There were no birdies at Saw-Whet a week later; the best I could muster was a couple of pars on holes #10 and #12. Driver play was still very erratic, with many shots off the heel of the club. At times, I set up a couple inches away from the ball and it seemed to help.
Hole #9 inflated my score as I took eleven strokes to complete this par-5. In the greenside bunker after four, I proceeded to pick the ball clean and launch it out of bounds into the driving range. After a penalty stroke and a drop, of course my next attempt was hit fat. It was a giant comedy of errors.
I settled down and went 11 over par for the back nine. On hole #12, a par-3 playing 175 yards, I nearly made a hole-in-one. My tee shot rode the wind and dropped a foot in front of the pin, coming to rest about six feet left of the cup.
Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
June 16, 2010
Great Start at Piper's Heath
It was Easter Sunday and the golf season started out well with a birdie on the first hole at Piper's Heath. I drove the ball to the centre of the fairway, hit an 8-iron to the front of the green, then drained a long putt. Good vibes.
I pulled my drive on the second hole and topped my tee shot on the fourth, which was pretty typical for the day. Poor scores resulted on both of those holes. Though I scored better on the remaining holes, my driver and especially my fairway woods were very inconsistent.
I was 13 over par for the last 14 holes, including 5 pars. My irons were decent and my play around the greens was actually quite good. I chipped a number of shots smartly into the mounds surrounding the greens. Overall, my putting was pretty solid.
Score: 92
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
I pulled my drive on the second hole and topped my tee shot on the fourth, which was pretty typical for the day. Poor scores resulted on both of those holes. Though I scored better on the remaining holes, my driver and especially my fairway woods were very inconsistent.
I was 13 over par for the last 14 holes, including 5 pars. My irons were decent and my play around the greens was actually quite good. I chipped a number of shots smartly into the mounds surrounding the greens. Overall, my putting was pretty solid.
Score: 92
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
May 05, 2010
Be Water, My Friend
Empty your mind
Be formless, shapeless, like water
Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup
You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle
You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot
Now water can flow, or it can crash
Be water, my friend
-Bruce Lee
Be formless, shapeless, like water
Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup
You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle
You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot
Now water can flow, or it can crash
Be water, my friend
-Bruce Lee
December 12, 2009
2009: Year in Review
It was a busy year, with 46 rounds played from late April to mid November. That's one round more than last year and two more than each of the previous two years. I certainly can't complain about the number of rounds played. Weather was generally co-operative, though there were some notable exceptions.
Successful debut on GTA Amateur Tour
Competitively speaking, the highlight of the year was my participation on the GTA Amateur Tour. This was my first year on Tour and I enjoyed it thoroughly. From registration and sign-in, to officiating and prizes, organization of the events was impeccable. Competing on a high-calibre tour certainly improved my game. Above all, I learned to hang in there with every single shot, even when a round isn't going very well. The fact is, every golfer makes a bad shot from time to time. Instead of getting frustrated, figure out what caused the bad shot and try not to repeat the same mistake. Over the long haul, the golfer with the fewest errors is the one who wins. Every stroke counts - even the 5-foot putt to "save" triple-bogey.
I played a total of eleven different golf courses on the GTA Amateur Tour. Among them were some of the nicest courses I played all year. Topping the list of private courses was Georgian Bay Club, a spectacular Michael Hurdzan design. Other notables included Devil's Pulpit, Coppinwood, and Wildfire. Unfortunately, most of these were played early in the year, before I was able to shake off the winter rust. Topping the list of public courses played on Tour was The Hoot at Osprey Valley. Other greats included The Heathlands, also at Osprey Valley, and Grand Niagara. I fared much better at these events, probably because they took place later in the season. The Hoot yielded scores of 90 on Day One and 89 on Day Two, while I scored 95 at The Heathlands and 95 at Grand Niagara. My best result on Tour was an 89 at Brampton Golf Club, which was good enough for third place in my flight.
Relinquishing the Deepwoods trophy
In 2009, I also tried (unsuccessfully) to defend the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship. I played steadily to earn victory the previous year, but was unable to sustain that level of consistency this time around. I opened the season well at Copetown Woods and closed it solidly at Willow Valley, but had a couple of uninspiring efforts in between. My play at Peninsula Lakes was a downer, since I have played well there before, while Oakridge burned me for the second year in a row. The fifth Deepwoods event, held at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, was rained out after just six holes. Without the flexibility of dropping one low score, defending the title was not easy.
In terms of my handicap, I am relatively pleased with the progress made this year. I started the season with a handicap factor of 21.4 and ended at 17.0, for an improvement of over four. During the year, my factor dipped as low as 15.8, but it crept up as some good rounds faded into history. I attribute almost all of the improvement to better game management, rather than swing mechanics. Next year, I am aiming to reduce my handicap factor to 12.0, which will be pretty tough. There is still room to improve game management, but to reach the level I'm aiming for, I will need to address some obvious swing deficiencies.
The best and worst rounds of the year
Though I had a lot of fun competing in 2009, my best and most enjoyable rounds of the year came during friendly matches. In mid September, I put together back-to-back rounds in the mid 80's. The first of these was a pretty 85 at Lochness Links, a course I had been meaning to play for a while but never got around to. One week later, I improved my season low, registering a delightful 83 at Carlisle. Both of those rounds felt effortless. When you hit a decent number of fairways and are near or on the greens with your approach shots, golf is more fun than ever.
If I highlight the enjoyable rounds of the year, I suppose I should pay equal attention to the horrific rounds as well. These are very easy to pick. I had a complete debacle at Crosswinds, to the point that I didn't even bother keeping score. I played terribly while dealing with Mega Man at Indian Wells. Finally, I ruined unseasonably warm weather by playing a late season dud at Lionhead.
A host of courses played for the first time
In 2009, I played a number of courses that had been on my to-do list for some time. Besides Grand Niagara, Osprey Valley, and Lochness Links, which I've already mentioned, these included Wooden Sticks, Angus Glen North, and Battlefield at Legends on the Niagara. An unexpected treat came when I had a chance to play at St. George's Golf & Country Club, a Stanley Thompson designed classic that frequently makes the lists of top courses in Canada and even the world. I didn't play very well that day, but still enjoyed myself greatly.
Overall, I feel like it was a successful year. The fact that I saw improvement was the main reason I did not take any lessons this year. Don't get me wrong - lessons always help. It's just that I didn't have anything specific that I needed help with. As problems crept into my game, I seemed to make good adjustments. Mind you, as soon as one thing was fixed, something else would break, but that is the nature of golf. I did struggle with bunker shots for an extended period, which was very strange. Most amateurs decelerate the club head or intentinally try to pick the ball clean out of the sand, but my problem was neither of these. I was blasting the ball well past my target, either with a lot of accompanying sand or with no sand at all when I unintentionally hit the ball thin.
For next year, I have to maintain solid driving. I am not concerned very much about distance, as I have enough to play well. What I'm after is a consistent and controllable flight path. I also need to dial in my short iron approach shots to give myself more birdie opportunities. A huge opportunity is chipping and putting. While my chipping hasn't been bad, it hasn't been good enough to get up and down on most occasions. Similarly, I need to improve my putting. It seems like the simplest part of the game, but it really isn't. This will be my focus during the winter.
Looking forward to next season!
Successful debut on GTA Amateur Tour
Competitively speaking, the highlight of the year was my participation on the GTA Amateur Tour. This was my first year on Tour and I enjoyed it thoroughly. From registration and sign-in, to officiating and prizes, organization of the events was impeccable. Competing on a high-calibre tour certainly improved my game. Above all, I learned to hang in there with every single shot, even when a round isn't going very well. The fact is, every golfer makes a bad shot from time to time. Instead of getting frustrated, figure out what caused the bad shot and try not to repeat the same mistake. Over the long haul, the golfer with the fewest errors is the one who wins. Every stroke counts - even the 5-foot putt to "save" triple-bogey.
I played a total of eleven different golf courses on the GTA Amateur Tour. Among them were some of the nicest courses I played all year. Topping the list of private courses was Georgian Bay Club, a spectacular Michael Hurdzan design. Other notables included Devil's Pulpit, Coppinwood, and Wildfire. Unfortunately, most of these were played early in the year, before I was able to shake off the winter rust. Topping the list of public courses played on Tour was The Hoot at Osprey Valley. Other greats included The Heathlands, also at Osprey Valley, and Grand Niagara. I fared much better at these events, probably because they took place later in the season. The Hoot yielded scores of 90 on Day One and 89 on Day Two, while I scored 95 at The Heathlands and 95 at Grand Niagara. My best result on Tour was an 89 at Brampton Golf Club, which was good enough for third place in my flight.
Relinquishing the Deepwoods trophy
In 2009, I also tried (unsuccessfully) to defend the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship. I played steadily to earn victory the previous year, but was unable to sustain that level of consistency this time around. I opened the season well at Copetown Woods and closed it solidly at Willow Valley, but had a couple of uninspiring efforts in between. My play at Peninsula Lakes was a downer, since I have played well there before, while Oakridge burned me for the second year in a row. The fifth Deepwoods event, held at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, was rained out after just six holes. Without the flexibility of dropping one low score, defending the title was not easy.
In terms of my handicap, I am relatively pleased with the progress made this year. I started the season with a handicap factor of 21.4 and ended at 17.0, for an improvement of over four. During the year, my factor dipped as low as 15.8, but it crept up as some good rounds faded into history. I attribute almost all of the improvement to better game management, rather than swing mechanics. Next year, I am aiming to reduce my handicap factor to 12.0, which will be pretty tough. There is still room to improve game management, but to reach the level I'm aiming for, I will need to address some obvious swing deficiencies.
The best and worst rounds of the year
Though I had a lot of fun competing in 2009, my best and most enjoyable rounds of the year came during friendly matches. In mid September, I put together back-to-back rounds in the mid 80's. The first of these was a pretty 85 at Lochness Links, a course I had been meaning to play for a while but never got around to. One week later, I improved my season low, registering a delightful 83 at Carlisle. Both of those rounds felt effortless. When you hit a decent number of fairways and are near or on the greens with your approach shots, golf is more fun than ever.
If I highlight the enjoyable rounds of the year, I suppose I should pay equal attention to the horrific rounds as well. These are very easy to pick. I had a complete debacle at Crosswinds, to the point that I didn't even bother keeping score. I played terribly while dealing with Mega Man at Indian Wells. Finally, I ruined unseasonably warm weather by playing a late season dud at Lionhead.
A host of courses played for the first time
In 2009, I played a number of courses that had been on my to-do list for some time. Besides Grand Niagara, Osprey Valley, and Lochness Links, which I've already mentioned, these included Wooden Sticks, Angus Glen North, and Battlefield at Legends on the Niagara. An unexpected treat came when I had a chance to play at St. George's Golf & Country Club, a Stanley Thompson designed classic that frequently makes the lists of top courses in Canada and even the world. I didn't play very well that day, but still enjoyed myself greatly.
Overall, I feel like it was a successful year. The fact that I saw improvement was the main reason I did not take any lessons this year. Don't get me wrong - lessons always help. It's just that I didn't have anything specific that I needed help with. As problems crept into my game, I seemed to make good adjustments. Mind you, as soon as one thing was fixed, something else would break, but that is the nature of golf. I did struggle with bunker shots for an extended period, which was very strange. Most amateurs decelerate the club head or intentinally try to pick the ball clean out of the sand, but my problem was neither of these. I was blasting the ball well past my target, either with a lot of accompanying sand or with no sand at all when I unintentionally hit the ball thin.
For next year, I have to maintain solid driving. I am not concerned very much about distance, as I have enough to play well. What I'm after is a consistent and controllable flight path. I also need to dial in my short iron approach shots to give myself more birdie opportunities. A huge opportunity is chipping and putting. While my chipping hasn't been bad, it hasn't been good enough to get up and down on most occasions. Similarly, I need to improve my putting. It seems like the simplest part of the game, but it really isn't. This will be my focus during the winter.
Looking forward to next season!
November 14, 2009
November at Hidden Lake
After nearly three weeks without playing, I headed to Hidden Lake Golf Club for a much needed round. I was worried that the time off might have a negative effect on my performance, but that wasn't the case.
My drive on the first hole gave me some confidence. Even though it was pulled left of target, the contact was good, as were the flight path and distance. My second shot, 200 yards into the green with a 3-iron, was also good. Hitting a long iron like that can give you a nice jolt of energy. When it comes early in a round, it can set the tone for the rest of the day.
I felt like I was striking the ball rather well on the front nine. I was concentrating intently on "finishing down the line" with each stroke. My tendency has always been to get steep at the top of my backswing. This can lead to an outside-in swing path, which produces a straight pull or a left-to-right slice. For me, thinking about finishing down the line seems to encourage a flatter swing plane. It also helps me transfer my weight to the left side, which is something I fail to do on occasion.
Though I was striking the ball well, I made a couple of mental mistakes. On one hole, I selected the wrong approach iron. As a result, my ball sailed clear past the green. On another hole, I took four putts to hole out after reaching the green in regulation. The green was quite sloped, but there really was no reason for such trouble. On yet another hole, I laid up 60 yards from a reachable green, thinking there was a small pond in front. As I approached the green, I realized there was no pond whatsoever. I must have been thinking about a hole on a diferent course!
On the back nine, I played at a similar level, but I felt like there were a few more mis-hits. A couple of these came with the driver, while a few others came with the wedges. With some good recovery shots, I was able to keep my scores in check.
At the end of the day, I tallied a 93, which is not bad for November golf.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
My drive on the first hole gave me some confidence. Even though it was pulled left of target, the contact was good, as were the flight path and distance. My second shot, 200 yards into the green with a 3-iron, was also good. Hitting a long iron like that can give you a nice jolt of energy. When it comes early in a round, it can set the tone for the rest of the day.
I felt like I was striking the ball rather well on the front nine. I was concentrating intently on "finishing down the line" with each stroke. My tendency has always been to get steep at the top of my backswing. This can lead to an outside-in swing path, which produces a straight pull or a left-to-right slice. For me, thinking about finishing down the line seems to encourage a flatter swing plane. It also helps me transfer my weight to the left side, which is something I fail to do on occasion.
Though I was striking the ball well, I made a couple of mental mistakes. On one hole, I selected the wrong approach iron. As a result, my ball sailed clear past the green. On another hole, I took four putts to hole out after reaching the green in regulation. The green was quite sloped, but there really was no reason for such trouble. On yet another hole, I laid up 60 yards from a reachable green, thinking there was a small pond in front. As I approached the green, I realized there was no pond whatsoever. I must have been thinking about a hole on a diferent course!
On the back nine, I played at a similar level, but I felt like there were a few more mis-hits. A couple of these came with the driver, while a few others came with the wedges. With some good recovery shots, I was able to keep my scores in check.
At the end of the day, I tallied a 93, which is not bad for November golf.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
October 26, 2009
The Bitter End at Pheasant Run
Weather was once again co-operative, so I headed out for an afternoon round at Pheasant Run Golf Club. Fall rates were in effect, and it turned out to be good value. With a lot of mature trees on the property, fallen leaves always threaten to put a damper on autumn rounds at Pheasant Run, even though staff does a great job clearing the fairways and greens. On this occasion, the leaves were not very troublesome at all.
I'm happy to say that I played much better than I did at my previous round. I registered three pars, eight bogeys, six double-bogeys, and one triple bogey, for a final score of 95. Given the cool conditions, that's really not bad at all.
I used the driver sparingly, opting for 3-wood or 3-iron off the tee most of the time. One exception was hole #5 on the Highlands course. I felt there was enough room between the forest on either side of the fairway, so I decided to have a rip with the big stick. It was my best drive of the day and set me up nicely for a satisfying par. Generally, my play off the tee was good, though I did lose a couple of tee shots in the forest.
Iron play was nothing to boast about, but also not bad. A few approach shots were what I call rattlers. These are shots where the ball misses the sweet spot of the club face, sending vibrations along the shaft and ultimately absorbed by the hands. You know it's getting cold when rattlers become more and more common.
Finally, my putting was pretty good, as I recorded 36 in total. There were three 3-putts, which nullified a trio of 1-putts.
This was round 45 of the year and we haven't reached November yet. With any luck, I'll get out a couple more times.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
I'm happy to say that I played much better than I did at my previous round. I registered three pars, eight bogeys, six double-bogeys, and one triple bogey, for a final score of 95. Given the cool conditions, that's really not bad at all.
I used the driver sparingly, opting for 3-wood or 3-iron off the tee most of the time. One exception was hole #5 on the Highlands course. I felt there was enough room between the forest on either side of the fairway, so I decided to have a rip with the big stick. It was my best drive of the day and set me up nicely for a satisfying par. Generally, my play off the tee was good, though I did lose a couple of tee shots in the forest.
Iron play was nothing to boast about, but also not bad. A few approach shots were what I call rattlers. These are shots where the ball misses the sweet spot of the club face, sending vibrations along the shaft and ultimately absorbed by the hands. You know it's getting cold when rattlers become more and more common.
Finally, my putting was pretty good, as I recorded 36 in total. There were three 3-putts, which nullified a trio of 1-putts.
This was round 45 of the year and we haven't reached November yet. With any luck, I'll get out a couple more times.
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
October 24, 2009
Season Slipping Away
We had surprisingly balmy conditions for my last round, which was played on the Masters Course at Lionhead Golf & Country Club. It's a shame I wasted the good weather with extremely poor play - my worst of the season.
Beginning our round on the back nine, I blew up on the very first hole played. It's tough to stay focused when you know after a single hole that a good score for the round is no longer possible. I tried to concentrate on each shot and it worked for a few holes, but then I blew up on another one and was basically toast from that point forward.
While I was striking the ball terribly, both from the tee and elsewhere, I was actually putting very well. Through twelve holes, I had registered just 21 putts. After pointing that out to my playing partners, I proceeded to 3-putt the next three holes. So much for that silver lining.
I finished the round with my worst score of the season. The ony bright spot was the fact that I scored par on all four of the par-3 holes. Big whoop.
I hope this doesn't end up being the last round of the season, or it will surely leave a sour taste in my mouth all winter.
Score: 122
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Beginning our round on the back nine, I blew up on the very first hole played. It's tough to stay focused when you know after a single hole that a good score for the round is no longer possible. I tried to concentrate on each shot and it worked for a few holes, but then I blew up on another one and was basically toast from that point forward.
While I was striking the ball terribly, both from the tee and elsewhere, I was actually putting very well. Through twelve holes, I had registered just 21 putts. After pointing that out to my playing partners, I proceeded to 3-putt the next three holes. So much for that silver lining.
I finished the round with my worst score of the season. The ony bright spot was the fact that I scored par on all four of the par-3 holes. Big whoop.
I hope this doesn't end up being the last round of the season, or it will surely leave a sour taste in my mouth all winter.
Score: 122
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
October 11, 2009
Why Does Golf Always Feel Like a Battlefield?
You thought Jordin Sparks was singing about love? Perhaps she was, but golf is synonymous with love, isn't it? In any case, golf courses often do feel like a battlefield, so it was appropriate that I played one named as such. I'm speaking, of course, about the Doug Carrick designed course at Legends on the Niagara. I have been meaning to play Legends for a couple of years, but this was the first time I actually got around to it.
In order to reach the battlefield, I had to crawl through the trenches. In this case, that meant horrendous traffic getting out of Toronto. Special thanks to the city planners who decided it would be a good day to close down the Gardiner Expressway. I had a lot of fun during the hour and a half it took to travel eight kilometres. Needless to say, I arrived at the course late. Fortunately, the staff there was incredibly understanding and managed to get me on the first tee very quickly.
Besides traffic, the story of the day was weather. For mid-October, the temperature was actually pleasant. Wind was moderate, and there was no rain to speak of - except, of course, the rain that had fallen the night before. The fairways were completely saturated with water, ruining most approach shots. On long iron shots that were struck well, the ball would travel 20 yards less than usual. My theory is that soft ground prevents the ball from being fully compressed at impact. On short iron shots, I was frequently taking massive, beaver-tail divots. Under normal conditions, those would have been good shots. Under these conditions, I was coming up 10 or 20 yards short of the green.
The water-logged fairways didn't help my play off the tee either. I managed to hit seven fairways, but the ball would stop dead as soon as it hit the ground. This meant I was playing long irons into the greens, instead of more manageable short irons. I can't blame the water for all of my driving trouble however. I struggled early in the round to keep my swing on plane and to keep the club face square. Despite my best effort, I was swinging over the top with an open club face, resulting in the banana-shaped shots I know all too well from my early golfing days. Late in the round, I did manage to straighten out my drives, which provided some degree of consolation.
Ironically, the best part of my game was putting. All year long, I have struggled with the putter, typically collecting over 36 putts per round. On this day, I amassed merely 32 putts, thanks in part to five holes that required a single putt each. One of these was a 40-foot breaker on hole #8 to save par. It was easily the best shot of the day.
My last four rounds have been played in very poor conditions. Prime golf season is clearly over and it will be tough to do battle from this point forward.
You better go and get your armour.
Score: 101
Par: 72
Putts: 32
Fairways: 7
Greens: 0
October 05, 2009
Bad Karma at The Highlands
I'll have more to say about The Highlands in a little while. For now, here is a summary of some rounds I played earlier in the year, but didn't have a chance to write about until recently. It includes my two best rounds of the year!
Season Low at Lochness Links
New Season Low at Carlisle
Poor Start, Good Finish at Georgian Bay
UPDATE: OK, here's how it went down at The Highlands (Bradford, that is). It was cold and drizzly, but I managed to score eight over par for eight of the holes on the front nine. If you aren't very good at the maths, that equals bogey golf, which for me is pretty good. The problem is, I scored seven over par on the remaining hole. Read that again if you think you misunderstood. I'll wait.
Did you read it again? See? You understood perfectly. Your reading comprehension is clearly better than your maths. How, you may ask, is it possible to score seven over par on a single hole? Easy, just consult the nearest dictionary and look up the words "collapse" or "disaster" to find your answer. If you need a more vivd description, think rain, wind, out-of-bounds, twice, penalty strokes, fescue, pulled shot, short approach, bunker, missed green, chip, two-putt. Isn't it grand?
On the back nine, I managed to score six over par for seven of the holes. With your newly aquired maths expertise, you should realize that is even better than bogey golf. Wow, I'm good! The problem is, I scored a couple of triple-bogeys on the remaining two holes. And by the way, they happened to be the first and last holes on the back nine. The bookend holes. What better way to frame a better-than-bogey stretch of seven holes than with a pair of beautiful bookends?
Now, I don't want to give you too much maths at one time lest you strain your brain, but trust me when I say that adding up the front and back nines tells me that I played fifteen holes of better-than-bogey golf (awesome, dude!) and three holes of crap. For a better appreciation of the term "crap" please consult previously referenced dictionary.
Seriously, the two or three blow-up holes I seem to have during every round need to stop. They absolutely ruin an otherwise good performance.
Score: 99
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Season Low at Lochness Links
New Season Low at Carlisle
Poor Start, Good Finish at Georgian Bay
UPDATE: OK, here's how it went down at The Highlands (Bradford, that is). It was cold and drizzly, but I managed to score eight over par for eight of the holes on the front nine. If you aren't very good at the maths, that equals bogey golf, which for me is pretty good. The problem is, I scored seven over par on the remaining hole. Read that again if you think you misunderstood. I'll wait.
Did you read it again? See? You understood perfectly. Your reading comprehension is clearly better than your maths. How, you may ask, is it possible to score seven over par on a single hole? Easy, just consult the nearest dictionary and look up the words "collapse" or "disaster" to find your answer. If you need a more vivd description, think rain, wind, out-of-bounds, twice, penalty strokes, fescue, pulled shot, short approach, bunker, missed green, chip, two-putt. Isn't it grand?
On the back nine, I managed to score six over par for seven of the holes. With your newly aquired maths expertise, you should realize that is even better than bogey golf. Wow, I'm good! The problem is, I scored a couple of triple-bogeys on the remaining two holes. And by the way, they happened to be the first and last holes on the back nine. The bookend holes. What better way to frame a better-than-bogey stretch of seven holes than with a pair of beautiful bookends?
Now, I don't want to give you too much maths at one time lest you strain your brain, but trust me when I say that adding up the front and back nines tells me that I played fifteen holes of better-than-bogey golf (awesome, dude!) and three holes of crap. For a better appreciation of the term "crap" please consult previously referenced dictionary.
Seriously, the two or three blow-up holes I seem to have during every round need to stop. They absolutely ruin an otherwise good performance.
Score: 99
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Hanging in There at Angus Glen
The latest and final round of the 2009 GTA Amateur Tour kicked off on a very cold and wet Monday morning at Angus Glen Golf Club. My flight played the North Course, which I had never played before, but was familiar with from my experience as a standard-bearer at the 2007 Canadian Open. The round was a test of endurance, both physical and mental, as numerous rain delays, bitter cold, and strong wind challenged players to shoot good scores.
I started the round on the tenth hole, hit a driver and long iron into the wind, and still came up short of the green. No worries, as I chipped on and two-putt for bogey. On the eleventh hole, a par-5 that hugs the side of a large pond, I did very well to reach the green in regulation. Unfortunately, my first putt traveled right off the green, forcing me to chip back on. It ended up in double-bogey. Hole #12 featured one of my best shots on the day. After hitting the left side of the fairway, I hit a 5-iron over the edge of a pond and a greenside bunker, ending up flag high. I added three extra clubs to account for the headwind and it turned out to be precisely the right call. Too bad I missed the birdie and the par putt, settling for bogey. I also bogeyed the next three holes, hitting nice drives, one good recovery shot, but less than perfect putts. After a pair of double-bogeys on holes #16 and #17, I finally tallied a par on hole #18. My approach to the green was pulled slightly left, but I hit a great chip shot to within two feet and followed it up with the easy tap-in.
After nine holes, I had hit seven of seven fairways. They are fairly generous in width on the North Course, but with the severe wind on that day it was quite an accomplishment. If not for the twenty putts I took, the first half of the round would have been even better.
On the front nine of the course, I began with a trio of triple bogeys. My streak of fairways hit came to an end on hole #2. This is a par-4 measuring 409 yards, but I needed a driver, 4-iron, and pitching wedge to reach the green with the wind blasting directly into our faces. This is also when the weather was most severe. At one point, the rain turned into hail and lightning forced us off the course. After a brief delay, we returned with six holes to play, of which I bogeyed three and double-bogeyed the other three. The last hole was played once again in cold, driving rain.
Overall, I was happy with the way I played. Considering the conditions, I did well to score no worse than double-bogey on any single hole. It was the type of round where I played better than the final score would seem to indicate. I finished in 13th position in a field of 37 players, which is not bad. As usual, there was a tightly clustered group of players ahead of me. Had I been two strokes better, I would have been tied for 7th.
As for the GTA Amateur Tour season, I finished 19th out of 88 players. Granted, a lot of those guys did not play a full slate of rounds, but I still feel fairly good about the result.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 10
Greens: 4
I started the round on the tenth hole, hit a driver and long iron into the wind, and still came up short of the green. No worries, as I chipped on and two-putt for bogey. On the eleventh hole, a par-5 that hugs the side of a large pond, I did very well to reach the green in regulation. Unfortunately, my first putt traveled right off the green, forcing me to chip back on. It ended up in double-bogey. Hole #12 featured one of my best shots on the day. After hitting the left side of the fairway, I hit a 5-iron over the edge of a pond and a greenside bunker, ending up flag high. I added three extra clubs to account for the headwind and it turned out to be precisely the right call. Too bad I missed the birdie and the par putt, settling for bogey. I also bogeyed the next three holes, hitting nice drives, one good recovery shot, but less than perfect putts. After a pair of double-bogeys on holes #16 and #17, I finally tallied a par on hole #18. My approach to the green was pulled slightly left, but I hit a great chip shot to within two feet and followed it up with the easy tap-in.
After nine holes, I had hit seven of seven fairways. They are fairly generous in width on the North Course, but with the severe wind on that day it was quite an accomplishment. If not for the twenty putts I took, the first half of the round would have been even better.
On the front nine of the course, I began with a trio of triple bogeys. My streak of fairways hit came to an end on hole #2. This is a par-4 measuring 409 yards, but I needed a driver, 4-iron, and pitching wedge to reach the green with the wind blasting directly into our faces. This is also when the weather was most severe. At one point, the rain turned into hail and lightning forced us off the course. After a brief delay, we returned with six holes to play, of which I bogeyed three and double-bogeyed the other three. The last hole was played once again in cold, driving rain.
Overall, I was happy with the way I played. Considering the conditions, I did well to score no worse than double-bogey on any single hole. It was the type of round where I played better than the final score would seem to indicate. I finished in 13th position in a field of 37 players, which is not bad. As usual, there was a tightly clustered group of players ahead of me. Had I been two strokes better, I would have been tied for 7th.
As for the GTA Amateur Tour season, I finished 19th out of 88 players. Granted, a lot of those guys did not play a full slate of rounds, but I still feel fairly good about the result.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 10
Greens: 4
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