving itself. Recently, I had fallen into a pattern of swinging too easily. The goal was to gain more control, especially at the start of the downswing, but I had taken it too far. My good drives were going 230 yards and sometimes they were smothered and barely went 100 yards. I went back to a closed stance, with my right foot back. I still tried to make the start of the downswing gradual, but then accelerated much more to get that speed needed at the moment of impact. It seemed to work, as my drives were back in the 250-260 yard range.
Score: 92
Putts: 32
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
September 24, 2018
Moving Along at Oaks of St. George
I got off to a good start at the Oaks of St. George, making bogey on the difficult first hole. There's a large tree in front of the green, which makes it extremely hard to reach the putting surface in regulation. My approach found a front bunker, but I splashed out nicely and then 2-putt. After another bogey on hole 2, I struggled a bit, earning three consecutive double-bogeys. A pitch from left of the green on a par-3 was sculled into a bunker on the right. I duffed a couple of downhill chips to a green that was falling away. It's a shame, because I hit three good shots to start this par-5 and was very near the pin. A hooked iron on another par-3 put me in a tough spot.
The remainder of the front nine went a little more smoothly, with three consecutive bogeys, followed by a par. I hit three out of three fairways during this stretch, which was nice. I abandoned the tentative driver swing that was giving me some problems recently. I still focused on a smooth transition at the top of the backswing, but tried to accelerate evenly to produce better club head speed at the point of contact. At the same time, I stepped back a little with the right foot, producing a bit of a closed stance. This is a way to compensate for my tendency to swing over the top a bit. The par on hole 9 could have been birdie, as I hit a nice approach just below the hole.
Hole 10 is the hardest on the course, in my opinion, though it's rated #2. The tee shot from an elevated tee must cross a creek and find a narrow fairway, with thick trees on both sides. There really is no good place to lay up, either. I made a good attempt, but just found the trees on the left side. It was no surprise I went on to make triple-bogey. That's okay, as I went on to play my best stretch of the round. Holes 11 through 15 resulted in three pars and a pair of bogeys. I hit three of four fairways, so my play off the tee was still strong.
Driver, 3-wood left me 20 yards short of the green on hole 11, which is a par-5. A sculled pitch left me well above the hole, but I 2-putt nicely for the par. Hole 12 is a sharp dogleg left with a tough tee shot. My drive drifted right into some bushes. Despite taking a penalty, I managed to save bogey. After that it was back-to-back pars, in textbook fashion. I hit the green in regulation on hole 13, a par-3, then made a nice 2-putt from distance. I also hit the green in regulation on hole 14, a par-4. This time, I had a birdie chance, but just missed.
The last three holes of the round were a bit of a letdown, with a bogey and two doubles. A 3-putt led to one of the doubles on hole 16, a par-4. My third shot was a nice out from a bunker, so that was kind of wasted. Another 3-putt cost me par on hole 17, a short par-3. The final hole of the day resulted in double-bogey, all because my drive drifted right into some trees. After taking a penalty and drop on this par-5, I tried to reach the green through some trees with a 5-wood. The lie was lush and the ball squirted right, finding the trees once again. After another penalty, I was able to drop in a better spot. This time, my 5-wood reached the elevated green. I finished up with a 2-putt.
Score: 93
Putts: 39
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
Penalties: 4
The remainder of the front nine went a little more smoothly, with three consecutive bogeys, followed by a par. I hit three out of three fairways during this stretch, which was nice. I abandoned the tentative driver swing that was giving me some problems recently. I still focused on a smooth transition at the top of the backswing, but tried to accelerate evenly to produce better club head speed at the point of contact. At the same time, I stepped back a little with the right foot, producing a bit of a closed stance. This is a way to compensate for my tendency to swing over the top a bit. The par on hole 9 could have been birdie, as I hit a nice approach just below the hole.
Hole 10 is the hardest on the course, in my opinion, though it's rated #2. The tee shot from an elevated tee must cross a creek and find a narrow fairway, with thick trees on both sides. There really is no good place to lay up, either. I made a good attempt, but just found the trees on the left side. It was no surprise I went on to make triple-bogey. That's okay, as I went on to play my best stretch of the round. Holes 11 through 15 resulted in three pars and a pair of bogeys. I hit three of four fairways, so my play off the tee was still strong.
Driver, 3-wood left me 20 yards short of the green on hole 11, which is a par-5. A sculled pitch left me well above the hole, but I 2-putt nicely for the par. Hole 12 is a sharp dogleg left with a tough tee shot. My drive drifted right into some bushes. Despite taking a penalty, I managed to save bogey. After that it was back-to-back pars, in textbook fashion. I hit the green in regulation on hole 13, a par-3, then made a nice 2-putt from distance. I also hit the green in regulation on hole 14, a par-4. This time, I had a birdie chance, but just missed.
The last three holes of the round were a bit of a letdown, with a bogey and two doubles. A 3-putt led to one of the doubles on hole 16, a par-4. My third shot was a nice out from a bunker, so that was kind of wasted. Another 3-putt cost me par on hole 17, a short par-3. The final hole of the day resulted in double-bogey, all because my drive drifted right into some trees. After taking a penalty and drop on this par-5, I tried to reach the green through some trees with a 5-wood. The lie was lush and the ball squirted right, finding the trees once again. After another penalty, I was able to drop in a better spot. This time, my 5-wood reached the elevated green. I finished up with a 2-putt.
Score: 93
Putts: 39
Fairways: 8
Greens: 6
Penalties: 4
September 21, 2018
Hard to Explain Deepwoods Loss
The fifth and final round of the 2018 Deepwoods championship took place at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club. I was in first place going into the round, four points ahead of second place and five points ahead of third. In fact, I was at the top of the standings for the entire year. I shared the lead after Round 1, took sole possession after Round 2, and held it through Round 4. After Round 5, I was still in first place, but I allowed the second and third place competitors to tie things up. We played one sudden death playoff hole and I lost the championship. Wow.
This was tough to take. I didn't have to play great golf in the final event to take the title. All I needed was an average kind of round. I played two rounds in the week leading up to the event, registering scores of 89 and 91. I wasn't hitting the ball perfectly, but I was managing my game very well. I took this approach into the Deepwoods event, confident that I could pull it off if I played within myself. The thing is, I managed my game and my emotions perfectly in the final. I can't fault any of the decisions I made. When things went poorly, I focused on the next shot, believing that good moments would compensate for the bad by the time all was said and done.
It wasn't really a bad round. I had three bad holes, but that's not unusual. I've scored well in the past, despite having a few stinkers. On Quarry 4, a par-4, my drive was smothered and went less than 100 yards. 5-wood then went slightly left into a fairway bunker. From 105 yards, my sand wedge came up a bit short, finding another bunker in front of the green. I took three shots with my 56 degree wedge and rammed them all into the lip. I switched over to the 60 degree and put the ball on the green. A 2-putt finished the hole off for a score of 9. I wasn't even bothered. I would get zero points on that hole with a 7, so a couple of extra strokes meant nothing. There was lots of time left.
I made par on the very next hole, a much longer par-4. I needed to approach with 5-wood because my drive, although straight, was very short. I also needed an up and down from right of the green, but I did it. The par made up for a double-bogey that I had on Quarry 3 after my second shot from a fairway bunker was hit fat and was basically wasted. I also made par on Quarry 9, a 141-yard par-3. This one made up for a double-bogey suffered on Quarry 8, a par-5. My third shot was from the middle of the fairway, 145 yards out. It came out low, clipping the edge of a bunker in front of the green. I should have been able to pitch on and 2-putt for bogey, at worst, but my pitch rolled into the back fringe. I was too delicate putting downhill and the fringe slowed my ball right down. Two more putts were needed. So after nine, I was okay. I had two points to make up for the debacle on Quarry 4, but there was lots of time. Even if I didn't make them up, my current point pace was adequate.
I began the Hillside nine with a par on the first hole. This hole featured a long birdie attempt that was pretty good, but which left a nervy distance for the par putt. I drained it nicely. It was the third time in the round that I made a long lag, followed by a good intermediate length putt. I did it on Quarry 6 and on Quarry 7, but those were for bogeys. Still, those were some quality 2-putts.
Hillside 2 was my second bad hole of the day. It's a 196-yard par-3 on the side of a hill. I hit an easy 5-wood off the tee, but pulled it towards the driveway up on the high side. Hitting a provisional, I pretty much hit an exact replay of the first. As luck would have it (or not), I found the provisional ball, but not the original. Just finding the green from that position with my next shot was great, but I followed up with another long 2-putt for a triple-bogey. Zero points though. Had I found the original ball, it would have been a bogey and two points. I was still not perturbed, as there was lots of golf left to play.
Two great bogeys followed on Hillside 3 and 4. The latter was especially good, as this is easily the hardest hole on the course. As good as those results were, they didn't help me pull back any lost points. For that, I would need a couple of pars. Instead, I had another triple bogey on Hillside 5, a par-3. My tee shot was left of the green, flag high. I tried to flop one over a bunker, but I sculled it and it rammed into the bunker lip. My sand shot only made it to the rough. My chip was just a hair short. My putt lipped out. Argh! Slightly better on any of those shots and I would have been fine, but alas.
I did not panic at all. The bad holes were history and I simply focused on the next task at hand. I played three pretty good holes in a row, but they all produced bogey. Now there was one hole remaining. I knew I couldn't run away with the championship. I had opened the door and it was possible that one or two of my fellow competitors could catch me. I reached the green on this par-5 in four shots. Another 2-putt from distance would secure bogey. This time, I left the lag putt too short, and the nervy length second putt was a breaker that burned the edge of the cup. I took a double bogey, effectively surrendering a point.
In fact, I scored only 29 points on the day. How did that happen? The point total was poor, but I felt pretty good about the way I played. I hung in there when things went bad, but the compensating pars never came. When points were tallied at the clubhouse patio, it was a 3-way tie for first place. Myself and two others would go to a sudden death playoff. Unfortunately for me, the two I was competing against were the lowest handicap players in our group. One was a 6 handicap, while the other was a 9. By comparison, I'm a 17. We would play Quarry #1, which is rated as the hardest hole. That meant we would all get a free stroke on the hole. For me to win, I would have to beat the low handicappers straight up.
When one of the other players put his tee shot in a pond, it gave me some hope. Myself and the other player split the fairway with our tee shots. Next, I hit my worst shot of the day. A 5-iron that was intended to fly over the pond was completely duffed and went for a quick swim. I had to take a penalty and drop. My fourth shot finished in front of the green. I flopped over a bunker and 2-putt for a triple-bogey. Meanwhile, the fellow who splashed into the pond with his first shot took a penalty and drop of his own. He hit his third to about 12 feet, setting up a chance at saving par. He gave it a nice run, but missed, settling for bogey. It wasn't enough, as the final player hit the green in regulation and 2-putt for par. I never gave myself a chance.
One more point was all I needed to avoid the playoff and win the championship outright. When you look back at all the little plays where a single stroke could have been saved, it makes you sick. The putt that burned the edge of the hole, the duffed shot from the fairway bunker, the putt that got caught up in the fringe, the ball that was lost precisely where the provisional was found, the sculled flop shot, and so on. Any one of those turns out just a bit better and the entire story changes. I now have four second place finishes in this league to offset just a single victory. It's a terrible feeling.
Score: 97
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
This was tough to take. I didn't have to play great golf in the final event to take the title. All I needed was an average kind of round. I played two rounds in the week leading up to the event, registering scores of 89 and 91. I wasn't hitting the ball perfectly, but I was managing my game very well. I took this approach into the Deepwoods event, confident that I could pull it off if I played within myself. The thing is, I managed my game and my emotions perfectly in the final. I can't fault any of the decisions I made. When things went poorly, I focused on the next shot, believing that good moments would compensate for the bad by the time all was said and done.
It wasn't really a bad round. I had three bad holes, but that's not unusual. I've scored well in the past, despite having a few stinkers. On Quarry 4, a par-4, my drive was smothered and went less than 100 yards. 5-wood then went slightly left into a fairway bunker. From 105 yards, my sand wedge came up a bit short, finding another bunker in front of the green. I took three shots with my 56 degree wedge and rammed them all into the lip. I switched over to the 60 degree and put the ball on the green. A 2-putt finished the hole off for a score of 9. I wasn't even bothered. I would get zero points on that hole with a 7, so a couple of extra strokes meant nothing. There was lots of time left.
I made par on the very next hole, a much longer par-4. I needed to approach with 5-wood because my drive, although straight, was very short. I also needed an up and down from right of the green, but I did it. The par made up for a double-bogey that I had on Quarry 3 after my second shot from a fairway bunker was hit fat and was basically wasted. I also made par on Quarry 9, a 141-yard par-3. This one made up for a double-bogey suffered on Quarry 8, a par-5. My third shot was from the middle of the fairway, 145 yards out. It came out low, clipping the edge of a bunker in front of the green. I should have been able to pitch on and 2-putt for bogey, at worst, but my pitch rolled into the back fringe. I was too delicate putting downhill and the fringe slowed my ball right down. Two more putts were needed. So after nine, I was okay. I had two points to make up for the debacle on Quarry 4, but there was lots of time. Even if I didn't make them up, my current point pace was adequate.
I began the Hillside nine with a par on the first hole. This hole featured a long birdie attempt that was pretty good, but which left a nervy distance for the par putt. I drained it nicely. It was the third time in the round that I made a long lag, followed by a good intermediate length putt. I did it on Quarry 6 and on Quarry 7, but those were for bogeys. Still, those were some quality 2-putts.
Hillside 2 was my second bad hole of the day. It's a 196-yard par-3 on the side of a hill. I hit an easy 5-wood off the tee, but pulled it towards the driveway up on the high side. Hitting a provisional, I pretty much hit an exact replay of the first. As luck would have it (or not), I found the provisional ball, but not the original. Just finding the green from that position with my next shot was great, but I followed up with another long 2-putt for a triple-bogey. Zero points though. Had I found the original ball, it would have been a bogey and two points. I was still not perturbed, as there was lots of golf left to play.
Two great bogeys followed on Hillside 3 and 4. The latter was especially good, as this is easily the hardest hole on the course. As good as those results were, they didn't help me pull back any lost points. For that, I would need a couple of pars. Instead, I had another triple bogey on Hillside 5, a par-3. My tee shot was left of the green, flag high. I tried to flop one over a bunker, but I sculled it and it rammed into the bunker lip. My sand shot only made it to the rough. My chip was just a hair short. My putt lipped out. Argh! Slightly better on any of those shots and I would have been fine, but alas.
I did not panic at all. The bad holes were history and I simply focused on the next task at hand. I played three pretty good holes in a row, but they all produced bogey. Now there was one hole remaining. I knew I couldn't run away with the championship. I had opened the door and it was possible that one or two of my fellow competitors could catch me. I reached the green on this par-5 in four shots. Another 2-putt from distance would secure bogey. This time, I left the lag putt too short, and the nervy length second putt was a breaker that burned the edge of the cup. I took a double bogey, effectively surrendering a point.
In fact, I scored only 29 points on the day. How did that happen? The point total was poor, but I felt pretty good about the way I played. I hung in there when things went bad, but the compensating pars never came. When points were tallied at the clubhouse patio, it was a 3-way tie for first place. Myself and two others would go to a sudden death playoff. Unfortunately for me, the two I was competing against were the lowest handicap players in our group. One was a 6 handicap, while the other was a 9. By comparison, I'm a 17. We would play Quarry #1, which is rated as the hardest hole. That meant we would all get a free stroke on the hole. For me to win, I would have to beat the low handicappers straight up.
When one of the other players put his tee shot in a pond, it gave me some hope. Myself and the other player split the fairway with our tee shots. Next, I hit my worst shot of the day. A 5-iron that was intended to fly over the pond was completely duffed and went for a quick swim. I had to take a penalty and drop. My fourth shot finished in front of the green. I flopped over a bunker and 2-putt for a triple-bogey. Meanwhile, the fellow who splashed into the pond with his first shot took a penalty and drop of his own. He hit his third to about 12 feet, setting up a chance at saving par. He gave it a nice run, but missed, settling for bogey. It wasn't enough, as the final player hit the green in regulation and 2-putt for par. I never gave myself a chance.
One more point was all I needed to avoid the playoff and win the championship outright. When you look back at all the little plays where a single stroke could have been saved, it makes you sick. The putt that burned the edge of the hole, the duffed shot from the fairway bunker, the putt that got caught up in the fringe, the ball that was lost precisely where the provisional was found, the sculled flop shot, and so on. Any one of those turns out just a bit better and the entire story changes. I now have four second place finishes in this league to offset just a single victory. It's a terrible feeling.
Score: 97
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
September 20, 2018
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley – Heathlands
It was a comfortable late summer day at TPC Toronto, which I spent playing alone on the original Heathlands course. My play on the front nine was mediocre, beginning with a bogey on the opening par-5 hole. It got momentarily better with a birdie on hole 2, a 343-yard par-4. My drive was to the left rough, so I took an extra club (7-iron) to reach the green. I stuck the shot to about 10 feet, then drained a little downhill putt. The next two holes were not so good, resulting in double and triple-bogey. I wasted a perfect drive on hole 3 by pulling my approach shot into a hazard. Hole 4 began with two consecutive duffs, though the remaining shots were actually pretty good.
The remainder of the front nine was a little shaky. I bogeyed hole 5, a par-3, and made a fabulous up and down for par on hole 6, a 405-yard par-4. However, I made the turn after three consecutive double-bogeys. In all cases, I collected a penalty stroke. On hole 7, my drive barely entered the fescue left of the fairway. Though I found the ball, there is no playing out of that stuff and I was forced to take an unplayable. Hole 8 was the most disappointing. It's a par-3 that was playing just 111 yards. I hit my sand wedge fat and failed to clear the water between me and the green. On hole 8, a par-5, a weak drive left me further back than I should have been after my second shot. I tried to go for the green with a 5-wood, but splashed into the corner of a pond on the right side. My score after nine holes was 48.
The back nine was satisfying, especially the tail end. Before that, I was chugging along much like I had on the front nine. Double-bogey, bogey, bogey, and double were my scores over the first four holes. I pulled an iron off the tee on hole 10, losing it in the fescue. My drive on hole 13 found a fairway bunker with a high lip. I could only get out without advancing the ball very much. In between these two holes, the bogeys were fairly standard, with nothing unusual about how I played them.
Then the brilliance began, ironically, with a pushed drive into the fescue on hole 14, a par-5. This time, the ball stayed up on top, allowing me to get a club on it. I hit a pitching wedge back to the fairway, still 225 yards from the green. The shot suited my eye, so I took dead aim with the 5-wood. Oh what a thing of brilliance! Beautiful launch, beautiful flight, and it was headed straight to the target. When I approached the green, the ball was 12 feet below the hole at the back of the green. I just missed the birdie putt, tapping in for par. The star of the hole was that 5-wood though. I hadn't hit one of those in a long time.
But that was just a warmup for what came next. Hole 15 is a 367-yard par-4. Large bunkers protect the right side of the fairway. I aimed to the left edge of the bunkers and launched a big drive high into the air. It sailed over the corner of the bunkers and came to rest in the left fairway, 115 yards from the green. Gap wedge got me safely on the green, but I was far from the hole, maybe 30 feet. I studied the long downhill breaker and made my stroke. Genius! Oh what a read and perfect execution! Birdie baby! Second of the day.
Moving on to hole 16, a 150-yard par-3, I opted for 8-iron off the tee. The flag was in the right portion, which can be problematic because I tend to hook my irons when they don't go straight. No problem this time, as I launched the ball right on the line I wanted and it never wavered. It stopped nicely, leaving 15 feet for the birdie. Once again, I studied the putt carefully, accounting for every subtle slope. Boom! I drained it for my second consecutive birdie and third of the day!
I bogeyed the second last hole of the day and sadly, made triple-bogey on hole 18. With a bogey there, I would have broken 90. That's okay, I really enjoyed those birdies!
Score: 91
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6
The remainder of the front nine was a little shaky. I bogeyed hole 5, a par-3, and made a fabulous up and down for par on hole 6, a 405-yard par-4. However, I made the turn after three consecutive double-bogeys. In all cases, I collected a penalty stroke. On hole 7, my drive barely entered the fescue left of the fairway. Though I found the ball, there is no playing out of that stuff and I was forced to take an unplayable. Hole 8 was the most disappointing. It's a par-3 that was playing just 111 yards. I hit my sand wedge fat and failed to clear the water between me and the green. On hole 8, a par-5, a weak drive left me further back than I should have been after my second shot. I tried to go for the green with a 5-wood, but splashed into the corner of a pond on the right side. My score after nine holes was 48.
The back nine was satisfying, especially the tail end. Before that, I was chugging along much like I had on the front nine. Double-bogey, bogey, bogey, and double were my scores over the first four holes. I pulled an iron off the tee on hole 10, losing it in the fescue. My drive on hole 13 found a fairway bunker with a high lip. I could only get out without advancing the ball very much. In between these two holes, the bogeys were fairly standard, with nothing unusual about how I played them.
Then the brilliance began, ironically, with a pushed drive into the fescue on hole 14, a par-5. This time, the ball stayed up on top, allowing me to get a club on it. I hit a pitching wedge back to the fairway, still 225 yards from the green. The shot suited my eye, so I took dead aim with the 5-wood. Oh what a thing of brilliance! Beautiful launch, beautiful flight, and it was headed straight to the target. When I approached the green, the ball was 12 feet below the hole at the back of the green. I just missed the birdie putt, tapping in for par. The star of the hole was that 5-wood though. I hadn't hit one of those in a long time.
But that was just a warmup for what came next. Hole 15 is a 367-yard par-4. Large bunkers protect the right side of the fairway. I aimed to the left edge of the bunkers and launched a big drive high into the air. It sailed over the corner of the bunkers and came to rest in the left fairway, 115 yards from the green. Gap wedge got me safely on the green, but I was far from the hole, maybe 30 feet. I studied the long downhill breaker and made my stroke. Genius! Oh what a read and perfect execution! Birdie baby! Second of the day.
Moving on to hole 16, a 150-yard par-3, I opted for 8-iron off the tee. The flag was in the right portion, which can be problematic because I tend to hook my irons when they don't go straight. No problem this time, as I launched the ball right on the line I wanted and it never wavered. It stopped nicely, leaving 15 feet for the birdie. Once again, I studied the putt carefully, accounting for every subtle slope. Boom! I drained it for my second consecutive birdie and third of the day!
I bogeyed the second last hole of the day and sadly, made triple-bogey on hole 18. With a bogey there, I would have broken 90. That's okay, I really enjoyed those birdies!
Score: 91
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6
September 18, 2018
A Different Bradford Highlands
Bradford Highlands is among the courses I've played most often, but something seemed different the last time I was there. I always played the blue tees, but when glancing at the scorecard on the first tee, the blues were listed at only 5854 yards. I was positive that they were over 6000 yards. Oh well, I decided to play the gold tees at 6277 yards. I began with three consecutive bogeys, including a great save on hole 1. I managed to get up and down, 80 yards away from the green on the other side of a pond. Nice!
An errant approach shot on hole 4 rolled into some thick weeds right of the green, leading to double-bogey. On hole 5, a par-5, I was confounded once again by the tees. The golds were 50 yards behind the location I usually play. There is a forced carry over a naturalized area and this makes the tee shot much more difficult. I pulled one into the trees left and had to take a penalty. In spite of this, I saved bogey. An up and down from 50 yards away did the trick. Another bogey followed on hole 6, which also played longer than I was accustomed to.
Two beautiful pars were next on holes 7 and 8. I actually wasted my second shot on the former, but got up and down with an extremely long putt. My tee shot on the latter, a par-3, was just short of the green. I chipped to a couple feet below the hole and then made the putt. If I still had any doubt, hole 9 convinced me that I was playing the wrong tees. The golds were 80 yards behind the blues, on the other side of a deep gorge. They were not even visible, actually. I played the blues on this hole and made out with bogey for a score of 44 at the turn.
Just like the front nine, the back began with three consecutive bogeys. On hole 11, I figured out what was up with the yardage. This used to be a par-5, but was converted to a par-4 when houses were built on the adjacent property. Now, they changed it again to a par-3. This explains the drop in overall yardage. The course is also a par 70 now, instead of a par 72, as it used to be. I continued playing golds, with the exception of holes 15 and 17. Hole 15 is 80 yards longer from the golds. Hole 17 is just 25 yards longer from the golds, but it ends up being a 450-yard par-4, which is a bit much for me.
Hole 13 is a par-3 over water. Unfortunately, I got distracted by a golf cart and dunked one in the pond. Along with a 3-putt, this resulted in triple-bogey. I was back on the bogey train for the next two holes. On hole 16, a 170-yard par-3 to an elevated green, I hit a great 5-iron, followed by two putts for par. The glory was short-lived, as hole 17, the long par-4, produced a triple-bogey. I duffed my drive and lost the ball in the fescue just ahead of the teeing area. Fortunately, I recovered with par on the final hole, a par-5. I was just off the green in three, then chipped one close and tapped in a putt for a score of 89.
I broke 90, but doing so on the original par-72 layout was a little more satisfying.
Score: 89
Putts: 31
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
An errant approach shot on hole 4 rolled into some thick weeds right of the green, leading to double-bogey. On hole 5, a par-5, I was confounded once again by the tees. The golds were 50 yards behind the location I usually play. There is a forced carry over a naturalized area and this makes the tee shot much more difficult. I pulled one into the trees left and had to take a penalty. In spite of this, I saved bogey. An up and down from 50 yards away did the trick. Another bogey followed on hole 6, which also played longer than I was accustomed to.
Two beautiful pars were next on holes 7 and 8. I actually wasted my second shot on the former, but got up and down with an extremely long putt. My tee shot on the latter, a par-3, was just short of the green. I chipped to a couple feet below the hole and then made the putt. If I still had any doubt, hole 9 convinced me that I was playing the wrong tees. The golds were 80 yards behind the blues, on the other side of a deep gorge. They were not even visible, actually. I played the blues on this hole and made out with bogey for a score of 44 at the turn.
Just like the front nine, the back began with three consecutive bogeys. On hole 11, I figured out what was up with the yardage. This used to be a par-5, but was converted to a par-4 when houses were built on the adjacent property. Now, they changed it again to a par-3. This explains the drop in overall yardage. The course is also a par 70 now, instead of a par 72, as it used to be. I continued playing golds, with the exception of holes 15 and 17. Hole 15 is 80 yards longer from the golds. Hole 17 is just 25 yards longer from the golds, but it ends up being a 450-yard par-4, which is a bit much for me.
Hole 13 is a par-3 over water. Unfortunately, I got distracted by a golf cart and dunked one in the pond. Along with a 3-putt, this resulted in triple-bogey. I was back on the bogey train for the next two holes. On hole 16, a 170-yard par-3 to an elevated green, I hit a great 5-iron, followed by two putts for par. The glory was short-lived, as hole 17, the long par-4, produced a triple-bogey. I duffed my drive and lost the ball in the fescue just ahead of the teeing area. Fortunately, I recovered with par on the final hole, a par-5. I was just off the green in three, then chipped one close and tapped in a putt for a score of 89.
I broke 90, but doing so on the original par-72 layout was a little more satisfying.
Score: 89
Putts: 31
Fairways: 5
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
September 14, 2018
Tough Deepwoods Day at Heron Point
It was a terrible day for the latest Deepwoods event. Unseasonably low temperature was one thing, but steady wind of 35 km/hr, gusting up to 50 km/hr, was hard to deal with. This was especially true at Heron Point, which is a course I had never played before. I scored very few Deepwoods points, but the same was true for everyone else. As a result, my position in the overall standings remained unchanged.
The first three holes were actually very good, resulting in bogey, par, and bogey. My drive on hole 1 was magnificent, a 255-yard blast to the left fairway with the wind howling and a group of spectators looking on. Next, I hooked a 9-iron into a greenside bunker, but then made an excellent sand shot and 2-putt. My drive on hole 2 was to the right rough, but I hit a towering 8-iron over a large tree and a front right bunker to find the putting surface. Two putts earned the par. I hooked an 8-iron into the trees on hole 3, a par-3. I managed to punch a shot to the greenside rough, but then sculled a chip. No worries, as I drained a long putt to save bogey.
Hole 4, a 557-yard par-5, is where it all started to go wrong. I drove the ball right of the fairway into some fescue. It looked tame enough to get a 5-wood on it, but looks can be deceiving. I advanced the ball a whole 10 yards. I got back to the fairway with a lofted club, leaving 190 yards to the green. I pushed the ball about 40 yards right of the green. My fifth shot was a pitch that spilled over the other side of the green, down a steep slope and into a hazard. The ball was unplayable and I had to take a penalty. Shot 7 rolled off the other side of the green, requiring a chip and two putts to finish with a score of 10. Stuff happens. I thought I could get back on track.
The next three holes were fine, as I averaged bogey. An approach on hole 5 missed left and dove into another lateral hazard. This time, the ball was playable. I was surprised how easily the ball came out, given its lie, as I overshot the green with my third shot. A great chip got hung up in the rough. Another great chip lipped out, so I took a double-bogey. Fortunately, I made par on hole 6, a downhill par-5. It was a rare occasion when the wind was at our back. I went driver, 7-iron to the throat area in front of the green. A putt through the fringe went well past the hole, but a nice lag and tap-in completed the hole. Hole 7 was straight into the wind. I hit driver, 5-wood and was still 10 yards short of the green on this 358-yard par-4. After a poor pitch attempt, I made a good lag and tap-in.
Holes 8 through 10 were my worst of the day, producing triple-bogey, double-bogey, and a quintuple! Hole 8 is a par-3 that's all carry over water. I was worried about hooking the ball, as well as the wind. I hit mostly dirt and my ball took a splash. I sculled my third shot from the drop zone into a bunker behind the green. I made a very nice sand shot, but just missed my first putt, leading to the triple. Hole 9 features a forced carry over a lake from the teeing ground. It should be no problem, but my drive came out low and disappeared where the water meets the steep bank on the other side. Hitting my third from the drop zone, I finished the hole well, but the damage was done. Hole 10 was just ridiculous. I hit two tee shots high off the heel of the club. The first was lost, but I found the second. I duffed my way back to the proper fairway. At this point, I was already laying 6, so the score was massive, despite finishing up well.
I was 8-over par for the last eight holes, which is great. The run included two pars, four bogeys, and two double-bogeys. The pars were on a pair of par-3 holes, one measuring 154 yards and the other just 126 yards. Both were difficult because of the wind. One of the bogeys, which came on another par-3, featured a horrible sculled chip, followed by a beautiful up and down. Oh yeah, a few clubs were tossed in between. The doubles occurred solely because of the fescue. After finding it with a drive on hole 14, a mighty hack merely advanced the ball into a fairway bunker. Worse yet, my ball was up against the lip. I barely trickled into the fescue with my second shot on hole 17, a par-5. A huge hack was required just to advance the ball a few yards back to the fairway.
I managed large portions of this round well, but couldn't make up for a few blowups.
Score: 99
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
The first three holes were actually very good, resulting in bogey, par, and bogey. My drive on hole 1 was magnificent, a 255-yard blast to the left fairway with the wind howling and a group of spectators looking on. Next, I hooked a 9-iron into a greenside bunker, but then made an excellent sand shot and 2-putt. My drive on hole 2 was to the right rough, but I hit a towering 8-iron over a large tree and a front right bunker to find the putting surface. Two putts earned the par. I hooked an 8-iron into the trees on hole 3, a par-3. I managed to punch a shot to the greenside rough, but then sculled a chip. No worries, as I drained a long putt to save bogey.
Hole 4, a 557-yard par-5, is where it all started to go wrong. I drove the ball right of the fairway into some fescue. It looked tame enough to get a 5-wood on it, but looks can be deceiving. I advanced the ball a whole 10 yards. I got back to the fairway with a lofted club, leaving 190 yards to the green. I pushed the ball about 40 yards right of the green. My fifth shot was a pitch that spilled over the other side of the green, down a steep slope and into a hazard. The ball was unplayable and I had to take a penalty. Shot 7 rolled off the other side of the green, requiring a chip and two putts to finish with a score of 10. Stuff happens. I thought I could get back on track.
The next three holes were fine, as I averaged bogey. An approach on hole 5 missed left and dove into another lateral hazard. This time, the ball was playable. I was surprised how easily the ball came out, given its lie, as I overshot the green with my third shot. A great chip got hung up in the rough. Another great chip lipped out, so I took a double-bogey. Fortunately, I made par on hole 6, a downhill par-5. It was a rare occasion when the wind was at our back. I went driver, 7-iron to the throat area in front of the green. A putt through the fringe went well past the hole, but a nice lag and tap-in completed the hole. Hole 7 was straight into the wind. I hit driver, 5-wood and was still 10 yards short of the green on this 358-yard par-4. After a poor pitch attempt, I made a good lag and tap-in.
Holes 8 through 10 were my worst of the day, producing triple-bogey, double-bogey, and a quintuple! Hole 8 is a par-3 that's all carry over water. I was worried about hooking the ball, as well as the wind. I hit mostly dirt and my ball took a splash. I sculled my third shot from the drop zone into a bunker behind the green. I made a very nice sand shot, but just missed my first putt, leading to the triple. Hole 9 features a forced carry over a lake from the teeing ground. It should be no problem, but my drive came out low and disappeared where the water meets the steep bank on the other side. Hitting my third from the drop zone, I finished the hole well, but the damage was done. Hole 10 was just ridiculous. I hit two tee shots high off the heel of the club. The first was lost, but I found the second. I duffed my way back to the proper fairway. At this point, I was already laying 6, so the score was massive, despite finishing up well.
I was 8-over par for the last eight holes, which is great. The run included two pars, four bogeys, and two double-bogeys. The pars were on a pair of par-3 holes, one measuring 154 yards and the other just 126 yards. Both were difficult because of the wind. One of the bogeys, which came on another par-3, featured a horrible sculled chip, followed by a beautiful up and down. Oh yeah, a few clubs were tossed in between. The doubles occurred solely because of the fescue. After finding it with a drive on hole 14, a mighty hack merely advanced the ball into a fairway bunker. Worse yet, my ball was up against the lip. I barely trickled into the fescue with my second shot on hole 17, a par-5. A huge hack was required just to advance the ball a few yards back to the fairway.
I managed large portions of this round well, but couldn't make up for a few blowups.
Score: 99
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
September 12, 2018
Two Meltdowns at Calerin
I headed out to Calerin Golf Club to see if I would be ready for the next Deepwoods event. Calerin is a 9-hole course that you can play twice from different tees. I played well for the most part, but blew up on a couple of holes each time through. The first time around, it was holes 3 and 4 that gave me trouble. I hit a perfect drive to begin hole 3, a par-4 with a pond protecting the right side of the green. I was so conscious of the water that I closed the club face right up on my approach shot, pulling the ball into the fescue on the left side. A couple of hacks to get out resulted in a triple-bogey. Hole 4 began with a low smothered drive that found some trees left. The ball was unplayable. Subsequent shots were very weak and I collected another triple on this par-5.
It's a shame I had that poor stretch, because the rest of my front nine was fine. I made par on the first two holes, a par-5 followed by a par-3. Driver, 5-wood, lob wedge set up the first par, while an up and down secured the second. I played bogey golf on holes 5 through 9, collecting one par, three bogeys, and a double-bogey. The par was on hole 8, a pretty par-4. I found the fairway with my drive and then nailed the green with a 7-iron. The double was on hole 6, thanks to a drive that I pushed into the trees right. My driver has been a problem and I was using this round to try and sort it out. I failed on that occasion, but followed up with a good one on hole 7. I was shooting 47 at the turn.
The second time through, I moved to the red tees, which is actually backwards. I started on the green tees because I joined a couple that was playing their second nine. Once again, I had a meltdown over a two hole stretch. This time, it was the last two holes of the day. The first of these is the par-4 where I made par earlier. My drive landed in a fairway bunker with a pretty high lip. I could not go for the green, so I hit a sand wedge to about 140 yards. Unfortunately, my third shot found a greenside bunker. I got out safely, but only to the rough. A chip and two putts finished the hole for a triple-bogey. That was better than the last hole, a par-4 which produced a score of 9. I pulled my drive left and behind a tree. My only shot was to an adjacent fairway, but I went long and rolled into thick fescue. Two shots to get out were followed by a duff from thick rough. My sixth shot was over some tall trees toward the proper green, but I found a greenside bunker. A nice sand shot and two putts were required to finish.
It's too bad, because the rest of the holes were once again fine. I averaged bogey golf on holes 1 through 7, with two pars, three bogeys, and two double-bogeys. One par was on hole 3 – the one with the water that scared me last time. I split the fairway with my drive, but this time, I hit a beautiful iron to the front edge of the green. The other par was on hole 6, which I spoiled with the pushed drive earlier. This time, I split the fairway and followed up with a nice 7-iron to an elevated green. The driver failed me on some of the other holes, but I recovered well enough to prevent any more blowups. I once again hit a beautiful drive on hole 7, however. In fact the hole played out like an exact replay of the first time through.
Score: 98
Putts: 36
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
It's a shame I had that poor stretch, because the rest of my front nine was fine. I made par on the first two holes, a par-5 followed by a par-3. Driver, 5-wood, lob wedge set up the first par, while an up and down secured the second. I played bogey golf on holes 5 through 9, collecting one par, three bogeys, and a double-bogey. The par was on hole 8, a pretty par-4. I found the fairway with my drive and then nailed the green with a 7-iron. The double was on hole 6, thanks to a drive that I pushed into the trees right. My driver has been a problem and I was using this round to try and sort it out. I failed on that occasion, but followed up with a good one on hole 7. I was shooting 47 at the turn.
The second time through, I moved to the red tees, which is actually backwards. I started on the green tees because I joined a couple that was playing their second nine. Once again, I had a meltdown over a two hole stretch. This time, it was the last two holes of the day. The first of these is the par-4 where I made par earlier. My drive landed in a fairway bunker with a pretty high lip. I could not go for the green, so I hit a sand wedge to about 140 yards. Unfortunately, my third shot found a greenside bunker. I got out safely, but only to the rough. A chip and two putts finished the hole for a triple-bogey. That was better than the last hole, a par-4 which produced a score of 9. I pulled my drive left and behind a tree. My only shot was to an adjacent fairway, but I went long and rolled into thick fescue. Two shots to get out were followed by a duff from thick rough. My sixth shot was over some tall trees toward the proper green, but I found a greenside bunker. A nice sand shot and two putts were required to finish.
It's too bad, because the rest of the holes were once again fine. I averaged bogey golf on holes 1 through 7, with two pars, three bogeys, and two double-bogeys. One par was on hole 3 – the one with the water that scared me last time. I split the fairway with my drive, but this time, I hit a beautiful iron to the front edge of the green. The other par was on hole 6, which I spoiled with the pushed drive earlier. This time, I split the fairway and followed up with a nice 7-iron to an elevated green. The driver failed me on some of the other holes, but I recovered well enough to prevent any more blowups. I once again hit a beautiful drive on hole 7, however. In fact the hole played out like an exact replay of the first time through.
Score: 98
Putts: 36
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
September 07, 2018
Managing at Mill Run
I am striking my full shots rather poorly at the moment, so I headed out to Mill Run to see if I could find something. While I managed to get a decent score, I still wasn't satisfied with my ball striking. Off the tee, replacing driver with 5-wood doesn't seem to help. On hole 1 of the Grind course, I pulled one well left of target. It didn't really get airborne and travelled only 75% of normal distance. Luckily, I followed up with a beautiful 8-iron over the woods to an elevated green. The ball finished two yards right of the green, but I made a chip with a huge amount of break and then 1-putt to save par. A couple of bogeys followed, as I stayed out of trouble but wasn't exactly sharp.
The real trouble of the round came on Grind 4 through 6. I hooked a 6-iron into the woods on Grind 4, a par-3. After a penalty and drop, I pitched on and 3-putt for triple-bogey. I continued to fight the hooking irons on hole 5. I opted for 5-iron off the tee and was in the trees once again. I dropped and hooked another from a side hill lie into thick fescue left of the green. When all was said and done, I carded a double-bogey. Hole 6 is a nice par-5 that was disastrous from the start. 5-wood off the tee let me down again, just trickling right into the woods. I was stymied behind a tree trunk. I actually made a nice chip out but was unlucky to finish on a fescue covered mound right of the fairway. With a horrible lie, all I could do was hit a sand wedge back to the short stuff. Next, I hooked a 9-iron into the woods left of the green. I duffed one pitch attempt, then made another, followed by a 2-putt for another triple-bogey.
I finished the Grind with bogey, par, and par to make the turn with a score of 47. The bogey was an ugly one after a really fat 5-iron off the tee. A wedge shot and two putts completed the par-3 hole. The first of the pars was magnificent. A straight drive finished a yard into the left rough. The money shot was the 7-iron that followed to the green down below. With the elevation change, you really have to choose your club carefully. The last par was fairly straightforward. The key shot there was my second with a sand wedge, which finished relatively tight to the flag.
After the Grind, it was on to the Grist course. I scored well, despite some rather bad shots on almost every hole. On Grist 1 a drive to the centre of the fairway was followed by a horrible sculled and hooking 9-iron. I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. On hole 2 my drive never got airborne and went about 150 yards. What the? After two more shots on this par-5, I was just in front of the green. I flopped one over a bunker and 2-putt for bogey. On hole 3, a par-3 over water, I used one club too many and finished behind the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for another bogey. The bogey streak came to an end with par on hole 4. I had no backswing on my second shot, so all I could do was advance the ball a few yards. My third was a beautiful lob wedge that finished inside 3 feet. Nice!
Grist 5 presented some trouble as I began with a duffed 4-iron off the tee. I hit it so fat that the ball only went 50 yards. It was not surprising, as I hit more dirt than ball. A decent 7-iron went a bit too long, finishing behind the green of this par-3. From there, I chipped on and 2 putt for double-bogey. Holes 6 and 7 produced bogey, but the truth is, there were some bad shots there. Both drives left me in a bad position left of the fairway. The second shot saved me on both occasions. One was a low hooking 3-iron that got me right back in position on the par-5. My third shot came up short, hence the bogey. The other was a punched 3-iron through some trees that gave me a shot of reaching the green with my third shot on the par-4. I managed to pull it off and 2-putt.
I finished the round with a par and double-bogey. The par was on a 190-yard par-3, but it was playing shorter. I tried to hit more of a cut 6-iron, to avoid the dreaded hook that had been plaguing me all day. The ball didn't cut, it just flew straight at the target. That's interesting. Since I'm more inclined to hook an iron, what feels like a cut swing is actually a squarely hit shot. I finished the hole with a nice lag putt and tap-in. The final hole began with another weak smothered drive that left me in a bad position. I hit my second shot short and right of the green, then pitched on and 3-putt to finish. I rushed my second putt and probably would have made it had I taken my normal routine.
Score: 91
Putts: 35
Fairways: 2
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
The real trouble of the round came on Grind 4 through 6. I hooked a 6-iron into the woods on Grind 4, a par-3. After a penalty and drop, I pitched on and 3-putt for triple-bogey. I continued to fight the hooking irons on hole 5. I opted for 5-iron off the tee and was in the trees once again. I dropped and hooked another from a side hill lie into thick fescue left of the green. When all was said and done, I carded a double-bogey. Hole 6 is a nice par-5 that was disastrous from the start. 5-wood off the tee let me down again, just trickling right into the woods. I was stymied behind a tree trunk. I actually made a nice chip out but was unlucky to finish on a fescue covered mound right of the fairway. With a horrible lie, all I could do was hit a sand wedge back to the short stuff. Next, I hooked a 9-iron into the woods left of the green. I duffed one pitch attempt, then made another, followed by a 2-putt for another triple-bogey.
I finished the Grind with bogey, par, and par to make the turn with a score of 47. The bogey was an ugly one after a really fat 5-iron off the tee. A wedge shot and two putts completed the par-3 hole. The first of the pars was magnificent. A straight drive finished a yard into the left rough. The money shot was the 7-iron that followed to the green down below. With the elevation change, you really have to choose your club carefully. The last par was fairly straightforward. The key shot there was my second with a sand wedge, which finished relatively tight to the flag.
After the Grind, it was on to the Grist course. I scored well, despite some rather bad shots on almost every hole. On Grist 1 a drive to the centre of the fairway was followed by a horrible sculled and hooking 9-iron. I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. On hole 2 my drive never got airborne and went about 150 yards. What the? After two more shots on this par-5, I was just in front of the green. I flopped one over a bunker and 2-putt for bogey. On hole 3, a par-3 over water, I used one club too many and finished behind the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for another bogey. The bogey streak came to an end with par on hole 4. I had no backswing on my second shot, so all I could do was advance the ball a few yards. My third was a beautiful lob wedge that finished inside 3 feet. Nice!
Grist 5 presented some trouble as I began with a duffed 4-iron off the tee. I hit it so fat that the ball only went 50 yards. It was not surprising, as I hit more dirt than ball. A decent 7-iron went a bit too long, finishing behind the green of this par-3. From there, I chipped on and 2 putt for double-bogey. Holes 6 and 7 produced bogey, but the truth is, there were some bad shots there. Both drives left me in a bad position left of the fairway. The second shot saved me on both occasions. One was a low hooking 3-iron that got me right back in position on the par-5. My third shot came up short, hence the bogey. The other was a punched 3-iron through some trees that gave me a shot of reaching the green with my third shot on the par-4. I managed to pull it off and 2-putt.
I finished the round with a par and double-bogey. The par was on a 190-yard par-3, but it was playing shorter. I tried to hit more of a cut 6-iron, to avoid the dreaded hook that had been plaguing me all day. The ball didn't cut, it just flew straight at the target. That's interesting. Since I'm more inclined to hook an iron, what feels like a cut swing is actually a squarely hit shot. I finished the hole with a nice lag putt and tap-in. The final hole began with another weak smothered drive that left me in a bad position. I hit my second shot short and right of the green, then pitched on and 3-putt to finish. I rushed my second putt and probably would have made it had I taken my normal routine.
Score: 91
Putts: 35
Fairways: 2
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
September 02, 2018
Playing the New TPC Toronto
The PGA Tour's TPC network of courses just expanded to Canada with the addition of Osprey Valley. The 54-hole facility has been renamed TPC Toronto. I headed out there to play the North Course, formerly known as Toot. The course was the site of the Osprey Valley Open, a Mackenzie Tour event where I volunteered as a walking scorer back in July. I had played the course before, but the Open refreshed my memory of the layout.
After a good drive and second shot on the opening par-5, I hooked a 9-iron into the woods left of the green. I collected my first penalty stroke and a double-bogey. The result was the same on hole 2, a par-4. My second shot on this par-4 was short and left. I tried putting one through the fringe, but underestimated how much force was needed. Fortunately, I turned things around quickly, making par on three of the next four holes. I got up and down from left of the green on hole 3. A beautiful 6-iron approach set up the par on hole 5. On hole 6, a 312-yard par-4, I pumped a drive 250 yards down the centre, then pitched on nicely from a side hill lie. Hole 4 could have been a par as well, but I 3-putt this par-3 after hitting the green in regulation.
The remainder of the front nine wasn't as rosy. My twosome got waved through on hole 7, a 170-yard par-3 over water. There's always a tendency to rush when your group is waved through. I failed to carry the water hazard, taking my second penalty stroke of the day. Double-bogey was the result. The group that let us through was watching as we teed off on hole 8, a par-5. I pulled my drive, missing my first fairway of the day. I recovered well enough to be in a greenside bunker after my third, but my sand shot sailed past the green, requiring a chip back. The result was another double. Hole 9 produced a solid bogey for a score of 46 at the turn.
I nearly got up and down for par on hole 10, but a 6-foot putt burned the edge of the hole, resulting in bogey. I got revenge on the next hole, another par-3 over water, by getting up and down for the satisfying par. On hole 11, I once again had a chance for the up and down par. Just like hole 10, a putt of about 6 feet burned the edge and I settled for bogey. I was surprised how much that one snapped to the right. I was in a bit of a groove which got derailed a bit on hole 13, a par-5. My second shot drifted a little right into the rough. That was fine, except that I was on a side hill lie with the ball well below my feet. My shot trickled 50 yards ahead into a bunker. I hit my fourth shot out of the bunker, but finished just behind the green. A downhill chip just missed the hole and I needed a 2-putt to record a double-bogey.
Three consecutive bogeys came next. The fist of these was a par-3 where I hooked the tee shot left of the green. I was flag high and managed to pitch on and 2-putt. The other holes were par-4 challenges that began with solid drives to the fairway. The one on hole 15 was particularly impressive. It's a dogleg right, with a large tree on the inside corner. I placed my drive right of the tree and finished on the short grass, 80 yards from the hole. My approach shots weren't as accurate. The one on hole 15 finished in the back fringe, far from the hole. The one on hole 16 finished a couple yards short of the green. Improving those approach shots just a little will lead to pars instead of bogeys.
I had a little trouble with a greenside bunker on hole 17, leading to double bogey, but the real disaster came on hole 18, a beautiful par-5 with a pond protecting the front left side of the green. After a bad drive that rolled to the tree line, I did well to chip back to the fairway and propel my third shot to the 150-yard stick. I caught the ball fat, landing in the water. After a penalty stroke, I dropped on the fairway, maybe 40 yards from the hole. I caught all dirt and once again went in the water. After the next penalty stroke, I dropped in the rough and this time had no trouble finding the green. Those shots are much easier for me from the rough than from a tight lie. I ended up taking a 10 on the hole. I didn't feel too bad though. I had a pretty good round and that last hole was just an anomaly. It was really a round of about 92 or 93 without that nonsense at the end.
Score: 96
Putts: 36
Fairways: 11
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
September 01, 2018
Terrible at Blue Springs
I was anxious to play the latest Deepwoods event at Blue Springs, since I had never played the course before. On top of that, I was coming off my worst performance of the year at Dragon's Fire just two days earlier. My anxiety was well founded, as I went on to establish a new season worst. It didn't really hurt me in the Deepwoods standings, as everybody struggled to score well at Blue Springs. Nevertheless, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I had plenty of decent holes over the course of the round. The problem was that my bad holes were blowups. I collected a pair of triple-bogeys and a trio of quadruple-bogeys. The first of these was a quad on hole 2, a 185-yard par-3. I pulled my tee shot and the terrain kicked the ball further left into a lateral hazard. After a penalty stroke and drop, I pitched one on the green. I made a good lag, then added three more putts from within four feet. The greens at Blue Springs have a lot of slope and many pins were located in tough areas.
The next quad was on hole 7, a 381-yard par-4. I hit a perfect 5-wood off the tee, finishing middle of the fairway, 140 yards from the green. Unfortunately, I had a big side hill lie, with the ball well above my feet. I duffed a 9-iron and it finished inside the margin of a gnarly water hazard. The ball was almost waist high when I took my stance, but I thought I could make decent contact. Nope, as the ball travelled five yards and stayed inside the hazard. I decided to take a penalty and attack the green with my fifth shot. On a super sloped green, I made an excellent lag putt, only to then miss from three feet because there was still quite a bit of break remaining.
The last quad was on hole 14, a 366-yard par-4. After a miss hit off the tee, 5-wood wasn't enough to reach the green. My pitch from 60 yards then rolled off the back of the green. I duffed a chip, then went well past the hole. I already knew I wasn't collecting any useful Deepwoods points, so I quickly 3-putt just to get out of there.
As I mentioned earlier, I had many decent holes. Unfortunately, none of them produced par – they were all bogeys. I made a bad stroke on just about every one of them, but recovered with some nice shots as well. On hole 1, I missed the green from the fairway, 140 yards away. Then again, I splashed out beautifully from the greenside bunker. On hole 3, I smacked a tree with my 5-wood off the tee. Then again, I followed up with two well placed wedge shots to have a putt for par. On hole 5, a 146-yard par-3, I hooked a wedge into a pond left. After a penalty and drop, I made a great up and down.
On hole 6, I 3-putt from about 10 feet. However, I hit a great drive and wedge to set up a good birdie chance. On hole 8, I hit a shaky drive and a long iron that smacked a tree trunk and came backwards, stopping beside the 150-yard stick. Facing danger near the green, I hit a great 8-iron toward the flag tucked in the back left portion. On hole 9, a double dogleg par-5, I couldn't get up and down from pin high just off the green. Then again, I played a nice aggressive drive off the tee to cut the first corner. It worked well, considering I had never played the hole before.
On hole 10, I duffed a 3-iron off the tee. I also hit a brilliant approach from 150 yards over a rock outcropping and pond at the front of the green. On hole 13, with lots of room left, I hit a 5-wood into a water hazard right. After pitching safely out, I hit a solid approach and a massive breaking lag putt to within two feet. On hole 16, I hit a brutal bunker shot into the lip, but got lucky when it rolled forward very near the hole. The hole started with one of my better drives of the day. On the last hole, I needed two shots to get out of a bunker. On the other hand, I had a great drive and decent approach.
So that's the way it went. I had an opportunity to put a stranglehold on the Deepwoods championship. Now I'll have to fight the next round, which is at another course I've never played – Heron Point.
Score: 105
Putts: 41
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
I had plenty of decent holes over the course of the round. The problem was that my bad holes were blowups. I collected a pair of triple-bogeys and a trio of quadruple-bogeys. The first of these was a quad on hole 2, a 185-yard par-3. I pulled my tee shot and the terrain kicked the ball further left into a lateral hazard. After a penalty stroke and drop, I pitched one on the green. I made a good lag, then added three more putts from within four feet. The greens at Blue Springs have a lot of slope and many pins were located in tough areas.
The next quad was on hole 7, a 381-yard par-4. I hit a perfect 5-wood off the tee, finishing middle of the fairway, 140 yards from the green. Unfortunately, I had a big side hill lie, with the ball well above my feet. I duffed a 9-iron and it finished inside the margin of a gnarly water hazard. The ball was almost waist high when I took my stance, but I thought I could make decent contact. Nope, as the ball travelled five yards and stayed inside the hazard. I decided to take a penalty and attack the green with my fifth shot. On a super sloped green, I made an excellent lag putt, only to then miss from three feet because there was still quite a bit of break remaining.
The last quad was on hole 14, a 366-yard par-4. After a miss hit off the tee, 5-wood wasn't enough to reach the green. My pitch from 60 yards then rolled off the back of the green. I duffed a chip, then went well past the hole. I already knew I wasn't collecting any useful Deepwoods points, so I quickly 3-putt just to get out of there.
As I mentioned earlier, I had many decent holes. Unfortunately, none of them produced par – they were all bogeys. I made a bad stroke on just about every one of them, but recovered with some nice shots as well. On hole 1, I missed the green from the fairway, 140 yards away. Then again, I splashed out beautifully from the greenside bunker. On hole 3, I smacked a tree with my 5-wood off the tee. Then again, I followed up with two well placed wedge shots to have a putt for par. On hole 5, a 146-yard par-3, I hooked a wedge into a pond left. After a penalty and drop, I made a great up and down.
On hole 6, I 3-putt from about 10 feet. However, I hit a great drive and wedge to set up a good birdie chance. On hole 8, I hit a shaky drive and a long iron that smacked a tree trunk and came backwards, stopping beside the 150-yard stick. Facing danger near the green, I hit a great 8-iron toward the flag tucked in the back left portion. On hole 9, a double dogleg par-5, I couldn't get up and down from pin high just off the green. Then again, I played a nice aggressive drive off the tee to cut the first corner. It worked well, considering I had never played the hole before.
On hole 10, I duffed a 3-iron off the tee. I also hit a brilliant approach from 150 yards over a rock outcropping and pond at the front of the green. On hole 13, with lots of room left, I hit a 5-wood into a water hazard right. After pitching safely out, I hit a solid approach and a massive breaking lag putt to within two feet. On hole 16, I hit a brutal bunker shot into the lip, but got lucky when it rolled forward very near the hole. The hole started with one of my better drives of the day. On the last hole, I needed two shots to get out of a bunker. On the other hand, I had a great drive and decent approach.
So that's the way it went. I had an opportunity to put a stranglehold on the Deepwoods championship. Now I'll have to fight the next round, which is at another course I've never played – Heron Point.
Score: 105
Putts: 41
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 4
August 31, 2018
Only Nine Penalties at Dragon's Fire
I headed over to Dragon's Fire and matched my worst round of the year, which was the first of the season. Though I saved bogey on the first hole, it included a duffed approach with the 8-iron. I duffed a 6-iron off the tee on hole 2, and this time it cost me double-bogey. When I made par on hole 3, it looked like I may have gotten on track. I hit a lovely 7-iron from the right edge of the fairway that skirted some trees up ahead before settling on the green pin high. Unfortunately, I collected penalty strokes on each of the next two holes, finishing with a double and triple-bogey. Driver was the culprit, as I pulled one into the trees and duffed one into the junk just ahead of the teeing ground.
I saved bogey on hole 6 with a great up and down from a greenside bunker. The bad part was the pitch attempt that put me in the bunker to begin with. Nevertheless, the sand save felt good. Perhaps due to that positive momentum, I managed to make par on hole 7, a par-5. It was a textbook play – driver to centre of the fairway, followed by an easy low iron to advance the ball, and a 9-iron to about 15 feet. I gave the birdie putt a good chance, but it didn't drop. That was the end of the positivity, as I finished the front nine with a pair of double-bogeys, thanks again to a couple of penalty strokes. On hole 8 it was another disturbing drive attempt that didn't get airborne and dove into the junk ahead of the green. On hole 9, a par-3 over water, it was a pushed 7-iron that took a splash. My score at the turn was 49.
At this point, I was still hopeful of salvaging a decent round. Then I pulled a drive that barely went 100 yards. I was blocked by some bushes and pushed my second shot across the fairway and into the bushes on the other side. This time, I had to take a penalty stroke. By the time the hole was finished, it was another double-bogey. I was in full collapse mode at this point, unable to hit a safe drive to save my life. I duffed another one off the tee on hole 11 that found trees short and left. After a penalty and drop, I pulled a 5-wood into more trees up ahead. I took my second penalty of the hole en route to a quintuple-bogey. And so it continued, at least for a while longer. I made bogey on hole 12, but collected triple-bogey on hole 13 and quadruple-bogey on hole 15.
At this point, I was not playing for score, so I said to hell with it. I decided to enter “berserk” mode with my driver. This is where I think about nothing and just swing as hard as I can. Whatever happens, happens. Well, can you guess what happened? I finished the round with three consecutive pars, that's all. My drive on hole 16, a par-5, finished in the right centre of the fairway. I advanced the ball with 5-wood and attacked the green with 9-iron. It was too much club and I finished behind the green. No problem, as I bumped a chip toward the elevated green and drained the putt. Hole 17 is a short par-3 over water. I hit a wedge safely on and 2-putt from about 20 feet. Hole 18 is another par-5. My drive finished in the left rough on a downhill lie. I was only 205 yards from the green and wanted to go for it. The lie and stance made it impossible, with my ball dribbling to the 100 yard marker. That's okay, as I followed up with a wedge and 2-putt for the par.
So don't mess around trying to finesse those drives. Just step up and crank one out there with all you've got. I guess that's the lesson, except when it backfires. Oh, what a game.
Score: 102
Putts: 32
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 9
I saved bogey on hole 6 with a great up and down from a greenside bunker. The bad part was the pitch attempt that put me in the bunker to begin with. Nevertheless, the sand save felt good. Perhaps due to that positive momentum, I managed to make par on hole 7, a par-5. It was a textbook play – driver to centre of the fairway, followed by an easy low iron to advance the ball, and a 9-iron to about 15 feet. I gave the birdie putt a good chance, but it didn't drop. That was the end of the positivity, as I finished the front nine with a pair of double-bogeys, thanks again to a couple of penalty strokes. On hole 8 it was another disturbing drive attempt that didn't get airborne and dove into the junk ahead of the green. On hole 9, a par-3 over water, it was a pushed 7-iron that took a splash. My score at the turn was 49.
At this point, I was still hopeful of salvaging a decent round. Then I pulled a drive that barely went 100 yards. I was blocked by some bushes and pushed my second shot across the fairway and into the bushes on the other side. This time, I had to take a penalty stroke. By the time the hole was finished, it was another double-bogey. I was in full collapse mode at this point, unable to hit a safe drive to save my life. I duffed another one off the tee on hole 11 that found trees short and left. After a penalty and drop, I pulled a 5-wood into more trees up ahead. I took my second penalty of the hole en route to a quintuple-bogey. And so it continued, at least for a while longer. I made bogey on hole 12, but collected triple-bogey on hole 13 and quadruple-bogey on hole 15.
At this point, I was not playing for score, so I said to hell with it. I decided to enter “berserk” mode with my driver. This is where I think about nothing and just swing as hard as I can. Whatever happens, happens. Well, can you guess what happened? I finished the round with three consecutive pars, that's all. My drive on hole 16, a par-5, finished in the right centre of the fairway. I advanced the ball with 5-wood and attacked the green with 9-iron. It was too much club and I finished behind the green. No problem, as I bumped a chip toward the elevated green and drained the putt. Hole 17 is a short par-3 over water. I hit a wedge safely on and 2-putt from about 20 feet. Hole 18 is another par-5. My drive finished in the left rough on a downhill lie. I was only 205 yards from the green and wanted to go for it. The lie and stance made it impossible, with my ball dribbling to the 100 yard marker. That's okay, as I followed up with a wedge and 2-putt for the par.
So don't mess around trying to finesse those drives. Just step up and crank one out there with all you've got. I guess that's the lesson, except when it backfires. Oh, what a game.
Score: 102
Putts: 32
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 9
August 21, 2018
Bogey Run at Doon Valley
I tried Doon Valley for the first time recently and it was pretty decent, so I went back for another crack at it. I ended up shooting two strokes higher than before, but this was a real bogey fest. I tallied 14 bogeys in total, along with two double-bogeys and one triple. I had a single par on the day, which came on hole 1 after a driver, lob wedge combination got me to the green. One of the doubles was on hole 2, a par-3. I missed the green flag high, five yards to the right. At worst, it should have been a chip and two putts, but I duffed the first chip and the second wasn't much better.
The triple-bogey came on hole #3, a short par-4 with a forced carry over water and marsh land. The teeing ground was really soft and I hit my first attempt really fat, dunking it in the water directly ahead. After a penalty stroke, I hit from the drop zone and pushed an iron into the hazard again. After another drop, I put one on the green and 2-putt to finish. Then began the marathon bogey run, as I closed out the front nine with six of them in a row. I hit a great 3-iron on a long par-3 and a nice drive on a long par-4, but par eluded me. I hacked my way to bogey on hole 6, a par-5. The only good shot on that hole was the finishing putt. Driver failed me on hole 7, but worked great on hole 9. Hole 8 featured a lovely 4-iron off the tee.
I was hitting my fair share of good shots, but one small error per hole often led to the bogey result. I started the back nine with another six bogeys in a row. Hole 10 featured a nice splash out from a greenside bunker, which felt good. Hole 11, which is a 150-yard par-3, began with a smothered 8-iron that dribbled 20 yards ahead. Over thinking was the culprit. I did well to bogey that one. Hole 12 began with a perfect 5-iron off the tee. Actually, my longer irons off the tee (3, 4, and 5) were working well. I was playing decent golf, but that single error or just some bad luck got me every hole. On hole 15, a nice drive finished against the lip of a fairway bunker. I had to just splash it out and attack the green with my third shot.
The bogey streak came to an end with a double on hole 16, a par-5. I smothered my drive attempt and it went left just 150 yards. Blocked out by trees, all I could do was hook a pitching wedge to the right edge of the fairway, 230 yards from the green. I tried 3-wood next, but it was a worm burner that stopped 70 yards short. From the soft fairway, I hit my wedge fat, just 20 yards. Yech! My next pitch was fine, but I just missed the bogey putt and needed an extra tap-in. Hole 17 is a 172-yard par-3 that began with a smothered 6-iron that went 100 yards. I made a fabulous pitch and almost saved par, but burned the edge to get back on the bogey train.
Hole 18 is a nice par-5. I resolved that I wasn't going to smother this drive. The smothering happens when I intentionally try to hit a draw. I come more from the inside and turn the face over more than my natural tendency. The final hole at Doon Valley sets up well for a fade, so I just thought about “letting the club head go” at impact. By that, I mean keeping the club face square for a longer time as it contacts the ball. I imagine the club head following the desired path of the ball immediately after impact. This produces a higher finish. Boy what a difference it made. It was my best drive of the day – a high ball flight with that nice little fade. I followed up with a perfectly placed second shot, leaving 85 yards from the centre fairway to the elevated green. Unfortunately, I duffed a wedge 40 yards ahead. My next pitch was fine and I 2-putt for my fourteenth bogey. Oh well.
Score: 93
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
The triple-bogey came on hole #3, a short par-4 with a forced carry over water and marsh land. The teeing ground was really soft and I hit my first attempt really fat, dunking it in the water directly ahead. After a penalty stroke, I hit from the drop zone and pushed an iron into the hazard again. After another drop, I put one on the green and 2-putt to finish. Then began the marathon bogey run, as I closed out the front nine with six of them in a row. I hit a great 3-iron on a long par-3 and a nice drive on a long par-4, but par eluded me. I hacked my way to bogey on hole 6, a par-5. The only good shot on that hole was the finishing putt. Driver failed me on hole 7, but worked great on hole 9. Hole 8 featured a lovely 4-iron off the tee.
I was hitting my fair share of good shots, but one small error per hole often led to the bogey result. I started the back nine with another six bogeys in a row. Hole 10 featured a nice splash out from a greenside bunker, which felt good. Hole 11, which is a 150-yard par-3, began with a smothered 8-iron that dribbled 20 yards ahead. Over thinking was the culprit. I did well to bogey that one. Hole 12 began with a perfect 5-iron off the tee. Actually, my longer irons off the tee (3, 4, and 5) were working well. I was playing decent golf, but that single error or just some bad luck got me every hole. On hole 15, a nice drive finished against the lip of a fairway bunker. I had to just splash it out and attack the green with my third shot.
The bogey streak came to an end with a double on hole 16, a par-5. I smothered my drive attempt and it went left just 150 yards. Blocked out by trees, all I could do was hook a pitching wedge to the right edge of the fairway, 230 yards from the green. I tried 3-wood next, but it was a worm burner that stopped 70 yards short. From the soft fairway, I hit my wedge fat, just 20 yards. Yech! My next pitch was fine, but I just missed the bogey putt and needed an extra tap-in. Hole 17 is a 172-yard par-3 that began with a smothered 6-iron that went 100 yards. I made a fabulous pitch and almost saved par, but burned the edge to get back on the bogey train.
Hole 18 is a nice par-5. I resolved that I wasn't going to smother this drive. The smothering happens when I intentionally try to hit a draw. I come more from the inside and turn the face over more than my natural tendency. The final hole at Doon Valley sets up well for a fade, so I just thought about “letting the club head go” at impact. By that, I mean keeping the club face square for a longer time as it contacts the ball. I imagine the club head following the desired path of the ball immediately after impact. This produces a higher finish. Boy what a difference it made. It was my best drive of the day – a high ball flight with that nice little fade. I followed up with a perfectly placed second shot, leaving 85 yards from the centre fairway to the elevated green. Unfortunately, I duffed a wedge 40 yards ahead. My next pitch was fine and I 2-putt for my fourteenth bogey. Oh well.
Score: 93
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
August 17, 2018
Woodington Lake Legacy
I usually play the Legend Course at Woodington Lake, but this time I played the Legacy Course. The first four holes were rough, as I went 7 over par, thanks to a bogey and three doubles. Two good shots on the opening par-5 were followed by a wedge shot that was five yards short of the green. A chip and two putts earned the bogey. The double-bogeys all came as a result of dunking balls in the water. A 7-iron approach just failed to carry the water on hole 2. A 5-wood off the tee on hole 3 drifted right into the water on this sharp dogleg. A 3-iron off the tee on hole 4, which is a par-3, bounced off an embankment and plunged into the water hazard.
The good news is that I played the remaining five holes of the front nine just one over par. I made par on hole 5 with a lovely approach from the left rough that found a bowl on the green where the flag was located. Hole 6 produced a straightforward bogey after my second shot on the par-4 finished short and left of the green. A pitch and two putts finished the deed. I started with two terrible shots on hole 7, a sharp dogleg par-5. A couple of good wedge shots and a nice putt saved bogey. Hole 8 is the signature par 3 of the course, requiring a 140-yard carry over water. I hit 9-iron to 18 inches below the hole and drained the putt for birdie! Hole 9 resulted in par, despite a terrible drive. A beautiful 7-iron from the left rough found the green, followed by a 2-putt.
The back nine was much like the front, with good and bad holes, but the contrast wasn't so stark. I made par on hole 10, with a lovely second shot from a bunker that finished flag high on the green. Then I struggled with a pair of back-to-back double-bogeys. A really poor drive on hole 11 went absolutely nowhere. It took two more shots to reach the green on this par-4, but I still wasn't on the putting surface. Hole 12 is another par-3 that's all carry over water. This one was playing 166 yards. I played a 7-iron that was drawing nicely, but was shocked when it touched down in the water one yard short of the embankment. I guess I missed the sweet spot.
I made a boring bogey on hole 13, but followed up with pars on holes 14 and 15. The first of these is a par-5 that began with a hugely sliced drive. I was actually hitting my second from the Legend Course, when I hoisted one over the trees and back to the proper fairway, 107 yards from the green. A lovely wedge shot rolled left of the hole, but I made a good 2-putt to finish up. Hole 15 is a par-3, merely 110 yards. It was playing even shorter with a front pin position and my tee shot actually came up five yards short of the green. No problem, as I chipped on and made a short breaking putt.
I had a disastrous quadruple-bogey on hole 16. It was one of those holes where one error follows another. My tee shot was lost to the right, I duffed an approach from 170 yards, sculled another one from 140, and made a weak putt from the back fringe. Hole 17 wasn't much better, as a poor pitch shot and my only 3-putt of the day produced a double-bogey. Fortunately, I made par on the last hole of the day, a par-5. A good drive was followed by a duffed shot that went 40 yards. Luckily, I was beside the 150-yard stick and was able to find the green with an 8-iron. A beautiful lag putt allowed me to finish with an easy tap-in.
Score: 91
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 6
Penalties: 5
The good news is that I played the remaining five holes of the front nine just one over par. I made par on hole 5 with a lovely approach from the left rough that found a bowl on the green where the flag was located. Hole 6 produced a straightforward bogey after my second shot on the par-4 finished short and left of the green. A pitch and two putts finished the deed. I started with two terrible shots on hole 7, a sharp dogleg par-5. A couple of good wedge shots and a nice putt saved bogey. Hole 8 is the signature par 3 of the course, requiring a 140-yard carry over water. I hit 9-iron to 18 inches below the hole and drained the putt for birdie! Hole 9 resulted in par, despite a terrible drive. A beautiful 7-iron from the left rough found the green, followed by a 2-putt.
The back nine was much like the front, with good and bad holes, but the contrast wasn't so stark. I made par on hole 10, with a lovely second shot from a bunker that finished flag high on the green. Then I struggled with a pair of back-to-back double-bogeys. A really poor drive on hole 11 went absolutely nowhere. It took two more shots to reach the green on this par-4, but I still wasn't on the putting surface. Hole 12 is another par-3 that's all carry over water. This one was playing 166 yards. I played a 7-iron that was drawing nicely, but was shocked when it touched down in the water one yard short of the embankment. I guess I missed the sweet spot.
I made a boring bogey on hole 13, but followed up with pars on holes 14 and 15. The first of these is a par-5 that began with a hugely sliced drive. I was actually hitting my second from the Legend Course, when I hoisted one over the trees and back to the proper fairway, 107 yards from the green. A lovely wedge shot rolled left of the hole, but I made a good 2-putt to finish up. Hole 15 is a par-3, merely 110 yards. It was playing even shorter with a front pin position and my tee shot actually came up five yards short of the green. No problem, as I chipped on and made a short breaking putt.
I had a disastrous quadruple-bogey on hole 16. It was one of those holes where one error follows another. My tee shot was lost to the right, I duffed an approach from 170 yards, sculled another one from 140, and made a weak putt from the back fringe. Hole 17 wasn't much better, as a poor pitch shot and my only 3-putt of the day produced a double-bogey. Fortunately, I made par on the last hole of the day, a par-5. A good drive was followed by a duffed shot that went 40 yards. Luckily, I was beside the 150-yard stick and was able to find the green with an 8-iron. A beautiful lag putt allowed me to finish with an easy tap-in.
Score: 91
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 6
Penalties: 5
August 07, 2018
Mixed Results at St. Andrew's Valley
This was only my third ever visit to St. Andrew's Valley, so I wasn't entirely familiar with all of the holes. I hit some good shots early on, but I also hit some bad ones. Hole 1 is a great example. I hit a 5-wood off the tee that was fine, but then pushed a gap wedge 30 yards right of the green. After a great pitch, I thought I saved par, but the putt lipped out for bogey. I hit a fabulous 3-iron, 4-iron combo to start hole 2, only to deposit the subsequent gap wedge shot into a front bunker. It took three shots just to get out of the sand. Fortunately, I chipped in from the rough to save double-bogey. Things got better momentarily, as I made bogey and par on the next two holes.
The remainder of the front nine was also mixed. A conservative approach on hole 5 backfired when I 3-putt for double-bogey. After a popped up tee shot, my shots to reach the green were good ones. On hole 7, I pulled my drive into the fescue left of the fairway. I hit a fabulous 5-wood to reach the green from a long way out, but the ball finished a yard left of the putting surface. A chip and two putts would only earn double-bogey. A bad drive on hole 8 was followed by an excellent punch shot and approach to the green. I managed to save bogey. Hole 9 was the worst. My 5-wood off the tee found a water hazard on the right. After taking a drop, my third shot found the winding creek up ahead. After another drop, I made a lovely gap wedge approach and 2-putt, but that was for double-bogey.
I was four over par for the first six holes of the back nine, but that included triple-bogey on hole 12, a par-4. I duffed my second shot from an uneven lie, then plunked my third into a front bunker. I rammed a shot into the lip and the ball popped out into the rough. A pitch and two putts finished the hole. Aside from that, I had solid bogeys on holes 10 and 13, along with pars on holes 11 and 14. Hole 11 is a par-3 that featured a solid tee shot. Hole 14 is a par-5 that I navigated well with 3-iron off the tee, followed by 5-wood and pitching wedge into the green. I even managed birdie on hole 15, a 142-yard par-3. My tee shot left a mark one foot in front of the cup, with the ball stopping a couple feet behind.
The last three holes were not good, as I finished triple-bogey, bogey, double-bogey. The first of these began with a popped up and pulled drive attempt to a brush covered hillside. It took two shots just to get out of that stuff. I hit decent shots the rest of the hole, but the damage was done. The final hole of the day began with a good drive, but I was unlucky to finish through the fairway on this dogleg left. I thought the lie was good enough to go for the green, but it was way too thick and I barely advanced the ball. I hit a lovely 4-iron for my third. It was headed directly at the flag, but hit the slope in front of a bunker and rolled back in. I hit an uncharacteristically good bunker shot and then 2-putt.
Score: 94
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 3
The remainder of the front nine was also mixed. A conservative approach on hole 5 backfired when I 3-putt for double-bogey. After a popped up tee shot, my shots to reach the green were good ones. On hole 7, I pulled my drive into the fescue left of the fairway. I hit a fabulous 5-wood to reach the green from a long way out, but the ball finished a yard left of the putting surface. A chip and two putts would only earn double-bogey. A bad drive on hole 8 was followed by an excellent punch shot and approach to the green. I managed to save bogey. Hole 9 was the worst. My 5-wood off the tee found a water hazard on the right. After taking a drop, my third shot found the winding creek up ahead. After another drop, I made a lovely gap wedge approach and 2-putt, but that was for double-bogey.
I was four over par for the first six holes of the back nine, but that included triple-bogey on hole 12, a par-4. I duffed my second shot from an uneven lie, then plunked my third into a front bunker. I rammed a shot into the lip and the ball popped out into the rough. A pitch and two putts finished the hole. Aside from that, I had solid bogeys on holes 10 and 13, along with pars on holes 11 and 14. Hole 11 is a par-3 that featured a solid tee shot. Hole 14 is a par-5 that I navigated well with 3-iron off the tee, followed by 5-wood and pitching wedge into the green. I even managed birdie on hole 15, a 142-yard par-3. My tee shot left a mark one foot in front of the cup, with the ball stopping a couple feet behind.
The last three holes were not good, as I finished triple-bogey, bogey, double-bogey. The first of these began with a popped up and pulled drive attempt to a brush covered hillside. It took two shots just to get out of that stuff. I hit decent shots the rest of the hole, but the damage was done. The final hole of the day began with a good drive, but I was unlucky to finish through the fairway on this dogleg left. I thought the lie was good enough to go for the green, but it was way too thick and I barely advanced the ball. I hit a lovely 4-iron for my third. It was headed directly at the flag, but hit the slope in front of a bunker and rolled back in. I hit an uncharacteristically good bunker shot and then 2-putt.
Score: 94
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 3
August 05, 2018
Eagle is All at Cardinal
It has been eight years since I last played at Cardinal Golf Club and a little longer than that since I played its East Wing Course. They had a special going on, so I booked a round. Unfortunately, it was hot and humid, plus the course was jammed. Early on, I was not hitting the ball well, but I was hanging in there in terms of score. I double-bogeyed the opening par-5, followed by six consecutive bogeys. The last two of these required an up and down from near the greens.
Eventually, I was hoping to scatter some pars in there, but the opposite happened. Hole 8 is a par-5 and the #1 handicap hole on the course. If you don't hit a good drive, you have to lay up a few yards ahead to the top of a brush covered hill, bordered by trees on both sides. My drive was bad enough that it kicked right into a hazard, so I was sitting three after my layup to the hilltop. My next shot found a water hazard short and right of the green. After a penalty and drop, I dunked another one into the drink. Shot number 8 was to the back of the green, followed by a 3-putt to the front pin location. Wow, an eleven! I bogeyed hole 9 for a score of 50 at the turn.
I shot a similar score on the back nine, but actually played worse. I racked up triple-bogeys on holes 10, 14, and 18. I duffed a drive off the tee, pulled another into a water hazard, and was generally all over the place. I topped a couple of shots when hitting out of the rough, which was a complete waste of strokes. I failed to get cleanly out of greenside bunkers and I added a couple of 3-putts.
Mind you, there was one spectacular bright spot. Hole 12 is a 479-yard par-5 along the edge of the property. The hole is straight, but mature trees border both sides. I drove the ball 279 yards to the centre of the fairway. Actually, by the time it stopped, it was one yard into the right rough. The lie was pretty bare, so I could easily get a 3-iron on the ball. This would travel the required 200 yards to the green, while keeping the ball under some overhanging branches. I pulled it off perfectly, leaving a 12-foot putt for eagle, which I drained!
This was only my third eagle ever and my first on a par-5 hole. My first was a hole-out from 135 yards on a par-4, while my second was a hole-in-one on a 150-yard par-3. Par-5 holes should be the easiest to eagle, and I've had my share of eagle putts on them, but this was the first one that dropped. It was a nice highlight in an otherwise forgettable round.
Score: 99
Putts: 36
Fairways: 0
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
Eventually, I was hoping to scatter some pars in there, but the opposite happened. Hole 8 is a par-5 and the #1 handicap hole on the course. If you don't hit a good drive, you have to lay up a few yards ahead to the top of a brush covered hill, bordered by trees on both sides. My drive was bad enough that it kicked right into a hazard, so I was sitting three after my layup to the hilltop. My next shot found a water hazard short and right of the green. After a penalty and drop, I dunked another one into the drink. Shot number 8 was to the back of the green, followed by a 3-putt to the front pin location. Wow, an eleven! I bogeyed hole 9 for a score of 50 at the turn.
I shot a similar score on the back nine, but actually played worse. I racked up triple-bogeys on holes 10, 14, and 18. I duffed a drive off the tee, pulled another into a water hazard, and was generally all over the place. I topped a couple of shots when hitting out of the rough, which was a complete waste of strokes. I failed to get cleanly out of greenside bunkers and I added a couple of 3-putts.
Mind you, there was one spectacular bright spot. Hole 12 is a 479-yard par-5 along the edge of the property. The hole is straight, but mature trees border both sides. I drove the ball 279 yards to the centre of the fairway. Actually, by the time it stopped, it was one yard into the right rough. The lie was pretty bare, so I could easily get a 3-iron on the ball. This would travel the required 200 yards to the green, while keeping the ball under some overhanging branches. I pulled it off perfectly, leaving a 12-foot putt for eagle, which I drained!
This was only my third eagle ever and my first on a par-5 hole. My first was a hole-out from 135 yards on a par-4, while my second was a hole-in-one on a 150-yard par-3. Par-5 holes should be the easiest to eagle, and I've had my share of eagle putts on them, but this was the first one that dropped. It was a nice highlight in an otherwise forgettable round.
Score: 99
Putts: 36
Fairways: 0
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
August 04, 2018
A Couple of Birdies at Hidden Lake
Round 2 of the Deepwoods season took place on the New Course at Hidden Lake. I wasn't hitting all my shots well, but still had the opportunity to go low. If not for some poor putting, I would have done exactly that. I bogeyed the opening par-4 after beginning with two poor shots. I had a putt to save bogey on hole 2, but just missed and took a double. On hole 3, a par-3, I saved bogey after a duffed tee shot. On hole 4, I reached the green in regulation, but 3-putt for a bad bogey.
Things took a turn for the better on holes 5 and 6. A great drive and approach on the former set up a par. A flag-high approach on the latter, a par-3, set up a huge breaking putt that found the bottom of the cup for birdie. Unfortunately, I made double-bogey on hole 7, thanks to another 3-putt. Hole 7 is a par-5, as is hole 8. Though I made bogey on hole 8, it was thanks to yet another 3-putt, albeit from the fringe. I wasted three beautiful shots that preceded that misfortune. I bogeyed hole 9 for a score of 43 at the turn. It would have been 39, if not for the shaky flat stick.
I missed badly on one additional putt for the remainder of the round. It was a par attempt on hole 10, after splashing out beautifully from the greenside bunker. Bunker shots like that are rare for me, so I wasted an opportunity. Three more bogeys followed over the next three holes, before disaster struck on hole 14. I hit a great drive on this par-5, leaving just 205 yards to the green. The green is fronted by water, so I decided the safe thing to do was lay up to the 100-yard marker. I actually left 90 yards to the green for my third shot. Unfortunately, I caught the lob wedge a little fat and hit a rock on the opposite margin of the hazard. The ball bounced back into the water, leading to a penalty stroke and ultimately, a triple-bogey.
The final four holes saved my round as well as a good Deepwoods point total. I made par on hole 15, getting up and down from just behind the green. I hit 4-iron, sand wedge into hole 16, a short par-4. This was followed up with a long downhill putt for birdie! I splashed out of a bunker to save bogey on hole 17, a par-3. Although hole 18 was interrupted by a weather delay, I found the green in regulation on this par-5 and 2-putt for a solid par. The key to the hole was a punched 5-iron on my second shot, which emerged through a gap in the trees and found the fairway 120 yards from the flag.
Score: 86
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 5
Penalties: 1
Things took a turn for the better on holes 5 and 6. A great drive and approach on the former set up a par. A flag-high approach on the latter, a par-3, set up a huge breaking putt that found the bottom of the cup for birdie. Unfortunately, I made double-bogey on hole 7, thanks to another 3-putt. Hole 7 is a par-5, as is hole 8. Though I made bogey on hole 8, it was thanks to yet another 3-putt, albeit from the fringe. I wasted three beautiful shots that preceded that misfortune. I bogeyed hole 9 for a score of 43 at the turn. It would have been 39, if not for the shaky flat stick.
I missed badly on one additional putt for the remainder of the round. It was a par attempt on hole 10, after splashing out beautifully from the greenside bunker. Bunker shots like that are rare for me, so I wasted an opportunity. Three more bogeys followed over the next three holes, before disaster struck on hole 14. I hit a great drive on this par-5, leaving just 205 yards to the green. The green is fronted by water, so I decided the safe thing to do was lay up to the 100-yard marker. I actually left 90 yards to the green for my third shot. Unfortunately, I caught the lob wedge a little fat and hit a rock on the opposite margin of the hazard. The ball bounced back into the water, leading to a penalty stroke and ultimately, a triple-bogey.
The final four holes saved my round as well as a good Deepwoods point total. I made par on hole 15, getting up and down from just behind the green. I hit 4-iron, sand wedge into hole 16, a short par-4. This was followed up with a long downhill putt for birdie! I splashed out of a bunker to save bogey on hole 17, a par-3. Although hole 18 was interrupted by a weather delay, I found the green in regulation on this par-5 and 2-putt for a solid par. The key to the hole was a punched 5-iron on my second shot, which emerged through a gap in the trees and found the fairway 120 yards from the flag.
Score: 86
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 5
Penalties: 1
July 30, 2018
Toughest Stretch at King's Forest
I had a good round going at King's Forest, except for the course's toughest stretch. More on that later. The front nine produced three pars, five bogeys, and a double. The first par was on hole 4, a par-5. I hit driver, 4-iron to get on in two. The pin was way at the back of the deep green and I made a decent lag, but missed the 4-foot birdie. The second par was on hole 6, another par-5. I messed up my second shot, but hit a marvellous 3-wood to reach the green in regulation. The final par was achieved in textbook fashion on hole 9, a par-4.
Some of the bogeys on the front nine featured very good recoveries. After pulling an approach shot on hole 2, my next shot was a pitch that I had to keep under some branches, while carrying a bunker and stopping the ball on the elevated green. On hole 3, a poor tee shot was followed by a punch out layup and a pretty 100-yard shot near the flag. On hole 5, a long par 3, my duff off the tee was followed by a mediocre shot to the left rough. No worries, as I finished with a good up and down. The only hole I couldn't recover on was number 7. I pulled a 9-iron off the tee on this par-3 into a hazard left, resulting in a penalty stroke and ultimately, a double-bogey.
The toughest stretch at King's Forest is comprised of holes 10 through 13. Number 10 is a difficult one to par, but bogey is quite achievable, and that's what I scored. The really though stretch is from hole 11 through 13. I've played some of these holes well during previous visits, but I've never been able to escape the entire stretch unscathed. On hole 11, I opted for driver off the elevated tee and pulled it left into some trees. I had an opening to punch a low one toward the green from 150 yards away and gave it a go. I was protecting from pulling the ball into bushes on the left side and flared one out to the right as a result. It dove into a water hazard, leading to double-bogey. The result on hole 12 was the same. I pushed a 3-iron off the tee into the trees on the right and there was no recovery.
Worst of all was hole 13, where I exploded for a score of 9 on this par-4. The teeing ground is wedged against trees and bushes on the left, forcing you to play out to the right. I went too far right with the 5-wood, into some waist high fescue and weeds. After taking a drop, I tried to blast another 5-wood near the green, but duffed it completely, my ball stopping 20 yards in front of a large creek. It was an unintentional layup. Next, I sculled an 8-iron into the creek. After another drop, I pulled my shot left of the green. I finished with a pitch and 2-putt.
I averaged bogey for the remainder of the round. Good pars on holes 15 and 17 were spoiled a bit by double-bogeys on holes 16 and 18. The former is a par-4 that was playing about 300 yards and I tried to blast the driver as close as possible. I buried it in the fescue and had to declare the ball unplayable. A beautiful wedge over some trees found the green, but then came a 3-putt. After two perfect shots to start hole 18, a par-5, I shanked a wedge shot from 100 yards into the lateral hazard on the right. It was just one of those weird things.
Score: 94
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 6
Penalties: 7
Some of the bogeys on the front nine featured very good recoveries. After pulling an approach shot on hole 2, my next shot was a pitch that I had to keep under some branches, while carrying a bunker and stopping the ball on the elevated green. On hole 3, a poor tee shot was followed by a punch out layup and a pretty 100-yard shot near the flag. On hole 5, a long par 3, my duff off the tee was followed by a mediocre shot to the left rough. No worries, as I finished with a good up and down. The only hole I couldn't recover on was number 7. I pulled a 9-iron off the tee on this par-3 into a hazard left, resulting in a penalty stroke and ultimately, a double-bogey.
The toughest stretch at King's Forest is comprised of holes 10 through 13. Number 10 is a difficult one to par, but bogey is quite achievable, and that's what I scored. The really though stretch is from hole 11 through 13. I've played some of these holes well during previous visits, but I've never been able to escape the entire stretch unscathed. On hole 11, I opted for driver off the elevated tee and pulled it left into some trees. I had an opening to punch a low one toward the green from 150 yards away and gave it a go. I was protecting from pulling the ball into bushes on the left side and flared one out to the right as a result. It dove into a water hazard, leading to double-bogey. The result on hole 12 was the same. I pushed a 3-iron off the tee into the trees on the right and there was no recovery.
Worst of all was hole 13, where I exploded for a score of 9 on this par-4. The teeing ground is wedged against trees and bushes on the left, forcing you to play out to the right. I went too far right with the 5-wood, into some waist high fescue and weeds. After taking a drop, I tried to blast another 5-wood near the green, but duffed it completely, my ball stopping 20 yards in front of a large creek. It was an unintentional layup. Next, I sculled an 8-iron into the creek. After another drop, I pulled my shot left of the green. I finished with a pitch and 2-putt.
I averaged bogey for the remainder of the round. Good pars on holes 15 and 17 were spoiled a bit by double-bogeys on holes 16 and 18. The former is a par-4 that was playing about 300 yards and I tried to blast the driver as close as possible. I buried it in the fescue and had to declare the ball unplayable. A beautiful wedge over some trees found the green, but then came a 3-putt. After two perfect shots to start hole 18, a par-5, I shanked a wedge shot from 100 yards into the lateral hazard on the right. It was just one of those weird things.
Score: 94
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 6
Penalties: 7
July 23, 2018
Jekyll and Hyde Round at Glen Eagle
I headed out to Glen Eagle later than planned and traffic didn't cooperate. Despite rushing to the course, I got there a few minutes late. The starter sent me out with a threesome on the Red nine. They were nice guys, just there to have some fun. Unfortunately, I sometimes score poorly when playing with people who joke around a lot. I did well enough to reach the first green in three shots, but a terrible 3-putt resulted in double-bogey. Needless to say, I didn't do any practice putting before the round. I played the next two holes fairly well, recording a pair of solid bogeys.
For the remainder of the Red nine, I played terribly. A lot of my trouble came off the tee. On hole 4, a par-5, I smothered one off the heel of the driver. A great follow-up with the 5-wood was ruined when I proceeded to pull a 5-iron into the trees left. On hole 5, a par-3, a miss hit was 40 yards short of the green. My pitch then went long, requiring an additional chip to get on the putting surface. On hole 6, my drive ended behind a tree located in the middle of the fairway. A pitch near the green also went long. All of these holes produced double-bogey. It got worse, with triple-bogeys on holes 7 and 9. The former featured a sculled ball out of a bunker, while the latter featured a pair of penalty strokes. Mercifully I made par on hole 8. My score on the Red nine was 52.
My companions headed for the Yellow nine, while I decided to play the Blue nine. Playing as a solo, I made a respectable bogey on hole 1. Beginning on hole 2, I joined up with a man and woman, whom I played with for the remainder of the round. Despite a poor drive on hole 2, I recovered for a par on this par-5. I also made par on hole 3, a long par-3. It soon got even better, with back-to-back birdies on holes 4 and 5. The former featured a punch out from the trees that found the green, followed by a successful 60-foot putt. The latter featured a drive and 5-wood that got me just left of the green in two shots on this par-5. My eagle chip almost went in, but birdie was still nice.
I made bogey on hole 6, before finishing par, par, and par. On hole 7, a par-5, my birdie putt from just in front of the green very nearly dropped. On hole 8, a long par-3, I chipped from under some trees left of the green and left a comfortable par putt to finish. On hole 9, I drove my ball well right, finishing near Yellow 1 fairway. I then hit a towering gap wedge over a wall of tall trees right of the green. The ball landed softly, allowing me to lag one close and then tap in. It was a marvelous recovery shot. My score on the Blue nine was an even par 36! That is my best score ever for nine holes. I believe my previous best was 38.
Score: 88
Putts: 32
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
For the remainder of the Red nine, I played terribly. A lot of my trouble came off the tee. On hole 4, a par-5, I smothered one off the heel of the driver. A great follow-up with the 5-wood was ruined when I proceeded to pull a 5-iron into the trees left. On hole 5, a par-3, a miss hit was 40 yards short of the green. My pitch then went long, requiring an additional chip to get on the putting surface. On hole 6, my drive ended behind a tree located in the middle of the fairway. A pitch near the green also went long. All of these holes produced double-bogey. It got worse, with triple-bogeys on holes 7 and 9. The former featured a sculled ball out of a bunker, while the latter featured a pair of penalty strokes. Mercifully I made par on hole 8. My score on the Red nine was 52.
My companions headed for the Yellow nine, while I decided to play the Blue nine. Playing as a solo, I made a respectable bogey on hole 1. Beginning on hole 2, I joined up with a man and woman, whom I played with for the remainder of the round. Despite a poor drive on hole 2, I recovered for a par on this par-5. I also made par on hole 3, a long par-3. It soon got even better, with back-to-back birdies on holes 4 and 5. The former featured a punch out from the trees that found the green, followed by a successful 60-foot putt. The latter featured a drive and 5-wood that got me just left of the green in two shots on this par-5. My eagle chip almost went in, but birdie was still nice.
I made bogey on hole 6, before finishing par, par, and par. On hole 7, a par-5, my birdie putt from just in front of the green very nearly dropped. On hole 8, a long par-3, I chipped from under some trees left of the green and left a comfortable par putt to finish. On hole 9, I drove my ball well right, finishing near Yellow 1 fairway. I then hit a towering gap wedge over a wall of tall trees right of the green. The ball landed softly, allowing me to lag one close and then tap in. It was a marvelous recovery shot. My score on the Blue nine was an even par 36! That is my best score ever for nine holes. I believe my previous best was 38.
Score: 88
Putts: 32
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
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