Most people would agree that you can't simply will something to happen; desire just isn't enough. In fact, desire may even get in the way. I can't help but feel that this applies to my latest round of golf, played on The Club at Bond Head's South course. It was my second ever trip to the club, two years removed from my initial visit.
With the exception of Deepwoods Golf Association events, all of my rounds this year have been played as a single. There are a few nice things about that. For one thing, it's easy to play whenever and wherever you want, as there are no schedules to accommodate but your own. Occasionally, you also meet some pleasant people. On the whole, however, playing as a single just isn't as fun as playing with friends. To begin with, you miss out on the banter and good natured joking that only comes with familiarity. Most of all, you miss out on the shared experience – the opportunity to follow your partners' development and to offer support and encouragement, while they do the same for you.
The visit to Bond Head was a chance to play with some good friends whom I haven't seen in over a year. As a result, I was incredibly pumped up about the outing. I arrived at the club later than planned, thanks to heavier than expected traffic. More unsettling was the stiff wind whipping about as we emerged from the clubhouse and made our way over to the first tee. Hole #1 is a short par-4 that calls for an iron off the tee. My irons have been uncontrollable lately, even under ideal conditions. Throw in a strong wind and you have a recipe for disaster. I hooked a 3-iron into the fescue, which required two hacks to get out. Next, I duffed a pitch shot before placing one near the green. Up and down was only good for a triple-bogey.
With driver in my hands on the second tee, the result was no better. I failed to clear a hazard, earning a penalty stroke. My approach shot hooked into some knee-high fescue, which forced me to declare the ball unplayable. After another penalty stroke, I chipped and 2-putt for another triple-bogey.
All of this was just a warmup for what would ensue on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 190 yards. Battling the tendency to hook the ball, I pushed two consecutive balls right off the tee. The first hit a tree and was lost, while the second required a sideways chip to get to the shorter grass. My fifth shot found a greenside bunker, while my sixth sailed clear over the green. After a poor chip and a 3-putt, I marked a ten on my scorecard. Unbelievable!
At this point, it was hard to recover. I was not in the right frame of mind and the severe wind clearly had me rattled. Beginning with the third hole, I managed to 3-putt six consecutive holes. My putting has been good all year, so this had to be a mental issue. Mind you, I tallied 44 putts during my first visit to Bond Head, so maybe it has something to do with the greens there. I registered 42 putts this time around.
I only played two decent holes on the front nine. On hole #4, I hit the fairway with a low trajectory drive, then drew a 7-iron into the green. On hole #7, another low drive found the left rough. This was followed by a good 5-iron, leaving 100 yards into this par-5. Next, I hit a lob wedge thin, but nevertheless found the green in regulation. On both holes, a 3-putt turned a potential par into bogey.
On the back nine, the wind subsided. A slow group ahead of us also let us play through. Both of these factors helped me play a more regular game, coming in with a score of 51. A great up and down earned par on hole #10, while bogeys and double-bogeys began to replace triples or worse. My driving was not as sharp as it has been, but I did manage a couple of good ones. My irons were still bad, but my short game was better. In spite of the improvement, I collected three additional 3-putts.
In the end, I had mixed feelings. I was thankful to have had the opportunity to play with some good buddies and enjoyed our time on the course. However, I was terribly disappointed in my personal performance. I wanted a good result more than at any other time this year, but actually walked away with my worst score. The experience confirmed what I already knew: desire just isn't enough.
Score: 115
Putts: 42
Fairways: 2
Greens: 3
Penalties: 5
July 03, 2012
July 01, 2012
Iron Woes Continue at Peninsula Lakes
My last round was the second in the chase for the 2012 Deepwoods championship. It was played on the Quarry/Hillside nines at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club, with which I am both familiar and comfortable. Prior to the round, I spent some time on the range, trying to figure out why I have been hooking all of my irons. The best I could do was place the ball further back in my stance with high irons in hand. In addition, I focused on getting my weight transferred to the left side to maintain a bit of a forward press at impact. I wasn't very confident in these adjustments, but my ball flight seemed to be straighter, so I went with them.
I blew up on the opening hole for a score of nine on the par-4. My tee shot was a low, hooking driver that found a large pond on the left side of the fairway. After a drop, my attempted approach with an iron was no better. A pitch shot went long, a bunker shot failed to get out, and there was a 3-putt. Over the remainder of the Quarry nine, results were better, but my irons remained terrible. I duffed an 8-iron off the tee on hole #2, as well as a 3-iron off the tee on hole #3. After a good drive on hole #4, I hooked my approach well left of the green. A weak 5-iron off the tee on hole #6 didn't hurt me, but I was clearly not striking the ball even as well as I had been on the range.
My saving grace on the front nine came on holes #7 and #8, which are back-to-back par-5 holes. A good drive found the fairway on #7, while a decent iron shot pierced through the headwind and settled just in front of the green. I then 2-putt from the fringe for par. On hole #8, with the wind now at my back, I hit another nice drive, followed by a pretty drawing 4-iron, leaving just a 50-yard pitch to the green. I hit the front of the green, but the ball released surprisingly all the way to the back edge. Thankfully, I drained a lengthy putt for birdie. Halfway through the round, I was back on track and in position to score well in the Deepwoods system.
Beginning the Hillside nine, I struggled a bit. On Hillside #1, the easiest hole on the course, I mis-hit 3-iron off the tee, leaving a long approach from the left rough. I struck a decent 4-iron, but was just short and left of the green. My pitch shot over a bunker was nice, but the pin was in a tricky position and I 3-putt for double-bogey. On hole #2, my 3-iron off the tee was pushed right. It was a bit of a double-cross, as I was fighting the hook shots all day with the irons. And so, the trouble with my irons continued for the rest of the round. On a couple of occasions, I was so busy trying to figure a solution, that I topped or otherwise completely mis-hit the ball. When there are too many thoughts, that happens.
I don't want to leave the impression that everything was bad. In spite of my terrible iron play, I actually scored pretty well. I closed out the round with five consecutive bogeys, thanks to some good drives, solid wedge recoveries, and good putting. I hit a beautiful drawing drive on the tricky hole #4, perhaps the hardest hole on the course. I smoked another beauty about 290 yards on hole #9, a nice finishing par-5 hole. Unfortunately, my attempt to reach the green in two was foiled when my 4-iron trickled into a bunker in front of the green. One shot was required just to emerge from the bunker, and another to get on the green. In the end, a couple of early double-bogeys on Hillside cost me some critical points. There was no par or birdie this time that enabled me to recover.
My final score of 95 was my second best of the season, a single stroke behind my score earlier in the year at Copetown Woods. I suppose that's good news, but it's hard to see it that way when I have clearly lost a step from a couple of years ago.
Score: 95
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
I blew up on the opening hole for a score of nine on the par-4. My tee shot was a low, hooking driver that found a large pond on the left side of the fairway. After a drop, my attempted approach with an iron was no better. A pitch shot went long, a bunker shot failed to get out, and there was a 3-putt. Over the remainder of the Quarry nine, results were better, but my irons remained terrible. I duffed an 8-iron off the tee on hole #2, as well as a 3-iron off the tee on hole #3. After a good drive on hole #4, I hooked my approach well left of the green. A weak 5-iron off the tee on hole #6 didn't hurt me, but I was clearly not striking the ball even as well as I had been on the range.
My saving grace on the front nine came on holes #7 and #8, which are back-to-back par-5 holes. A good drive found the fairway on #7, while a decent iron shot pierced through the headwind and settled just in front of the green. I then 2-putt from the fringe for par. On hole #8, with the wind now at my back, I hit another nice drive, followed by a pretty drawing 4-iron, leaving just a 50-yard pitch to the green. I hit the front of the green, but the ball released surprisingly all the way to the back edge. Thankfully, I drained a lengthy putt for birdie. Halfway through the round, I was back on track and in position to score well in the Deepwoods system.
Beginning the Hillside nine, I struggled a bit. On Hillside #1, the easiest hole on the course, I mis-hit 3-iron off the tee, leaving a long approach from the left rough. I struck a decent 4-iron, but was just short and left of the green. My pitch shot over a bunker was nice, but the pin was in a tricky position and I 3-putt for double-bogey. On hole #2, my 3-iron off the tee was pushed right. It was a bit of a double-cross, as I was fighting the hook shots all day with the irons. And so, the trouble with my irons continued for the rest of the round. On a couple of occasions, I was so busy trying to figure a solution, that I topped or otherwise completely mis-hit the ball. When there are too many thoughts, that happens.
I don't want to leave the impression that everything was bad. In spite of my terrible iron play, I actually scored pretty well. I closed out the round with five consecutive bogeys, thanks to some good drives, solid wedge recoveries, and good putting. I hit a beautiful drawing drive on the tricky hole #4, perhaps the hardest hole on the course. I smoked another beauty about 290 yards on hole #9, a nice finishing par-5 hole. Unfortunately, my attempt to reach the green in two was foiled when my 4-iron trickled into a bunker in front of the green. One shot was required just to emerge from the bunker, and another to get on the green. In the end, a couple of early double-bogeys on Hillside cost me some critical points. There was no par or birdie this time that enabled me to recover.
My final score of 95 was my second best of the season, a single stroke behind my score earlier in the year at Copetown Woods. I suppose that's good news, but it's hard to see it that way when I have clearly lost a step from a couple of years ago.
Score: 95
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
June 23, 2012
Bloomington Ups and Downs
That golf can be exhilarating one moment and depressing the next is no secret. If you've read this blog long enough, you've seen ample evidence of both extremes. What never fails to surprise me, however, is the speed at which the tides can turn. My latest round, a return to Bloomington Downs after a five year hiatus, was not a collapse of the type I experienced recently at Copetown Woods, but it nevertheless demonstrates the fickle nature of this glorious game.
Over the three rounds played before this one, a few aspects of my game were dialed in. By taking a step back with my right foot at address, I had tamed my driver, delivering tee shots that were straight and plenty deep. At Copetown Woods, for example, I hit a number of 290-yard drives straight down the fairway. Besides my driver, I was also in control of my wedges, delivering chip shots very near the cup and finishing with more up and downs than usual. I was chipping by feel, rather than thinking too much. Despite those strengths, I still wasn't scoring well, all because of poor iron play. I was fighting the tendency to hook shots, even with high lofted clubs.
My iron troubles continued at Bloomington Downs, as I was unable to hit a single green in regulation. It's not like I didn't have the opportunities; I simply missed approach shots from all distances. On the par-5 first hole, I missed the green with my third shot from the fairway at 130 yards. On the par-4 second hole, I missed with my second shot from the fairway at 95 yards. That miss came after a brilliant 3-iron from the tee that travelled 210 yards. On the par-3 third hole, I missed with my tee shot from 160 yards. Some misses were hooks, while others were pushes to the right as I over-compensated.
To make matters worse, my driving and chipping suddenly abandoned me. On the front nine, my drives were all smothered, travelling left of target and extremely short. It was like I could not get the ball airborne. Thankfully, I turned the driving situation around on the back nine, but that is when my chipping became terrible. More on that in a moment.
I played the front nine alongside another player, with a foursome ahead of us. Two of the four called it quits after nine holes, allowing myself and my partner to join up with the two who continued on. On hole #10, a par-5 measuring 470 yards, I finally hit a spectacular drive. With a slight wind helping, I smacked a towering 300-yard drive to the right fairway. The hole bends slightly left, so my ball actually traveled through, ending a couple of yards in the right rough. As I bent over to pick up my tee, I heard one of my new playing partners whisper to the other, “He smoked that one.” What a feeling!
As luck would have it, my lie in the rough was not great. My 7-iron failed to reach the green. Then, I duffed a chip, so I wasn't even on the green in regulation. Can you believe that? Bogey was the result. It was to be the start of a bogey train that lasted for five straight holes. Normally, bogey isn't bad for me, but some of these were disappointing. On hole #13, a par-4 measuring 343 yards, I hit another great drive, 275 yards to the right fairway. My ball got past some bushes that protect the inside of this dogleg right, leaving just 65 yards to the green. My pitch shot was a bit too long, stopping on the back fringe. Three putts later, I carded my bogey.
With four holes to play, I was on pace for a score in the mid nineties. A missed putt inside four feet on hole #15 resulted in a double-bogey and in retrospect, was the turning point. On hole #16, a 180-yard par-3, I hooked my 5-iron left of the green, but was flag-high. All I needed was a chip and two-putt for bogey. Unfortunately, I duffed my first chip attempt. The result was double-bogey. On hole #17, a par-4, I needed a chip and two putts for double-bogey. Once again, I duffed the first chip, settling for triple-bogey instead.
This left me in an interesting position. I needed a par on the par-5 eighteenth hole to break 100. I had not made a par all day, amassing mostly bogeys, with a spattering of doubles. However, I felt par was possible on this dogleg left, which measures just 465 yards. I took aim at the corner of the dogleg, fully intending to go for the green in two. I pulled off exactly what I was trying for. A collection of spaced trees guard the inside of the corner, while further left is thick forest. My ball sailed over the spaced trees, ending up one foot short of the fairway, adjacent to the 150-yard marker. What a beauty! From 150 yards, I played 7-iron, accounting for the elevated green. My ball was flag high, but hooked eight yards left of the green. The hook got me again! No worries, as I could chip and putt for birdie, or at worst, chip and two-putt for the needed par. Well guess what? I duffed another chip, failing again to get to the green in regulation. After a second chip, I faced a 12-footer for par. The ball was tracking nicely, but burned the left edge, leading to bogey and the wretched score of 100.
It's funny; 100 is the mark of perfection is many things, but in golf it is a true mark of failure. Oh well, I'll just focus on the great shots that were made and try not to worry about the score.
Score: 100
Putts: 36
Fairways: 2
Greens: 0
Penalties: 1
Over the three rounds played before this one, a few aspects of my game were dialed in. By taking a step back with my right foot at address, I had tamed my driver, delivering tee shots that were straight and plenty deep. At Copetown Woods, for example, I hit a number of 290-yard drives straight down the fairway. Besides my driver, I was also in control of my wedges, delivering chip shots very near the cup and finishing with more up and downs than usual. I was chipping by feel, rather than thinking too much. Despite those strengths, I still wasn't scoring well, all because of poor iron play. I was fighting the tendency to hook shots, even with high lofted clubs.
My iron troubles continued at Bloomington Downs, as I was unable to hit a single green in regulation. It's not like I didn't have the opportunities; I simply missed approach shots from all distances. On the par-5 first hole, I missed the green with my third shot from the fairway at 130 yards. On the par-4 second hole, I missed with my second shot from the fairway at 95 yards. That miss came after a brilliant 3-iron from the tee that travelled 210 yards. On the par-3 third hole, I missed with my tee shot from 160 yards. Some misses were hooks, while others were pushes to the right as I over-compensated.
To make matters worse, my driving and chipping suddenly abandoned me. On the front nine, my drives were all smothered, travelling left of target and extremely short. It was like I could not get the ball airborne. Thankfully, I turned the driving situation around on the back nine, but that is when my chipping became terrible. More on that in a moment.
I played the front nine alongside another player, with a foursome ahead of us. Two of the four called it quits after nine holes, allowing myself and my partner to join up with the two who continued on. On hole #10, a par-5 measuring 470 yards, I finally hit a spectacular drive. With a slight wind helping, I smacked a towering 300-yard drive to the right fairway. The hole bends slightly left, so my ball actually traveled through, ending a couple of yards in the right rough. As I bent over to pick up my tee, I heard one of my new playing partners whisper to the other, “He smoked that one.” What a feeling!
As luck would have it, my lie in the rough was not great. My 7-iron failed to reach the green. Then, I duffed a chip, so I wasn't even on the green in regulation. Can you believe that? Bogey was the result. It was to be the start of a bogey train that lasted for five straight holes. Normally, bogey isn't bad for me, but some of these were disappointing. On hole #13, a par-4 measuring 343 yards, I hit another great drive, 275 yards to the right fairway. My ball got past some bushes that protect the inside of this dogleg right, leaving just 65 yards to the green. My pitch shot was a bit too long, stopping on the back fringe. Three putts later, I carded my bogey.
With four holes to play, I was on pace for a score in the mid nineties. A missed putt inside four feet on hole #15 resulted in a double-bogey and in retrospect, was the turning point. On hole #16, a 180-yard par-3, I hooked my 5-iron left of the green, but was flag-high. All I needed was a chip and two-putt for bogey. Unfortunately, I duffed my first chip attempt. The result was double-bogey. On hole #17, a par-4, I needed a chip and two putts for double-bogey. Once again, I duffed the first chip, settling for triple-bogey instead.
This left me in an interesting position. I needed a par on the par-5 eighteenth hole to break 100. I had not made a par all day, amassing mostly bogeys, with a spattering of doubles. However, I felt par was possible on this dogleg left, which measures just 465 yards. I took aim at the corner of the dogleg, fully intending to go for the green in two. I pulled off exactly what I was trying for. A collection of spaced trees guard the inside of the corner, while further left is thick forest. My ball sailed over the spaced trees, ending up one foot short of the fairway, adjacent to the 150-yard marker. What a beauty! From 150 yards, I played 7-iron, accounting for the elevated green. My ball was flag high, but hooked eight yards left of the green. The hook got me again! No worries, as I could chip and putt for birdie, or at worst, chip and two-putt for the needed par. Well guess what? I duffed another chip, failing again to get to the green in regulation. After a second chip, I faced a 12-footer for par. The ball was tracking nicely, but burned the left edge, leading to bogey and the wretched score of 100.
It's funny; 100 is the mark of perfection is many things, but in golf it is a true mark of failure. Oh well, I'll just focus on the great shots that were made and try not to worry about the score.
Score: 100
Putts: 36
Fairways: 2
Greens: 0
Penalties: 1
June 16, 2012
First Visit to Victoria Park East
It had been over two weeks since my last golf round, so I looked for a course to tackle. I settled on Victoria Park East, a Rene Muylaert design located in Guelph, Ontario. Owing to the fact that it is slightly out of the way for me, I had never played Victoria Park before. However, I enjoy playing new courses every now and then, so I was willing to drive a few extra kilometres.
I was paired with another first timer, but we were joined on the front nine by a couple of staff members. They were happy to share their knowledge of the course with us newbies, which helped tremendously. We had to fare for ourselves on the back nine, but by then I had developed a certain degree of comfort with the course. Weather was absolutely perfect for the entire round.
I started well, registering pars on holes #1, #3 and #5. I hit three of four fairways in the same stretch, taking a step back with my right foot at address. This approach served me well in my previous two rounds, and I'm happy to say that it worked again. I would go on to hit only five fairways in total, but my misses were never more than two or three yards off the fairway. I didn't have the great distance I displayed at Copetown Woods, but I was still very much in control of the driver.
A couple of the pars early in the round came as a result of my short game. In both cases, I executed excellent chip shots, followed by solid putts. If there was any part of the game where I was struggling, it was with my iron shots, especially short irons. I was fighting the tendency I've developed recently to hook the ball. My ball flight was also lower than normal. This was the primary reason I did not hit many greens in regulation.
At the turn, my score was 51, thanks to a ridiculous score of 11 on the par-3 sixth hole. At 153 yards, the hole is not long, but one must carry a pond to reach the green. My tee shot was off the toe of the club and found the water. After a penalty stroke and drop, I proceeded to hit two more balls in the water, just 60 yards from the green. It was unbelievable! I finally reached the green in 8 and then 3-putt to finish the misery.
To a lesser extent, the same thing happened on hole #13, another par-3 measuring 161 yards. My tee shot was hit thin and found the pond fronting the green. After a penalty stroke and drop, I duffed a second ball into the wet. That hole ended with a triple-bogey. The problem on both of these holes stemmed from my discomfort hitting an iron – on hole #6 it was an 8-iron, while on hole #13, it was a 7-iron. As I said, I was fighting a hook with the irons and making too many adjustments before hitting.
The remainder of the back nine was quite good. My driver remained rock steady, as did my chipping and putting. I finished with a score of 99, which doesn't help my handicap factor at all, but which I suppose is okay for a new course. I simply have to get my irons in order and avoid the blowup holes to start scoring well.
Score: 99
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 6
I was paired with another first timer, but we were joined on the front nine by a couple of staff members. They were happy to share their knowledge of the course with us newbies, which helped tremendously. We had to fare for ourselves on the back nine, but by then I had developed a certain degree of comfort with the course. Weather was absolutely perfect for the entire round.
I started well, registering pars on holes #1, #3 and #5. I hit three of four fairways in the same stretch, taking a step back with my right foot at address. This approach served me well in my previous two rounds, and I'm happy to say that it worked again. I would go on to hit only five fairways in total, but my misses were never more than two or three yards off the fairway. I didn't have the great distance I displayed at Copetown Woods, but I was still very much in control of the driver.
A couple of the pars early in the round came as a result of my short game. In both cases, I executed excellent chip shots, followed by solid putts. If there was any part of the game where I was struggling, it was with my iron shots, especially short irons. I was fighting the tendency I've developed recently to hook the ball. My ball flight was also lower than normal. This was the primary reason I did not hit many greens in regulation.
At the turn, my score was 51, thanks to a ridiculous score of 11 on the par-3 sixth hole. At 153 yards, the hole is not long, but one must carry a pond to reach the green. My tee shot was off the toe of the club and found the water. After a penalty stroke and drop, I proceeded to hit two more balls in the water, just 60 yards from the green. It was unbelievable! I finally reached the green in 8 and then 3-putt to finish the misery.
To a lesser extent, the same thing happened on hole #13, another par-3 measuring 161 yards. My tee shot was hit thin and found the pond fronting the green. After a penalty stroke and drop, I duffed a second ball into the wet. That hole ended with a triple-bogey. The problem on both of these holes stemmed from my discomfort hitting an iron – on hole #6 it was an 8-iron, while on hole #13, it was a 7-iron. As I said, I was fighting a hook with the irons and making too many adjustments before hitting.
The remainder of the back nine was quite good. My driver remained rock steady, as did my chipping and putting. I finished with a score of 99, which doesn't help my handicap factor at all, but which I suppose is okay for a new course. I simply have to get my irons in order and avoid the blowup holes to start scoring well.
Score: 99
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 6
May 28, 2012
Hero to Zero in Four Holes at Copetown
The first round of the 2012 Deepwoods Golf Association Championship was contested at Copetown Woods Golf Club, and for a while, it looked like I would walk away with the early season lead. Late in the round, I was also flirting with a personal best. Then suddenly, and without warning, began a collapse worse than any I've ever experienced on a golf course. I had already done well enough to earn a respectable Deepwoods score, but as far as personal bests go, I wasn't even close.
Prior to the round, I spent some time hitting balls out of a practice bunker. Years ago, I had no problem getting out of greenside bunkers. I wouldn't necessarily get the ball near the hole, but I would almost certainly find the green. A couple of years ago, that all changed. I inadvertently started picking balls clean, sending them sailing over the putting surface, often into a hazard or out of bounds. When I tried to adjust, I would hit my shots fat, failing to get out of the bunker. My practice session at Copetown was designed to resolve this, but it only confirmed how bad my sand play was. I flip-flopped between shots hit too thin and too fat. Just one quarter of my attempts turned out well.
The round started with a low, penetrating drive to the left fairway on hole #10. This is a par-5, reachable in two from the white tees, which we were playing. As I did during my previous round at Horseshoe Resort, I employed my stock grip and took a step back with my right foot at address. This approach served me very well for a second consecutive round. Going for the green with my second shot, I duffed a 4-iron from 180 yards away. No worries, as I was left with 130 yards to the green from the right rough. Unfortunately, I hooked my pitching wedge left and deep, sending the ball out of bounds. After a drop, I hit one right and just short of the green. A mediocre chip and two putts followed for triple bogey. What a waste of a wonderful drive!
Next began a string of 13 holes unlike any other I have ever played. During this stretch, I was two over par. I recorded a birdie, 10 pars, a bogey, and a double-bogey. Eleven holes at par or better exceeds anything I have ever done previously, even over 18 holes. When I scored 81 at Deer Creek South (my lowest score ever) I had only nine holes at par or better. Granted, three of those were birdies. When I scored 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt (which matched the Deer Creek score at 10 over par), I had nine pars and no birdies. The same was true of an 83 that I once shot at Carlisle. Even the 83 that I shot at Willow Valley during the final event of the 2011 Deepwoods season included nine holes at par or better. Two of those were birdies.
So what accounted for this wonderful stretch of golf? Firstly, most of my drives were straight and deep. A spectacular 290-yard blast on hole #15 comes to mind immediately. An 85-yard approach with the lob wedge then came to rest six feet from the hole, setting up the lone birdie of the day. Hole #16 was the stage for another beautiful drive, this one also travelling 290 yards to the left centre of the fairway. Next, a 3-iron that missed the sweet spot rolled down the fairway, leaving 50 yards to the flag on this par-5. I duffed the pitch shot, then put one on the green, 14 feet from the hole. With a spectacular putt, I saved par. Hole # 1, also a par-5, was the scene of another 290-yard drive to the left centre of the fairway. With 160 yards to the pin, tucked at the back of a deep green, I hit a 7-iron right of target. Long fescue was interrupting my backswing, so my chip came up short. No worries however, as I chipped again and made a 6-foot putt for par.
Besides my driving, my short game was also on fire. I managed to get up and down from off the green on holes #11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 1, and 3. The first of these was preceded by a 195-yard 4-iron off the tee on the par-3 hole. The ball bounced just off the back of the green, flag-high. I made a nice chip, followed by a 4-foot putt. Even better chips left just three feet for par on hole #13 and two feet for the same result on hole #3. On holes #12 and #14, putts from off the green eased up to the hole nicely, leaving between one and three feet for par. Up and down on hole #18 was for bogey, after my approach shot found water and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. The putt from the fringe was lengthy and satisfying. Kudos to Copetown Woods for keeping the course in great condition. The consistent rough and greens produced a fair challenge to the short game.
So, what happened over my last four holes? In a nutshell, I closed out with a 7, 6, 8, and 11, or in other words, triple, triple, quadruple, and seven over par. Can you guess what started it all? Yup, my first greenside bunker of the day on hole #6. I was there in two, so I needed an up and down for par, or an up and two putts for bogey. Either would have been fine. As I did so often from the practice bunker before the round, I hit my first attempt fat, failing to get out of the sand. My second attempt was thin, but luckily I hit a mound in front and a slope on the green prevented my ball from rolling too far away. This was followed by a 3-putt, as I didn't give the downhill lag enough respect. On hole #7, a short par-3, I hooked a pitching wedge left of the green. In the fescue, with the ball below my feet, I duffed a shot into a bunker between me and the target. The first attempt out of the bunker was fat; the second was okay. I then 2-putt for another triple. I simply cannot hit sand shots, and haven't been able to for a while now.
The last two holes is when I lost some composure. A 4-iron off the tee on hole #8 didn't get airborne and found the fescue 50 yards away. I hacked out with a pitching wedge, leaving 130 yards to the green. At this point, I think I was rattled and topped an approach shot with the pitching wedge. The ball stopped on the edge of a pond. I had a go at it, poor lie and stance be damned. The result was a ball in the water and a penalty stroke. Dropping from 85 yards, I hit the green and finished with a 2-putt. On the final hole of the day, my driver finally abandoned me. My first tee shot was a complete mis-hit, travelling low and left into some fescue and trees. One of my playing partners helped me look for the ball, to no avail. After waving through a twosome that was behind us, I went back to the tee. My next tee shot drifted right of the fairway, to a fescue-covered mound. I found a ball there, but it wasn't mine. I found another one further ahead on the opposite fairway, but it also wasn't mine. My playing partners were by the green at this point, so I had no help looking for the ball. By the time I found it, another group had played their tee shots, unaware that I was still playing. It took three hacks for me to get out of the fescue. Next, I hit a ball from the fairway, only to find out later that it wasn't mine. That was a two-stroke penalty. Finally, I hit my actual ball, then tallied a couple more strokes on the green.
And that's how you go from a hero to a zero in four holes.
Score: 94
Putts: 29
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
Prior to the round, I spent some time hitting balls out of a practice bunker. Years ago, I had no problem getting out of greenside bunkers. I wouldn't necessarily get the ball near the hole, but I would almost certainly find the green. A couple of years ago, that all changed. I inadvertently started picking balls clean, sending them sailing over the putting surface, often into a hazard or out of bounds. When I tried to adjust, I would hit my shots fat, failing to get out of the bunker. My practice session at Copetown was designed to resolve this, but it only confirmed how bad my sand play was. I flip-flopped between shots hit too thin and too fat. Just one quarter of my attempts turned out well.
The round started with a low, penetrating drive to the left fairway on hole #10. This is a par-5, reachable in two from the white tees, which we were playing. As I did during my previous round at Horseshoe Resort, I employed my stock grip and took a step back with my right foot at address. This approach served me very well for a second consecutive round. Going for the green with my second shot, I duffed a 4-iron from 180 yards away. No worries, as I was left with 130 yards to the green from the right rough. Unfortunately, I hooked my pitching wedge left and deep, sending the ball out of bounds. After a drop, I hit one right and just short of the green. A mediocre chip and two putts followed for triple bogey. What a waste of a wonderful drive!
Next began a string of 13 holes unlike any other I have ever played. During this stretch, I was two over par. I recorded a birdie, 10 pars, a bogey, and a double-bogey. Eleven holes at par or better exceeds anything I have ever done previously, even over 18 holes. When I scored 81 at Deer Creek South (my lowest score ever) I had only nine holes at par or better. Granted, three of those were birdies. When I scored 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt (which matched the Deer Creek score at 10 over par), I had nine pars and no birdies. The same was true of an 83 that I once shot at Carlisle. Even the 83 that I shot at Willow Valley during the final event of the 2011 Deepwoods season included nine holes at par or better. Two of those were birdies.
So what accounted for this wonderful stretch of golf? Firstly, most of my drives were straight and deep. A spectacular 290-yard blast on hole #15 comes to mind immediately. An 85-yard approach with the lob wedge then came to rest six feet from the hole, setting up the lone birdie of the day. Hole #16 was the stage for another beautiful drive, this one also travelling 290 yards to the left centre of the fairway. Next, a 3-iron that missed the sweet spot rolled down the fairway, leaving 50 yards to the flag on this par-5. I duffed the pitch shot, then put one on the green, 14 feet from the hole. With a spectacular putt, I saved par. Hole # 1, also a par-5, was the scene of another 290-yard drive to the left centre of the fairway. With 160 yards to the pin, tucked at the back of a deep green, I hit a 7-iron right of target. Long fescue was interrupting my backswing, so my chip came up short. No worries however, as I chipped again and made a 6-foot putt for par.
Besides my driving, my short game was also on fire. I managed to get up and down from off the green on holes #11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 1, and 3. The first of these was preceded by a 195-yard 4-iron off the tee on the par-3 hole. The ball bounced just off the back of the green, flag-high. I made a nice chip, followed by a 4-foot putt. Even better chips left just three feet for par on hole #13 and two feet for the same result on hole #3. On holes #12 and #14, putts from off the green eased up to the hole nicely, leaving between one and three feet for par. Up and down on hole #18 was for bogey, after my approach shot found water and I was forced to take a penalty stroke. The putt from the fringe was lengthy and satisfying. Kudos to Copetown Woods for keeping the course in great condition. The consistent rough and greens produced a fair challenge to the short game.
So, what happened over my last four holes? In a nutshell, I closed out with a 7, 6, 8, and 11, or in other words, triple, triple, quadruple, and seven over par. Can you guess what started it all? Yup, my first greenside bunker of the day on hole #6. I was there in two, so I needed an up and down for par, or an up and two putts for bogey. Either would have been fine. As I did so often from the practice bunker before the round, I hit my first attempt fat, failing to get out of the sand. My second attempt was thin, but luckily I hit a mound in front and a slope on the green prevented my ball from rolling too far away. This was followed by a 3-putt, as I didn't give the downhill lag enough respect. On hole #7, a short par-3, I hooked a pitching wedge left of the green. In the fescue, with the ball below my feet, I duffed a shot into a bunker between me and the target. The first attempt out of the bunker was fat; the second was okay. I then 2-putt for another triple. I simply cannot hit sand shots, and haven't been able to for a while now.
The last two holes is when I lost some composure. A 4-iron off the tee on hole #8 didn't get airborne and found the fescue 50 yards away. I hacked out with a pitching wedge, leaving 130 yards to the green. At this point, I think I was rattled and topped an approach shot with the pitching wedge. The ball stopped on the edge of a pond. I had a go at it, poor lie and stance be damned. The result was a ball in the water and a penalty stroke. Dropping from 85 yards, I hit the green and finished with a 2-putt. On the final hole of the day, my driver finally abandoned me. My first tee shot was a complete mis-hit, travelling low and left into some fescue and trees. One of my playing partners helped me look for the ball, to no avail. After waving through a twosome that was behind us, I went back to the tee. My next tee shot drifted right of the fairway, to a fescue-covered mound. I found a ball there, but it wasn't mine. I found another one further ahead on the opposite fairway, but it also wasn't mine. My playing partners were by the green at this point, so I had no help looking for the ball. By the time I found it, another group had played their tee shots, unaware that I was still playing. It took three hacks for me to get out of the fescue. Next, I hit a ball from the fairway, only to find out later that it wasn't mine. That was a two-stroke penalty. Finally, I hit my actual ball, then tallied a couple more strokes on the green.
And that's how you go from a hero to a zero in four holes.
Score: 94
Putts: 29
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
May 25, 2012
Hijinks at Horseshoe Highlands
With spectacular weather on hand and just a few days to go before the opening round of the 2012 Deepwoods Golf Association championship, I booked a round on The Highlands course at Horseshoe Resort. I played the course once before, but it was many years ago and my memory of it was faint, to say the least. Despite another triple-digit score, it was a fun round. If Horseshoe Resort was closer to home, I would definitely play there a lot more often.
I went into the round with a strategy to avoid some of my recent trouble. First of all, I planned to hold the driver with my normal grip, which is admittedly a little too strong. Instead, I would shift my right foot back at address, which is the hack way to offset an outside-in swing path. Secondly, I planned to hold my irons with a weaker grip, while focusing on avoiding the opening of the club face during the backswing. Finally, I reminded myself that if a mistake was made, not to make a second one on the very next shot. This is a little trick I've used in the past with some success.
On the first hole, a 293-yard par-4, my driver strategy worked like a charm. I took a three-quarter swing and found the middle of the fairway, with 80 yards left to reach the green. My approach with the lob wedge was 10 yards short, but I made a beautiful chip to within two feet of the cup. Par was the result. On the second hole, a 525-yard par-5, the driver strategy didn't work so well. While conditions on the first hole were serene, a fierce headwind was blasting me on the second tee. It's amazing how weather can totally affect shotmaking. I closed the club face, which de-lofted the ball, sending it short and left into a small pond. After taking a drop, I plunked my next shot into a second pond further ahead. With a second penalty stroke added on the hole, I did well to finish with a triple-bogey.
For the rest of the round, my driver was working very well. I ran through the end of a dog-leg on hole #3, which left my path to the green impeded by trees. I was forced to chip sideways en route to a double-bogey. However, on hole #5, I piped a beauty 270 yards to the middle of the short grass. This swing adjustment eliminates the cut or fade from my drives, resulting in greater distance. It's too bad that I pulled my approach on hole #5 left of the green, from just 130 yards away. With an untimely 3-putt, I walked away with a double-bogey. And so went the remainder of my round. Half my drives were straight down the pipe; the other half were very slight pulls that just flirted with the thick trees bordering almost all of the holes. Some of these required sideways chip-outs, but overall, I was happy with the driver. I did not flare or slice a single drive. I was not happy with the irons, which were pulled or hooked more than I would like. Many of these were short shots from prime locations – the ones you need to put on the green at least, and preferably stick near the hole. Obviously, I still have work to do with my grip. The weaker setup shows promise at times, but disappoints at others.
My chipping was better than it has been recently. I tried to get less robotic and just play my chips by feel. This helped me get the ball lofted up much better. I did not scull a single chip all day. My putting was also good, two 3-putts aside. Though I didn't use it much, my sand play remained horrible. On hole #7, a par-5 measuring 500 yards, a wayward approach found a small pond. After taking a drop, I faced a 70-yard shot over an expansive bunker to a green backed by thick forest. My approach came up 10 yards short, landing in the bunker. My first sand attempt was inadvertently picked clean and sailed deep into the forest. Of course, my next sand attempt was fat and stayed in the bunker. My third attempt finally found the green, but the damage was done. I scored a woeful 11 on the hole. Hole #9 was also a disaster, owing to my use of 5-wood off the tee. Driver was too much for that hole, so the idea wasn't bad. The problem is, I have been using my fairway woods very sparingly for over a year. I pulled two tee shots into thick forest on the left side. Luckily, the second one bounced back to the centre of the fairway. Add a poor hooking approach shot, and the result was quadruple-bogey.
To finish off with a positive note, I did manage a birdie on hole #14, a par-4. This is a dog-leg left, measuring 372 yards from a slightly elevated tee. My drive cut the corner, avoiding a large tree in the left fairway and coming to rest just 130 yards from the flag. My pitching wedge approach drifted to the right fringe, 40 feet from the cup. After lining up my putt, I calmly drained it for the bird! I celebrated with a good fist pump, then looked around to see if anyone happened to be watching. I was playing the round by myself, so there were no playing partners around. Houses border the course in some areas, so I was half hoping that a homeowner in his backyard would see the putt and give me a round of applause.
Score: 104
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
I went into the round with a strategy to avoid some of my recent trouble. First of all, I planned to hold the driver with my normal grip, which is admittedly a little too strong. Instead, I would shift my right foot back at address, which is the hack way to offset an outside-in swing path. Secondly, I planned to hold my irons with a weaker grip, while focusing on avoiding the opening of the club face during the backswing. Finally, I reminded myself that if a mistake was made, not to make a second one on the very next shot. This is a little trick I've used in the past with some success.
On the first hole, a 293-yard par-4, my driver strategy worked like a charm. I took a three-quarter swing and found the middle of the fairway, with 80 yards left to reach the green. My approach with the lob wedge was 10 yards short, but I made a beautiful chip to within two feet of the cup. Par was the result. On the second hole, a 525-yard par-5, the driver strategy didn't work so well. While conditions on the first hole were serene, a fierce headwind was blasting me on the second tee. It's amazing how weather can totally affect shotmaking. I closed the club face, which de-lofted the ball, sending it short and left into a small pond. After taking a drop, I plunked my next shot into a second pond further ahead. With a second penalty stroke added on the hole, I did well to finish with a triple-bogey.
For the rest of the round, my driver was working very well. I ran through the end of a dog-leg on hole #3, which left my path to the green impeded by trees. I was forced to chip sideways en route to a double-bogey. However, on hole #5, I piped a beauty 270 yards to the middle of the short grass. This swing adjustment eliminates the cut or fade from my drives, resulting in greater distance. It's too bad that I pulled my approach on hole #5 left of the green, from just 130 yards away. With an untimely 3-putt, I walked away with a double-bogey. And so went the remainder of my round. Half my drives were straight down the pipe; the other half were very slight pulls that just flirted with the thick trees bordering almost all of the holes. Some of these required sideways chip-outs, but overall, I was happy with the driver. I did not flare or slice a single drive. I was not happy with the irons, which were pulled or hooked more than I would like. Many of these were short shots from prime locations – the ones you need to put on the green at least, and preferably stick near the hole. Obviously, I still have work to do with my grip. The weaker setup shows promise at times, but disappoints at others.
My chipping was better than it has been recently. I tried to get less robotic and just play my chips by feel. This helped me get the ball lofted up much better. I did not scull a single chip all day. My putting was also good, two 3-putts aside. Though I didn't use it much, my sand play remained horrible. On hole #7, a par-5 measuring 500 yards, a wayward approach found a small pond. After taking a drop, I faced a 70-yard shot over an expansive bunker to a green backed by thick forest. My approach came up 10 yards short, landing in the bunker. My first sand attempt was inadvertently picked clean and sailed deep into the forest. Of course, my next sand attempt was fat and stayed in the bunker. My third attempt finally found the green, but the damage was done. I scored a woeful 11 on the hole. Hole #9 was also a disaster, owing to my use of 5-wood off the tee. Driver was too much for that hole, so the idea wasn't bad. The problem is, I have been using my fairway woods very sparingly for over a year. I pulled two tee shots into thick forest on the left side. Luckily, the second one bounced back to the centre of the fairway. Add a poor hooking approach shot, and the result was quadruple-bogey.
To finish off with a positive note, I did manage a birdie on hole #14, a par-4. This is a dog-leg left, measuring 372 yards from a slightly elevated tee. My drive cut the corner, avoiding a large tree in the left fairway and coming to rest just 130 yards from the flag. My pitching wedge approach drifted to the right fringe, 40 feet from the cup. After lining up my putt, I calmly drained it for the bird! I celebrated with a good fist pump, then looked around to see if anyone happened to be watching. I was playing the round by myself, so there were no playing partners around. Houses border the course in some areas, so I was half hoping that a homeowner in his backyard would see the putt and give me a round of applause.
Score: 104
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 6
May 23, 2012
Lowdown at Lowville
Continuing the experimentation that I began at my last round, I ventured out to Lowville Golf Club. Right off the bat, things went poorly. My drive on hole #1 was huge push slice, once again owing to the grip change I've been trying to iron out. I set up with a weaker than normal grip, but during the back and downswings, familiarity takes over; I inadvertently strengthen the grip, which produces an open club face at impact. At this point, I think I will go back to my normal grip, at least for the driver. After finding my ball in some long fescue, I hacked one back to the edge of the fairway. From there, I flared a 7-iron way right to the opposite fairway. Once again, the grip issue was the culprit. Luckily, I hit a beautiful sand wedge and two-putt to salvage bogey on this par-5.
I immediately adjusted my drive and piped one on hole #2 to the left edge of the fairway. That was good. Unfortunately, I didn't make the right adjustment to my iron shot. From 130 yards away, I once again flared one with the pitching wedge, ending up well right of the green. I did well to hole out with three more shots for bogey. The short game didn't work so well on the next hole, a par-3. My 6-iron from 175 yards away was well struck, barely missing the right edge of the green. That was the good part. Next, I slid the wedge right under the ball, failing to chip onto the green. With the green sloping away from me, I chipped the next attempt well past the hole, then two-putt for a disappointing double-bogey.
The push-sliced drive returned on hole #4, along with another short pitch shot, leading to double-bogey. I bogeyed hole #5 and double-bogeyed hole #6 after my 5-iron from the tee nestled directly behind a small spruce tree. One third of the way through the round, I felt like I was struggling to control my shots, but finding a way to avoid blowup holes. All in all, I was still feeling positive.
That all went out the window on hole #7, a par-5 that despite being uphill, should still be reachable in two. The entire right side of this hole is out of bounds, but there is plenty of room on the left. I made good contact with my drive, but it drifted very near the out of bounds line. I decided to hit a provisional, which drifted even further right and definitely out of bounds. My second provisional was a laser to the left side of the fairway. Of course, I did not find my first ball, so the second provisional was now in play. That means I was lying 5, 200 yards away from the green. I mis-hit my approach, mostly because the ball was above my feet, then sculled a wedge over the back of the green. With the green sloping away dramatically, I did well to hole out with three more shots, for a total of 10 on the hole. Ouch!
Trouble continued on hole #8, a short par-3 that is more dangerous than it appears. Anything behind the green will find a severe drop-off and fescue. I hit my tee shot flag-high, but left of the green. With a bunker between me and the flag, I flopped a shot with a 64 degree wedge. Even with the 64 degrees, the ball managed to release and roll off the other side of the green. I don't understand. Next, I sculled a chip back across the entire green. My third chip stopped safely on the green and I two-putted for a triple-bogey. It's incredible how circumstances can conspire to inflate a score. I thought my tee shot was decent, along with my first chip. Even my third chip and putts were okay. Nevertheless, a triple it was.
I made par on hole #9 to make the turn with a score of 53. That's not good, but a decent score could still be salvaged for the round. Early on the back nine, it looked like I was getting on track, as I tallied three bogeys and one double over the first four holes. I was making mistakes, but I was making some good shots as well. Then, on hole #14, the wheels came off again. This is a downhill par-4 with a lateral hazard along the entire right side. The push-slice with the driver put me in the hazard off the tee. After a drop, my approach with a gap wedge found the hazard again. The ball actually landed near a bunker right of the green, but the slope pushed the ball right into the fescue within the hazard. Despite a thorough search, I could not find the ball and was forced to take another drop. To make matters worse, I went on to 3-putt, finishing with a quadruple-bogey.
Frustration carried over to hole #15, a 175-yard par-3 that I played poorly. I hooked my tee shot into a hazard left, then duffed an approach after a drop. Even with a lengthy putt, I registered a triple-bogey. I settled down a bit over the final few holes, but the damage was done. Notably, I hit a 320-yard drive on hole #17. This is a big downhill, so if you manage to find the fairway, you can get a lot of roll. Unfortunately, I missed the green from 95 yards away! On hole #18, I topped my first tee shot, no doubt because of the intimidating carry that is required. After re-teeing, I hit a perfect drive with a slight draw, which is perfectly suited to this hole. Shots like that make me think I'm onto something with the swing path and grip adjustments, but I'm just so inconsistent. What I really should do is practice these things on the range, not on the golf course!
Score: 106
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 8
I immediately adjusted my drive and piped one on hole #2 to the left edge of the fairway. That was good. Unfortunately, I didn't make the right adjustment to my iron shot. From 130 yards away, I once again flared one with the pitching wedge, ending up well right of the green. I did well to hole out with three more shots for bogey. The short game didn't work so well on the next hole, a par-3. My 6-iron from 175 yards away was well struck, barely missing the right edge of the green. That was the good part. Next, I slid the wedge right under the ball, failing to chip onto the green. With the green sloping away from me, I chipped the next attempt well past the hole, then two-putt for a disappointing double-bogey.
The push-sliced drive returned on hole #4, along with another short pitch shot, leading to double-bogey. I bogeyed hole #5 and double-bogeyed hole #6 after my 5-iron from the tee nestled directly behind a small spruce tree. One third of the way through the round, I felt like I was struggling to control my shots, but finding a way to avoid blowup holes. All in all, I was still feeling positive.
That all went out the window on hole #7, a par-5 that despite being uphill, should still be reachable in two. The entire right side of this hole is out of bounds, but there is plenty of room on the left. I made good contact with my drive, but it drifted very near the out of bounds line. I decided to hit a provisional, which drifted even further right and definitely out of bounds. My second provisional was a laser to the left side of the fairway. Of course, I did not find my first ball, so the second provisional was now in play. That means I was lying 5, 200 yards away from the green. I mis-hit my approach, mostly because the ball was above my feet, then sculled a wedge over the back of the green. With the green sloping away dramatically, I did well to hole out with three more shots, for a total of 10 on the hole. Ouch!
Trouble continued on hole #8, a short par-3 that is more dangerous than it appears. Anything behind the green will find a severe drop-off and fescue. I hit my tee shot flag-high, but left of the green. With a bunker between me and the flag, I flopped a shot with a 64 degree wedge. Even with the 64 degrees, the ball managed to release and roll off the other side of the green. I don't understand. Next, I sculled a chip back across the entire green. My third chip stopped safely on the green and I two-putted for a triple-bogey. It's incredible how circumstances can conspire to inflate a score. I thought my tee shot was decent, along with my first chip. Even my third chip and putts were okay. Nevertheless, a triple it was.
I made par on hole #9 to make the turn with a score of 53. That's not good, but a decent score could still be salvaged for the round. Early on the back nine, it looked like I was getting on track, as I tallied three bogeys and one double over the first four holes. I was making mistakes, but I was making some good shots as well. Then, on hole #14, the wheels came off again. This is a downhill par-4 with a lateral hazard along the entire right side. The push-slice with the driver put me in the hazard off the tee. After a drop, my approach with a gap wedge found the hazard again. The ball actually landed near a bunker right of the green, but the slope pushed the ball right into the fescue within the hazard. Despite a thorough search, I could not find the ball and was forced to take another drop. To make matters worse, I went on to 3-putt, finishing with a quadruple-bogey.
Frustration carried over to hole #15, a 175-yard par-3 that I played poorly. I hooked my tee shot into a hazard left, then duffed an approach after a drop. Even with a lengthy putt, I registered a triple-bogey. I settled down a bit over the final few holes, but the damage was done. Notably, I hit a 320-yard drive on hole #17. This is a big downhill, so if you manage to find the fairway, you can get a lot of roll. Unfortunately, I missed the green from 95 yards away! On hole #18, I topped my first tee shot, no doubt because of the intimidating carry that is required. After re-teeing, I hit a perfect drive with a slight draw, which is perfectly suited to this hole. Shots like that make me think I'm onto something with the swing path and grip adjustments, but I'm just so inconsistent. What I really should do is practice these things on the range, not on the golf course!
Score: 106
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 8
May 21, 2012
Experimenting at Granite Ridge
I know that I have a tendency to swing outside-in, or over the top, as some people like to describe it. When I try to start my swing from the inside, it feels somewhat unnatural, and I'm more likely to either top the ball, smother it badly, or hit a very fat shot. As a result, I've long been resigned to the fact that I have to make my outside-in path work somehow. Lately, I've challenged this line of thinking. In an attempt to figure out what causes my outside-in path, I took a closer look at my grip.
You see, I have what some people call a strong grip. In golf terms, this means that my hands are rotated a little farther clockwise than most instructors recommend. When I say clockwise, I am referring to the golfer's perspective, when looking along the shaft of the club. Imagine looking at the butt end of the club, while your hands are wrapped around it. If you were to rotate your hands clockwise a few degrees from the ideal position, this would be a strong grip. If the club face is square to the target with this setup, one must return to the exact same position on the downswing, just before impact. If the hands rotate counter-clockwise during the downswing to a more neutral position at impact, then the club face will be closed to the target. The result will be a pull or hook shot. This is what I've been noticing with my driver and irons.
I resolved to try a weaker grip at my latest round on the Cobalt course at Granite Ridge Golf Club. If you looked only at my final score, you would say that this strategy failed miserably. That wouldn't be entirely true. The fact is, this strategy worked like a charm half the time and only failed miserably the other half of the time. A few examples illustrate best.
Hole #3, a par-3 with out of bounds on the left, was playing slightly up at 142 yards. I opted for 9-iron and hit the ball as pure as one possibly can. The swing was fluid, and contact was crisp. The ball launched high in the air and was headed straight at the flag. I came close to jarring it in, but landed about two feet long and left. The ball spun back, leaving an uphill 8-footer for birdie. I didn't make the putt, settling for par. It was a great iron shot, and one I would replicate elsewhere on the course. I hit a pure 8-iron off the tee on the par-3 fifth hole, along with a sweet 4-iron from the tee on both the par-4 sixth and the par-4 eleventh. On the par-5 fourth and seventh holes, I hit a picture perfect 6-irons to advance the ball with my second shot.
For every great shot however, there was a stinker. My approach from 100 yards on hole #4 flared right, finding a bunker. I also flared one well right from 140 yards approaching hole #7. On hole #15, my approach from 120 yards was caught thin and sailed behind the bunker. The flared shots were clearly a result of not being used to the weaker grip. On those swings, I reverted to the strong position on the downswing, which of course left the club face well open at impact. Worse than the misses with the irons were those with the driver. Apart from a beauty that used every bit of available fairway on hole #7, my driver let me down. I was trying to apply the same grip adjustment to the driver, but it didn't work at all. The awkwardness I feel with the weaker grip is multiplied with the longer driver. I push-sliced quite a few drives later in the round, a result of reverting to the strong grip position during my downswing.
Besides the grip woes, I had a heck of a time pitching and chipping. On some blowup holes, the chipping is what really let me down. It seems every chip shot has such a unique lie. Sometimes, the rough is long and the ball propped up. It's easy to slide the club right under the ball in that situation. Other times, the rough is long, but the ball is settled right down. On other occasions, the rough is sparse. The ground may be dry and hard, or moist and soft. All of these shots are different, because the club reacts differently to the ground. I could use a lot more work on this aspect of the game.
Score: 111
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
You see, I have what some people call a strong grip. In golf terms, this means that my hands are rotated a little farther clockwise than most instructors recommend. When I say clockwise, I am referring to the golfer's perspective, when looking along the shaft of the club. Imagine looking at the butt end of the club, while your hands are wrapped around it. If you were to rotate your hands clockwise a few degrees from the ideal position, this would be a strong grip. If the club face is square to the target with this setup, one must return to the exact same position on the downswing, just before impact. If the hands rotate counter-clockwise during the downswing to a more neutral position at impact, then the club face will be closed to the target. The result will be a pull or hook shot. This is what I've been noticing with my driver and irons.
I resolved to try a weaker grip at my latest round on the Cobalt course at Granite Ridge Golf Club. If you looked only at my final score, you would say that this strategy failed miserably. That wouldn't be entirely true. The fact is, this strategy worked like a charm half the time and only failed miserably the other half of the time. A few examples illustrate best.
Hole #3, a par-3 with out of bounds on the left, was playing slightly up at 142 yards. I opted for 9-iron and hit the ball as pure as one possibly can. The swing was fluid, and contact was crisp. The ball launched high in the air and was headed straight at the flag. I came close to jarring it in, but landed about two feet long and left. The ball spun back, leaving an uphill 8-footer for birdie. I didn't make the putt, settling for par. It was a great iron shot, and one I would replicate elsewhere on the course. I hit a pure 8-iron off the tee on the par-3 fifth hole, along with a sweet 4-iron from the tee on both the par-4 sixth and the par-4 eleventh. On the par-5 fourth and seventh holes, I hit a picture perfect 6-irons to advance the ball with my second shot.
For every great shot however, there was a stinker. My approach from 100 yards on hole #4 flared right, finding a bunker. I also flared one well right from 140 yards approaching hole #7. On hole #15, my approach from 120 yards was caught thin and sailed behind the bunker. The flared shots were clearly a result of not being used to the weaker grip. On those swings, I reverted to the strong position on the downswing, which of course left the club face well open at impact. Worse than the misses with the irons were those with the driver. Apart from a beauty that used every bit of available fairway on hole #7, my driver let me down. I was trying to apply the same grip adjustment to the driver, but it didn't work at all. The awkwardness I feel with the weaker grip is multiplied with the longer driver. I push-sliced quite a few drives later in the round, a result of reverting to the strong grip position during my downswing.
Besides the grip woes, I had a heck of a time pitching and chipping. On some blowup holes, the chipping is what really let me down. It seems every chip shot has such a unique lie. Sometimes, the rough is long and the ball propped up. It's easy to slide the club right under the ball in that situation. Other times, the rough is long, but the ball is settled right down. On other occasions, the rough is sparse. The ground may be dry and hard, or moist and soft. All of these shots are different, because the club reacts differently to the ground. I could use a lot more work on this aspect of the game.
Score: 111
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Penalties: 5
April 20, 2012
Royal Ashburn Romp
My posts have been getting a tad lengthy, so I'll try to keep them short and sweet from this point forward. The weather last Thursday was remarkably warm, so I decided to play some golf. After shopping around, I settled on an afternoon round at The Royal Ashburn Golf Club. In my only previous visit to the club, a chilly affair late in the 2010 season, I registered a very poor score. Having gained some knowledge of the course and with better weather this time around, I was hoping for better.
I regret to report that my drives off the tee were not ideal. I hit about four that were nice; most notable was a high draw on hole #12 that travelled about 260 yards to the right edge of the fairway. This hole bends to the left, so a drawing tee shot is perfect. All of my misses with the driver were straight pulls. Clearly, I am having difficulty neutralizing my outside-in club path. With each practice swing, I tried to get the feel of the club head coming from the inside. Obviously, I have to practice more.
Despite the fact that I pulled many balls off the tee, it didn't hurt me that much. Some of these balls ended up just slightly in the left rough. Whenever I hit trees, I was in a position where I could at least chip back to the fairway. I did not pull any balls out of bounds or into water hazards. On a couple of occasions, I wisely left the driver in the bag, in favour of an iron off the tee. One of these was hole #3, a 486-yard par-5 with OB on the left and a creek that pinches in on the right. I hit a controlled 3-iron straight down the middle.
That was one of the few iron shots I hit well. Rather surprisingly, I hit a lot of irons very thin, sending the ball rolling along the fairway, instead of flying through the air. Mid-way through the round, I put the ball a little further back in my stance and reminded myself to swing down with the club, or to compress the ball between the club face and ground. This helped me get the ball airborne, but then I hit a couple of hook shots. My grip may have been a little strong, which leads to the club face closing up as the arms turn over. Just as I have a tendency to swing outside-in, I am inclined to set up with a strong grip.
My short game was hit and miss. On a couple of occasions, I hit very serviceable shots from the 30-100 yard range. These can be difficult because they are less than a full swing. However, there were some occasions where I came up way short of the green. Usually, these involved some sort of intimidation, such as a pond fronting the green on hole #8. A disastrous chip on hole #7, a par-3, lead to a terrible triple-bogey. The duffed chip attempt put the ball in a greenside bunker, where my sand woes continued. The best part of my short game was putting. I had a respectable 34 putts, with only two 3-putts.
In the final analysis, the imprecise driver and iron shots did not hurt me; what really cost me strokes were the miscues with the wedges and a complete inability to get out of bunkers. As a result, my score inched up to the century mark. As was the case with Tangle Creek earlier this year, my sophomore visit to a course produced a round that was not horrific, but just bad enough to reach the dreaded triple digits.
Score: 100
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
I regret to report that my drives off the tee were not ideal. I hit about four that were nice; most notable was a high draw on hole #12 that travelled about 260 yards to the right edge of the fairway. This hole bends to the left, so a drawing tee shot is perfect. All of my misses with the driver were straight pulls. Clearly, I am having difficulty neutralizing my outside-in club path. With each practice swing, I tried to get the feel of the club head coming from the inside. Obviously, I have to practice more.
Despite the fact that I pulled many balls off the tee, it didn't hurt me that much. Some of these balls ended up just slightly in the left rough. Whenever I hit trees, I was in a position where I could at least chip back to the fairway. I did not pull any balls out of bounds or into water hazards. On a couple of occasions, I wisely left the driver in the bag, in favour of an iron off the tee. One of these was hole #3, a 486-yard par-5 with OB on the left and a creek that pinches in on the right. I hit a controlled 3-iron straight down the middle.
That was one of the few iron shots I hit well. Rather surprisingly, I hit a lot of irons very thin, sending the ball rolling along the fairway, instead of flying through the air. Mid-way through the round, I put the ball a little further back in my stance and reminded myself to swing down with the club, or to compress the ball between the club face and ground. This helped me get the ball airborne, but then I hit a couple of hook shots. My grip may have been a little strong, which leads to the club face closing up as the arms turn over. Just as I have a tendency to swing outside-in, I am inclined to set up with a strong grip.
My short game was hit and miss. On a couple of occasions, I hit very serviceable shots from the 30-100 yard range. These can be difficult because they are less than a full swing. However, there were some occasions where I came up way short of the green. Usually, these involved some sort of intimidation, such as a pond fronting the green on hole #8. A disastrous chip on hole #7, a par-3, lead to a terrible triple-bogey. The duffed chip attempt put the ball in a greenside bunker, where my sand woes continued. The best part of my short game was putting. I had a respectable 34 putts, with only two 3-putts.
In the final analysis, the imprecise driver and iron shots did not hurt me; what really cost me strokes were the miscues with the wedges and a complete inability to get out of bunkers. As a result, my score inched up to the century mark. As was the case with Tangle Creek earlier this year, my sophomore visit to a course produced a round that was not horrific, but just bad enough to reach the dreaded triple digits.
Score: 100
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Penalties: 1
April 14, 2012
Bungled Bunkers and a Shaky Flat Stick
After a week and a half of balmy weather in mid March, temperatures
returned to seasonal, making GTA golf outings the exclusive purview
of hardcore players. With daily temperatures topping out in the
single digits, I opted to brush up on some golf theory, instead of
testing the weather gods.
My study was focused primarily on golf ball flight laws. I was interested in this particular field because of the ball flight tendencies I had observed recently when hitting my driver. The big stick seemed to produce two different ball flights; one was a pull-fade that started left, before curving back slightly to the target line, while the other was a straight pull that started left and carried straight as an arrow. I would try to execute the first shot every time, but every once in a while, the second flight path would result. As you can imagine, a straight pull like that can leave you in a very poor position.
Both flight paths are caused partly by an outside to inside swing path. No surprise there, I've known for a long time that my tendency is to swing the long clubs outside-in, or over the top, as some people refer to it. When the club face is square to this path, the result is the straight pull. When the club face is slightly open to this path, the result is the pull-fade.
One way to cure the straight pull is to keep the club face slightly open to the path, while leaving the swing path unaltered. This is fine, except when there is an obstacle left of the target line that prevents you from starting the ball in that direction. You also lose yardage on the pull-fade, or cut shot, as other people call it. If your swing comes really from the outside, the fade can also turn into a big old slice. A better cure is just to stop swinging from the outside-in. Ideally, one should be able to swing inside-outside-inside. In other words, the swing path is parallel to the target line at the moment of impact. This is easier said than done, but I simply must do it if I am to improve.
With these thoughts sunning through my head and the weather getting a bit better, I headed out to Granite Ridge Golf Club. I played the Cobalt course, which is the site of my best golf round ever, a 10 over par 82. If memory serves me correctly, that was from the white tees (5,962 yards), while this time I played from the blues (6,480 yards). It's funny, because at just under 6,500 yards, the course does not feel long at all to me. Length is not a major factor to me; shot quality is much more important. After all, a bad shot is a bad shot; if it's made from the white tees, it's still going to hurt you.
I got off to a pretty good start with a par and three bogeys on the first four holes. I popped up my drive on the first hole as a result of teeing the ball up too high, but followed up with good drives on hole #2 and #4. Hole #3 is a par-3, so obviously the driver stayed in the bag. The drive on hole #2 felt particularly good. The entire left side is out of bounds, so the straight pull would be disastrous. I practiced an inside-out swing path and visualized the club being square to the path at impact. Sure enough, the ball started slightly to the right and stayed straight, coming to rest about a yard into the right rough. It was encouraging to see that I could actually make that swing.
Hole #5, a par-3 measuring 151 yards resulted in a triple-bogey, but I played it mostly well. The tee shot must carry the edge of a pond to a green that is surrounded by water front, right and back. Adding to the danger, the entire left side is out of bounds. I hit an 8-iron the perfect distance, but perhaps two yards left of the green. The problem is that space is occupied by a paved cart path. My ball took two big bounces on the path, propelling it near the out of bounds fence back and left. The only way to get a swing on the ball was to put my back to the green, close the club face severely and chip the ball to where I could get a clear swing. My third shot was a Mickelson-esque flopper that came to rest on the green, but well left of the flag. A speedy putt went past the hole, leaving a testy comebacker, which I missed.
The remainder of the front nine produced a couple of pars and a couple of double bogeys. On hole #6, a beautiful 4-iron off the tee travelled 215 yards to the centre of the fairway, leading to par. On hole #7, the straight pull off the tee reared its ugly head, but that is the place to miss on that particular hole. I sliced a 5-wood into a pond on my second shot, hence a double-bogey. Another 3-putt was the cause of the double-bogey on hole #8, after my driving got back on track. A chip and a putt saved par on the final hole.
After a bogey to start the back nine, I hit 4-iron from the tee on hole #11. Again, I hit a pure beauty. The ball travelled 222 yards to the centre of the fairway. Oh baby! Too bad I hit my 52 degree wedge thin and pulled it into a bunker. From that moment on, bunkers absolutely killed me. I hit my first bunker shot fat, failing to get out. I hit the lip on my next attempt, but fortunately the ball travelled near the hole, enabling me to save double-bogey with a 2-putt.
On hole #12, I was in the greenside bunker after two shots. I shanked one across the green, forcing a chip and two putts for another double-bogey. Following a par on hole #13, I was once again in a greenside bunker after two shots on hole #14. Two shots were required to get out, leading to yet another double-bogey.
On hole #15, a par-5 that I consider the toughest hole on the course, I was yet again in the greenside bunker, this time after three shots. I overshot the green, then chipped on. A 3-putt finished things off for a triple-bogey. This was so disappointing, because my two first shots on the hole were spectacular. With out of bounds on the right side, I played the patented pull-fade to perfection, sending the ball to the middle of the fairway. Then, I hit a super controlled 5-iron to the middle, leaving just 130 yards to the green. Why I pulled my pitching wedge into the bunker from there is beyond me.
I had one more bad hole before the day was over, a triple-bogey on hole #17. My approach from the middle of the fairway was a push-slice that found water. I also 3-putt the hole. On a positive note, I made par on the final hole, a par-4. In fact that hole featured the only good bunker shot I made all day. The reason? It was a fairway bunker! From 130 yards out, I went straight at the flag at the front of the green. The ball just carried a bunker fronting the green and left a 12 foot uphill putt for birdie. I missed it, but the hole was well played nevertheless.
So at the end of the day, I shot 96. I calculate that I lost 4 strokes due to poor bunker shots, and another 4 shots due to poor lag putts. Had I been able to control those, this would have been a round of 88, which is where I really think I should be. The ball flight theory seemed to help me out. Now I need to practice bunker shots and focus a little bit more on putting.
Score: 96
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
My study was focused primarily on golf ball flight laws. I was interested in this particular field because of the ball flight tendencies I had observed recently when hitting my driver. The big stick seemed to produce two different ball flights; one was a pull-fade that started left, before curving back slightly to the target line, while the other was a straight pull that started left and carried straight as an arrow. I would try to execute the first shot every time, but every once in a while, the second flight path would result. As you can imagine, a straight pull like that can leave you in a very poor position.
Both flight paths are caused partly by an outside to inside swing path. No surprise there, I've known for a long time that my tendency is to swing the long clubs outside-in, or over the top, as some people refer to it. When the club face is square to this path, the result is the straight pull. When the club face is slightly open to this path, the result is the pull-fade.
One way to cure the straight pull is to keep the club face slightly open to the path, while leaving the swing path unaltered. This is fine, except when there is an obstacle left of the target line that prevents you from starting the ball in that direction. You also lose yardage on the pull-fade, or cut shot, as other people call it. If your swing comes really from the outside, the fade can also turn into a big old slice. A better cure is just to stop swinging from the outside-in. Ideally, one should be able to swing inside-outside-inside. In other words, the swing path is parallel to the target line at the moment of impact. This is easier said than done, but I simply must do it if I am to improve.
With these thoughts sunning through my head and the weather getting a bit better, I headed out to Granite Ridge Golf Club. I played the Cobalt course, which is the site of my best golf round ever, a 10 over par 82. If memory serves me correctly, that was from the white tees (5,962 yards), while this time I played from the blues (6,480 yards). It's funny, because at just under 6,500 yards, the course does not feel long at all to me. Length is not a major factor to me; shot quality is much more important. After all, a bad shot is a bad shot; if it's made from the white tees, it's still going to hurt you.
I got off to a pretty good start with a par and three bogeys on the first four holes. I popped up my drive on the first hole as a result of teeing the ball up too high, but followed up with good drives on hole #2 and #4. Hole #3 is a par-3, so obviously the driver stayed in the bag. The drive on hole #2 felt particularly good. The entire left side is out of bounds, so the straight pull would be disastrous. I practiced an inside-out swing path and visualized the club being square to the path at impact. Sure enough, the ball started slightly to the right and stayed straight, coming to rest about a yard into the right rough. It was encouraging to see that I could actually make that swing.
Hole #5, a par-3 measuring 151 yards resulted in a triple-bogey, but I played it mostly well. The tee shot must carry the edge of a pond to a green that is surrounded by water front, right and back. Adding to the danger, the entire left side is out of bounds. I hit an 8-iron the perfect distance, but perhaps two yards left of the green. The problem is that space is occupied by a paved cart path. My ball took two big bounces on the path, propelling it near the out of bounds fence back and left. The only way to get a swing on the ball was to put my back to the green, close the club face severely and chip the ball to where I could get a clear swing. My third shot was a Mickelson-esque flopper that came to rest on the green, but well left of the flag. A speedy putt went past the hole, leaving a testy comebacker, which I missed.
The remainder of the front nine produced a couple of pars and a couple of double bogeys. On hole #6, a beautiful 4-iron off the tee travelled 215 yards to the centre of the fairway, leading to par. On hole #7, the straight pull off the tee reared its ugly head, but that is the place to miss on that particular hole. I sliced a 5-wood into a pond on my second shot, hence a double-bogey. Another 3-putt was the cause of the double-bogey on hole #8, after my driving got back on track. A chip and a putt saved par on the final hole.
After a bogey to start the back nine, I hit 4-iron from the tee on hole #11. Again, I hit a pure beauty. The ball travelled 222 yards to the centre of the fairway. Oh baby! Too bad I hit my 52 degree wedge thin and pulled it into a bunker. From that moment on, bunkers absolutely killed me. I hit my first bunker shot fat, failing to get out. I hit the lip on my next attempt, but fortunately the ball travelled near the hole, enabling me to save double-bogey with a 2-putt.
On hole #12, I was in the greenside bunker after two shots. I shanked one across the green, forcing a chip and two putts for another double-bogey. Following a par on hole #13, I was once again in a greenside bunker after two shots on hole #14. Two shots were required to get out, leading to yet another double-bogey.
On hole #15, a par-5 that I consider the toughest hole on the course, I was yet again in the greenside bunker, this time after three shots. I overshot the green, then chipped on. A 3-putt finished things off for a triple-bogey. This was so disappointing, because my two first shots on the hole were spectacular. With out of bounds on the right side, I played the patented pull-fade to perfection, sending the ball to the middle of the fairway. Then, I hit a super controlled 5-iron to the middle, leaving just 130 yards to the green. Why I pulled my pitching wedge into the bunker from there is beyond me.
I had one more bad hole before the day was over, a triple-bogey on hole #17. My approach from the middle of the fairway was a push-slice that found water. I also 3-putt the hole. On a positive note, I made par on the final hole, a par-4. In fact that hole featured the only good bunker shot I made all day. The reason? It was a fairway bunker! From 130 yards out, I went straight at the flag at the front of the green. The ball just carried a bunker fronting the green and left a 12 foot uphill putt for birdie. I missed it, but the hole was well played nevertheless.
So at the end of the day, I shot 96. I calculate that I lost 4 strokes due to poor bunker shots, and another 4 shots due to poor lag putts. Had I been able to control those, this would have been a round of 88, which is where I really think I should be. The ball flight theory seemed to help me out. Now I need to practice bunker shots and focus a little bit more on putting.
Score: 96
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
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