I found a good deal at Cardinal Golf Club and booked a tee time on the West Wing course. Hole 1 produced a par, beginning with a 3-iron to the left fairway, followed by a flag high pitching wedge, just right of the green. My chip went a little past the hole, but the comeback putt was perfectly judged.
Then the shenanigans began. A sliced drive on hole 2 put me behind some trees. After a lob over a tall tree, I thinned one over the green into some pine trees. I finished with a double-bogey. Hole 3 was worse, as I smothered a drive attempt short and left of the fairway. A small evergreen was blocking me and pushed my punch shot further right than I wanted. The ball entered a penalty area and I was forced to take a drop. Another lob got me over a tall tree, but my fifth shot into this par-5 missed the green to the right. I finished with a triple-bogey. I had a perfect drive on hole 4, but wasted it with a 8-iron that I pushed right of the green. My subsequent pitch failed to reach the green and I registered another double-bogey.
I averaged a little better than bogey golf over the rest of the front nine, with two pars, two bogeys, and a double. Both pars came on par-3 holes. I used 9-iron and gap wedge into the greens, then followed with standard 2-putts. The bogeys were fairly standard as well. I just missed the greens with my approach shots, requiring a chip and two putts to hole out. The double-bogey, which came on hole 6, would have been the same, but I duffed a pitch from a spongy lie 30 yards in front of the green. My score at the turn was 46, so I had some work to do to break 90.
I started the back nine as I did the front – with a par. Hole 10 is a par-4 that doglegs left around a large pond. The risk is all in the drive, but I placed one perfectly just past the water, leaving a clear 100-yard shot to the green. I actually came up short, but pitched on and 1-putt for the par.
The next seven holes were a bit of a grind. I was hitting some good shots, but collected just a single par on hole 15. That was despite topping my second shot on this par-5. I was trying to hit 3-wood, but the ball was above my feet and I missed badly. Luckily, I followed with a precise 8-iron. I actually had a birdie chance, but burned the edge of the cup and settled for the par.
It was a better result than I had on hole 13, another par-5. My drive went 295 yards to the right fairway, leaving just 200 yards into the green. With no real danger present, I went for it with 3-iron. However, the ball was slightly above my feet and I hit it really fat. I ended up in the left rough, 95 yards from the green. Worse yet, my lob shot flared a little right, landing in a bunker. I actually made a good out from there, but needed two putts to record a bogey.
With one hole to play, it looked like I was headed for a score of 90 or more. A par would give me 90 even, but I thought a bogey and final score of 91 was more likely. Hole 18 is a 489 yard par-5 with a 90 degree dogleg around a large pond. My drive was about 260 yards, stopping perfectly at the corner of the dogleg. I had 245 yards remaining to the green, with no water to carry. I did have to avoid the left side, however. I hit a low 3-iron straight down the fairway, leaving 40 yards to the green. A nice pitch finished below the hole near the front of the green. An uphill 8-footer was all that stood between me and a birdie, and I drained it!
As I tallied my score, I was delighted to break 90 with a score of 89. I've been playing great lately. I won't play for about three weeks, as I'll be doing some travelling (the non-golf variety). My next outing will be Round 4 of the Deepwoods championship. I'm hoping the layoff doesn't ruin my hot streak.
Score: 89
Putts: 31
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
August 05, 2019
August 04, 2019
Going Low at Hornby Glen
I went low at Hornby Glen with a final score of 84. Most of that was attributable to the front nine, where I shot 39. It would have been 37, if not for a couple of unnecessary 3-putts. One came on hole 5, turning a certain bogey into a double. My first putt was uphill and came up a bit too short. The other was on hole 9, transforming an easy par into a bogey. My first putt on that one was downhill, and I blew it well past the hole.
Offsetting those incidents were a couple of nice birdies. On hole 1, a 352-yard par-4, I hit driver to left fairway, followed by lob wedge just behind the flag. I curled an 8-foot putt into the centre of the hole. On hole 8, a 138-yard par-3, I hit 8-iron just past the back pin position. I got a read on the putt from my fellow competitor, and drained a 10-footer convincingly.
A few nice pars rounded out my front nine. On hole 3, I hit driver to the centre of the fairway, but thinned a gap wedge slightly, rolling off the back of the green. Fortunately, I got up and down, mostly on the strength of the putt. On hole 4, a 146-yard par-3, my 9-iron was all over the flag, finishing 12 feet behind. I just missed the birdie, settling for a tap-in par. On hole 7, I hit 3-iron to the centre of the fairway, followed by sand wedge to the right side of the green. I made a tricky 2-putt look easy from there.
I was on pace to match my best score ever, and early on the back nine I kept it rolling. Hole 10 is a par-5 that produced par. Driver, 5-iron started things perfectly, but lob wedge barely found the green, leaving a healthy distance to the hole. I did very well to 2-putt from there. Hole 11 is a 156-yard par-3. My 8-iron was about flag high and I gave the birdie a chance, but just missed.
Back-to-back bogeys cooled things off a bit on holes 12 and 13. My third shot into hole 12, which is a par-5, found the green, but I was once again far from the hole. This time, I succumbed to a 3-putt. Hole 13 is a par-3 and I simply pushed my tee shot right of the green. Bogey from that position was a reasonable expectation.
It was hole 14 that derailed my chance at a best ever score. I duffed my drive on this par-4, then pushed a 5-wood right of the fairway near some trees. The green was blocked, so I hit back to the fairway 50 yards from the green. A shot hit fat went nowhere. My fifth shot was better, setting up a makeable putt. Unfortunately, it lipped out and I took a triple-bogey.
The final four holes were played at bogey pace, with two bogeys, a double-bogey, and a par. The par was nice and came on hole 17, a 383-yard par-4. I bombed a drive over some pesky fairway bunkers, coming to rest in the centre of the fairway, 100 yards from the green. Sand wedge set up a legit birdie chance. I made a good attempt, but it didn't drop.
The double-bogey was on the final hole, thanks mostly to a drive that I sliced right into the fescue. There is no finding balls there, so I was forced to take a penalty. I nearly recovered with a decent 4-iron into the green, but it drifted right into a bunker and I needed three more strokes to finish.
Overall, a good result though.
Score: 84
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 9
Penalties: 2
Offsetting those incidents were a couple of nice birdies. On hole 1, a 352-yard par-4, I hit driver to left fairway, followed by lob wedge just behind the flag. I curled an 8-foot putt into the centre of the hole. On hole 8, a 138-yard par-3, I hit 8-iron just past the back pin position. I got a read on the putt from my fellow competitor, and drained a 10-footer convincingly.
A few nice pars rounded out my front nine. On hole 3, I hit driver to the centre of the fairway, but thinned a gap wedge slightly, rolling off the back of the green. Fortunately, I got up and down, mostly on the strength of the putt. On hole 4, a 146-yard par-3, my 9-iron was all over the flag, finishing 12 feet behind. I just missed the birdie, settling for a tap-in par. On hole 7, I hit 3-iron to the centre of the fairway, followed by sand wedge to the right side of the green. I made a tricky 2-putt look easy from there.
I was on pace to match my best score ever, and early on the back nine I kept it rolling. Hole 10 is a par-5 that produced par. Driver, 5-iron started things perfectly, but lob wedge barely found the green, leaving a healthy distance to the hole. I did very well to 2-putt from there. Hole 11 is a 156-yard par-3. My 8-iron was about flag high and I gave the birdie a chance, but just missed.
Back-to-back bogeys cooled things off a bit on holes 12 and 13. My third shot into hole 12, which is a par-5, found the green, but I was once again far from the hole. This time, I succumbed to a 3-putt. Hole 13 is a par-3 and I simply pushed my tee shot right of the green. Bogey from that position was a reasonable expectation.
It was hole 14 that derailed my chance at a best ever score. I duffed my drive on this par-4, then pushed a 5-wood right of the fairway near some trees. The green was blocked, so I hit back to the fairway 50 yards from the green. A shot hit fat went nowhere. My fifth shot was better, setting up a makeable putt. Unfortunately, it lipped out and I took a triple-bogey.
The final four holes were played at bogey pace, with two bogeys, a double-bogey, and a par. The par was nice and came on hole 17, a 383-yard par-4. I bombed a drive over some pesky fairway bunkers, coming to rest in the centre of the fairway, 100 yards from the green. Sand wedge set up a legit birdie chance. I made a good attempt, but it didn't drop.
The double-bogey was on the final hole, thanks mostly to a drive that I sliced right into the fescue. There is no finding balls there, so I was forced to take a penalty. I nearly recovered with a decent 4-iron into the green, but it drifted right into a bunker and I needed three more strokes to finish.
Overall, a good result though.
Score: 84
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 9
Penalties: 2
August 02, 2019
Blue Springs Eternal
Hope springs eternal, as the saying goes, and I had plenty of it entering Round 3 of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. This, despite having to play at Blue Springs Golf Club, which was the scene of my worst round of golf in 2018. I've been playing well recently, so last year's inaugural visit to Blue Springs was long forgotten.
My tee shots on the first two holes were absolutely abysmal. Driver on hole 1 was a smothered pull that found long fescue and interfering trees. 5-wood on hole 2 was topped off the heel and the ball failed to clear a naturalized area in front of the teeing ground. A great pitch, 8-iron and 2-putt from distance saved bogey on the first hole, but hitting my third from the tee on hole 2 meant I would finish with a triple-bogey.
I wasn't worried, and immediately started playing better. A perfect 3-iron, sand wedge combo gave me a birdie look on hole 3. I just missed, settling for par. Driver, 8-iron, gap wedge led me safely to the green on hole 4, a par-5. My birdie putt was lengthy and I judged the speed incorrectly, finishing well past the hole. I gave the par putt a chance, but finished with a 3-putt bogey. Hole 5 is a short par-3. A lovely gap wedge set up another good birdie look that just missed. It was another tap-in par.
Hole 6 was played decently, but I had trouble with my current nemesis: bunkers. My driver found a fairway bunker on the right, with my ball fairly close to the lip. Fairway bunkers are not really my problem. I hit a sand wedge clean out of there that looked to be the perfect distance. Unfortunately, the ball came to rest in a front left greenside bunker. These are the ones that kill me. I just tried to get the ball on the green, but thinned it 20 yards past. It's unbelievable. I made a great pitch back through some tree branches to a green falling away from me, leaving a chance to salvage bogey. Sadly, I burned the edge of the cup, finishing with a double.
Good play continued with par on hole 7, a tough par-4. I went conservative off the tee, using 5-wood. I found the left centre of the fairway, but had 170 yards remaining to the green. A gnarly penalty area spreads out on the left side, extending right up to the green. There are bunkers and woods to the right, and a hill in behind. I opted for 6-iron and hit a beauty directly at the flag. The ball released, finishing about ten feet behind the cup. I made a really good putt for birdie, but it just failed to drop. I had to be content with another par.
Hole 8 is the toughest hole on the course, but almost all the trouble is on the tee shot. It's through a chute of trees and there is a long forced carry over water to an angled fairway. It's easy to go right in the water or left through the fairway into thick woods. I missed the fairway left, but stopped short of the woods. I was blocked out from attacking the green, so I just pitched the ball to the centre of the fairway 90 yards from the green. These were good shots and good decisions.
All I needed to do now was hit the lob wedge on the green and 2-putt for bogey. Inexplicably, my lob shot came up short, landing in a front bunker. Like I said, this is my nemesis. I unwillingly picked another ball clean, overshooting the green. There is a big dropoff behind this green, so the comeback shot was not easy. I put it on the green, but was very far from the hole. After a 3-putt, I took a score of 8 on this par-4. Wow, it should have been no worse than a 5.
After bogey on hole 9, I made the turn with a score of 48. Nevertheless, I was feeling good. I just had a couple of unfortunate breaks, so if I continued right along, I felt like some good breaks would balance everything out. Driver, 8-iron worked like a charm on hole 10, a tough par-4. A 2-putt par was the result. A good 7-iron found the green in regulation on hole 11, a par-3. Unfortunately, my long lag putt was short, and I needed two more to finish with a bogey. I had the same result on hole 12, a par-5, where I really only made one slight mistake. Driver, 8-iron started things perfectly, but I thinned a lob wedge shot from an uneven lie to left of the green. A good chip gave me a chance for par, but my attempt burned the edge of the cup.
I made par on four of the next five holes, the only exception being a bogey on hole 15, a par-5. That bogey was actually well earned, as my drive was sharply pulled into the trees left and I was forced to take an unplayable. After a drop, my third shot was a perfect pitching wedge to the 150-yard stick. A nearly perfect 8-iron nestled in the rough a yard left of the green, but then I chipped to within a foot and tapped in.
The pars were attributable to good drives and good approach shots. Not always spectacular, mind you, but just good enough. On hole 13, a drive to the right fairway left me with a gap wedge into the green. A fantastic 2-putt was the real highlight. On hole 14, an impressive 6-iron from the left rough got flag high at the back of the green. I had an outside chance at birdie on this one, but par it was. On hole 16, driver followed by sand wedge set up another birdie look, but I blew the birdie putt way past the hole. I had a longer putt coming back, but this one was uphill and I drained it for a nice save. Hole 17 is a par-3 from an elevated tee and my 8-iron was spot on, stopping below the hole at its back pin position. Another birdie chance came close, but tap-in pars are okay too.
I messed up hole 18 by 3-putting for double-bogey, but after adding up my score, I was delighted to have broken 90. I tallied 37 points in the Deepwoods championship – better than all competitors and 7 points better than the closest of the bunch. I'm currently second in the season standings, so I still have a chance to win the title.
Score: 89
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 10
Penalties: 2
My tee shots on the first two holes were absolutely abysmal. Driver on hole 1 was a smothered pull that found long fescue and interfering trees. 5-wood on hole 2 was topped off the heel and the ball failed to clear a naturalized area in front of the teeing ground. A great pitch, 8-iron and 2-putt from distance saved bogey on the first hole, but hitting my third from the tee on hole 2 meant I would finish with a triple-bogey.
I wasn't worried, and immediately started playing better. A perfect 3-iron, sand wedge combo gave me a birdie look on hole 3. I just missed, settling for par. Driver, 8-iron, gap wedge led me safely to the green on hole 4, a par-5. My birdie putt was lengthy and I judged the speed incorrectly, finishing well past the hole. I gave the par putt a chance, but finished with a 3-putt bogey. Hole 5 is a short par-3. A lovely gap wedge set up another good birdie look that just missed. It was another tap-in par.
Hole 6 was played decently, but I had trouble with my current nemesis: bunkers. My driver found a fairway bunker on the right, with my ball fairly close to the lip. Fairway bunkers are not really my problem. I hit a sand wedge clean out of there that looked to be the perfect distance. Unfortunately, the ball came to rest in a front left greenside bunker. These are the ones that kill me. I just tried to get the ball on the green, but thinned it 20 yards past. It's unbelievable. I made a great pitch back through some tree branches to a green falling away from me, leaving a chance to salvage bogey. Sadly, I burned the edge of the cup, finishing with a double.
Good play continued with par on hole 7, a tough par-4. I went conservative off the tee, using 5-wood. I found the left centre of the fairway, but had 170 yards remaining to the green. A gnarly penalty area spreads out on the left side, extending right up to the green. There are bunkers and woods to the right, and a hill in behind. I opted for 6-iron and hit a beauty directly at the flag. The ball released, finishing about ten feet behind the cup. I made a really good putt for birdie, but it just failed to drop. I had to be content with another par.
Hole 8 is the toughest hole on the course, but almost all the trouble is on the tee shot. It's through a chute of trees and there is a long forced carry over water to an angled fairway. It's easy to go right in the water or left through the fairway into thick woods. I missed the fairway left, but stopped short of the woods. I was blocked out from attacking the green, so I just pitched the ball to the centre of the fairway 90 yards from the green. These were good shots and good decisions.
All I needed to do now was hit the lob wedge on the green and 2-putt for bogey. Inexplicably, my lob shot came up short, landing in a front bunker. Like I said, this is my nemesis. I unwillingly picked another ball clean, overshooting the green. There is a big dropoff behind this green, so the comeback shot was not easy. I put it on the green, but was very far from the hole. After a 3-putt, I took a score of 8 on this par-4. Wow, it should have been no worse than a 5.
After bogey on hole 9, I made the turn with a score of 48. Nevertheless, I was feeling good. I just had a couple of unfortunate breaks, so if I continued right along, I felt like some good breaks would balance everything out. Driver, 8-iron worked like a charm on hole 10, a tough par-4. A 2-putt par was the result. A good 7-iron found the green in regulation on hole 11, a par-3. Unfortunately, my long lag putt was short, and I needed two more to finish with a bogey. I had the same result on hole 12, a par-5, where I really only made one slight mistake. Driver, 8-iron started things perfectly, but I thinned a lob wedge shot from an uneven lie to left of the green. A good chip gave me a chance for par, but my attempt burned the edge of the cup.
I made par on four of the next five holes, the only exception being a bogey on hole 15, a par-5. That bogey was actually well earned, as my drive was sharply pulled into the trees left and I was forced to take an unplayable. After a drop, my third shot was a perfect pitching wedge to the 150-yard stick. A nearly perfect 8-iron nestled in the rough a yard left of the green, but then I chipped to within a foot and tapped in.
The pars were attributable to good drives and good approach shots. Not always spectacular, mind you, but just good enough. On hole 13, a drive to the right fairway left me with a gap wedge into the green. A fantastic 2-putt was the real highlight. On hole 14, an impressive 6-iron from the left rough got flag high at the back of the green. I had an outside chance at birdie on this one, but par it was. On hole 16, driver followed by sand wedge set up another birdie look, but I blew the birdie putt way past the hole. I had a longer putt coming back, but this one was uphill and I drained it for a nice save. Hole 17 is a par-3 from an elevated tee and my 8-iron was spot on, stopping below the hole at its back pin position. Another birdie chance came close, but tap-in pars are okay too.
I messed up hole 18 by 3-putting for double-bogey, but after adding up my score, I was delighted to have broken 90. I tallied 37 points in the Deepwoods championship – better than all competitors and 7 points better than the closest of the bunch. I'm currently second in the season standings, so I still have a chance to win the title.
Score: 89
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 10
Penalties: 2
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