It was a windy day for golf, no matter where you were in the Greater Toronto Area. I was at BraeBen, which is completely exposed to the wind, owing to its elevated position overlooking the homes and businesses of Mississauga. I expected the conditions to be challenging and was ready.
The first four holes were very good. Driver, 5-wood carried me just short and right of the green on the opening par-5. I pitched on and 2-putt for the par. It was no easy feat either, as the wind blew my ball to the fringe after my pitch shot hit the green. I hit the green in regulation on hole 2, a par-3, but my lengthy lag was a bit short. I just missed an 8-footer for par, settling for a 3-putt bogey.
Hole 3 is a par-4 that was playing straight into the wind. I hit a great drive that just trickled into the right rough. My approach was short, forcing a pitch and two putts to complete the bogey. Hole 4 is a par-3 that was also into the teeth of the wind. I judged it well this time, finishing about 12 feet past the hole. The wind was so strong that I had to factor it into my birdie putt. Sadly, I missed, but par was acceptable.
Hole 5, a par-4, was a disaster. With the wind now coming across from the left, I hit a shot that I never hit. It was a very high pull hook with the driver. When I pull my drives, they're low. This must be related to the recent driver adjustments I made, because this never, ever happened before. Hitting my third from the tee, I hit almost the same shot, but a little less severe, and I saw where the ball came to rest in the cut down fescue. I duffed my fourth shot because of a very poor lie. With a slightly better lie, I managed to hit my fifth to just in front of the green. From there, I pitched on and 2-putt for a quadruple-bogey.
I regrouped quickly, making par on hole 6, a par-5. Much like on hole 1, this time the driver, 4-iron combination got me to just in front of the green. I pitched toward the back hole location, setting up a decent birdie try. It missed, but tap-in par is always good.
Holes 7 and 8 gave me some trouble, resulting in a pair of double-bogeys. Hole 7 is a par 3 from a ridiculously elevated tee, to a green fronted by a pond, with woods in behind. Choosing the correct club is difficult on a good day, and near impossible on this day, when the wind was howling straight into our faces. I think I made a good choice of club, but I hooked it well left of the green, leading to a penalty stroke. On hole 8, a par-5, the problem was my third shot – a lob wedge that found a front right bunker. I emerged from the bunker with one shot, but was still not on the green. It was only with my fifth shot that I found the putting surface.
The middle of the round was marked by two moments of brilliance. On hole 9, I hit my drive over the bunker marking the inside of this dogleg par-4. The ball crossed the fairway, settling in the right rough, 90 yards from the green. My lob approach was straight, but short, finishing 30 feet from the hole. I lined up the putt and hit it firmly. As I walked behind the ball, I watched it bend slightly right and drop in the centre of the hole for birdie!
Hole 10 is a medium length par-3 with a contoured green and a deep front bunker. As I shifted my weight on the tee shot, I felt something with my left foot, causing me to completely duff the shot. It was a tee that someone had left in the ground. I hate that! I was now 75 yards away from the green on a ridiculous down slope. I aligned myself with the slope and hit my most lofted club. The ball took its first bounce on the green, then released and tracked right into the hole for birdie! Wow!
I was 8 over par through ten holes, and 4 over through nine, if you don't count the quadruple-bogey on hole 5. I was feeling good about my game, especially given the windy conditions. For the rest of the round, I only made two mistakes that I would consider costly. One of these involved the wind and it was on hole 12, a par-4. My drive was fine, finishing just a yard into the left rough. I was 125 yards away from the flag, so I opted for gap wedge. I felt like the wind was coming straight across from the right, so I aimed accordingly. Not surprisingly, my ball went left in the air. The surprising part was how far it went. I couldn't believe how badly I overshot the green, ending up in some bad weeds. It took a few shots to get on the green from there, and I collected a double-bogey.
Aside from that, I managed the rest of the round very well. A great up and down saved bogey on hole 11. It's already a long par-4 and it was playing directly into the wind. I hit another sky hook with the driver on hole 14 that ended up near the hole 12 teeing ground. The shot was so bad that it sailed straight across all the danger of the weed covered dunes. I managed to hit a 5-iron to just in front of the green, then chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. On hole 15, a par-4, I cut the corner of the dogleg with my drive, finishing in a perfect spot just 90 yards from the green. The wind blew my ball off the green after I hit it, requiring a chip and two putts for another bogey.
Holes 16 and 17 both resulted in par and were well played. The former is a par-5 that began with a driver to the right centre of the fairway, and an easy 4-iron that was placed perfectly at the final dogleg, just 75 yards from the green. I hit a marvellous lob wedge into the wind that finished four feet left of the hole. Alas, I missed the almost certain birdie putt, settling for par. Hole 17 is a short par-4. I hit driver to get as close as possible to the green, and I finished in the left rough, 50 yards from the flag. A decent pitch was followed by a good run at birdie and a tap-in par.
Hole 18, a par-5, was shaping up really nicely, but my third shot from 70 yards came up short in a bunker. My sand shot crossed over the entire green, requiring a pitch back in the opposite direction. I hit the flag stick, but still needed two putts for a double-bogey. An overall score of 88 ain't bad, given the wind. It's another score in the eighties, so I'll take it.
Score: 88
Putts: 32
Fairways: 4
Greens: 7
Penalties: 2
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