Round 3 of the Deepwoods Tour went off on the New Course at Hidden Lake. My last few visits to Hidden Lake were on the Old Course, so it was nice to finally play the New Course again. In light drizzle, the first three holes went bogey, par, bogey. I hit a couple fairways and one green in that stretch, while putting was also solid.
Then the rain picked up and things got a little sketchy. I pulled my drive on hole #4, forcing me to punch a low 3-iron to get the ball back to the fairway. From 140 yards out, my 8-iron was a tad fat and I came up short. My chip also came up short, as the ball was in a very mushy area in front of the green. Putting from just off the green, I finished with a triple bogey. Even worse was the next hole, which I finished in 5 over par, thanks to two consecutive balls pulled straight off the tee.
On hole #6, a 149-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 7-iron flag high, then drained a 12-footer for birdie. Sweet! Another nice shot came on hole #7. My third shot drifted well right of the green, about 60 yards away. I hit a sand wedge over some extremely tall trees and landed pin high on the edge of the green. I made a solid two-putt to save bogey. After nine holes, I was sitting at 48. Not bad.
The tenth hole, a 383-yard par-4 was very frustrating. I hit a beautiful drive, leaving 150 yards to the pin. My 7-iron was flag high, but left of the green by about 15 yards. I had to keep the chip shot low to avoid hitting some tree branches. I was trying to land the ball in the rough about two yards before the green. That would have taken most of the speed off, allowing the ball to pop onto the green comfortably. Unfortunately, the ball carried a few yards too long, taking its first bounce on the green itself. It skidded across the entire green to the opposite rough. I then caught the next chip attempt thin, launching the ball back across the entire green. All of this led to a very unnecessary triple bogey.
On the eleventh hole, a 144-yard par-3, I hit a beautiful 8-iron to the pin, which was tucked in the extreme right portion of the green. I was in definite birdie range, but I hit the putt softly, coming up short. I settled for par. Holes twelve through fourteen were mediocre, resulting in double-bogey, bogey, and double-bogey. The double on #14 was tough to swallow, as my bogey putt was right on the money, but broke hard left at the very last second.
Holes fifteen through eighteen were very good, resulting in par, par, bogey, and par. I hit three fairways in that stretch, which set me up for decent finishes. On hole #17, my par putt barely missed, which was too bad. It would have been nice to finish with four pars in a row.
All in all, it was a good round. Despite pretty bad weather, I emerged with what I consider a respectable score.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 36
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
July 20, 2008
July 13, 2008
Lousy at Lionhead
If you step up to the first tee at a golf course and pull three consecutive balls into irretrievable territory, how do you expect that round to play out? Let me ask the same question in a different way. If you add six strokes to your card before you even tee up your first ball, what kind of score do you think you'll achieve?
If you need me to answer, then you're not a golfer. An idiot perhaps, but not a golfer. That's not to say that golfers can't be idiots. In fact, we may be the biggest idiots of all. Why else would we subject ourselves to this cruel sport, and pay handsomely for the privilege?
The scenario I described took place during my last round at Lionhead Golf & Country Club. It was my first visit to the club and I was playing the Masters course. After I launched the first ball into oblivion, the starter said something about taking a Mulligan. Let me be clear about something. I don't take Mulligans. I may suck as a golfer, but at least I count every stroke I take, including penalties. So thanks very much for the suggestion Mr. Starter, but no thanks.
I could go on an on describing all the terrible shots I had throughout the round, but why bother? What good would that do? I could also cherry pick the few good shots I made and talk about those, but to what end? The fact of the matter is I suck. I have a respectable round once in a blue moon, but it doesn't change the fact that I suck. I can't drive the ball consistently. I can't hit my irons regularly. My chipping and putting comes and goes. I don't have the mental strength to put bad shots behind me. Basically, I suck in every facet of the game.
I play a lot. It makes no difference. I practice. It makes no difference. I take lessons. It makes no difference. I read books, magazines, and other articles. It makes no difference. I buy better equipment. It makes no difference. I watch and listen to those who play better than I do. It makes no difference. Nothing makes a differnce. When you suck, you suck, and that's all there is to it.
So I suck, but at the end of this round I hit a new low. You see, I was playing with a friend of mine, a single-digit handicapper who I've played with many times. In all the times we had played together, I had never given him a single piece of golf advice. I never commented on his setup or swing. I never even suggested what club he should hit, or what line he should take. Why would I? It would make absolutely no sense for a single-digit handicapper to take advice from me, just like it wouldn't make sense for me to accept advice from a 30 handicapper.
For some reason though, I decided this time that I would weigh in on his birdie putt on the eighteenth hole. He had pretty much settled on a line that started the ball one cup width left of the hole. I convinced him that left edge of the cup was enough. He proceeded to hit the ball exactly on the line I suggested, and with perfect weight. Of course, the ball missed just right of the hole. His initial read turned out to be the right one. Thanks to my lousy advice, he finished with a score of 78, instead of 77.
Needless to say, that will be the first and last bit of advice I ever give him. It's bad enough that I poison my own game, there's no need for me to punish those who can actually play.
As an extra slap in the face, my average score is now over 100 for the first time in the 2008 season. It took twenty rounds, but there you go. Pathetic!
Score: 113
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
If you need me to answer, then you're not a golfer. An idiot perhaps, but not a golfer. That's not to say that golfers can't be idiots. In fact, we may be the biggest idiots of all. Why else would we subject ourselves to this cruel sport, and pay handsomely for the privilege?
The scenario I described took place during my last round at Lionhead Golf & Country Club. It was my first visit to the club and I was playing the Masters course. After I launched the first ball into oblivion, the starter said something about taking a Mulligan. Let me be clear about something. I don't take Mulligans. I may suck as a golfer, but at least I count every stroke I take, including penalties. So thanks very much for the suggestion Mr. Starter, but no thanks.
I could go on an on describing all the terrible shots I had throughout the round, but why bother? What good would that do? I could also cherry pick the few good shots I made and talk about those, but to what end? The fact of the matter is I suck. I have a respectable round once in a blue moon, but it doesn't change the fact that I suck. I can't drive the ball consistently. I can't hit my irons regularly. My chipping and putting comes and goes. I don't have the mental strength to put bad shots behind me. Basically, I suck in every facet of the game.
I play a lot. It makes no difference. I practice. It makes no difference. I take lessons. It makes no difference. I read books, magazines, and other articles. It makes no difference. I buy better equipment. It makes no difference. I watch and listen to those who play better than I do. It makes no difference. Nothing makes a differnce. When you suck, you suck, and that's all there is to it.
So I suck, but at the end of this round I hit a new low. You see, I was playing with a friend of mine, a single-digit handicapper who I've played with many times. In all the times we had played together, I had never given him a single piece of golf advice. I never commented on his setup or swing. I never even suggested what club he should hit, or what line he should take. Why would I? It would make absolutely no sense for a single-digit handicapper to take advice from me, just like it wouldn't make sense for me to accept advice from a 30 handicapper.
For some reason though, I decided this time that I would weigh in on his birdie putt on the eighteenth hole. He had pretty much settled on a line that started the ball one cup width left of the hole. I convinced him that left edge of the cup was enough. He proceeded to hit the ball exactly on the line I suggested, and with perfect weight. Of course, the ball missed just right of the hole. His initial read turned out to be the right one. Thanks to my lousy advice, he finished with a score of 78, instead of 77.
Needless to say, that will be the first and last bit of advice I ever give him. It's bad enough that I poison my own game, there's no need for me to punish those who can actually play.
As an extra slap in the face, my average score is now over 100 for the first time in the 2008 season. It took twenty rounds, but there you go. Pathetic!
Score: 113
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
July 07, 2008
Did I Mention I Love This Game?
Willow Valley
A Duffer's Dream Tour event. I had a fantastic back nine to salvage a respectable score. More later.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 10
A Duffer's Dream Tour event. I had a fantastic back nine to salvage a respectable score. More later.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 10
July 06, 2008
Did I Mention I Hate This Game?
It's been a while since I posted anything. Time to catch up. Here are my latest rounds, most recent at the top.
Kedron Dells
Kedron Dells, you are my nemesis. I hate you with a passion. Don't get me wrong, you are a fine course. You provide a great challenge and good value. It's just that you deplete my energy and sap my spirit like no other track. Other courses are more difficult, but you know me much better than they do. You know exactly which buttons to press to knock me off my game. Your torturous tactics are seemingly infinite. When I develop a defense for one of them, you simply employ another.
In spite of your cruelty, I keep coming back. In fact, when I haven't seen you for a while, I look forward to reuniting. Why? Because I want to crush you. I want to pay you back ten-fold for the pain you've caused over the years. I want to dismantle you hole by hole, then stand victoriously over your worthless carcass. And I will. You picked the wrong guy to mess with, Kedron. You thought you were taking advantage of a hapless golfer, out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. You're going to regret that choice very soon.
Score: 115
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Bridgewater
I got robbed! You see, if I play a round of golf and collect triple-bogey or worse on only one hole, chances are I have broken 100. That's exactly what happened this time - all but the part about breaking 100. Despite limiting the blowup holes that seem to plague my game, I still did not break the century mark. The reason was that I only had a single par.
The scene of this somewhat unusual round was Bridgewater Country Club, located in Fort Erie, Ontario. It was the first time I had ever played there, but I was optimistic, since it was on the heels of a successful maiden round at Twenty Valley a week earlier. Through the first six holes, I was in a nice little groove. With one third of the round over, I was standing at six over par. Most of those were bogeys, but there was also the lone par of the day and a double-bogey mixed in. The stretch included four consecutive greens in regulation (excellent), but I 3-putt three of those (terrible).
I can't really say the wheels came off the wagon after that nice start. The next six holes, for example, included two bogeys and four double-bogeys. I was playing at a similar level, but my shots started to get a little less precise. I pulled a couple drives to opposite fairways, left a couple approach shots short of the green, had some trouble getting out of a couple of bunkers, and mis-hit a couple chip shots. Nothing was really terrible, just kind of sloppy.
The terrible moment was reserved for hole #14, a 302-yard par-4. I pulled two consecutive shots into the woods using a 3-wood. After that, I put it in the bag in favor of driver, which worked like a charm. The damage was done however, and quintuple-bogey was the result. I rounded out the round with more double bogeys and a bogey. The stretch also included more 3-putts, of which I had seven for the day. So just when I get the driver looking respectable again, my chipping and putting decides to abandon me. Alas, that is the cruelty of golf.
Score: 102
Par: 72
Putts: 41
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Twenty Valley
Twenty Valley is a new course for me, so I was looking forward to it. I started out inconsistently, alternating between pars and triple or quadruple-bogeys. The quadruple came on the second hole, with the cup located on a ridiculous part of the green. I mean just a stupid location. Four putts as a result. I settled down on the fifth hole, playing #5 through #9 in six over par. My score after nine was 48, which was respectable for a new course.
On the back nine, I managed no worse than double-bogey on any single hole, but that included just a single par. Four bogeys and four double-bogeys rounded out the other eight holes. My ball striking was OK, but as on the front nine, I could not buy a putt. Come on man, give me a break! This was a well-played round, but there is no real reward when you amass 42 putts over eighteen holes.
Overall, I guess I was happy with my score. Oh yes, the course was very nice too!
Score: 97
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
The Highlands
For God's sake, change your name back to Bradford Highlands, will you? There are fifty thousand golf courses called the Highlands throughout the world, it will do you some good to have something more unique. Geez.
I had this round all planned out, shot by shot. I have played it enough that I know all the tricky holes and where all the trouble spots are. On the first hole, for example, you don't want to be anywhere near the right side with your tee shot. I certainly wasn't, launching a drive past the tenth fairway to the left. A nice 8-iron put me to the 100-yard marker, en route to a nice bogey.
On the fourth hole, 324-yard par-4, you don't want to lose a ball to the woods on the left side. To avoid this, I played a conservative 4-iron. Well, I pulled it right into the woods, which led to a triple-bogey. On the sixth hole, a 342-yard par-4, I also hit the very hazard I had planned to avoid. This is a pond on the left side of the fairway. I actually hit it twice, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Aargh! In spite of these bad holes, I played well enough to salvage a 49 after nine holes.
The tenth and eleventh holes killed me, and they're not even hard holes. With the course marshall watching intently, I duffed a 3-wood off the tee on #10. After advancing the ball to the end of the fairway, I duffed a sand wedge in an attempt to hit the green. The end result was triple-bogey. I mis-hit a 3-wood into a creek for my second shot on #11. This too, resulted in a triple-bogey.
Then, I started playing well. I played the next six holes in five over par. Going to the last hole, a 493-yard par-5, all I needed was a triple-bogey or better to break 100. Now, I've been in this position a couple times before on this very golf course, and for some bloody reason, things haven't worked out. Well, I need someone to erase the memory of those occasions, because the very same thing happened again. Talk about mental breakdown. I totally psyched myself out. I finished with a quadruple-bogey for the lovely score of 100. Stupid, stupid stupid!
Score: 100
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Grey Silo
Round Four of the Duffer's Dream Tour took place at Grey Silo, which I had played a couple of times, but not recently. This round flat out sucked. I could not hit anything clean off the tee. It didn't matter if it was driver, 3-wood, or even 6-iron. If the ball was propped on one of those little wooden sticks, it meant I was either slicing it, pulling it, topping it, you name it. On rare occasions when I hit a fairway, it was soon followed by some other type of garbage.
Through fourteen holes, I had already amassed five triple-bogeys, which was enough to send me off the deep end. The fifteenth hole was a quadruple-bogey and the seventeenth alone was seven over par. For speed of play, the Duffer's Dream Tour limits individual hole scores to double par, so this particular hole was scored as five over. Seven over is my estimate of what I would have really scored, had I finished the hole completely.
Grey Silo is a nice course, but if you are striking the ball poorly, it will eat you up. I had nine penalty strokes due to lost balls. That means eighteen strokes just given away with no benefit. I hate that!
Score: 109
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Peninsula Lakes
Round Two of the Deepwoods Tour took place at Pen Lakes. I shot a 91 there earlier this year, so I was feeling confident. I couldn't hit a single club on the driving range, so there was a chink in that confidence. All I could do was go out on the course and see what happened.
We played the Quarry nine first. I played poorly through the first six holes, collecting three triple-bogeys along the way. All of my trouble came off the tee, whether it was a sliced driver, a topped 3-wood, or a pulled 4-iron. Fortunately, I played well over the next three holes, including two par-5 holes and one par-3. The par-3 was the ninth hole, measuring 141 yards. I managed a rare birdie there, for a 48 after nine holes.
Good play continued for the first six holes of the Hillside nine, which I played at six over par. Unfortunately, the seventh and ninth holes killed me. Both resulted in triple-bogeys. On the seventh, I pulled my second shot and it found water. After dropping a ball nearby, I launched a sand wedge over the back of the green. My chip was no good and it was followed by three putts. Yuck! Similar stupidity followed on the last hole of the day.
Score: 97
Par: 71
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
Kedron Dells
Kedron Dells, you are my nemesis. I hate you with a passion. Don't get me wrong, you are a fine course. You provide a great challenge and good value. It's just that you deplete my energy and sap my spirit like no other track. Other courses are more difficult, but you know me much better than they do. You know exactly which buttons to press to knock me off my game. Your torturous tactics are seemingly infinite. When I develop a defense for one of them, you simply employ another.
In spite of your cruelty, I keep coming back. In fact, when I haven't seen you for a while, I look forward to reuniting. Why? Because I want to crush you. I want to pay you back ten-fold for the pain you've caused over the years. I want to dismantle you hole by hole, then stand victoriously over your worthless carcass. And I will. You picked the wrong guy to mess with, Kedron. You thought you were taking advantage of a hapless golfer, out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. You're going to regret that choice very soon.
Score: 115
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Bridgewater
I got robbed! You see, if I play a round of golf and collect triple-bogey or worse on only one hole, chances are I have broken 100. That's exactly what happened this time - all but the part about breaking 100. Despite limiting the blowup holes that seem to plague my game, I still did not break the century mark. The reason was that I only had a single par.
The scene of this somewhat unusual round was Bridgewater Country Club, located in Fort Erie, Ontario. It was the first time I had ever played there, but I was optimistic, since it was on the heels of a successful maiden round at Twenty Valley a week earlier. Through the first six holes, I was in a nice little groove. With one third of the round over, I was standing at six over par. Most of those were bogeys, but there was also the lone par of the day and a double-bogey mixed in. The stretch included four consecutive greens in regulation (excellent), but I 3-putt three of those (terrible).
I can't really say the wheels came off the wagon after that nice start. The next six holes, for example, included two bogeys and four double-bogeys. I was playing at a similar level, but my shots started to get a little less precise. I pulled a couple drives to opposite fairways, left a couple approach shots short of the green, had some trouble getting out of a couple of bunkers, and mis-hit a couple chip shots. Nothing was really terrible, just kind of sloppy.
The terrible moment was reserved for hole #14, a 302-yard par-4. I pulled two consecutive shots into the woods using a 3-wood. After that, I put it in the bag in favor of driver, which worked like a charm. The damage was done however, and quintuple-bogey was the result. I rounded out the round with more double bogeys and a bogey. The stretch also included more 3-putts, of which I had seven for the day. So just when I get the driver looking respectable again, my chipping and putting decides to abandon me. Alas, that is the cruelty of golf.
Score: 102
Par: 72
Putts: 41
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Twenty Valley
Twenty Valley is a new course for me, so I was looking forward to it. I started out inconsistently, alternating between pars and triple or quadruple-bogeys. The quadruple came on the second hole, with the cup located on a ridiculous part of the green. I mean just a stupid location. Four putts as a result. I settled down on the fifth hole, playing #5 through #9 in six over par. My score after nine was 48, which was respectable for a new course.
On the back nine, I managed no worse than double-bogey on any single hole, but that included just a single par. Four bogeys and four double-bogeys rounded out the other eight holes. My ball striking was OK, but as on the front nine, I could not buy a putt. Come on man, give me a break! This was a well-played round, but there is no real reward when you amass 42 putts over eighteen holes.
Overall, I guess I was happy with my score. Oh yes, the course was very nice too!
Score: 97
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
The Highlands
For God's sake, change your name back to Bradford Highlands, will you? There are fifty thousand golf courses called the Highlands throughout the world, it will do you some good to have something more unique. Geez.
I had this round all planned out, shot by shot. I have played it enough that I know all the tricky holes and where all the trouble spots are. On the first hole, for example, you don't want to be anywhere near the right side with your tee shot. I certainly wasn't, launching a drive past the tenth fairway to the left. A nice 8-iron put me to the 100-yard marker, en route to a nice bogey.
On the fourth hole, 324-yard par-4, you don't want to lose a ball to the woods on the left side. To avoid this, I played a conservative 4-iron. Well, I pulled it right into the woods, which led to a triple-bogey. On the sixth hole, a 342-yard par-4, I also hit the very hazard I had planned to avoid. This is a pond on the left side of the fairway. I actually hit it twice, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Aargh! In spite of these bad holes, I played well enough to salvage a 49 after nine holes.
The tenth and eleventh holes killed me, and they're not even hard holes. With the course marshall watching intently, I duffed a 3-wood off the tee on #10. After advancing the ball to the end of the fairway, I duffed a sand wedge in an attempt to hit the green. The end result was triple-bogey. I mis-hit a 3-wood into a creek for my second shot on #11. This too, resulted in a triple-bogey.
Then, I started playing well. I played the next six holes in five over par. Going to the last hole, a 493-yard par-5, all I needed was a triple-bogey or better to break 100. Now, I've been in this position a couple times before on this very golf course, and for some bloody reason, things haven't worked out. Well, I need someone to erase the memory of those occasions, because the very same thing happened again. Talk about mental breakdown. I totally psyched myself out. I finished with a quadruple-bogey for the lovely score of 100. Stupid, stupid stupid!
Score: 100
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Grey Silo
Round Four of the Duffer's Dream Tour took place at Grey Silo, which I had played a couple of times, but not recently. This round flat out sucked. I could not hit anything clean off the tee. It didn't matter if it was driver, 3-wood, or even 6-iron. If the ball was propped on one of those little wooden sticks, it meant I was either slicing it, pulling it, topping it, you name it. On rare occasions when I hit a fairway, it was soon followed by some other type of garbage.
Through fourteen holes, I had already amassed five triple-bogeys, which was enough to send me off the deep end. The fifteenth hole was a quadruple-bogey and the seventeenth alone was seven over par. For speed of play, the Duffer's Dream Tour limits individual hole scores to double par, so this particular hole was scored as five over. Seven over is my estimate of what I would have really scored, had I finished the hole completely.
Grey Silo is a nice course, but if you are striking the ball poorly, it will eat you up. I had nine penalty strokes due to lost balls. That means eighteen strokes just given away with no benefit. I hate that!
Score: 109
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Peninsula Lakes
Round Two of the Deepwoods Tour took place at Pen Lakes. I shot a 91 there earlier this year, so I was feeling confident. I couldn't hit a single club on the driving range, so there was a chink in that confidence. All I could do was go out on the course and see what happened.
We played the Quarry nine first. I played poorly through the first six holes, collecting three triple-bogeys along the way. All of my trouble came off the tee, whether it was a sliced driver, a topped 3-wood, or a pulled 4-iron. Fortunately, I played well over the next three holes, including two par-5 holes and one par-3. The par-3 was the ninth hole, measuring 141 yards. I managed a rare birdie there, for a 48 after nine holes.
Good play continued for the first six holes of the Hillside nine, which I played at six over par. Unfortunately, the seventh and ninth holes killed me. Both resulted in triple-bogeys. On the seventh, I pulled my second shot and it found water. After dropping a ball nearby, I launched a sand wedge over the back of the green. My chip was no good and it was followed by three putts. Yuck! Similar stupidity followed on the last hole of the day.
Score: 97
Par: 71
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
June 15, 2008
Granite Ridge Mashup
The weather guys had it wrong - again! They were calling for a wet weekend and we had the exact opposite. Realizing that the weather was going to be fine, I called a bunch of courses to find out where I might be able to walk on. It seemed as though most courses were full. No wonder golf in the GTA is so costly - courses can seemingly charge whatever they want and people continue to line up eagerly. And you thought people were dependant on gasoline!
Anyway, I ended up finding an afternoon tee time at Granite Ridge Golf Club, in Milton. Last time I walked on at Granite Ridge, it was a six hour round, but I really had no other alternative. Sure enough, the round started out really slow. It took three hours to play the front nine on the Ruby course - there were simply too many people. Fortunately, the marshall had us play the back nine of the Cobalt course, which had finished hosting a tournament by then. We managed to play the Cobalt back nine in two hours, so the whole round amounted to a five hour investment.
There were some bright spots in this round, most notably putting. I finished with a respectable 35 putts, but the key is that this included only one 3-putt. Two lengthy putts dropped in the cup - one for birdie, and another to save par. Some more lengthy ones could have dropped, but they just missed either left or right. My distance was very good all day long. I only left a couple of putts short. All others challenged the hole. If they missed, I had an easy tap-in to follow.
The other bright spot was chipping. Though I didn't leave any chip shots very close to the hole, I always put them safely on the green, within a reasonable distance. Considering that some of these were from tricky lies or over bunkers, I was pretty satisfied.
The part of the game that concerned me most was actually my iron play. This has been a strong point for me over my last few rounds, but I made some truly unforced errors this time. On a couple of occasions, I duffed shots from the fairway with either a sand wedge, pitching wedge, or 9-iron. Usually, I caught the ground with the club head before striking ball. The follow-up shots were fine, but I wasted a few strokes this way.
Had it not been for those miscues, I think this could have been the sub-90 round I have been anxiously waiting for.
Score: 94
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Anyway, I ended up finding an afternoon tee time at Granite Ridge Golf Club, in Milton. Last time I walked on at Granite Ridge, it was a six hour round, but I really had no other alternative. Sure enough, the round started out really slow. It took three hours to play the front nine on the Ruby course - there were simply too many people. Fortunately, the marshall had us play the back nine of the Cobalt course, which had finished hosting a tournament by then. We managed to play the Cobalt back nine in two hours, so the whole round amounted to a five hour investment.
There were some bright spots in this round, most notably putting. I finished with a respectable 35 putts, but the key is that this included only one 3-putt. Two lengthy putts dropped in the cup - one for birdie, and another to save par. Some more lengthy ones could have dropped, but they just missed either left or right. My distance was very good all day long. I only left a couple of putts short. All others challenged the hole. If they missed, I had an easy tap-in to follow.
The other bright spot was chipping. Though I didn't leave any chip shots very close to the hole, I always put them safely on the green, within a reasonable distance. Considering that some of these were from tricky lies or over bunkers, I was pretty satisfied.
The part of the game that concerned me most was actually my iron play. This has been a strong point for me over my last few rounds, but I made some truly unforced errors this time. On a couple of occasions, I duffed shots from the fairway with either a sand wedge, pitching wedge, or 9-iron. Usually, I caught the ground with the club head before striking ball. The follow-up shots were fine, but I wasted a few strokes this way.
Had it not been for those miscues, I think this could have been the sub-90 round I have been anxiously waiting for.
Score: 94
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
June 09, 2008
Passing Grade for Dragon's Fire
The Duffer's Dream Tour held its latest round at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, a brand spanking new course located in Carlisle, Ontario. I don't have time to write my usual post round analysis, so here instead is my review of the course, as shared with a couple friends who are fellow golf enthusiasts.
With the review complete, here's how I performed:
Score: 103
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 3
I played there yesterday. I was worried due to all of the negative reviews I had read, but I have to say that I was more than pleased.
The greens were very smooth and consistent, even if a little slow. Two holes is all it takes to get a feel for the greens. After that, there is no reason for players to complain about the slowness of the greens. I heard someone describe them as "slow as molasses" and that was a huge exaggeration. Someone else described them as "shaggy" and that was not the case when I played there.
Some of the fairways were a little hard. This made the ball run nicely, but it was difficult to take a nice divot from the fairway. There were some bare patches on the fairways, but I had to look hard to find them. I have played at many courses that have more bare patches than Dragon's Fire did and those are mature courses.
As discussed, there are numerous tee boxes to choose from. I will just add that they are all square, perfectly level, and in great condition. Another great feature of the course is the fluffy white sand in the bunkers. I was in it a number of times and I can tell you it is like butter. It allows you to play a sand shot the way instructors teach you to. On far too many courses, the terrible sand does not allow you to play shots the "proper" way.
A piece of advice is to hit the fairways, which in most cases are quite ample. This course penalizes missed fairways severely, with wooded areas and two-foot long fescue just a few yards away from the fairways. If you miraculously find your ball, you will not be able to hit out of the fescue. On the positive side, course officials told us to treat all wooded areas as lateral hazards, even though they aren't all staked yet. At least this way, you are penalized a stroke, but not distance.
Finally, one last word about the "driving range". It is terrible. They just didn't have the space, so the end result looks like someone's backyard. It's fine to practice your pitching wedge and high irons, but that is all.
Overall, I think Dragon's Fire is a very good course that will get even better. The price is a little steep, but I think they will be able to command that price, based on competitive courses nearby. By the end of the season, I think Dragon's Fire will be considered better than nearby courses such as Hidden Lake, Crosswinds, or Piper's Heath.
With the review complete, here's how I performed:
Score: 103
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 3
June 08, 2008
Heat Punishes at Woodington Lake
I arrived at Woodington Lake Golf Club as a walk-on late on Saturday afternoon. I thought the timing would be good, because the weather was extremely humid and it would have been treacherous to play during mid-day. As soon as I arrived, the staff was able to send me off, which was fantastic.
The front nine unfolded like many of my rounds this year; at times I was solid, at others, terrible. The solid part included two pars and three bogeys. On these holes, I hit decent tee shots, good approaches, strong chips and efficient putts. The terrible part included four triple-bogeys. On these holes, I mis-hit tee shots and short irons from the rough, while amassing penalty strokes and extra putts. It's difficult to put my finger on what went wrong, since the momentum seemed to swing so frequently and so wildly. The variety of mistakes was incredible.
The back nine is a little easier to explain. In spite of teeing off in the late afternoon, the heat was still stifling. My playing partners were in no hurry to finish the round and the longer I stayed out in the muggy conditions, the worse I felt. Once again, I developed a nasty headache, which made it difficult to concentrate and execute shots. Holes 10 through 14 resulted in two pars and three triple-bogeys, but the wheels really fell off the wagon beginning with hole # 15. I closed out the round going 4 over, 3 over, 1 over, and 5 over. I didn't really care at that point; all I wanted to do was finish the round so that I could recuperate in the clubhouse.
My final score was 109, my worst score of the young season. It's not at all reflective of my ability, but I don't wish to waste rounds this way. I really have to figure out a way to deal with the heat, because it has affected three of my last four rounds.
Score: 109
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
The front nine unfolded like many of my rounds this year; at times I was solid, at others, terrible. The solid part included two pars and three bogeys. On these holes, I hit decent tee shots, good approaches, strong chips and efficient putts. The terrible part included four triple-bogeys. On these holes, I mis-hit tee shots and short irons from the rough, while amassing penalty strokes and extra putts. It's difficult to put my finger on what went wrong, since the momentum seemed to swing so frequently and so wildly. The variety of mistakes was incredible.
The back nine is a little easier to explain. In spite of teeing off in the late afternoon, the heat was still stifling. My playing partners were in no hurry to finish the round and the longer I stayed out in the muggy conditions, the worse I felt. Once again, I developed a nasty headache, which made it difficult to concentrate and execute shots. Holes 10 through 14 resulted in two pars and three triple-bogeys, but the wheels really fell off the wagon beginning with hole # 15. I closed out the round going 4 over, 3 over, 1 over, and 5 over. I didn't really care at that point; all I wanted to do was finish the round so that I could recuperate in the clubhouse.
My final score was 109, my worst score of the young season. It's not at all reflective of my ability, but I don't wish to waste rounds this way. I really have to figure out a way to deal with the heat, because it has affected three of my last four rounds.
Score: 109
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 3
June 01, 2008
Average at Bushwood
Bushwood is a course I have played often enough that it should really be a candidate for a sub-90 round. I didn't help things by arriving at the course with absolutely no time to spare before teeing off. Someone please tell me why I am always the last person to know when the Don Valley Parkway is being closed. Why?
With no time to warm up, I stepped up to the first tee with some trepidation. Sure enough, I pulled my drive into the opposite fairway. I duffed a 3-wood, then hit a nice one for my third shot, but it failed to hold the green. My chip shot was on the green, but far from the hole. I finished things off by 3-putting for a triple-bogey. You have to work hard for an 89 when you start a round like that.
I made some terrible approach and pitch shots on the third hole, before settling down on hole #4. Measuring 278 yards from the blue tees, this is a tantalizing par-4. I usually play a mid-iron off the tee, but decided to blast it with the driver this time. The ball travelled to the left rough, about 40 yards in front of the green. I hit a sand wedge over a large bunker and landed safely on the green. I made a nice lag putt and an easy tap-in for par.
On hole #5 I pulled my drive again. More distubing than that was the fact that I completely mis-hit a couple of irons trying to advance the ball. All season long, my iron play has been the bright spot, so this was a bad turn of events. Luckily, I recuperated on hole #6, a par-4 measuring a scant 322 yards. I blasted a decent drive, even though it landed in the left rough. From about 90 yards away, I hit a pitching wedge to the back fringe. I made a nice lag putt and another easy tap-in for par.
Hole #7, a par-4 measuring a more challenging 392 yards, was like an instant replay. Good distance on the drive, but pulled a bit, coming to rest in the left rough. Next, an 8-iron struck well, leaving the ball on the green, flag high. This was followed by a good lag putt and tap-in for par. I love it when a plan comes together like this.
A trio of bogeys was the result on holes eight through ten. Then, for some reason, I decided to get stupid. Hole #11 is a modest par-4 measuring just 320 yards. I don't know why, but this hole always gives me trouble. The trouble usually comes off the tee, which I play with a mid iron. All I want to do is hit the ball straight, about 170 yards. The straight part is the part that never seems to happen here.
On this occasion, I pulled the ball strongly, and it stopped about three feet into some very long weeds. It took two shots to barely get the ball out of the weeds. Now, the green was obstructed by a cluster of trees, so I opted to place the ball well right of the green. That would have been a good strategy if I was able to pitch the ball from that location onto the green. Unfortunately, my pitch shot was short. I needed a chip and two putts to close out the hole and record a quadruple-bogey.
The stupidity continued on hole #12, another short par-4. Unlike the previous hole, this is one where I usually have lots of success. Unfortunately, I blasted my drive way left of target, somewhere near the 13th tee box. I spent way too long looking for the ball, considering that the group ahead of us must have clearly seen it and could have told me where it was. The next two shots were just plain ugly. The first was one with the pitching wedge, where I must have completely decelerated the club. The ball went only three quarters of the distance I was aiming for. The next was a skulled chip shot that crossed the green and landed in a creek. Can you say penalty stroke? Anyway, this ended up being another quadruple-bogey on an easy par-4.
Now for some good news, which came in the form of a birdie on hole #14. This is a par-5 measuring 497 yards. I smoked my drive low and long. It ended left of target in the opposite fairway, but let's not get too critical. Next, I drilled a monster 3-wood back in the direction of the fairway. Because it travelled so far, it actually crossed the fairway, stopping about two yards into the rough. From 130 yards out, I hit a pure 9-iron right in the direction of the flag, which was at the back of the large green. Finally, I lined up the 8-foot put and drained it. Woohoo! Only my second birdie of the season.
The rest of the round was prety uneventful. I survived some iffy shots on hole #16 and managed a par on hole #18 to finish with a 97, which I would call average.
So, the sub-90 round remains elusive.
Score: 97
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 1
Greens: 6
With no time to warm up, I stepped up to the first tee with some trepidation. Sure enough, I pulled my drive into the opposite fairway. I duffed a 3-wood, then hit a nice one for my third shot, but it failed to hold the green. My chip shot was on the green, but far from the hole. I finished things off by 3-putting for a triple-bogey. You have to work hard for an 89 when you start a round like that.
I made some terrible approach and pitch shots on the third hole, before settling down on hole #4. Measuring 278 yards from the blue tees, this is a tantalizing par-4. I usually play a mid-iron off the tee, but decided to blast it with the driver this time. The ball travelled to the left rough, about 40 yards in front of the green. I hit a sand wedge over a large bunker and landed safely on the green. I made a nice lag putt and an easy tap-in for par.
On hole #5 I pulled my drive again. More distubing than that was the fact that I completely mis-hit a couple of irons trying to advance the ball. All season long, my iron play has been the bright spot, so this was a bad turn of events. Luckily, I recuperated on hole #6, a par-4 measuring a scant 322 yards. I blasted a decent drive, even though it landed in the left rough. From about 90 yards away, I hit a pitching wedge to the back fringe. I made a nice lag putt and another easy tap-in for par.
Hole #7, a par-4 measuring a more challenging 392 yards, was like an instant replay. Good distance on the drive, but pulled a bit, coming to rest in the left rough. Next, an 8-iron struck well, leaving the ball on the green, flag high. This was followed by a good lag putt and tap-in for par. I love it when a plan comes together like this.
A trio of bogeys was the result on holes eight through ten. Then, for some reason, I decided to get stupid. Hole #11 is a modest par-4 measuring just 320 yards. I don't know why, but this hole always gives me trouble. The trouble usually comes off the tee, which I play with a mid iron. All I want to do is hit the ball straight, about 170 yards. The straight part is the part that never seems to happen here.
On this occasion, I pulled the ball strongly, and it stopped about three feet into some very long weeds. It took two shots to barely get the ball out of the weeds. Now, the green was obstructed by a cluster of trees, so I opted to place the ball well right of the green. That would have been a good strategy if I was able to pitch the ball from that location onto the green. Unfortunately, my pitch shot was short. I needed a chip and two putts to close out the hole and record a quadruple-bogey.
The stupidity continued on hole #12, another short par-4. Unlike the previous hole, this is one where I usually have lots of success. Unfortunately, I blasted my drive way left of target, somewhere near the 13th tee box. I spent way too long looking for the ball, considering that the group ahead of us must have clearly seen it and could have told me where it was. The next two shots were just plain ugly. The first was one with the pitching wedge, where I must have completely decelerated the club. The ball went only three quarters of the distance I was aiming for. The next was a skulled chip shot that crossed the green and landed in a creek. Can you say penalty stroke? Anyway, this ended up being another quadruple-bogey on an easy par-4.
Now for some good news, which came in the form of a birdie on hole #14. This is a par-5 measuring 497 yards. I smoked my drive low and long. It ended left of target in the opposite fairway, but let's not get too critical. Next, I drilled a monster 3-wood back in the direction of the fairway. Because it travelled so far, it actually crossed the fairway, stopping about two yards into the rough. From 130 yards out, I hit a pure 9-iron right in the direction of the flag, which was at the back of the large green. Finally, I lined up the 8-foot put and drained it. Woohoo! Only my second birdie of the season.
The rest of the round was prety uneventful. I survived some iffy shots on hole #16 and managed a par on hole #18 to finish with a 97, which I would call average.
So, the sub-90 round remains elusive.
Score: 97
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 1
Greens: 6
First Time at Oaks of St. George
Aah, the dreaded course that has never been played. On the one hand, I enjoy expanding my golf horizons. On the other, I hate what these courses do to my scorecard -- and ego.
So it was for the second round of the Duffer's Dream Tour, held at The Oaks of St. George, located in Paris, Ontario. I thought for certain that this one would be rained out, but after passing through a torrential downpour just east of Brantford, the skies cleared up and the sun came out. The entire round was rain free, and any rain that fell on the course must have drained away quickly, because there was no sign of it whatsoever.
The course itself is a nice layout, featuring three par-5 and three par-3 holes. None of the holes are exactly alike, which keeps things interesting. A few of the holes are a little tight, while others are closer to wide open. Overall, the balance is good. There's enough water and sand to come into play at times, but nothing unreasonable. The condition of the course was good, with consistent greens and fairways. However, I wouldn't describe the course as immaculate or pristine. Dandelions, for instance, seemed to be thriving in the rough.
As for my game, it was a very up and down kind of day. I recorded seven pars, which is quite good, but these were offset by four triple-bogeys and two holes which I just categorize as "meltdowns" (i.e. worse than triple-bogey). I don't have much confidence in my driving right now. I did hit five fairways, but a couple of my misses were scary slices to the right. Easy to fix, right? Yeah, except a couple of my other misses were strong pulls to the left. Aargh! My iron play was OK, no real complaints there. My putting however, was horrible. I simply could not make a decent lag putt whenever I was some distance from the hole. There were far too many 3-putts on my scorecard and even a 4-putt. To add insult to injury, the 4-putt came when I had reached a green in regulation. Doh!
Perhaps the most troubling thing about this round was my inability to deal with the hot, humid conditions. For much of the back nine, I was chugging water and splashing it over my head and face in an attempt to keep cool. Well, it didn't work. I played the last six holes with a headache caused by the heat. By the eighteenth hole, I was dying to get into the club house. Not surprisingly, I took a triple-bogey to close out the round.
I would have been happy to break 100 at a course I have not played before. As it was, I shot 100 even, so I'm not happy.
Score: 100
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
So it was for the second round of the Duffer's Dream Tour, held at The Oaks of St. George, located in Paris, Ontario. I thought for certain that this one would be rained out, but after passing through a torrential downpour just east of Brantford, the skies cleared up and the sun came out. The entire round was rain free, and any rain that fell on the course must have drained away quickly, because there was no sign of it whatsoever.
The course itself is a nice layout, featuring three par-5 and three par-3 holes. None of the holes are exactly alike, which keeps things interesting. A few of the holes are a little tight, while others are closer to wide open. Overall, the balance is good. There's enough water and sand to come into play at times, but nothing unreasonable. The condition of the course was good, with consistent greens and fairways. However, I wouldn't describe the course as immaculate or pristine. Dandelions, for instance, seemed to be thriving in the rough.
As for my game, it was a very up and down kind of day. I recorded seven pars, which is quite good, but these were offset by four triple-bogeys and two holes which I just categorize as "meltdowns" (i.e. worse than triple-bogey). I don't have much confidence in my driving right now. I did hit five fairways, but a couple of my misses were scary slices to the right. Easy to fix, right? Yeah, except a couple of my other misses were strong pulls to the left. Aargh! My iron play was OK, no real complaints there. My putting however, was horrible. I simply could not make a decent lag putt whenever I was some distance from the hole. There were far too many 3-putts on my scorecard and even a 4-putt. To add insult to injury, the 4-putt came when I had reached a green in regulation. Doh!
Perhaps the most troubling thing about this round was my inability to deal with the hot, humid conditions. For much of the back nine, I was chugging water and splashing it over my head and face in an attempt to keep cool. Well, it didn't work. I played the last six holes with a headache caused by the heat. By the eighteenth hole, I was dying to get into the club house. Not surprisingly, I took a triple-bogey to close out the round.
I would have been happy to break 100 at a course I have not played before. As it was, I shot 100 even, so I'm not happy.
Score: 100
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Deepwoods at Copetown Woods
The 2008 Deepwoods Tour kicked off with some fantastic weather at Copetown Woods Golf Club. The sunny skies and warm temperature were in stark contrast to my last round at Hockley Valley. I guess you could say the whole round was in stark contrast, since these two golf courses bear absolutely no resemblance to each other. Hockley Valley features massive elevation changes, so the name of the game is distance control. Copetown Woods is very flat in comparison, with challenges coming in the form of massive waste bunkers, traditional greenside bunkers, and just enough water.
I began the round on hole #10, a tantalizing par-5 at just 439 yards from the white tees. I intended to reach the green in two shots, all the way. My drive off the tee had plenty distance, but I pulled it left of target and out of bounds. After re-teeing, I did manage to get the ball near the green with two shots. I required a pitch shot and two putts to hole out for double-bogey.
After a trio of respectable holes where I averaged bogey, I encountered similar trouble on hole #14, another par-5. I pulled my drive ever so slightly and the ball went out of bounds. After I re-teed, I made a similar shot, but luckily this one stayed inside the white stakes. I say luckily, but I was actually right in the middle of a big pine tree, from which there was no relief. It took two shots to get out, and a mid-iron to put the ball near the 150-yard stick. My approach drifted well right of the green and from there, all I could salvage was a score of 10. This was truly a disastrous hole, all caused by bad driving.
Realizing one bad hole was no reason to let a whole round slip away, I put it out of my mind and focused on the remaining holes. I scored a trio of bogeys on holes 15 through 17. Driving still wasn't great, but I made up for it with good approach shots, chips and putts. I did have a great drive on hole #18, but spoiled it by hitting two balls into the water en route to a quadruple bogey.
On the back nine (which were really the first nine holes of the course) I played like a man possessed. Things started out with another tantalizingly short par-5, measuring just 431 yards from the white tees. With the wind at my back, I hit a 290-yard drive right down the middle. All I needed was an 8-iron to reach the green in two. Unfortunately, my approach drifted right of the green. My chip shot then rolled right across the green. The comeback chip was a little short, so I still had a lengthy putt for par. I missed it and had to settle for bogey.
I was really upset that I walked away with bogey after going driver, 8-iron into a par-5. In that situation, you're thinking eagle and birdie, or certainly no worse than par. This must have motivated me, because I was on fire for the rest of the round. On the second hole, I crushed a long drive left into the ninth fairway. This was actually by design, since I wanted to be sure that I avoided a large pond on the right. From the ninth fairway, the view to the second green is absolutely unobstructed. I hit a high iron pin-high and two-putted for par.
The last third of the round was very successful, even though I was feeling terrible. By then, the heat was really getting to me, and I had a bad headache. I just wanted the round to be over. Perhaps this gave me more focus. I closed out the round with three bogeys and three pars, thanks to excellent iron play. Putting was average, but when the approach shots are on the money, average putting is all you need.
When I got back to the clubhouse, I was feeling absolutely nauseous. Let's just say the snack I had between nines didn't want to stay down. After that rather unpleasant incident, I actually felt much better. While recuperating in the clubhouse, I was able to savour the fact that I shot 40 on the back nine, a stretch comprised of five bogeys and four pars. Too bad I shot 54 on the front nine, including a quadruple bogey and the disastrous 10 on hole #14. If not for those two hiccups, this would have been a sub 90 round.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
I began the round on hole #10, a tantalizing par-5 at just 439 yards from the white tees. I intended to reach the green in two shots, all the way. My drive off the tee had plenty distance, but I pulled it left of target and out of bounds. After re-teeing, I did manage to get the ball near the green with two shots. I required a pitch shot and two putts to hole out for double-bogey.
After a trio of respectable holes where I averaged bogey, I encountered similar trouble on hole #14, another par-5. I pulled my drive ever so slightly and the ball went out of bounds. After I re-teed, I made a similar shot, but luckily this one stayed inside the white stakes. I say luckily, but I was actually right in the middle of a big pine tree, from which there was no relief. It took two shots to get out, and a mid-iron to put the ball near the 150-yard stick. My approach drifted well right of the green and from there, all I could salvage was a score of 10. This was truly a disastrous hole, all caused by bad driving.
Realizing one bad hole was no reason to let a whole round slip away, I put it out of my mind and focused on the remaining holes. I scored a trio of bogeys on holes 15 through 17. Driving still wasn't great, but I made up for it with good approach shots, chips and putts. I did have a great drive on hole #18, but spoiled it by hitting two balls into the water en route to a quadruple bogey.
On the back nine (which were really the first nine holes of the course) I played like a man possessed. Things started out with another tantalizingly short par-5, measuring just 431 yards from the white tees. With the wind at my back, I hit a 290-yard drive right down the middle. All I needed was an 8-iron to reach the green in two. Unfortunately, my approach drifted right of the green. My chip shot then rolled right across the green. The comeback chip was a little short, so I still had a lengthy putt for par. I missed it and had to settle for bogey.
I was really upset that I walked away with bogey after going driver, 8-iron into a par-5. In that situation, you're thinking eagle and birdie, or certainly no worse than par. This must have motivated me, because I was on fire for the rest of the round. On the second hole, I crushed a long drive left into the ninth fairway. This was actually by design, since I wanted to be sure that I avoided a large pond on the right. From the ninth fairway, the view to the second green is absolutely unobstructed. I hit a high iron pin-high and two-putted for par.
The last third of the round was very successful, even though I was feeling terrible. By then, the heat was really getting to me, and I had a bad headache. I just wanted the round to be over. Perhaps this gave me more focus. I closed out the round with three bogeys and three pars, thanks to excellent iron play. Putting was average, but when the approach shots are on the money, average putting is all you need.
When I got back to the clubhouse, I was feeling absolutely nauseous. Let's just say the snack I had between nines didn't want to stay down. After that rather unpleasant incident, I actually felt much better. While recuperating in the clubhouse, I was able to savour the fact that I shot 40 on the back nine, a stretch comprised of five bogeys and four pars. Too bad I shot 54 on the front nine, including a quadruple bogey and the disastrous 10 on hole #14. If not for those two hiccups, this would have been a sub 90 round.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
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