To say it has been a tough season would be an understatement. Nobody likes to see their game regress, but that's exactly what I have observed early this season. It's not as though my game has been a complete mess. I fixed some early trouble with my irons and have been largely satisfied with my short game and course management. On the other hand, driving has been a complete crapshoot all season. All it takes is a few wild drives each round to rack up the penalty strokes and some big scores.
Thankfully, I managed to keep the driver in check during my last round. It was just enough to register my first decent score of the season. It was Round 2 of the Deepwoods season at Peninsula Lakes, where I played a bit of a warmup just two weeks before. As luck would have it, Deepwoods members played the same 18 holes that I played during my prior visit. In previous years, Deepwoods had always played the Quarry and Hillside nines, but this time it was Orchard and Quarry, which suited me just fine.
I began with a par on Orchard #1, which was a good ice-breaker. My drive was two feet left of the fairway and my approach was the same distance short of the green. A great lag putt left a tap-in for the easy par. Hole #2, a par-3 measuring 136 yards from the white tees, resulted in a hard-earned bogey. I duffed my tee shot, sending it 70 yards to the closely mown area leading to the green. My pitch shot skidded over the green, forcing a chip shot next. I was left with a 10-foot putt that I drained to maintain some momentum.
Hole #3 was one of my problem holes on the day, producing a triple-bogey. Guarding against a pull shot off the tee, which would end up out of bounds, I hit a big fade right of the fairway. I was amidst the trees, but had a clear chute toward the green. Unfortunately, my ball was lying terribly in a hole. A lofted club would help extract the ball, but overhanging limbs meant I had to keep the ball low. I took a hack and advanced the ball a mere 40 yards or so. Now I was under a tree with branches impeding my backswing. All I could do was advance the ball another 40 yards to a fairway bunker. My approach from the bunker was hooked to some trees left of the green. From that position, I was pleased to hole out with just three more strokes.
I got right back in the groove with a par on the very next hole. I hit a perfect drive deep and straight. I followed up with a perfect 3-iron, leaving just a 50-yard pitch into this par-5 green. I actually messed up the pitch, coming up short of the green. It probably had something to do with the sucker pin at the very front of the putting surface. No worries however, as I two-putt from off the green. And so it was for the rest of the Orchard nine. I wasted some shots here and there, but usually followed up with a good streak that earned par or bogey. I finished Orchard with a satisfactory score of 46.
The Quarry nine is where my game really came together. I registered eight bogeys and one par, for a score of 43. I love looking at a scorecard where none of the holes are worse than bogey. More pars and a birdie would look even better, but I'm not greedy. A long stretch of bogeys or better speak to consistency and I know that over 18 holes that means a score below 90, which for me is an important watermark.
There were many highlights on the Quarry nine, including nice drives that found the fairway on holes #1, #4, #5 and #7. Irons were also working off the tee, including a 170-yard 6-iron on hole #6, which set me up nicely for a birdie attempt on this par-3. In fact, my irons seemed to be working from all distances, ranging from 100 to 200 yards. I even hit great bunker shots on holes #2 and #4. Imagine that! Putting was solid, though I didn't drain any putts of significant length.
When all was said and done, I finished with a score of 89, my best of this season so far. Let's hope this is the start of something good.
Score: 89
Putts: 33
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 1
June 27, 2011
June 22, 2011
Eleventh Hour Collapse Ruins Round
Eager to turn my season around, I headed out for a morning round at Century Pines Golf Club. The first hole is a straight par-5 with out of bounds along the entire left side. As a right handed player, if you're going to miss your tee shot, you're better off slicing it into the opposing fairway, which is #18. From there, you can salvage bogey, maybe even par if you put together a couple of good shots. Despite knowing this, I pulled my drive wickedly off the tee out of bounds. It was a terrible start and disconcerting to know that I had no control of my driver whatsoever. I had to hit my third from the tee and finished with a triple bogey.
I didn't make the same mistake on hole #2, that's for sure. A par-4, this hole also features out of bounds along the entire left side. I promptly sliced my drive into the #3 fairway on the right side. I followed up with a pitching wedge over some tall trees to get back to the #2 fairway, about 35 yards in front of the green. After a smart pitch to the front edge of the green, I two-putt for a respectable bogey. There is a pond right of the green on this hole which often comes into play, so I was happy with my result.
I was relatively happy with the rest of the front nine. I made par on hole #4 after wisely electing to hit 4-iron off the tee. A somewhat lengthy putt also helped my cause. I hit a nice punch through the trees on the preceeding hole, as well as a decent bunker shot. I had a nice chip on hole #5 and a nice approach on hole #9. I felt like I was doing quite a few things well. The real problem was still the driver. On hole #6, I pulled my drive left into some long weeds. With no chance to find balls in there, I was forced to re-tee. All of a sudden, I drilled a perfect drive to the fairway, a full 275 yards. What the hell? On hole #8, I plastered another drive straight and deep, this one flying 260 yards to the middle of the fairway. However, on hole #9 I hit a brutal drive once again, pulling it left into some trees. I just had no idea what would show up with each drive.
On the back nine, I started heating up. I hit a perfect 4-iron off the tee on #10 to find the middle of the fairway. My pitch bounced into a mound fronting the green, but still managed to reach the back of the green. With the pin at the extreme front, I unfortunately three-putt for bogey. My 4-iron wasn't so good on the next hole, as I hit a bit of a pull-hook into a hazard. When I finally got to the green, I three-putt again for double bogey. On hole #12, I "murdalized" my tee shot, driving the ball 270 yards down the fairway, leaving a 40-yard pitch to the green. Par was the result. I also made par on the subsequent par-3, a 150-yard carry all over water. Despite a bad drive on hole #14, I still made par. A 3-iron from 250 yards away, followed by a 40-yard pitch and solid putt did the trick.
The par streak ended at three in a row, but I was still playing solid golf. I made bogeys on holes #15 and #16 with smart, conservative play. On #15, a par-3 measuring 150 yards, my tee shot was flag-high, just right of the green. On #16, I hit a 3-iron off the tee, but missed the sweet spot, losing about 30 yards of distance. I was 160 yards from the green, but blocked out by some tall trees. This green is also surrounded by water, so there's no reason to be a hero. I pitched my second shot through the end of the fairway to some rough, leaving an unobstructed 100-yard shot to the green, which I nailed exactly as planned.
This is when the stupidity began. On hole #17, a lengthy par-4 measuring 440 yards, I hit a small tree 50 yards in front of the tee and off to the left side. It was the type I affectionately refer to as a "Vince" tree. Some of my fellow golf enthusiasts will know what I am talking about. The ball rebounded backward, right into a pond on the right. After a re-tee, I hit my third shot left of the fairway. I topped my fourth shot and that was enough to ruin the hole. I finished it five over par. On hole #18, which is a par-5, I made a mental mistake. I tried to "make up" for the previous hole, which was the wrong thing to do. My drive was another terrible one short and left, leaving a bad lie. After two more shots, I was still 210 yards from the green, which is fronted by a meandering creek. Not content to lay up, I hit a 5-wood and of course ended up in the creek. After taking a drop, I mis-hit a pitch shot and that was all she wrote. I hit another pitch to the green and two-putt for my second 9 in a row.
I shot 32 through the first seven holes of the back nine, which is good. Unfortunately, I added 18 on the last two holes. That is simply unacceptable! I have to stop this Jeckyl and Hyde type play. I feel like I'm doing many things well. I've fixed the hook that was plaguing my irons early in the season and my low irons are especially good. I am hitting nice pitches and chips around the greens and also putting well. I have made some inventive shots when called for and been conservative when dictated by the situation. My driving is all over the map though and that is the big problem. I either stripe a great one straight, or more often pull one terribly, leaving me in a bad position from which it is difficult or impossible to recover.
My handicap factor has climbed all the way to 19.8 after being as low as 15.7 two years ago. I am heading in the wrong direction.
Score: 101
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 5
I didn't make the same mistake on hole #2, that's for sure. A par-4, this hole also features out of bounds along the entire left side. I promptly sliced my drive into the #3 fairway on the right side. I followed up with a pitching wedge over some tall trees to get back to the #2 fairway, about 35 yards in front of the green. After a smart pitch to the front edge of the green, I two-putt for a respectable bogey. There is a pond right of the green on this hole which often comes into play, so I was happy with my result.
I was relatively happy with the rest of the front nine. I made par on hole #4 after wisely electing to hit 4-iron off the tee. A somewhat lengthy putt also helped my cause. I hit a nice punch through the trees on the preceeding hole, as well as a decent bunker shot. I had a nice chip on hole #5 and a nice approach on hole #9. I felt like I was doing quite a few things well. The real problem was still the driver. On hole #6, I pulled my drive left into some long weeds. With no chance to find balls in there, I was forced to re-tee. All of a sudden, I drilled a perfect drive to the fairway, a full 275 yards. What the hell? On hole #8, I plastered another drive straight and deep, this one flying 260 yards to the middle of the fairway. However, on hole #9 I hit a brutal drive once again, pulling it left into some trees. I just had no idea what would show up with each drive.
On the back nine, I started heating up. I hit a perfect 4-iron off the tee on #10 to find the middle of the fairway. My pitch bounced into a mound fronting the green, but still managed to reach the back of the green. With the pin at the extreme front, I unfortunately three-putt for bogey. My 4-iron wasn't so good on the next hole, as I hit a bit of a pull-hook into a hazard. When I finally got to the green, I three-putt again for double bogey. On hole #12, I "murdalized" my tee shot, driving the ball 270 yards down the fairway, leaving a 40-yard pitch to the green. Par was the result. I also made par on the subsequent par-3, a 150-yard carry all over water. Despite a bad drive on hole #14, I still made par. A 3-iron from 250 yards away, followed by a 40-yard pitch and solid putt did the trick.
The par streak ended at three in a row, but I was still playing solid golf. I made bogeys on holes #15 and #16 with smart, conservative play. On #15, a par-3 measuring 150 yards, my tee shot was flag-high, just right of the green. On #16, I hit a 3-iron off the tee, but missed the sweet spot, losing about 30 yards of distance. I was 160 yards from the green, but blocked out by some tall trees. This green is also surrounded by water, so there's no reason to be a hero. I pitched my second shot through the end of the fairway to some rough, leaving an unobstructed 100-yard shot to the green, which I nailed exactly as planned.
This is when the stupidity began. On hole #17, a lengthy par-4 measuring 440 yards, I hit a small tree 50 yards in front of the tee and off to the left side. It was the type I affectionately refer to as a "Vince" tree. Some of my fellow golf enthusiasts will know what I am talking about. The ball rebounded backward, right into a pond on the right. After a re-tee, I hit my third shot left of the fairway. I topped my fourth shot and that was enough to ruin the hole. I finished it five over par. On hole #18, which is a par-5, I made a mental mistake. I tried to "make up" for the previous hole, which was the wrong thing to do. My drive was another terrible one short and left, leaving a bad lie. After two more shots, I was still 210 yards from the green, which is fronted by a meandering creek. Not content to lay up, I hit a 5-wood and of course ended up in the creek. After taking a drop, I mis-hit a pitch shot and that was all she wrote. I hit another pitch to the green and two-putt for my second 9 in a row.
I shot 32 through the first seven holes of the back nine, which is good. Unfortunately, I added 18 on the last two holes. That is simply unacceptable! I have to stop this Jeckyl and Hyde type play. I feel like I'm doing many things well. I've fixed the hook that was plaguing my irons early in the season and my low irons are especially good. I am hitting nice pitches and chips around the greens and also putting well. I have made some inventive shots when called for and been conservative when dictated by the situation. My driving is all over the map though and that is the big problem. I either stripe a great one straight, or more often pull one terribly, leaving me in a bad position from which it is difficult or impossible to recover.
My handicap factor has climbed all the way to 19.8 after being as low as 15.7 two years ago. I am heading in the wrong direction.
Score: 101
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 5
June 20, 2011
Pen Lakes Warmup
Anticipating the next event of the Deepwoods championship, which will be played at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club, I invited a friend to join me in something of a practice round at the Fenwick, Ontario course.
Prior to the round, I had an opportunity to work on some things at the driving range. I began with my irons, working my way from pitching wedge to 3-iron. For most of the season, I have been hooking my irons. This time, I was pleased to see the ball travel consistently in a straight line. I concentrated on ball position relative to my stance. I also focused on club face angle, both at address and at impact. I find opening the face at address by a couple of degrees helps me keep it square at impact. My 4-iron and 3-iron were especially strong. It's funny because low irons were a nemesis of mine years ago. Today, they're my favourite irons to hit.
While my irons were working like a charm on the range, the same could not be said of my driving. I was searching for some consistency and just couldn't find it. For most of the year, I have been pulling my drives low and straight off the tee. On this occasion, I was hitting a lot of high, weak fades. I tried various adjustments, but was frankly at a loss for a solution. I wrapped up the practice session and set out to try my luck on the course.
Opening on the Quarry nine, I began with a trio of bogeys. A lovely approach with the 4-iron saved me on the first hole after I topped my second from a bad lie in the rough. On the third hole, I played a 3-iron off the tee, followed by another to the edge of the green. The long irons were certainly working well for me. The next few holes brought a few double-bogeys, for various reasons. On one hole, I accidentally picked a ball clean out of a greenside bunker. On another, I registered a dreaded 3-putt. On yet another, I topped my second shot from the rough. I finished the front nine with a score of 49, but felt pretty good about my game nevertheless.
Moving to the Orchard nine, my game continued in much the same fashion. Just as on the practice range, I was driving the ball poorly, but making up for it with nice long irons. The best example was hole #4, a par-5 measuring 532 yards. I hooked my drive terribly off the tee. Luckily, I caught the ball on the heel of the club, so it didn't travel far. Next, I hit a beautiful 5-iron out of the rough, sending the ball deep to the right side of the fairway. With 200 yards still remaining to the green, I hit a perfect 3-iron flag high and left of the pin. Par was the final result. The only real blemish on the back nine came on a couple of par-3 holes, where I needlessly found a couple of water hazards.
When it was all said and done, my final score was 96. While not great, that's the best score I've posted this year, so I can't complain. More importantly, it was a great day and I had a good time.
Score: 96
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
Prior to the round, I had an opportunity to work on some things at the driving range. I began with my irons, working my way from pitching wedge to 3-iron. For most of the season, I have been hooking my irons. This time, I was pleased to see the ball travel consistently in a straight line. I concentrated on ball position relative to my stance. I also focused on club face angle, both at address and at impact. I find opening the face at address by a couple of degrees helps me keep it square at impact. My 4-iron and 3-iron were especially strong. It's funny because low irons were a nemesis of mine years ago. Today, they're my favourite irons to hit.
While my irons were working like a charm on the range, the same could not be said of my driving. I was searching for some consistency and just couldn't find it. For most of the year, I have been pulling my drives low and straight off the tee. On this occasion, I was hitting a lot of high, weak fades. I tried various adjustments, but was frankly at a loss for a solution. I wrapped up the practice session and set out to try my luck on the course.
Opening on the Quarry nine, I began with a trio of bogeys. A lovely approach with the 4-iron saved me on the first hole after I topped my second from a bad lie in the rough. On the third hole, I played a 3-iron off the tee, followed by another to the edge of the green. The long irons were certainly working well for me. The next few holes brought a few double-bogeys, for various reasons. On one hole, I accidentally picked a ball clean out of a greenside bunker. On another, I registered a dreaded 3-putt. On yet another, I topped my second shot from the rough. I finished the front nine with a score of 49, but felt pretty good about my game nevertheless.
Moving to the Orchard nine, my game continued in much the same fashion. Just as on the practice range, I was driving the ball poorly, but making up for it with nice long irons. The best example was hole #4, a par-5 measuring 532 yards. I hooked my drive terribly off the tee. Luckily, I caught the ball on the heel of the club, so it didn't travel far. Next, I hit a beautiful 5-iron out of the rough, sending the ball deep to the right side of the fairway. With 200 yards still remaining to the green, I hit a perfect 3-iron flag high and left of the pin. Par was the final result. The only real blemish on the back nine came on a couple of par-3 holes, where I needlessly found a couple of water hazards.
When it was all said and done, my final score was 96. While not great, that's the best score I've posted this year, so I can't complain. More importantly, it was a great day and I had a good time.
Score: 96
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 2
June 02, 2011
Struggle Continues at Deepwoods Event
The first round of the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship took place at Copetown Woods Golf Club. The course has hosted Round 1 of the Deepwoods Championship for many years. I played well at Copetown in seasons past, setting the stage for a win and two second place finishes over the last four years. This year was different.
I went into the round with very little confidence, owing to the poor showings I've had early this year. I was encouraged when I found myself able to control my drives and iron shots on the practice range. I was still pulling my drives and drawing my irons more than desired, but at least the path of the ball in the air seemed to be predictable.
That all went out the window when I teed off on my first hole of the day, which was #10, a short par-5. I popped my drive straight in the air, maybe 50 yards. Hitting next from the rough, I topped my 5-wood. I followed up with a trio of good shots and a couple of putts, but the damage had been done. Double-bogey was not the start I was looking for.
The rest of the back nine was a struggle all the way through. I especially made a mess of holes #13 and #14, collecting a penalty stroke on the former for a pulled drive into a pond, and another on the latter for a hooked iron into deep fescue that swallowed my ball never to be seen again. Triple-bogey was the result on both holes. The back nine produced a lone par, which came on hole #15, a rather straightforward affair.
The front nine was much better, as I managed a birdie on hole #6, followed by a par on hole #7. I also posted five bogeys on this half of the scorecard. I hit two or three drives that I was happy with, along with some nice approach shots. Nevertheless, I still had two disaster holes, which ruined any chance of offsetting the back nine that began my day.
The only real positive I can take out of this round was the fact that I broke 100. You know things are going badly when breaking 100 is considered encouraging. I have to figure out why I'm pulling all my drives. I also have to find a way to prevent the clubface from shutting on most of my iron shots. At least chipping and putting are OK.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 5
Penalties: 6
I went into the round with very little confidence, owing to the poor showings I've had early this year. I was encouraged when I found myself able to control my drives and iron shots on the practice range. I was still pulling my drives and drawing my irons more than desired, but at least the path of the ball in the air seemed to be predictable.
That all went out the window when I teed off on my first hole of the day, which was #10, a short par-5. I popped my drive straight in the air, maybe 50 yards. Hitting next from the rough, I topped my 5-wood. I followed up with a trio of good shots and a couple of putts, but the damage had been done. Double-bogey was not the start I was looking for.
The rest of the back nine was a struggle all the way through. I especially made a mess of holes #13 and #14, collecting a penalty stroke on the former for a pulled drive into a pond, and another on the latter for a hooked iron into deep fescue that swallowed my ball never to be seen again. Triple-bogey was the result on both holes. The back nine produced a lone par, which came on hole #15, a rather straightforward affair.
The front nine was much better, as I managed a birdie on hole #6, followed by a par on hole #7. I also posted five bogeys on this half of the scorecard. I hit two or three drives that I was happy with, along with some nice approach shots. Nevertheless, I still had two disaster holes, which ruined any chance of offsetting the back nine that began my day.
The only real positive I can take out of this round was the fact that I broke 100. You know things are going badly when breaking 100 is considered encouraging. I have to figure out why I'm pulling all my drives. I also have to find a way to prevent the clubface from shutting on most of my iron shots. At least chipping and putting are OK.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 5
Penalties: 6
May 25, 2011
54-hole Marathon at Westview
Looking forward to the opening round of the 2011 Deepwoods Championship and feeling like I hadn't played enough this year to properly evaluate my game, I decided to try one of these "play all day" deals that a number of golf courses offer. The club I chose was Westview, a 27-hole facility that has been serving Greater Toronto Area patrons for over fifty years.
I've played almost every 18-hole golf course in the GTA, or at least those that are full length (6,000+ yards) and open to the public. For whatever reason however, I had never played Westview. Thus, it was with some anticipation that I ventured to the Aurora area course. Arriving at 7:30 am, I decided I would squeeze 54 holes out of the day, provided I didn't get slowed down by a throng of other patrons.
Homestead / Middle
Playing as a single, I opened with a round on the Homestead and Middle nines, in that order. We've had a lot of rain over the past month, which has left a lot of local courses somewhat soggy. Grass has been growing faster than most homeowners could cut it, so I'm sure golf courses have been struggling with the same issue. The grass cutting crews at Westview were out in full force, but much of my first round was played before they were able to finish the job. As a result, it was very tough going. Playing from the fairways was fine, but hitting anything out of the rough was a monumental task.
I held my own, playing bogey golf for six of the first nine holes. The remaining holes, a couple of which were of the par-5 variety, resulted in triple-bogeys. In each case, my drive found the rough and I struggled to hack the ball out safely. I was forced to use highly lofted clubs, thereby giving up a lot of distance. My drives were generally pulled, while my irons were hooking more than desired. Putting was fine. It was more of the same on the back nine, with a triple-bogey and a couple of doubles ruining an otherwise decent stretch of bogey golf. Putting faltered a bit as I racked up a trio of 3-putts.
Score: 102
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
Lakeland / Homestead
With 18 holes under my belt, I moved on to the next round over the Lakeland and Homestead nines, in that order. Lakeland is the toughest of the nines at Westview, featuring a pair of par-5 holes that are particularly tricky. Hole #3, which measures 592 yards from the white tees, demands length off the tee and in the setup to the approach. Thick woods swallow up any errant shots. I sliced my tee shot into the woods on the right, forcing a second attempt. After making my way to the 200-yard marker, I foolishly decided to go for the green with a 3-iron. It was foolish because the fairway narrows approaching the green, pinched on the right side by a large pond. Sure enough, my ball found the water and I took my second penalty of the hole, which I finished with a score of 10. Nasty!
My score on the Lakeland nine was a despicable 60, so I needed my second look at the Homestead nine to be good in order to salvage a respectable 18-hole score. Thankfully, I proceeded to play my best nine holes of the day. By this time, the crews had cut most of the grass. The sun also made an appearance, helping to dry out the course substantially. I made one par and one double-bogey while registering bogey on the rest of the holes. I hit four of seven fairways thanks to some much better drives. I stopped analyzing my drives and just hit the ball. I also got my irons to straighten out slightly. Chipping and putting was excellent.
Score: 105
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 6
Middle / Lakeland
The last round of the day took place with my second look at the Middle and Lakeland nines, in that order. By this time, my feet were getting pretty sore. I should mention that I walked and carried my bag for all 54 holes. I changed socks and shoes after 27 holes, so at least my sore feet were dry. Anyway, my score on the Middle nine actually got worse the second time around. It was a Jekyll and Hyde period, as I played some really solid holes along with some stinkers. On one hole, I striped my best drive of the day, leaving just 115 yards to the green. Par was the result. On the very next hole, I pulled my drive 30 degrees left of target, smacking a cluster of trees 50 yards from the teeing area. Notably, two stinkers came on holes #8 and #9, as I started to fatigue in earnest.
I won't lie. The last nine holes of the day were a struggle, as I hobbled along on my sore feet. I could tell my swing was also getting sloppy. It didn't help that these were played on the tough Lakeland nine. Even so, I improved my score over Lakeland by four strokes. Two of those strokes were saved on hole #5, the second of the tricky par-5 holes that I mentioned earlier. At just 480 yards from the white tees, the hole is not long. However, it features two carries over water and a dogleg left. I hit a great 3-wood off the tee and survived a bad second shot to reach the green in four. Even with a silly 3-putt, the result was better than the first time around.
Score: 109
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Penalties: 6
Overall, it was an interesting experience. I don't think I'll be playing 54 holes again in a single day any time soon though. If I ever do it again, I'll probably take a cart! I'm not happy with my scores, but I have to take them with a grain of salt. I had never played this course before and the long, wet grass early on was difficult. That's not saying anything about the fact that I played three rounds in a row! A few times when I played through groups I also rushed way too much. You want to maintain your focus, but at the same time, you don't want to hold up people who are generous enough to let you play through.
Ready or not, Deepwoods here I come!
I've played almost every 18-hole golf course in the GTA, or at least those that are full length (6,000+ yards) and open to the public. For whatever reason however, I had never played Westview. Thus, it was with some anticipation that I ventured to the Aurora area course. Arriving at 7:30 am, I decided I would squeeze 54 holes out of the day, provided I didn't get slowed down by a throng of other patrons.
Homestead / Middle
Playing as a single, I opened with a round on the Homestead and Middle nines, in that order. We've had a lot of rain over the past month, which has left a lot of local courses somewhat soggy. Grass has been growing faster than most homeowners could cut it, so I'm sure golf courses have been struggling with the same issue. The grass cutting crews at Westview were out in full force, but much of my first round was played before they were able to finish the job. As a result, it was very tough going. Playing from the fairways was fine, but hitting anything out of the rough was a monumental task.
I held my own, playing bogey golf for six of the first nine holes. The remaining holes, a couple of which were of the par-5 variety, resulted in triple-bogeys. In each case, my drive found the rough and I struggled to hack the ball out safely. I was forced to use highly lofted clubs, thereby giving up a lot of distance. My drives were generally pulled, while my irons were hooking more than desired. Putting was fine. It was more of the same on the back nine, with a triple-bogey and a couple of doubles ruining an otherwise decent stretch of bogey golf. Putting faltered a bit as I racked up a trio of 3-putts.
Score: 102
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
Lakeland / Homestead
With 18 holes under my belt, I moved on to the next round over the Lakeland and Homestead nines, in that order. Lakeland is the toughest of the nines at Westview, featuring a pair of par-5 holes that are particularly tricky. Hole #3, which measures 592 yards from the white tees, demands length off the tee and in the setup to the approach. Thick woods swallow up any errant shots. I sliced my tee shot into the woods on the right, forcing a second attempt. After making my way to the 200-yard marker, I foolishly decided to go for the green with a 3-iron. It was foolish because the fairway narrows approaching the green, pinched on the right side by a large pond. Sure enough, my ball found the water and I took my second penalty of the hole, which I finished with a score of 10. Nasty!
My score on the Lakeland nine was a despicable 60, so I needed my second look at the Homestead nine to be good in order to salvage a respectable 18-hole score. Thankfully, I proceeded to play my best nine holes of the day. By this time, the crews had cut most of the grass. The sun also made an appearance, helping to dry out the course substantially. I made one par and one double-bogey while registering bogey on the rest of the holes. I hit four of seven fairways thanks to some much better drives. I stopped analyzing my drives and just hit the ball. I also got my irons to straighten out slightly. Chipping and putting was excellent.
Score: 105
Putts: 31
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 6
Middle / Lakeland
The last round of the day took place with my second look at the Middle and Lakeland nines, in that order. By this time, my feet were getting pretty sore. I should mention that I walked and carried my bag for all 54 holes. I changed socks and shoes after 27 holes, so at least my sore feet were dry. Anyway, my score on the Middle nine actually got worse the second time around. It was a Jekyll and Hyde period, as I played some really solid holes along with some stinkers. On one hole, I striped my best drive of the day, leaving just 115 yards to the green. Par was the result. On the very next hole, I pulled my drive 30 degrees left of target, smacking a cluster of trees 50 yards from the teeing area. Notably, two stinkers came on holes #8 and #9, as I started to fatigue in earnest.
I won't lie. The last nine holes of the day were a struggle, as I hobbled along on my sore feet. I could tell my swing was also getting sloppy. It didn't help that these were played on the tough Lakeland nine. Even so, I improved my score over Lakeland by four strokes. Two of those strokes were saved on hole #5, the second of the tricky par-5 holes that I mentioned earlier. At just 480 yards from the white tees, the hole is not long. However, it features two carries over water and a dogleg left. I hit a great 3-wood off the tee and survived a bad second shot to reach the green in four. Even with a silly 3-putt, the result was better than the first time around.
Score: 109
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 0
Penalties: 6
Overall, it was an interesting experience. I don't think I'll be playing 54 holes again in a single day any time soon though. If I ever do it again, I'll probably take a cart! I'm not happy with my scores, but I have to take them with a grain of salt. I had never played this course before and the long, wet grass early on was difficult. That's not saying anything about the fact that I played three rounds in a row! A few times when I played through groups I also rushed way too much. You want to maintain your focus, but at the same time, you don't want to hold up people who are generous enough to let you play through.
Ready or not, Deepwoods here I come!
May 21, 2011
Turnberry Debut
With rain in the forecast for the upcoming week, I decided to get out for a round of golf while I still could. Looking for something close to home, I opted for Turnberry Golf Club, located in Brampton, Ontario. Featuring 16 par-3 holes, bookended by a pair of par-4's, Turnberry is not your average golf course. What the design lacks in length, it makes up for in beauty and layout. Massive dunes define each hole, providing the sense of isolation one feels on a much larger property. Elevation changes add interest and challenge, as do a couple of ponds and a meandering stream. Most importantly, holes are of varying lengths, giving golfers a chance to use nearly every club in the bag. In terms of feel, Turnberry is every bit the equal of its famous sister course, Eagle's Nest.
This was my first ever visit to Turnberry and the timing couldn't have been better. I had been struggling with par-3 holes, so what better way to fix that than to play 16 of them in a row? I got off to a poor start on the opening par-4 as a result of a very poor drive. I caught the ball low on the club face, sending it to a steep, fescue-covered embankment opposite a stream. It took a couple hacks to get out, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Certainly, this wasn't the start I had envisioned. On hole #2, my tee shot hooked slightly, finding the stream left of the green. After a penalty stroke, I landed on the green, but proceeded to 3-putt my way to a triple-bogey. Another terrible result, but at least I was moving in the right direction!
At this point I began to settle down. My first par of the day came on hole #4, a short one at 120 yards. My tee shot was pin high, about ten feet left of the hole. The approach even garnered a compliment from a couple of groundskeepers who were working in the area. The birdie attempt slid just past the hole, but a tap-in for par is always good. While I settled down, I still wasn't hitting a lot of greens. Almost all of my tee shots were hooking more than I wanted them to. I don't mind a nice little draw, but when a draw becomes a hook, you've got a problem. So I basically spent the day trying to correct the hook. With each hole, I got a little straighter. I played the ball a little further back in my stance with more of a forward press. I also thought of "finishing down the line," which keeps me from shutting the club face too much. These things all seemed to help.
Overall, it was an enjoyable and productive round. Once again, my score left a lot to be desired, but I wasn't very disappointed since I felt like I made some useful discoveries. As far as the course goes, I'll definitely be back.
Score: 83 (par 56)
Putts: 37
Fairways: 1 (of 2)
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
This was my first ever visit to Turnberry and the timing couldn't have been better. I had been struggling with par-3 holes, so what better way to fix that than to play 16 of them in a row? I got off to a poor start on the opening par-4 as a result of a very poor drive. I caught the ball low on the club face, sending it to a steep, fescue-covered embankment opposite a stream. It took a couple hacks to get out, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Certainly, this wasn't the start I had envisioned. On hole #2, my tee shot hooked slightly, finding the stream left of the green. After a penalty stroke, I landed on the green, but proceeded to 3-putt my way to a triple-bogey. Another terrible result, but at least I was moving in the right direction!
At this point I began to settle down. My first par of the day came on hole #4, a short one at 120 yards. My tee shot was pin high, about ten feet left of the hole. The approach even garnered a compliment from a couple of groundskeepers who were working in the area. The birdie attempt slid just past the hole, but a tap-in for par is always good. While I settled down, I still wasn't hitting a lot of greens. Almost all of my tee shots were hooking more than I wanted them to. I don't mind a nice little draw, but when a draw becomes a hook, you've got a problem. So I basically spent the day trying to correct the hook. With each hole, I got a little straighter. I played the ball a little further back in my stance with more of a forward press. I also thought of "finishing down the line," which keeps me from shutting the club face too much. These things all seemed to help.
Overall, it was an enjoyable and productive round. Once again, my score left a lot to be desired, but I wasn't very disappointed since I felt like I made some useful discoveries. As far as the course goes, I'll definitely be back.
Score: 83 (par 56)
Putts: 37
Fairways: 1 (of 2)
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
May 11, 2011
Cruel Introduction to Turtle Creek
I found a pretty good deal for Turtle Creek Golf Club, located in Campbelville, Ontario, so I decided to give it a try. The course opened in 2008, but I had never played it. I read some favourable reviews shortly after it opened, but wasn't interested in playing a short course, which Turtle Creek most definitely is.
The club's website describes it as a 6,000 yard layout. That is stretching the truth considerably. From the back tees, the course measures a mere 5,678 yards. I never understood why courses lie about their length - it only sets new visitors up for disappointment.
Course designers clearly had little land to work with when they put this track together. Everything about it feels cramped. Besides the short holes, the course features narrow fairways and tiny greens. The front nine in particular feels like a mini-putt. A few of the tee boxes are dangerously close to the previous greens. On this day the course was pretty empty, so it wasn't a problem. The back nine is quite a bit better, featuring a surprising amount of water for such a tight property.
I started the round and was uncomfortable right off the bat. Hole #1 is a dog-leg par-5 measuring 468 yards. The problem is that you can't see the landing zone for your tee shot. Someone who has played the course before would know the proper line and distance, but a newcomer is left guessing. I guessed wrong and it set me up badly for the remainder of the hole. I tried a long carry over a pond fronting the green, but hit some rocks on the opposite bank and was forced to take my first of many penalty strokes on the day.
Over the next few holes, I struggled with the postage-stamp sized greens, resulting in a couple of triple-bogeys. Pitching and chipping from the vicinity of the greens, I had trouble just stopping the ball on the putting surface. It was like being short-sided, no matter where the flag was. There simply was never much green to work with. You really need to be a short game wizard to do well. On holes #5 and #6, I started getting used to this and converted a pair of up-and-downs for my only pars of the day.
Things got silly on hole #9, a respectable par-5 at 538 yards. The entire left side of the hole is out of bounds, where I promptly launched two balls off the tee. That's four strokes on my scorecard without even advancing the ball! You just can't expect to score well when stuff like that happens.
I started playing more consistently at this point, recording bogey on seven of the back nine holes. Hole #10 produced a triple-bogey, but I can't really beat myself up over it. In a greenside bunker after my first two shots, I hit a good looking sand shot. Unfortunately, the ball failed to hold the tiny green. My return chip also failed to hold and I was in the bunker once again. Sheesh!
Hole #13, perhaps the signature hole at Turtle Creek, was the other one that gave me problems. A par-5 at 473 yards, golfers must carry a pond with their tee shot to a hill on the other side. Long hitters may reach the crest of the hill, but most will end up with a blind second shot. I popped my tee shot way up, failing to even clear the pond. After adding a penalty stroke, my third shot came up just shy of the crest. My fourth shot was a layup to about the 130-yard zone. The last 130 yards of this hole is a narrow peninsula surrounded on all sides by water. In fact, my layup almost trickled into the water on the left side. I had a terrible lie and my next shot hit a big rock right in front of me. The ball ricocheted backwards and to the middle of the fairway, leaving 160 yards to the green. My sixth shot was an 8-iron
that I pushed into the water on the right side. After another penalty, I hit the green with my eighth shot. After three putts (insult to injury) I carded a score of eleven. Ouch!
Overall, I finished with a disgusting score of 108. I blame part of that on the fact that it was an unfamiliar, tight course. However, there's no denying that I also hit some bad shots. On a positive note, I hit a decent amount of good shots too, so it wasn't a complete loss.
Score: 108
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
Penalties: 7
The club's website describes it as a 6,000 yard layout. That is stretching the truth considerably. From the back tees, the course measures a mere 5,678 yards. I never understood why courses lie about their length - it only sets new visitors up for disappointment.
Course designers clearly had little land to work with when they put this track together. Everything about it feels cramped. Besides the short holes, the course features narrow fairways and tiny greens. The front nine in particular feels like a mini-putt. A few of the tee boxes are dangerously close to the previous greens. On this day the course was pretty empty, so it wasn't a problem. The back nine is quite a bit better, featuring a surprising amount of water for such a tight property.
I started the round and was uncomfortable right off the bat. Hole #1 is a dog-leg par-5 measuring 468 yards. The problem is that you can't see the landing zone for your tee shot. Someone who has played the course before would know the proper line and distance, but a newcomer is left guessing. I guessed wrong and it set me up badly for the remainder of the hole. I tried a long carry over a pond fronting the green, but hit some rocks on the opposite bank and was forced to take my first of many penalty strokes on the day.
Over the next few holes, I struggled with the postage-stamp sized greens, resulting in a couple of triple-bogeys. Pitching and chipping from the vicinity of the greens, I had trouble just stopping the ball on the putting surface. It was like being short-sided, no matter where the flag was. There simply was never much green to work with. You really need to be a short game wizard to do well. On holes #5 and #6, I started getting used to this and converted a pair of up-and-downs for my only pars of the day.
Things got silly on hole #9, a respectable par-5 at 538 yards. The entire left side of the hole is out of bounds, where I promptly launched two balls off the tee. That's four strokes on my scorecard without even advancing the ball! You just can't expect to score well when stuff like that happens.
I started playing more consistently at this point, recording bogey on seven of the back nine holes. Hole #10 produced a triple-bogey, but I can't really beat myself up over it. In a greenside bunker after my first two shots, I hit a good looking sand shot. Unfortunately, the ball failed to hold the tiny green. My return chip also failed to hold and I was in the bunker once again. Sheesh!
Hole #13, perhaps the signature hole at Turtle Creek, was the other one that gave me problems. A par-5 at 473 yards, golfers must carry a pond with their tee shot to a hill on the other side. Long hitters may reach the crest of the hill, but most will end up with a blind second shot. I popped my tee shot way up, failing to even clear the pond. After adding a penalty stroke, my third shot came up just shy of the crest. My fourth shot was a layup to about the 130-yard zone. The last 130 yards of this hole is a narrow peninsula surrounded on all sides by water. In fact, my layup almost trickled into the water on the left side. I had a terrible lie and my next shot hit a big rock right in front of me. The ball ricocheted backwards and to the middle of the fairway, leaving 160 yards to the green. My sixth shot was an 8-iron
that I pushed into the water on the right side. After another penalty, I hit the green with my eighth shot. After three putts (insult to injury) I carded a score of eleven. Ouch!
Overall, I finished with a disgusting score of 108. I blame part of that on the fact that it was an unfamiliar, tight course. However, there's no denying that I also hit some bad shots. On a positive note, I hit a decent amount of good shots too, so it wasn't a complete loss.
Score: 108
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 0
Penalties: 7
May 08, 2011
Old Ways at King's Forest
I played my second round of the season on a sunny day at King's Forest Golf Club in Hamilton. The course was in decent shape, albeit a bit damp from all of the rain we got in April. The greens were punched, though not bad for this time of year. My biggest problem was the fact that, owing to the weather, I hadn't played in almost four weeks! So it was like starting the season all over again. This was just my second visit to King's Forest, the first coming a few years ago when I managed to pull off a victory in a Duffer's Dream event.
I shot 52 on the front nine, followed by 51 on the back. As the scores suggest, both nines were almost identical. In both cases, I put together six good holes along with three disastrous ones.
On the very first hole, I hit a good drive to the right centre of the fairway. My approach shot came out low and skidded just off the back of the green, with a front pin placement. I made a nice chip, giving myself a chance at par. However, I missed the 8-footer and settled for bogey.
On the second hole, a decent drive put me into the rough, about two yards left of the fairway. The branches of a large tree were impeding my approach, forcing a low punch shot. I made great contact, but smacked the trunk of the tree, ricocheting back into the fairway. Bad luck. I hit the next one onto the green, but a bad lag lead to a 3-putt and double-bogey.
The third hole is where things started going badly. I hit a great drive right down the pipe. It was actually too good, as I rolled through the end of the fairway. I was left with a 90-yard approach over a river to the green. My lie was not great, as the grass was sparse and the ground muddy. Using a 60-degree wedge, I hit my next shot fat and of course landed in the river. After a penalty stroke I reached the green, but proceeded to 3-putt for triple-bogey.
The fourth hole was even worse. Teeing off with a pond directly in front, I hit the ball off the heel and landed in the water. After re-teeing, I hit a good one to the left edge of the fairway. The next two shots were very disappointing. I topped the ball twice with the 3-wood. I hit my woods very well in the season opener, so it was painful to struggle with them, as I had throughout the entire 2010 season. I finished the hole with a quadruple-bogey. Ouch!
The woes continued on hole #5, the first par-3 of the day. I pulled my tee shot left, as I did on most of the par-3 holes in my previous round. This was despite the fact that I reminded myself the shot was no different than an approach from a fairway. Obviously, the reminder didn't work. I found myself behind a couple small trees left of the green and had a heck of a time recovering. The hole ended with another triple-bogey.
After this, I settled down and played well for the remaining holes on the front nine. I made par on hole #6, a par-5, followed by three consecutive bogeys. The bogey on hole #7 was a bit disappointing because I 3-putt after finally hitting a par-3 green in regulation.
The back nine began with brilliant pars on holes #10 and #11, both of which are of the par-4 variety. The par on hole #10 was close to textbook, while that on #11 was much more of a scramble. A sloping fairway on #10 carried my ball about one yard into the rough. From there I hit an iron pin-high but a couple yards left of the green. I was short sided, so the chip was tricky. I was left with a 5-footer for par, which I drained.
From a severely elevated tee on hole #11, I pulled the ball into some pine trees. Luckily, the trees were fairly sparse and I had a good lie. I punched a low shot toward the green, judging it perfectly as the ball came to rest in the centre of the putting surface. I faced a long lag putt, but it worked out perfectly, leaving an easy tap-in.
After the great start to the back nine, I felt like I could salvage a respectable score. Unfortunately, holes #12 and #13 killed me, as I played them 8 over par collectively. Hole #12 is a tight par-4, with thick forest lining both sides of the fairway from tee to green. I was in the forest twice and was forced to chip out sideways just to get the ball back in play. You could say I Kevin Na'd the hole. OK, it wasn't that bad.
Hole #13 is the number two handicap on the course, so it is fairly challenging. I pulled my tee shot badly, resulting in a lost ball. When I got a new ball in play, I was forced to lay up in front of the river that crosses the fairway 150 yards in front of the green. After reaching the green, a well judged putt lipped out, adding insult to injury.
The rest of the round was played fairly well, but the damage had already been done. I finished with a score of 103, which I can not emphasize enough, is truly brutal. I should never be at or over 100, period. Even a miserable round should end up in the nineties.
I will have to lick my wounds and try again. It won't be the first time.
Score: 103
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
I shot 52 on the front nine, followed by 51 on the back. As the scores suggest, both nines were almost identical. In both cases, I put together six good holes along with three disastrous ones.
On the very first hole, I hit a good drive to the right centre of the fairway. My approach shot came out low and skidded just off the back of the green, with a front pin placement. I made a nice chip, giving myself a chance at par. However, I missed the 8-footer and settled for bogey.
On the second hole, a decent drive put me into the rough, about two yards left of the fairway. The branches of a large tree were impeding my approach, forcing a low punch shot. I made great contact, but smacked the trunk of the tree, ricocheting back into the fairway. Bad luck. I hit the next one onto the green, but a bad lag lead to a 3-putt and double-bogey.
The third hole is where things started going badly. I hit a great drive right down the pipe. It was actually too good, as I rolled through the end of the fairway. I was left with a 90-yard approach over a river to the green. My lie was not great, as the grass was sparse and the ground muddy. Using a 60-degree wedge, I hit my next shot fat and of course landed in the river. After a penalty stroke I reached the green, but proceeded to 3-putt for triple-bogey.
The fourth hole was even worse. Teeing off with a pond directly in front, I hit the ball off the heel and landed in the water. After re-teeing, I hit a good one to the left edge of the fairway. The next two shots were very disappointing. I topped the ball twice with the 3-wood. I hit my woods very well in the season opener, so it was painful to struggle with them, as I had throughout the entire 2010 season. I finished the hole with a quadruple-bogey. Ouch!
The woes continued on hole #5, the first par-3 of the day. I pulled my tee shot left, as I did on most of the par-3 holes in my previous round. This was despite the fact that I reminded myself the shot was no different than an approach from a fairway. Obviously, the reminder didn't work. I found myself behind a couple small trees left of the green and had a heck of a time recovering. The hole ended with another triple-bogey.
After this, I settled down and played well for the remaining holes on the front nine. I made par on hole #6, a par-5, followed by three consecutive bogeys. The bogey on hole #7 was a bit disappointing because I 3-putt after finally hitting a par-3 green in regulation.
The back nine began with brilliant pars on holes #10 and #11, both of which are of the par-4 variety. The par on hole #10 was close to textbook, while that on #11 was much more of a scramble. A sloping fairway on #10 carried my ball about one yard into the rough. From there I hit an iron pin-high but a couple yards left of the green. I was short sided, so the chip was tricky. I was left with a 5-footer for par, which I drained.
From a severely elevated tee on hole #11, I pulled the ball into some pine trees. Luckily, the trees were fairly sparse and I had a good lie. I punched a low shot toward the green, judging it perfectly as the ball came to rest in the centre of the putting surface. I faced a long lag putt, but it worked out perfectly, leaving an easy tap-in.
After the great start to the back nine, I felt like I could salvage a respectable score. Unfortunately, holes #12 and #13 killed me, as I played them 8 over par collectively. Hole #12 is a tight par-4, with thick forest lining both sides of the fairway from tee to green. I was in the forest twice and was forced to chip out sideways just to get the ball back in play. You could say I Kevin Na'd the hole. OK, it wasn't that bad.
Hole #13 is the number two handicap on the course, so it is fairly challenging. I pulled my tee shot badly, resulting in a lost ball. When I got a new ball in play, I was forced to lay up in front of the river that crosses the fairway 150 yards in front of the green. After reaching the green, a well judged putt lipped out, adding insult to injury.
The rest of the round was played fairly well, but the damage had already been done. I finished with a score of 103, which I can not emphasize enough, is truly brutal. I should never be at or over 100, period. Even a miserable round should end up in the nineties.
I will have to lick my wounds and try again. It won't be the first time.
Score: 103
Putts: 38
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
Season Opener at Woodington Lake
Here we go again. My 2011 golf season got under way with a round at Woodington Lake Golf Club on Saturday during the Masters. Considering it was early April, the weather was remarkably good, as was the condition of the Legend course. After a winter of simulator golf, I was ready for the real thing. There were both positives and negatives concerning my play, so let's break it down, starting with the negatives.
Driving. My golf swing has always been less than ideal. I have a tendency to take the club up very steeply during my backswing. This takes the club off plane, forcing me to come back to plane during the downstroke if I am to hit the ball squarely. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Since the driver is the longest club in the bag, it is the hardest to control in this fashion. I shortened my backstroke in an effort to stay on plane, but this being somewhat foreign to me, I mis-hit many shots off the tee. Usually, I caught the ball on the heel of the club, sending it dribbling a few yards forward and to the left.
Par 3 holes. Apart from four triple-bogeys, my scorecard actually looked quite good. Of course, one can always say that. In golf, we simply don't have the luxury of dropping three or four of our worst holes. The thing is, three of those four triples came on par-3 holes. In each case, I pulled my tee shot well left of target. I have experienced this before and believe the problem is psychological. There is something about par-3 holes that feels so tantalizing. The green is right there in front of you and you can tee the ball up from level ground. In that situation, it's easy to get overly pumped up about the upcoming shot. Next time, I will try to think of those shots as no different than a par-4 approach from the fairway. We'll see if that helps.
Putting. My putting was more of a mixed bag than it was a negative. The fact is that I had four 3-putts over the course of the round. This was offset by five 1-putts, but that is little consolation. One cannot have any 3-putts in a round if one is to score well. Sometimes you find yourself in legitimate 3-putt territory, but that wasn't the case this time around. I need to buckle down and hit every lag putt close.
And now for the positives.
Fairway woods. What? Can it truly be possible? Last year, I could not hit a fairway wood well enough to save my life! In prior years, I had much confidence with the woods, whether off the tee or off the deck. For some reason, this disappeared entirely in 2010. The upside is that my long irons got better, but I became much less versatile. Thankfully, the woods were working well in this year's debut. Whenever I messed up a drive, my fairway woods came to the rescue on the very next shot. It was a great feeling.
Irons. Apart from the tee shots on par-3 holes, my irons were feeling very good. On hole #1, a tough opener, I hit a solid 6-iron from the fairway that trickled off the back of the green. On hole #5, I hit a wonderful 7-iron from the rough that found the centre of the green. The same club helped me find green #9, while the 3-iron helped me recover after a weak drive on hole #10. Overall, I just felt good about my irons.
Mental composure. Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much out of the season opener, I remained composed even when things were going poorly. The greatest example came on the last hole of the round. A triple-bogey and double-bogey respectively on holes #16 and #17 left me with a score of 93 going into the finishing hole, a par-4 that has ruined many a round for players at Woodington Lake. Any sort of penalty on this hole and I knew I would surpass the century mark. I began by nailing the centre of the fairway with my drive, a rare occurrence on this day. Next, I hit an easy 8-iron to a flat area 50 yards short of the green. This was critical because challenging the green meant a very long iron shot to a putting surface surrounded on three sides by water. In other words, a sure penalty stroke. Disaster struck when my pitch shot came up five yards short of the green, but I followed up with a good chip and putt for bogey. Game management was key.
Score: 98
Putts: 35
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
Driving. My golf swing has always been less than ideal. I have a tendency to take the club up very steeply during my backswing. This takes the club off plane, forcing me to come back to plane during the downstroke if I am to hit the ball squarely. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Since the driver is the longest club in the bag, it is the hardest to control in this fashion. I shortened my backstroke in an effort to stay on plane, but this being somewhat foreign to me, I mis-hit many shots off the tee. Usually, I caught the ball on the heel of the club, sending it dribbling a few yards forward and to the left.
Par 3 holes. Apart from four triple-bogeys, my scorecard actually looked quite good. Of course, one can always say that. In golf, we simply don't have the luxury of dropping three or four of our worst holes. The thing is, three of those four triples came on par-3 holes. In each case, I pulled my tee shot well left of target. I have experienced this before and believe the problem is psychological. There is something about par-3 holes that feels so tantalizing. The green is right there in front of you and you can tee the ball up from level ground. In that situation, it's easy to get overly pumped up about the upcoming shot. Next time, I will try to think of those shots as no different than a par-4 approach from the fairway. We'll see if that helps.
Putting. My putting was more of a mixed bag than it was a negative. The fact is that I had four 3-putts over the course of the round. This was offset by five 1-putts, but that is little consolation. One cannot have any 3-putts in a round if one is to score well. Sometimes you find yourself in legitimate 3-putt territory, but that wasn't the case this time around. I need to buckle down and hit every lag putt close.
And now for the positives.
Fairway woods. What? Can it truly be possible? Last year, I could not hit a fairway wood well enough to save my life! In prior years, I had much confidence with the woods, whether off the tee or off the deck. For some reason, this disappeared entirely in 2010. The upside is that my long irons got better, but I became much less versatile. Thankfully, the woods were working well in this year's debut. Whenever I messed up a drive, my fairway woods came to the rescue on the very next shot. It was a great feeling.
Irons. Apart from the tee shots on par-3 holes, my irons were feeling very good. On hole #1, a tough opener, I hit a solid 6-iron from the fairway that trickled off the back of the green. On hole #5, I hit a wonderful 7-iron from the rough that found the centre of the green. The same club helped me find green #9, while the 3-iron helped me recover after a weak drive on hole #10. Overall, I just felt good about my irons.
Mental composure. Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much out of the season opener, I remained composed even when things were going poorly. The greatest example came on the last hole of the round. A triple-bogey and double-bogey respectively on holes #16 and #17 left me with a score of 93 going into the finishing hole, a par-4 that has ruined many a round for players at Woodington Lake. Any sort of penalty on this hole and I knew I would surpass the century mark. I began by nailing the centre of the fairway with my drive, a rare occurrence on this day. Next, I hit an easy 8-iron to a flat area 50 yards short of the green. This was critical because challenging the green meant a very long iron shot to a putting surface surrounded on three sides by water. In other words, a sure penalty stroke. Disaster struck when my pitch shot came up five yards short of the green, but I followed up with a good chip and putt for bogey. Game management was key.
Score: 98
Putts: 35
Fairways: 8
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
December 23, 2010
Masters Back to Back
I played two rounds of golf on what ended up being the final weekend of the season. Both rounds were played at Lionhead Masters, which I seem to have played quite often this year. Here's how it all went down.
Frosty First Nine
The last round of the season was played in bitter cold conditions. I dressed for the occasion and was able to keep my body reasonably comfortable. What I could not do was keep my hands warm. For much of the round, I could not feel the club in my hands. It was impossible to tell whether I was holding the club gingerly in my fingertips, or clutching it with the grip of death. Needless to say, I didn't score well. Opening with four double-bogeys in a row, I shot 65 for the first nine holes.
Perhaps because it warmed up a degree or two, or possibly because I abandoned any hope of a good score, I played much better over the last nine holes. I birdied hole #7, a 369-yard par 4 in textbook style. I also made par on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 138 yards. It took a nice up and down from just off the green to do so. Six bogeys and a lone double-bogey rounded out my card on the back nine, for a score of 43. I was very pleased with this result, given the conditions.
Score: 108
Putts: 37
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
Foggy Few Holes
For late November, the temperature was actually pretty nice. Unfortunately, fog was covering much of the course when we teed off. The first three holes were played in the thick of it. Not surprisingly, I made a quadruple-bogey on the opening hole. More surprising, was the fact that I managed par and bogey on the next two holes. After that, the fog lifted and we were fine for the rest of the round.
As soon as the fog cleared, I rattled off three pars in a row on holes #13 through #15. In each case, I was aggressive off the tee, hitting driver even though the big stick is not required. The drive on hole #15 felt especially good, as I landed in the centre of the fairway, less than 100 yards from the pin. I struggled on hole #16, which seems to bring either feast or famine, depending on the alignment of the stars. After that, I re-grouped and played solid golf the rest of the way.
Score: 92
Putts: 31
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 4
Frosty First Nine
The last round of the season was played in bitter cold conditions. I dressed for the occasion and was able to keep my body reasonably comfortable. What I could not do was keep my hands warm. For much of the round, I could not feel the club in my hands. It was impossible to tell whether I was holding the club gingerly in my fingertips, or clutching it with the grip of death. Needless to say, I didn't score well. Opening with four double-bogeys in a row, I shot 65 for the first nine holes.
Perhaps because it warmed up a degree or two, or possibly because I abandoned any hope of a good score, I played much better over the last nine holes. I birdied hole #7, a 369-yard par 4 in textbook style. I also made par on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 138 yards. It took a nice up and down from just off the green to do so. Six bogeys and a lone double-bogey rounded out my card on the back nine, for a score of 43. I was very pleased with this result, given the conditions.
Score: 108
Putts: 37
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 7
Foggy Few Holes
For late November, the temperature was actually pretty nice. Unfortunately, fog was covering much of the course when we teed off. The first three holes were played in the thick of it. Not surprisingly, I made a quadruple-bogey on the opening hole. More surprising, was the fact that I managed par and bogey on the next two holes. After that, the fog lifted and we were fine for the rest of the round.
As soon as the fog cleared, I rattled off three pars in a row on holes #13 through #15. In each case, I was aggressive off the tee, hitting driver even though the big stick is not required. The drive on hole #15 felt especially good, as I landed in the centre of the fairway, less than 100 yards from the pin. I struggled on hole #16, which seems to bring either feast or famine, depending on the alignment of the stars. After that, I re-grouped and played solid golf the rest of the way.
Score: 92
Putts: 31
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Penalties: 4
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