Hanging in There at Cardinal

It was November 10th and we reached 20 degrees Celsius yet again. My second round in two days came on the East Wing course at Cardinal Golf Club. I striped a drive down the fairway on the opening par-5, then hit a layup, leaving 120 yards into the severely elevated green. I thinned my pitching wedge into the hill, forcing a pitch and two putts for bogey.

I flared a 3-iron off the tee on hole 2, a 185-yard par-3 that was playing into the wind. My second shot was a fabulous punch under some tree branches and into a hill that settled on the edge of the green above the hole. My first putt was an attempt to reach a ridge that would take my ball the rest of the way to the hole. Unfortunately, it came up short, leading to a 3-putt double-bogey.

I reacted well, making two bogeys, followed by two pars over the next four holes. I hit all but one of these fairways, and the one I missed was by a mere 12 inches. I thinned an 8-iron approach on hole 3, finishing just short of the green. I hit a great 9-iron approach on hole 4, but the ball rolled just off the left side of the green. On hole 5, my sand wedge into the wind reached the front of the green. I did well to 2-putt from there. On hole 6, my gap wedge was just a little long, but a great up and down made up for it.

Hole 7, a 164-yard par-3, produced a disappointing double-bogey. The tee shot is over a deep valley to the green. I pulled the 7-iron slightly, hitting a tree left of the green. Unfortunately, my ball bounced backwards and rolled 40 yards down the hill. It got worse, as I thinned a wedge 30 yards over the green. My next pitch was a good one, setting up a 2-putt finish.

Hole 8, a 538-yard par-5, is the toughest on the course. I found the fairway with a decent drive, but was too far away to challenge a forced carry over a brush covered ridge with my second shot. I pitched an 8-iron about 80 yards ahead. I was about 230 yards away from the green and decided to hit 3-wood. I made good contact on a good line, but the ball came out low, smacking the slat of a wooden fence at the top of the ridge. The wood was angled such that my ball deflected way up in the air. It cleared all of the brush and landed safely below in the fairway, 120 yards from the flag. I hit pitching wedge past the hole, then 2-putt for a decent bogey.

After thinning a ball into a pond on hole 9, I was forced to hit my third from the tee. This is a par-3 that was playing about 195 yards, so I recovered well to make double-bogey. My score at the turn was 45.

The front nine was played at a reasonable pace, but things slowed greatly on the back nine. The greatest impact was to my driving. While I hit all of the fairways on the front side of the course, I only hit one on the back side. I began hitting slices, with a siginificant loss of distance. On hole 10, a par-5, it wasn't too bad. A tree kicked my ball back near the fairway, where I was able to connect on my second shot with a nice 4-iron. I thinned a wedge to just off the back of the green, but followed up with a great chip and putt for par.

On hole 11, the slice put me deep in some trees, forcing a punch back to the fairway. I missed the green from 150 yards, but followed up with a nice pitch to just below the hole. I felt confident about the bogey putt, which was about 7 feet. Unfortunately, I burned the edge of the cup and ended up taking a double.

On hole 12, a par-5, the slice off the tee found a pond protecting the right side. I was surprised, because the ball took a couple of bounces before going in the water, so I thought it was safe. After taking a penalty and drop, I hit 3-iron up the fairway. My fourth shot was a pitch from 50 yards that I hit a groove too thin, ultimately finishing five yards behind the green. Luckily, I got up and down nicely to save bogey.

The next three holes produced double-bogey, bogey, and par. The double on hole 13 was largely due to a putt from the back of the green that rolled right off the front. I should have been able to make bogey. The bogey on hole 14 was also due to bad putting. I hit a decent drive and a great approach shot to reach the green on this par-4 in regulation. Unfortunately, my first putt slid too far past the hole to make par. The par on hole 15, a par-3, featured some good putting. I lagged one fairly close from distance, then made a tricky 6-footer.

The final three holes also produced double-bogey, bogey, and par. The double on hole 16 began with a sharp pull off the tee that smacked a tree not very far ahead. A great 5-iron put me in position to hit the green with my third shot, but I was conscious of thinning the shot and came in way too steep. I took a huge divot and the ball went nowhere. A pitch and two putts were needed to finish. The bogey on hole 17 was a good save, considering I miss hit my tee shot on this 200-yard par-3. In fact, I almost drained a long putt for par. The par on hole 18 came thanks to a crafty punch second shot that finished near the front of the green. This was followed by a good chip and even better putt.

This is most likely the final round of the year.

Score: 90
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2

Summer Weather, Summer Score

We were gifted with summer like weather in southern Ontario, so I booked as many rounds as I could. On November 9, the temperature surpassed 20 degrees Celsius and I was able to play in shorts. The scene of my round was Calerin Golf Club.

Hole 1, a par-5, resulted in par both times through the course. I missed the green in regulation both times, but was able to get up and down. A thinned 8-iron left me short of the green on the first pass, while a gap wedge missed slightly left on the second. The first chip was one that I got rolling quickly, as I had green to work with. The second was a flop that took its first bounce in the rough.

Hole 2, a par-3, produced bogey and par. Ironically, the bogey came from 108 yards, while the par came from 172 yards. I hit the green in regulation both times. On the first occasion, I faced a long uphill putt and I left it a bit too short. Two more putts were needed. On the second occasion, I left the ball flag high. It was still a fairly lengthy putt, but I lagged it nicely, then tapped in.

Hole 3, a par-4, resulted in a couple of bogeys. On the first pass, my second shot was a tad fat, finishing short of the green. My pitch was to the back of the green, leaving a very long putt. I did very well to 2-putt from here. On the second pass, my second shot rolled to the back of the green – virtually the same spot I had putt from before. This time, I needed three putts to finish.

Hole 4, a par-5, resulted in a couple of bogeys. The first time through, my third shot finished short and right of the green. A pitch and two putts completed the hole. The second time through, my third shot was pulled to a bunker 50 yards short of the green. My pitch out travelled half the intended distance and was still in a bunker. My next attempt was brilliant, setting up a 4-foot putt that I drained.

Hole 5, a par-3, produced bogey and par. I pushed a 7-iron right of the green on my first try. A pitch and two putts were needed to hole out. On the second try, the 7-iron finished right of the flag, but comfortably on the green. I made a pretty good lag and then finished with an uphill 3-footer.

Hole 6, a par-4, also produced bogey and par. I approached the green with a wedge the first time through and finished two yards short of the green. A chip and two putts ensued. I approached the green with an 8-iron the second time through and managed to find the putting surface. The birdie try didn't drop, but it was a comfortable par.

Hole 7, a par-4, also produced bogey and par. As you can see, I was playing better on the back nine. My approach shot both times through was from a similar position, with a very slight up slope. On the first attempt, I came up short of the green, setting up a chip and two putts. On the second attempt, I added a club. The ball launched high and finished very near the pin. I missed the birdie putt on the high side, settling for par.

Hole 8, a par-4, resulted in double-bogey and bogey. My only double of the day came after a short drive and a miss hit left me 50 yards short of the green. I duffed a pitch shot slightly, finishing in the rough by the green collar. A chip from there went well past the hole, requiring two putts to finish. On the second try, my drive was much better. My approach with the gap wedge finished near the spot I had chipped from earlier. This time, I was in the fringe. Unfortunately, I blasted the ball well past the hole, again requiring two putts to finish.

Hole 9, a par-4, resulted in a couple of bogeys. I matched or improved my result on every hole the second time around. Both my approach shots on Hole 9 missed the green. The first missed to the right, while my second was short. I flopped a pitch shot to the green from the right side, while playing a bump and run from in front. The bump and run finished closer to the hole, but a 2-putt was needed both times.

My final score was 85. A summer type score for a summer type day in November.

Score: 85
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Penalties: 0

Some Sawmill Retribution

My debut at Sawmill Golf Course didn't go very well, but I returned a week later in search of retribution. Unusually warm weather for this time of year made it a very pleasant outing. While I didn't start the round particularly well, I finished on a hot streak and managed to collect a fairly good score.

I made bogey on almost every hole on the front nine, with the exceptions being a quadruple-bogey on hole 5 and a par on hole 7. More on those in a minute. Hole 1 is a long par-4 that's difficult to reach in two. I pulled my drive to the 9th fairway, forcing a punch back to the proper fairway. Pitching wedge and two putts completed the bogey.

My drive on hole 2, a par-5, was just left of the fairway, but this left an ideal angle to play my second shot. My third shot from 100 yards was directly in line with the flag, but came up a bit short and deflected into a bunker. I splashed out of the sand surprisingly well and 2-putt for another bogey.

The next two holes were similar, in that I just lacked a bit of precision. On hole 3, a par-3, my 7-iron finished just off the left collar of the green. I blasted a putt through the fringe, requiring two more putts to finish. On hole 4, a par-5, my drive was slightly right of the fairway. I was able to advance the ball, but less than I would have liked. As a result, my third shot was a long one and I came up short. A pitch and two putts finished the hole.

Hole 5 was the disastrous one. It began with a drive that split the fairway on this 390-yard par-4. I was protecting against pulling the ball with my second shot. As a result, I pushed the 7-iron slightly right of the green. Not being very familiar with the course, I forgot that there was water on that side. I took a penalty and drop, then pitched on the green, laying 4. My first putt was a lengthy downhill that slipped well past the hole. My second was an 8-foot uphill putt that I blasted past the left edge of the hole. This was followed by a short miss, before finally completing the hole with my fourth putt!

The remainder of the front nine was back to my typical golf. A great drive on hole 6 was followed by a thinned 7-iron. The ball finished just off the right collar of the green, requiring a chip and two putts to hole out. I got away with a mediocre 5-wood off the tee on hole 7, then followed up with a beautiful 9-iron, finishing 8 feet below the hole. I burned the left edge of the cup on the birdie try, but tapped in for par. Hole 8 is a long par-3 to an elevated green. I did well to find the putting surface with a smooth 5-wood, but then 3-putt. Hole 9 began with a great drive to the middle of the fairway, followed by a mid-iron that was pulled left into a bunker. To my credit, I splashed out well and then 2-putt. Bunker shots like that are never certain for me. My score at the turn was 47.

This mediocre kind of play continued through the first three holes of the back nine. Hole 10 is a ridiculously long par-4. The yardage is one thing, but it also plays uphill and into the wind. I hit a good driver, 3-wood combo and was still 50 yards short of the green. A pitch and two putts finished it off. Hole 11 is a dogleg left around a pond. I hit driver just off the right edge of the fairway, followed by 6-iron to the front of the green. Unfortunately, I 3-putt a healthy distance away from the cup. Hole 12 is a tricky par-5 requiring a couple of forced carries over a creek. My first shot along the tree line ended up lost in the leaves, or in the creek – I couldn't tell. I assumed the ball went in the creek and took a penalty and drop. I played the remainder of the hole reasonably well, but the damage was already done and I took double-bogey.

Beginning with hole 13, everything changed. I was just one over par for the final 6 holes, and that included a triple-bogey! Hole 13 is a short par-4 to an elevated green with two tiers. I drove the ball deep, leaving a 60-yard pitch to the back pin position. My pitch finished on the right fringe, but I nearly drained the birdie putt from there. I burned the left edge, settling for par. Hole 14 is a short par-3. I hit pitching wedge left of the flag and followed up with an easy 2-putt for another par.

Hole 15 is another short par-4, at 327 yards. I split the fairway with my tee shot, then hit a lovely 9-iron that finished flag high on the green. Though I was flag high, the birdie putt was a lengthy one. It had almost no break, however, which allowed me to sink it confidently. It was a great birdie. I drove the ball to the middle of the fairway once again on hole 16, a quirky par-4. The fairway drops down dramatically to the green, which I was able to find with the lob wedge. A solid 2-putt made the par look easy.

Hole 17 is a 170-yard par-3 that plays over and alongside a creek. The teeing area where the blues are located slopes backwards a bit. It gave me trouble the first time I played the course, and it did exactly the same thing again. In both cases, I hit the ball fat, sending it left and into the creek. I adjusted my body to follow the slope of the ground and this time I hit a lovely high 5-iron. The ball was flag high, but in a bunker right of the green. I splashed out well and 2-putt, but the first miscue off the tee meant this was a triple-bogey.

The final hole is a short par-4 at just 328 yards. Driver is not recommended off the tee, because of a creek that crosses the fairway in the landing zone. I laid back with a smooth 5-wood, leaving a 160 yard approach to the green. Mind you, this green is massively elevated. I hit 6-iron next and got the ball to the front of the green. However, this green has a false front. My ball rolled backwards, about 10 yards short of the green. No worries, as I used the 8-iron to chip one along the ground, ultimately hitting the flag stick and dropping for birdie!

I shot 40 on the back nine, which was good enough to break 90 overall.

Score: 87
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3