If it's a public golf course with 18 holes, measuring at least 6,000 yards, and within a 1.5 hour drive of Toronto, I've probably played it. The only exceptions might be a few courses with astronomical green fees. Copper Creek and Glen Abbey come to mind. Oh yes, there's also Lebovic Golf Club, which joined this club just a couple of years ago. In fact, Lebovic might be the poster child for the bunch. At the moment, they don't even have rates posted on their website. If you have to ask, you can't afford it, I suppose.
However, there is a reasonably priced golf course that meets the other specifications, which I had never played – until now. Deerfield Golf Club has 18 holes, measuring 6,301 yards from the back tees, and it's extremely easy for me to get to. Back in the day, I used to play Richview, which was a course just up the road. Richview has been closed for many years now. I also played Saw Whet many times, which was a course directly adjacent to Deerfield. It too, is now closed. Playing Saw Whet #3, I used to look over at Deerfield #14 and wonder about the course. In fact, I may have even sliced a drive or two onto Deerfield property, as there was no fence or other clear division between the holes.
So, I finally made it to Deerfield and the result was excellent. They do say that good things come to those who wait. I managed a final score of 84, or 13 over par for the round, just failing to make the list of my Top 10 rounds of all time. The final spot on that list was also for a round of 84, but it was just 12 over par. There's no reason to split hairs, however. The point is, this was a good round for me. I'm in a good groove, as this was the third time in a row that I broke 90, and the fourth time in my last five attempts.
I started the opening par-5 with a very mediocre drive, but conservative play got me safely over some water fronting the green and I made bogey. Hole 2 is a 188-yard par-3 with water along the entire left side, including up against the green. I hit a beautiful 5-iron to the right side and got the benefit of the ball finishing in the heart of the green. Par was the result. Hole 3, a short par-4, was arguably my worst of the day, as I took two penalty strokes and made double bogey. My 5-iron off the tee was very nice, but it had a hint of draw to it and bounced into the edge of a pond. After taking my first penalty and a drop, my third shot was a sculled attempt that found the water again. I did well to get up and down from about about 70 yards.
I had a couple more 1-putts on the front nine, which helped prevent my score from getting out of hand. The greens at Deerfield were in very good condition, and I had the speed judged very well. The 5-iron continued to work like a charm, including off the tee on hole 5, another short par-4. A wedge into the green helped me finish that hole with par. The only trouble came when I went with driver off the tee. I push sliced my drives on holes 6 and 7, producing a couple of double-bogeys in the process. However, I figured the driver out on hole 8, with a gem right down the middle. The 6-iron that followed was a beauty as well. My score after nine holes was a modest 44.
On the back nine, the round got special, beginning with three consecutive pars. 5-iron off the tee on hole 10 was the correct call, and it was lovely. The tee shot favours a draw around a large tree on the left side of the fairway. A couple of wedge shots got me to the green, followed by a 2-putt. A pretty 9-iron found the green on hole 11, a par-3. Again, two putts finished the job. On hole 12, a towering drive split the fairway, and a gap wedge found the green, giving a good look at birdie. I burned the edge of the cup, settling for the par.
After a bogey on hole 13, a par-3, I got back on the par train with a very nice one on hole 14. This is a long par-5 that begins with a challenging tee shot. Water lines the left side of the landing zone, while woods pinch in on the right. The fairway does widen substantially beyond the pinching trees, but you still need to be precise. I couldn't have done better. After a 3-iron, 7-iron combination, I calmly 2-putt to complete the hole.
Holes 15 through 17 all resulted in bogeys. I was still playing well, just a hair less precise than the previous few holes. On 15, my drive came to rest near a small tree just left of the fairway. With no backswing available, I could not attack the green of this par-4. A punch out was followed by a good wedge shot, but I still needed two putts to finish. On hole 16, my drive just missed the fairway right, and my approach just missed the green left. A chip and two putts were needed to finish. On hole 17, I made a bad putt from the back fringe. It was my only 3-putt of the day.
Now, let's talk about hole 18, which put the finishing touch on a great day. This is a 547-yard par-5. There is OB on the left side and a pond on the right, which can come into play on your tee shot. I smoked a drive straight down the pipe. The ball travelled 280 yards, finishing on the right side of the fairway. Next, I reached for the 6-iron and struck an absolutely pure ball. I love connecting like that with the lower irons. The ball popped off the club face effortlessly, on a beautiful trajectory. As the fairway bends slightly to the right, and my ball was dead straight, it ended up just in the left rough, 100 yards from the green.
Those two shots, back-to-back, felt like absolute perfection and they prove that I can play. My next shot, however, shows how it pays to be lucky. I thinned a sand wedge badly, the ball never getting more than a few feet off the ground. Luckily, it was directly in line with the flag. The ball bounced through some rough, over a hump in front of the green and came to rest four feet from the cup! I'll take it! I lined up the putt and drained it for birdie. How sweet it is!
Score: 84
Putts: 33
Fairways: 7
Greens: 8
Penalties: 3
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