I had time to spare and the course was practically empty, so I played the front nine again at Battlefield. It's amazing how much better you can play when you've already been through the course on a given day. The first time through, I scored 49, with two pars, a bogey, and six doubles. The second time through, I scored 42, with four pars, four bogeys, and one double. So what was different?
Hole 1 is a par-5 with significant bunkering in front of the green. Both times through, I hit my third shot to the safe area right of the green. The first time, I got up and down from there for par. The second time, I just needed an extra putt for bogey. Not much difference at all. Hole 2 is a par-4 that was playing quite long. Both times through, I failed to hit the green with a long approach. The first time, I hit out of a bunker and chipped on, followed by two putts for double-bogey. The second time, I pitched my third shot below the hole and drained a 10-footer for par. Big difference there – all attributable to the short game.
Hole 3 is a par-3. On both occasions, I was on the green in two. The first time, I 3-putt on the slick green for a double-bogey. The second time, I had a better feel of the green speed and 2-putt for a pretty easy bogey. Lag putting was actually one of the biggest differences overall. Hole 4 is a par-4 that I made par on both times. I had a better drive the second time through, but still missed the green with a much shorter approach. Once again, I chipped pretty close and made a single putt. Hole 5 produced bogey on both occasions, but in different fashions. The first time it came via a green in regulation and 3-putt. The second time, I missed the GIR, chipped on, and then 2-putt. Through five holes, I was just two strokes better than I was earlier in the day.
Most of the difference occurred over the final four holes. On hole 6, a par-5, I improved from double-bogey to par. The first time through, I had a duffed shot en route to the green. On the second attempt, I got up and down from the front of the green, effectively saving another stroke. Hole 7 was funny because I played it exactly the same way on both occasions. A safe drive on the dogleg left ran through the fairway and just into the rough. My second shot from a bit of a hook lie was pulled into a water hazard left of the green. After a penalty stroke and drop, my fourth was a pitch on the green, followed by a 2-put for double-bogey.
Hole 8 is a par-3 over water that gave me trouble the first time around. My tee shot was short and held up on some rocks near the water's edge. Two shots were required to get on the green from there, followed by two putts for double-bogey. The second time around, I hit the green in regulation and 2-putt for par. Big difference! Finally, there was hole 9, where I went from double-bogey to bogey. In both cases, I was short and right of the green on this par-4 after two shots. A pitch to the front flag came up short the first time, but I executed it well the next time. That was the difference, as I finished up with a couple of putts both times.
Overall, seven strokes is a significant improvement. I shot 92 over 18 holes earlier in the day. Had I played the front nine as I did the second time around, that score would have been 85. Unfortunately, golf doesn't work that way. LOL
Score: 42
Putts: 15
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
October 28, 2018
October 27, 2018
Battlefield at Legends on The Niagara
The season is quickly winding down and I had the opportunity to play Battlefield at Legends on The Niagara. The temperature was cool, but comfortable, and the course was in surprisingly good shape. I couldn't believe how fast the greens were. I had a trio of 3-putts on the front nine, and 4 of them overall. It took me a while to make the proper adjustment.
My score of 49 on the front nine wasn't great, mostly because of the 3-putts, but also because I couldn't drive the ball. It's been a problem over the second half of the season. My natural swing has always been outside-in. I've been trying to swing more from the inside, just to straighten my ball flight a bit and perhaps gain distance. In fact, it has resulted in less distance, as the ball comes out with a very low trajectory. Sometimes I smother the ball completely. When this happens, it fails to get airborne at all, and I'm lucky just to reach the fairway.
Because of my poor drives, I was hitting a lot of longer clubs for my second shot. One exception was hole 5, a short par-4. After a 230-yard drive to the right fairway, I had 90 yards remaining to the green. I nailed it with the lob wedge but then 3-putt for bogey. The birdie putt actually burned the edge of the hole, but with the slick greens, I finished well past and then missed the comebacker. This was my only bogey of the front nine, to go along with a couple of pars and six double-bogeys. Sheesh!
On the back nine, the putting got better and I managed a score of 43, including four pars, three bogeys, and two doubles. The first couple of pars came back-to-back on holes 13 and 14. On the former, a perfect 5-wood off the tee was followed by a pitching wedge that came up short of the green. A lovely pitch shot left a mere 18 inches for the par. On the latter, a gap wedge off the tee set up a 2-putt on this par-3. The next couple of pars were also back-to-back on holes 17 and 18. The first of these is a 166-yard par-3 that's all carry over water. I found the fringe flag high and then 2-putt. The final hole is a par-5. I sculled my third shot a bit from 90 yards, but the ball stopped at the back of the green. I made an amazing 2-putt from there to finish my round.
My driving was also a bit better on the back nine, as I abandoned my effort to swing more from the inside. I just accepted that I would be swinging slightly outside-in. It's not the ideal thing to do, but I've always played that way and I can at least manage my way around when I do so. I actually hit fewer fairways on the back nine (4) than I did on the front (5), but many of those on the front nine were low runners that barely reached the short grass.
As for my final score, well, it was absolutely typical of my season. The bogey golfer special!
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
My score of 49 on the front nine wasn't great, mostly because of the 3-putts, but also because I couldn't drive the ball. It's been a problem over the second half of the season. My natural swing has always been outside-in. I've been trying to swing more from the inside, just to straighten my ball flight a bit and perhaps gain distance. In fact, it has resulted in less distance, as the ball comes out with a very low trajectory. Sometimes I smother the ball completely. When this happens, it fails to get airborne at all, and I'm lucky just to reach the fairway.
Because of my poor drives, I was hitting a lot of longer clubs for my second shot. One exception was hole 5, a short par-4. After a 230-yard drive to the right fairway, I had 90 yards remaining to the green. I nailed it with the lob wedge but then 3-putt for bogey. The birdie putt actually burned the edge of the hole, but with the slick greens, I finished well past and then missed the comebacker. This was my only bogey of the front nine, to go along with a couple of pars and six double-bogeys. Sheesh!
On the back nine, the putting got better and I managed a score of 43, including four pars, three bogeys, and two doubles. The first couple of pars came back-to-back on holes 13 and 14. On the former, a perfect 5-wood off the tee was followed by a pitching wedge that came up short of the green. A lovely pitch shot left a mere 18 inches for the par. On the latter, a gap wedge off the tee set up a 2-putt on this par-3. The next couple of pars were also back-to-back on holes 17 and 18. The first of these is a 166-yard par-3 that's all carry over water. I found the fringe flag high and then 2-putt. The final hole is a par-5. I sculled my third shot a bit from 90 yards, but the ball stopped at the back of the green. I made an amazing 2-putt from there to finish my round.
My driving was also a bit better on the back nine, as I abandoned my effort to swing more from the inside. I just accepted that I would be swinging slightly outside-in. It's not the ideal thing to do, but I've always played that way and I can at least manage my way around when I do so. I actually hit fewer fairways on the back nine (4) than I did on the front (5), but many of those on the front nine were low runners that barely reached the short grass.
As for my final score, well, it was absolutely typical of my season. The bogey golfer special!
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 9
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
October 23, 2018
Spoiled a Good Start at Doon Valley
I was recovering from a cold, but some nice weather lured me out to play at Doon Valley. The start was fantastic. I hit driver, gap wedge to within 5 feet on the opening par-4, finishing with a birdie putt. On the subsequent hole, a par-3, I hit 7-iron to the left fringe and then 2-putt for par. I had a momentary lapse on hole 3, a short par-4 with a forced carry off the tee. I pulled the tee shot left into the weeds and had to take a penalty. Double-bogey was the result. No worries, as I followed up with a bogey and two pars over the next three holes. The bogey was on a long par-3 into the wind. The pars came on holes that were playing with the wind, which made a huge difference. Through six holes, I was just 2 over par. At this pace, I would shoot 78, matching my all time best!
Holes 7 through 9 produced three consecutive bogeys. Not a bad result, by any means, but I felt like I let two pars slip away. The first was on hole 7, a 355-yard par-4. I hit driver to the right side of the fairway, leaving 115 yards to the green centre. A slight miss with the gap wedge finished one yard short and right of the green. I made a beautiful pitch up a ridge to the back pin location, finishing three feet below the hole. It was a straight putt, but I lipped out on the right side. The second was on hole 9, a par-5. Despite hitting my drive to another fairway, I was just 125 yards away from the green after my second shot. A slight miss with pitching wedge left me flag high in a bunker on the right side. After a good out, I faced an uphill putt of about 9 feet. Unfortunately, I lipped out again, this time on the left side. Through nine holes, I was 5 over par – on pace for 82, or my fourth best ever.
This is the point where discussions of “best ever” go out the window. My drive on hole 10 leaked a bit right and bounced further right into a hazard. I was forced to take a penalty and ultimately made double-bogey. It didn't help that I sculled a chip near the green. On hole 11, a par-3 with a forced carry, my 6-foot par putt lipped out. I was still feeling positive, but this disappeared on hole 12. It's a short par-4, merely 294 yards. My plan was to hit 5-iron, wedge into the green. The 5-iron hooked immediately into the hazard on the left. After taking a penalty and drop, I duffed an 8-iron from the rough. My fourth was a pitching wedge from 130 yards that only reached the front fringe. I was already disgusted and made it worse by 3-putting from there for a triple-bogey.
One of the most important things in golf is forgetting about poor shots or mistakes, so that they don't affect future shots. For me, putting those mistakes behind me is incredibly difficult. I can let one roll off my back without a problem. I'm not a scratch golfer, so I know those things are going to happen frequently. What really gets me is when I string a few mistakes together, leading to a blowup hole. It's just incredible that these things can happen successively, even when you have a good round going. After the mistakes on hole 12, I spent a few holes cursing every little thing that went wrong. It's not the way to play, either to score well, or just to have fun. Sure, I made a nice par on hole 14, but I also made double-bogeys on holes 13 and 16. Hole 15 was a disastrous quadruple-bogey!
In my previous two visits to Doon Valley, I shot scores of 91 and 93. This round started so well, that it looked like I would obliterate those scores. Alas, with two holes to play, it looked like this would be the worst result of all. My goal, at that point, was to par the last two holes and equal my previous best, or bogey the last two holes and avoid a new worst. I made par on hole 17, a 172-yard par-3, thanks to a nice up and down from left of the green. I had to flop over a bunker and stay on the narrow green, which I did. The putt was a perfect 10-footer. Hole 18 is a par-5 along the Grand River. After two shots, I was barely in the left rough, just 105 yards from the elevated green. My wedge shot missed the green to the left, by just a yard. I didn't get up and down, so I took a bogey. I finished with a 92, which is perfectly in line with my previous results at the course.
In fact, my results at Doon Valley are pretty representative of my whole season. Aside from the occasional excursion into the 80s or 100s, I'm that guy who always shoots just above 90 – a true bogey golfer. I really should be in the 80s far more often.
Score: 92
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
Holes 7 through 9 produced three consecutive bogeys. Not a bad result, by any means, but I felt like I let two pars slip away. The first was on hole 7, a 355-yard par-4. I hit driver to the right side of the fairway, leaving 115 yards to the green centre. A slight miss with the gap wedge finished one yard short and right of the green. I made a beautiful pitch up a ridge to the back pin location, finishing three feet below the hole. It was a straight putt, but I lipped out on the right side. The second was on hole 9, a par-5. Despite hitting my drive to another fairway, I was just 125 yards away from the green after my second shot. A slight miss with pitching wedge left me flag high in a bunker on the right side. After a good out, I faced an uphill putt of about 9 feet. Unfortunately, I lipped out again, this time on the left side. Through nine holes, I was 5 over par – on pace for 82, or my fourth best ever.
This is the point where discussions of “best ever” go out the window. My drive on hole 10 leaked a bit right and bounced further right into a hazard. I was forced to take a penalty and ultimately made double-bogey. It didn't help that I sculled a chip near the green. On hole 11, a par-3 with a forced carry, my 6-foot par putt lipped out. I was still feeling positive, but this disappeared on hole 12. It's a short par-4, merely 294 yards. My plan was to hit 5-iron, wedge into the green. The 5-iron hooked immediately into the hazard on the left. After taking a penalty and drop, I duffed an 8-iron from the rough. My fourth was a pitching wedge from 130 yards that only reached the front fringe. I was already disgusted and made it worse by 3-putting from there for a triple-bogey.
One of the most important things in golf is forgetting about poor shots or mistakes, so that they don't affect future shots. For me, putting those mistakes behind me is incredibly difficult. I can let one roll off my back without a problem. I'm not a scratch golfer, so I know those things are going to happen frequently. What really gets me is when I string a few mistakes together, leading to a blowup hole. It's just incredible that these things can happen successively, even when you have a good round going. After the mistakes on hole 12, I spent a few holes cursing every little thing that went wrong. It's not the way to play, either to score well, or just to have fun. Sure, I made a nice par on hole 14, but I also made double-bogeys on holes 13 and 16. Hole 15 was a disastrous quadruple-bogey!
In my previous two visits to Doon Valley, I shot scores of 91 and 93. This round started so well, that it looked like I would obliterate those scores. Alas, with two holes to play, it looked like this would be the worst result of all. My goal, at that point, was to par the last two holes and equal my previous best, or bogey the last two holes and avoid a new worst. I made par on hole 17, a 172-yard par-3, thanks to a nice up and down from left of the green. I had to flop over a bunker and stay on the narrow green, which I did. The putt was a perfect 10-footer. Hole 18 is a par-5 along the Grand River. After two shots, I was barely in the left rough, just 105 yards from the elevated green. My wedge shot missed the green to the left, by just a yard. I didn't get up and down, so I took a bogey. I finished with a 92, which is perfectly in line with my previous results at the course.
In fact, my results at Doon Valley are pretty representative of my whole season. Aside from the occasional excursion into the 80s or 100s, I'm that guy who always shoots just above 90 – a true bogey golfer. I really should be in the 80s far more often.
Score: 92
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
October 21, 2018
Another Crack at Hoot
They were offering a free upgrade to play all day at Osprey Valley. Luckily, they found a spot for me to play Hoot once again. This suited me perfectly, as I wanted some retribution for a poor first round. My second round wasn't great, by any means, but it was better than the first.
Seven of the front nine were without any real problem. Driver, 5-iron started the opening par-5 straight down the centre of the fairway. I missed the green with a wedge and fluffed a chip, but then got up and down for bogey. Holes 2 and 3 began with fairways hit. On both occasions, I missed the green with approach shots, but chipped on and 2-putt for bogeys.
I finally made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by 2-putting from distance. I also made par on hole 6, a par-5. My drive found some fescue bordering a waste bunker, but a good out enabled me to reach the green in regulation. Holes 7 and 8 resulted in bogeys, and both were well earned. I laid up on the former, rather than attacking the green from a longer distance. On the latter, a nice shot from a greenside bunker helped save the hole.
The problem on the front nine were holes 5 and 9. The short game killed me on both. On hole 5, a dogleg par-4, I hit the fairway and then put my approach shot into a bunker. My sand shot only made it to the rough and then I sculled one through the green. Now severely short sided, I chipped on and 2-putt for a triple-bogey.
Hole 9 produced a ridiculous score of 9 on this downhill par-4. A low pull off the tee went into the woods short and left. A nice punch shot found the right side of the fairway, 200 yards from the hole. I pushed a 3-iron right into some trees. With no backswing, I advanced the ball only slightly, coming to rest in a bunker. Next, I sculled one clear across the green, under more trees. I pitched from there, but the ball rolled off the other side of the green. A decent chip was followed by a decent putt, but it didn't drop. A final tap-in game me the 9. Ugh!
My score on the front nine was 49, while I scored 48 on the back. I made no worse than double-bogey after the turn, but there were three of them, to go along with six bogeys. I can't complain about the bogeys – they are fairly standard for me. Typically, I miss the green slightly and then I'm unable to get up and down. My chips are just mediocre, leaving less than certain putts for par. If one happens to go down, that's great, but it's not the norm.
The double-bogeys came on holes 13, 14, and 18. I played hole 13 horribly both times on this day. The second time through I hit driver to the right rough, followed by a great mid-iron to the middle of the fairway. This is a par-5 and I had just 130 yards remaining to the green. Unfortunately, it's a carry over water. I missed the sweet spot, didn't get my normal distance, and splashed in the water. After a drop, my fifth shot made it to the green, followed by a 2-putt.
I also played hole 14 horribly both times. I duffed my drive into the fescue just a few yards ahead. I needed a lob wedge just to get it out a few yards to safety. I was still over 270 yards away from the green. A 3-wood worked well, but I still needed a 50-yard pitch to get on the green. Once I was on, I 2-putt for the double. A bad drive was all it took to ruin the hole.
I almost didn't finish the last two holes, as I felt nauseous on the 16th green. I decided to quit, but then the feeling quickly passed, so I soldiered on. Much like holes 13 and 14, I played 18 in very similar fashion to the first time through. My drive found the same fairway bunker on the right side, forcing a sideways out before I could attack the green. The approach just missed, so a chip and two putts completed the double-bogey.
It is what it is. At least I got to play 36 holes.
Score: 97
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
Seven of the front nine were without any real problem. Driver, 5-iron started the opening par-5 straight down the centre of the fairway. I missed the green with a wedge and fluffed a chip, but then got up and down for bogey. Holes 2 and 3 began with fairways hit. On both occasions, I missed the green with approach shots, but chipped on and 2-putt for bogeys.
I finally made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by 2-putting from distance. I also made par on hole 6, a par-5. My drive found some fescue bordering a waste bunker, but a good out enabled me to reach the green in regulation. Holes 7 and 8 resulted in bogeys, and both were well earned. I laid up on the former, rather than attacking the green from a longer distance. On the latter, a nice shot from a greenside bunker helped save the hole.
The problem on the front nine were holes 5 and 9. The short game killed me on both. On hole 5, a dogleg par-4, I hit the fairway and then put my approach shot into a bunker. My sand shot only made it to the rough and then I sculled one through the green. Now severely short sided, I chipped on and 2-putt for a triple-bogey.
Hole 9 produced a ridiculous score of 9 on this downhill par-4. A low pull off the tee went into the woods short and left. A nice punch shot found the right side of the fairway, 200 yards from the hole. I pushed a 3-iron right into some trees. With no backswing, I advanced the ball only slightly, coming to rest in a bunker. Next, I sculled one clear across the green, under more trees. I pitched from there, but the ball rolled off the other side of the green. A decent chip was followed by a decent putt, but it didn't drop. A final tap-in game me the 9. Ugh!
My score on the front nine was 49, while I scored 48 on the back. I made no worse than double-bogey after the turn, but there were three of them, to go along with six bogeys. I can't complain about the bogeys – they are fairly standard for me. Typically, I miss the green slightly and then I'm unable to get up and down. My chips are just mediocre, leaving less than certain putts for par. If one happens to go down, that's great, but it's not the norm.
The double-bogeys came on holes 13, 14, and 18. I played hole 13 horribly both times on this day. The second time through I hit driver to the right rough, followed by a great mid-iron to the middle of the fairway. This is a par-5 and I had just 130 yards remaining to the green. Unfortunately, it's a carry over water. I missed the sweet spot, didn't get my normal distance, and splashed in the water. After a drop, my fifth shot made it to the green, followed by a 2-putt.
I also played hole 14 horribly both times. I duffed my drive into the fescue just a few yards ahead. I needed a lob wedge just to get it out a few yards to safety. I was still over 270 yards away from the green. A 3-wood worked well, but I still needed a 50-yard pitch to get on the green. Once I was on, I 2-putt for the double. A bad drive was all it took to ruin the hole.
I almost didn't finish the last two holes, as I felt nauseous on the 16th green. I decided to quit, but then the feeling quickly passed, so I soldiered on. Much like holes 13 and 14, I played 18 in very similar fashion to the first time through. My drive found the same fairway bunker on the right side, forcing a sideways out before I could attack the green. The approach just missed, so a chip and two putts completed the double-bogey.
It is what it is. At least I got to play 36 holes.
Score: 97
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
October 11, 2018
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley – Hoot
We had a couple of unseasonably warm days, so I jumped at the chance to play the Hoot at Osprey Valley. Unfortunately, my game was very rusty. I had plenty of holes that were fine, but when things went badly, I exploded for some massive numbers. Untimely misses put me in bad situations and I compounded problems by stringing mistakes together. Mind you, there were no such mistakes on the opening hole, a 520-yard par-5. I piped a 3-wood to the middle of the fairway, followed by a 4-iron once again down the middle. My approach with the 9-iron finished inside 10 feet. I didn't make birdie, but a stress free par is always a good way to start.
The 3-wood that worked so well on the first hole failed me on the second. I duffed my tee shot into thick fescue just ahead of the teeing ground. I was forced to take an unplayable, leading to double-bogey on this par-4. The same thing happened on hole 3, although it was driver that let me down off the tee. I hit a weak hook to the edge of the forest, then had to chip out sideways. Every once in a while, I smother the ball with that club so badly that the ball appears to actually have topspin. I never did that a single time with my old driver – and I used it for well over a decade! The tail end of these two holes featured some good shots, but there's no real recovery from tee shots like that.
The next four holes were a roller coaster ride. I made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by hitting the green in regulation and 2-putting. On hole 5, a long par-4, my drive sliced to the right, with the ball nestling right up against a tree trunk. When I tried to punch back to the fairway, my ball moved just a couple inches, getting tangled up in some long weeds. My third shot emerged a couple yards from the weeds, while my fourth missed the green to the left. A chip ran long off the other side of the putting surface. Now short sided, I chipped one well past the hole, requiring two putts just for a score of 8 – the dreaded snowman!
On hole 6, a par-5 that's actually shorter than the par-4 that precedes it, I hit driver, 3-iron just left of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for par. The success was again short-lived, as I exploded for another quadruple-bogey on hole 7. This time, my drive was perfect, finishing in the centre of the fairway. Unfortunately, I pushed the attempted approach shot into some spruce trees on the right side. My ball was unplayable. I chunked a pitch shot after taking a penalty. To add insult to injury, I finished with my first 3-putt of the day. I closed out the front nine with a decent bogey on a par-3 and a disappointing double-bogey on a par-4. Bad chipping cost me a stroke on the latter. My score at the turn was an ugly 51.
The back nine was even worse than the front, so I'll spare you the details. I was nine over par for seven holes, excluding holes 13 and 14. This included only one par, which came on hole 15, a par-3 that plays over a huge waste bunker. The remaining holes were split between bogeys and doubles. I 3-putt for one of the doubles, while poor chipping and a poor drive led to the others. The bogey holes generally featured good drives, but less than stellar approach shots.
I was 8-over for holes 13 and 14 alone, thanks to a quintuple-bogey and triple-bogey, respectively. How does that happen? Consider hole 13, a par-5. Start with a topspinning smothered drive to the trees short and left. Take an unplayable and then hit a 7-iron to the middle of the fairway. The fourth shot is a carry over a large pond from 175 yards. Hit that off the toe and splash into the water. After your second penalty stroke of the hole, hit a lob wedge that spins back off the front of the green and comes to rest in a weird depression with longer than usual rough. The seventh shot travels one yard to barely get on the green. All of this is followed by a 3-putt.
It's a shame because it was such a beautiful day on a beautiful course. I still enjoyed myself, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel like a waste. I'm better than this, but it just wasn't my day.
Score: 104
Putts: 38
Fairways: 7
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
The 3-wood that worked so well on the first hole failed me on the second. I duffed my tee shot into thick fescue just ahead of the teeing ground. I was forced to take an unplayable, leading to double-bogey on this par-4. The same thing happened on hole 3, although it was driver that let me down off the tee. I hit a weak hook to the edge of the forest, then had to chip out sideways. Every once in a while, I smother the ball with that club so badly that the ball appears to actually have topspin. I never did that a single time with my old driver – and I used it for well over a decade! The tail end of these two holes featured some good shots, but there's no real recovery from tee shots like that.
The next four holes were a roller coaster ride. I made par on hole 4, a 167-yard par-3, by hitting the green in regulation and 2-putting. On hole 5, a long par-4, my drive sliced to the right, with the ball nestling right up against a tree trunk. When I tried to punch back to the fairway, my ball moved just a couple inches, getting tangled up in some long weeds. My third shot emerged a couple yards from the weeds, while my fourth missed the green to the left. A chip ran long off the other side of the putting surface. Now short sided, I chipped one well past the hole, requiring two putts just for a score of 8 – the dreaded snowman!
On hole 6, a par-5 that's actually shorter than the par-4 that precedes it, I hit driver, 3-iron just left of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for par. The success was again short-lived, as I exploded for another quadruple-bogey on hole 7. This time, my drive was perfect, finishing in the centre of the fairway. Unfortunately, I pushed the attempted approach shot into some spruce trees on the right side. My ball was unplayable. I chunked a pitch shot after taking a penalty. To add insult to injury, I finished with my first 3-putt of the day. I closed out the front nine with a decent bogey on a par-3 and a disappointing double-bogey on a par-4. Bad chipping cost me a stroke on the latter. My score at the turn was an ugly 51.
The back nine was even worse than the front, so I'll spare you the details. I was nine over par for seven holes, excluding holes 13 and 14. This included only one par, which came on hole 15, a par-3 that plays over a huge waste bunker. The remaining holes were split between bogeys and doubles. I 3-putt for one of the doubles, while poor chipping and a poor drive led to the others. The bogey holes generally featured good drives, but less than stellar approach shots.
I was 8-over for holes 13 and 14 alone, thanks to a quintuple-bogey and triple-bogey, respectively. How does that happen? Consider hole 13, a par-5. Start with a topspinning smothered drive to the trees short and left. Take an unplayable and then hit a 7-iron to the middle of the fairway. The fourth shot is a carry over a large pond from 175 yards. Hit that off the toe and splash into the water. After your second penalty stroke of the hole, hit a lob wedge that spins back off the front of the green and comes to rest in a weird depression with longer than usual rough. The seventh shot travels one yard to barely get on the green. All of this is followed by a 3-putt.
It's a shame because it was such a beautiful day on a beautiful course. I still enjoyed myself, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel like a waste. I'm better than this, but it just wasn't my day.
Score: 104
Putts: 38
Fairways: 7
Greens: 3
Penalties: 4
October 09, 2018
Fall Golf at Lakeview
We are well into fall and it's been difficult to find good weather days for golf. I booked a Sunday afternoon round a few days in advance, with the forecast calling for mild temperature and some sunshine. What I got was a course saturated with water from rainfall a day earlier and overnight. It didn't actually rain during my round, but it was completely overcast and five degrees cooler than originally anticipated. Despite all this, it still wasn't too bad out there. Few people had ventured out to Lakeview Golf Course because of the weather, so I had a lovely solitary round.
I started pretty well, with a couple of pars earned through the first three holes. Hole 1 is a short par-4. I hit 3-wood to the right rough, followed by a wedge to the front of the green. My uphill lag putt was a bit short, but I followed up with a 6-footer for par. Hole 2 is a long par-4 that begins with a drive through a chute of trees. I barely clipped a tree on the right side and my ball dropped straight down, effectively turning the hole into a par-5. I was surprised how poorly the ball came out of the wet rough, which made the hole even longer. It took four shots to find the green and two putts to card a double-bogey. Luckily, I followed up with my second par on hole 3, a 136-yard par-3 design. My wedge shot found the green and then came a good lag and tap-in.
The rest of the front nine was a little shaky. I made no worse than double-bogey, but there were four of those in just a six-hole stretch. Drives popped up and were pushed right on holes 4 and 5, putting me in some trouble immediately off the tee. On the former, I had to chip sideways from a group of trees just to get back to the fairway, 200 yards from the green. On the latter, I played my second shot down an adjacent fairway, rather than punch one sideways. It actually worked well, but I messed up greenside to finish with one of the double bogeys. I managed to fix my drives on holes 6 through 8, but except for a bogey on 6, the results weren't very good. I made bogey on hole 9, a 217-yard par-3, to card a score of 48 at the turn.
The back nine is where I really saved the round. A beautiful up and down from just off the green on hole 10 was good enough for par. Exactly the same thing happened on hole 11. Hole 12 is the infamous “bell” hole at Lakeview. I began with a perfect 3-wood that split the trees up ahead and dropped to the fairway down below. If your tee shot goes too far on this hole your ball can run into a creek. I wasn't worried about that with the wet conditions. Sure enough, my ball was sitting right beside the 100-yard stick. My wedge shot to the elevated green on the right side was not very good. I got to the top of the hill, but was 15 yards short of the green. “Cue up another up and down,” I thought. The pitch was excellent, but I missed a 6-foot par putt and settled for bogey.
My second shot on hole 13, a par-4, was from the left rough. It was thick and wet, so my ball went half the intended distance. From 90 yards I hit a wedge to within 15 feet. I made a beautiful putt over a ridge, but the ball lipped out violently and I took another bogey. No worries, as I got back to par on hole 14, a par-4. After my tee shot found the right centre of the fairway, I thinned a 9-iron to just in front of the green. Putting through the fringe, I lagged one to within inches. Well done! On hole 15, I pulled my drive left into some trees. A good punch allowed me to attack the green with my third shot. I had a long putt to save par, but could only muster bogey.
Hole 16 is a tricky par-5 with a fairway that bends and narrows before players must traverse a creek to a narrow green wedged between the creek and a steep hillside. I hit a great drive, but next could do no more than lay up to the creek only 80 yards ahead. My third shot was a 5-iron to just in front of the green. A beautiful pitch rolled up a ridge on the green and rattled the flagstick, but didn't drop. Still, it was a nice tap-in par. The upper tee was in play on hole 17, meaning this was just a 90 yard par-3, albeit to a tiny, tilted green perched on a steep hillside. I hit a sand wedge to the back of the green, setting up a tricky downhill putt. I played it a bit too tentatively and ended up 3-putting for bogey.
I was four over par through eight holes of the back nine. I ruined this a bit by failing to carry a creek with my drive on the last hole. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a lovely 5-wood, lob wedge combination to set up a chance at bogey. Alas, the putt from about ten feet stopped a couple inches short and left of the hole. I took a double-bogey, which was still good enough to break 90 for the day. A score of 89 on a par 71 course is the very definition of bogey golf. The last time I broke 90 it was also with a score of 89, but that was on a par 70.
Score: 89
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
I started pretty well, with a couple of pars earned through the first three holes. Hole 1 is a short par-4. I hit 3-wood to the right rough, followed by a wedge to the front of the green. My uphill lag putt was a bit short, but I followed up with a 6-footer for par. Hole 2 is a long par-4 that begins with a drive through a chute of trees. I barely clipped a tree on the right side and my ball dropped straight down, effectively turning the hole into a par-5. I was surprised how poorly the ball came out of the wet rough, which made the hole even longer. It took four shots to find the green and two putts to card a double-bogey. Luckily, I followed up with my second par on hole 3, a 136-yard par-3 design. My wedge shot found the green and then came a good lag and tap-in.
The rest of the front nine was a little shaky. I made no worse than double-bogey, but there were four of those in just a six-hole stretch. Drives popped up and were pushed right on holes 4 and 5, putting me in some trouble immediately off the tee. On the former, I had to chip sideways from a group of trees just to get back to the fairway, 200 yards from the green. On the latter, I played my second shot down an adjacent fairway, rather than punch one sideways. It actually worked well, but I messed up greenside to finish with one of the double bogeys. I managed to fix my drives on holes 6 through 8, but except for a bogey on 6, the results weren't very good. I made bogey on hole 9, a 217-yard par-3, to card a score of 48 at the turn.
The back nine is where I really saved the round. A beautiful up and down from just off the green on hole 10 was good enough for par. Exactly the same thing happened on hole 11. Hole 12 is the infamous “bell” hole at Lakeview. I began with a perfect 3-wood that split the trees up ahead and dropped to the fairway down below. If your tee shot goes too far on this hole your ball can run into a creek. I wasn't worried about that with the wet conditions. Sure enough, my ball was sitting right beside the 100-yard stick. My wedge shot to the elevated green on the right side was not very good. I got to the top of the hill, but was 15 yards short of the green. “Cue up another up and down,” I thought. The pitch was excellent, but I missed a 6-foot par putt and settled for bogey.
My second shot on hole 13, a par-4, was from the left rough. It was thick and wet, so my ball went half the intended distance. From 90 yards I hit a wedge to within 15 feet. I made a beautiful putt over a ridge, but the ball lipped out violently and I took another bogey. No worries, as I got back to par on hole 14, a par-4. After my tee shot found the right centre of the fairway, I thinned a 9-iron to just in front of the green. Putting through the fringe, I lagged one to within inches. Well done! On hole 15, I pulled my drive left into some trees. A good punch allowed me to attack the green with my third shot. I had a long putt to save par, but could only muster bogey.
Hole 16 is a tricky par-5 with a fairway that bends and narrows before players must traverse a creek to a narrow green wedged between the creek and a steep hillside. I hit a great drive, but next could do no more than lay up to the creek only 80 yards ahead. My third shot was a 5-iron to just in front of the green. A beautiful pitch rolled up a ridge on the green and rattled the flagstick, but didn't drop. Still, it was a nice tap-in par. The upper tee was in play on hole 17, meaning this was just a 90 yard par-3, albeit to a tiny, tilted green perched on a steep hillside. I hit a sand wedge to the back of the green, setting up a tricky downhill putt. I played it a bit too tentatively and ended up 3-putting for bogey.
I was four over par through eight holes of the back nine. I ruined this a bit by failing to carry a creek with my drive on the last hole. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit a lovely 5-wood, lob wedge combination to set up a chance at bogey. Alas, the putt from about ten feet stopped a couple inches short and left of the hole. I took a double-bogey, which was still good enough to break 90 for the day. A score of 89 on a par 71 course is the very definition of bogey golf. The last time I broke 90 it was also with a score of 89, but that was on a par 70.
Score: 89
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
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