I drove through some fog to reach Scenic Woods Golf Club, and it was thickest near the course, atop the Niagara escarpment. Through the green, the course was ravaged; in fact, it was difficult to differentiate the fairways from the rough. By comparison, the greens were an absolute oasis: lush, receptive, and smooth.
My driver didn't work very well to start the round. I pulled my tee shot on the opening par-5, forcing a sideways pitch back to the fairway. Bogey was the result. I pulled another one on hole 2, a par-4. My ball came to rest against the tree line, inches away from being out of bounds. With no back swing available, I managed to punch a shot to the edge of the green. A nice up and down preserved par. I pulled my third drive of the day on hole 3, a dogleg left. This one bounced into the woods, leading to a penalty and another bogey.
I didn't use the driver again until hole 8, a short par-4. It worked well enough that time to produce par. On holes 4 through 7, my club of choice off the tee was 7-iron, 5-wood, 8-iron, and gap wedge, respectively. All of these are par-4 designs, except for the last, which is a par-3. I actually duffed the 7-iron on hole 4, but recovered well for bogey. A fantastic 5-iron into the green on hole 5 set up a par. Hole 6 produced par as well, thanks to an up and down from just off the green. Hole 7 resulted in bogey, as I thinned the gap wedge through the back of the green.
The front nine ends with a 168-yard par-3. After missing the green left with a 6-iron, I got up and down for par. My score at the turn was 39 (4 over).
There are three par-5 holes on the back nine at Scenic Woods, beginning with hole 10. I smothered my drive attempt there, with my ball ending up behind a spruce tree. My only option then was to hit a lob wedge over the tree. It ended up being the smart choice, as I managed to save bogey on the hole. I wasn't as lucky on holes 12 and 18, the other par-5 designs. I pulled my drive slightly on the former, and sliced one on the latter. In both cases, I was forced to take a penalty. I tried a heroic third shot on hole 12, which only lead to another penalty and triple-bogey. I recovered better on hole 18, but 3-putt from distance to take double-bogey.
Aside from the par-5 holes, my back nine was quite nice. Two nice shots, including a lovely 5-iron off the tee, got me to the green safely on hole 11. Unfortunately, I then 3-putt for bogey. I made par on hole 13, a par 3 with a green wedged between woods and an angled creek. A pure 8-iron off the tee paved the way to bogey on hole 14. My approach to the green was not so pure, forcing a chip and two putts to finish.
Holes 15 and 17 are very similar par-4 designs. Measuring 384 and 394 yards, respectively, both feature a slight dogleg left. The second shot on each hole is a forced carry over a wide creek in front of the greens. My best drive of the day came on hole 15, leaving just a 100-yard shot into the green from the middle of the fairway. I hit an easy sand wedge to below the hole, then 2-putt for par. My drive on hole 17 ran through the dogleg a bit, finishing under a spruce tree. I had only 125 yards to the green, but overhead branches eliminated any possibility of going for the green. I punched to just in front of the creek, then nailed the green with my third. I gave the par putt a good chance, but had to settle for bogey.
Hole 16 is the only one I haven't described yet. It's a 194-yard par-3. I pushed a 4-iron off the tee, dropping down beside a cluster of small trees in front and right of the green. After pitching over a bunker, I 2-putt nicely for bogey. I would say that despite having a couple of 3-putts, my putting was very good all day.
Score: 86
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
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