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
August 31, 2018
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
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