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
September 29, 2018
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
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