I drew an unfortunate tee-time for my latest event on the GTA Amateur Tour. Playing the much-admired Heathlands course at Osprey Valley, I teed off at 7:40 am in the second group of the day. At that particular time, the course was being pelted by rain. Literally two seconds after putting my umbrella down, my club, glove, and everything else was soaked. A stiff wind was driving the cold rain horizontally against my back. It was also very dark. Any shot off the fairway would surely be lost, if not due to darkness then certainly due to the gnarly fescue that covers most of the Heathlands course. Sure enough, I topped my tee shot, sending the ball just past the teeing ground. On a downhill lie in wet rough, with water between me and the fairway, all I could do was chip the ball a few yards ahead to the forward teeing area. From there, I hit a nice 5-wood to the fairway, followed by a good 4-iron and equally good 9-iron to the green. On the water-logged green, I did well to three-putt and escape with a triple-bogey.
At this point, a Tour official notified us that play was being suspended momentarily to allow the rain to pass through. Ten minutes later, the rain stopped and weather was beautiful for the rest of the day. Had they suspended play 20 minutes earlier, my group and the one ahead of me would have teed off under good conditions. As it was, we played a hole under ridiculous circumstances, while everybody behind us escaped completely unscathed. Luck is definitely a factor in golf, and the first two groups got a huge dose of the bad variety on this particular occasion.
After the rain, I settled into a nice groove over the next six holes. The stretch included three pars, two bogeys and one double-bogey. The double came on a par-5 after my approach from 110 yards finished left of the green. I tried a putt through a long stretch of fringe and barely got on the green. Unfortunately, I took three putts to hole out from that position. Overall, my driver was working well and the rest of my game was satisfactory. Given that the driver was working well, I had no hesitation pulling it out on hole #8, a par-4 measuring 372 yards. It ended up being the wrong decision, as I promptly sliced two drives into the trees right of the fairway. For a hole of that length, I could certainly use a 3-wood or 5-wood off the tee, perhaps even a 3-iron. As it was, I tallied a grim total of 10 for the hole.
On the back nine, I played well enough to salvage a respectable score overall. A birdie on hole #10 helped greatly. After hitting the fairway with a 5-wood, I attacked the green with a 9-iron. I caught the ball a tad thin, but it cozied up nicely to within five feet of the pin. I recovered well on hole #14 after losing my tee shot in the right fescue. Hitting three from the tee, I put another ball in the fescue on the opposite side of the fairway. Luckily, I was able to find it. I hit a good out to get the ball back in the fairway, but the final approach from 190 yards was the one that helped me save triple-bogey. I hit the green and made two putts to hole out. The hole could have been much worse.
Pars on a couple of par-3 holes helped me close out strong. After hitting the green on hole #16, a 111-yard carry entirely over water, my birdie putt just missed, leaving an easy tap-in. Hole #18 is also a carry entirely over water, though a little longer at 138 yards. The flag was on the lower tier of the green, a small segment at the very front of the putting surface. My tee shot rolled just past the cup, but climbed the ridge and ended up on the upper tier. I made a very nice birdie attempt on the hard breaker, missing the cup by mere inches. The easy tap-in was a nice way to earn par.
This could have been a good round, if not for the 10 on hole #8. Still, I enjoyed myself and the result was satisfactory.
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 6
August 20, 2009
Bad Start at Oakridge
My last round of golf was the fourth event in the season-long run for the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship. Returning to Oakridge Golf Club for the second year in a row, I was anxious to improve on a bad performance last year. Unfortunately, I dug a hole for myself very early on and spent the rest of the round playing catch up. That approach doesn’t really work in golf, which rewards patience and control.
Just as I did last year, I put a couple of approach shots in the water on hole #1 after hitting a respectable drive. Adding penalty strokes for each failed attempt, the result was four strokes without even advancing the ball! I simply hit the ball fat and didn’t get the distance I should have with the given clubs. On hole #2, I also repeated the mistake I made last year. Teeing off with a 4-iron on the 186-yard par-3, I pulled the ball straight into some trees left of the green. Hole #3 was equally disastrous. I hit a decent 5-wood off the tee, but pulled it a tad too much and landed out of bounds. After re-teeing and finding the fairway, I chunked another approach shot that barely avoided the water on the right side of the fairway. After three holes, I had scored zero points in the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods.
On holes #4 through #9, I actually played well. I wisely left my tee shot below the hole on the par-3 fourth. With the flag at the front of the green, that meant I was chipping from just off the fringe. I wanted to keep the chip shot below the hole, but I left it well below the hole, requiring two putts to hole out for bogey. On hole #5 I hit a fantastic drive to the middle of the fairway, leaving 110 yards to the flag. I pulled the approach shot with my gap wedge, but chipped on and two-putt for another bogey. On hole #6 I hit an even better drive, avoiding ponds on either side of the fairway in the landing zone. From 120 yards out, I hit the ball near the pin, leaving a legitimate birdie opportunity. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in easily for par. On hole #7, a solid drive was followed by a very nice 4-iron into the green. This is a par-5, so I was putting for eagle from the fringe. I made a nice lag putt and tapped in for birdie! Hole #9, a par-4 measuring just 321 yards, was also notable. I hit a great drive over the bunkers on the left side of the fairway. As I approached the green, I spotted my ball in the bunker right of the green. I had the distance to be on the putting surface, but just missed. After splashing out of the bunker I took two putts to hole out for par.
At this point, I felt like I had turned my game around, but I still felt like I needed to make up for points lost on the first three holes. That’s why I hit driver on hole #11, a par-4 measuring just 311 yards. The plan worked, as I hit a beauty right down the pipe, leaving a 70-yard approach to the green. What followed was utter disaster. I hit a lazy approach with the sand wedge, finding a bunker in front of the green. Then I picked the ball clean out of the trap, sending it sailing way past the green into a hazard. A penalty stroke ensued, followed by a chip shot. I ended up three-putting to finish it all off. The hole killed me and took some of the wind out of my sails.
On holes #12 through #16, I once again played reasonably. There were disappointing moments, including my drive on #12, my chipping and putting on #13, and my approach on #15. Despite these moments, I managed to recuperate and was scoring a decent number of points. On hole #16, a par-3 measuring 132 yards, I hit a nice tee shot directly in line with the flag. It came up a tad short, stopping in the fringe, but I made a great putt for birdie. Had I been able to hang on for a couple more holes, I would have escaped with a decent number of points for the round. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #17, leading to a triple-bogey. On hole #18, I cut the corner too aggressively with my tee shot and ended up with a lost ball. Trying to make up for the lost ball and associated penalty, I tried driving the green of this par-5 in two shots. To do so, players have to carry a pond in front of the green. I didn’t clear the water and that was the end of it. I finished with another triple-bogey.
I will need a miracle in the final Deepwoods event in order to defend my title from last year.
Score: 105
Par: 71
Putts: 42
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Just as I did last year, I put a couple of approach shots in the water on hole #1 after hitting a respectable drive. Adding penalty strokes for each failed attempt, the result was four strokes without even advancing the ball! I simply hit the ball fat and didn’t get the distance I should have with the given clubs. On hole #2, I also repeated the mistake I made last year. Teeing off with a 4-iron on the 186-yard par-3, I pulled the ball straight into some trees left of the green. Hole #3 was equally disastrous. I hit a decent 5-wood off the tee, but pulled it a tad too much and landed out of bounds. After re-teeing and finding the fairway, I chunked another approach shot that barely avoided the water on the right side of the fairway. After three holes, I had scored zero points in the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods.
On holes #4 through #9, I actually played well. I wisely left my tee shot below the hole on the par-3 fourth. With the flag at the front of the green, that meant I was chipping from just off the fringe. I wanted to keep the chip shot below the hole, but I left it well below the hole, requiring two putts to hole out for bogey. On hole #5 I hit a fantastic drive to the middle of the fairway, leaving 110 yards to the flag. I pulled the approach shot with my gap wedge, but chipped on and two-putt for another bogey. On hole #6 I hit an even better drive, avoiding ponds on either side of the fairway in the landing zone. From 120 yards out, I hit the ball near the pin, leaving a legitimate birdie opportunity. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in easily for par. On hole #7, a solid drive was followed by a very nice 4-iron into the green. This is a par-5, so I was putting for eagle from the fringe. I made a nice lag putt and tapped in for birdie! Hole #9, a par-4 measuring just 321 yards, was also notable. I hit a great drive over the bunkers on the left side of the fairway. As I approached the green, I spotted my ball in the bunker right of the green. I had the distance to be on the putting surface, but just missed. After splashing out of the bunker I took two putts to hole out for par.
At this point, I felt like I had turned my game around, but I still felt like I needed to make up for points lost on the first three holes. That’s why I hit driver on hole #11, a par-4 measuring just 311 yards. The plan worked, as I hit a beauty right down the pipe, leaving a 70-yard approach to the green. What followed was utter disaster. I hit a lazy approach with the sand wedge, finding a bunker in front of the green. Then I picked the ball clean out of the trap, sending it sailing way past the green into a hazard. A penalty stroke ensued, followed by a chip shot. I ended up three-putting to finish it all off. The hole killed me and took some of the wind out of my sails.
On holes #12 through #16, I once again played reasonably. There were disappointing moments, including my drive on #12, my chipping and putting on #13, and my approach on #15. Despite these moments, I managed to recuperate and was scoring a decent number of points. On hole #16, a par-3 measuring 132 yards, I hit a nice tee shot directly in line with the flag. It came up a tad short, stopping in the fringe, but I made a great putt for birdie. Had I been able to hang on for a couple more holes, I would have escaped with a decent number of points for the round. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #17, leading to a triple-bogey. On hole #18, I cut the corner too aggressively with my tee shot and ended up with a lost ball. Trying to make up for the lost ball and associated penalty, I tried driving the green of this par-5 in two shots. To do so, players have to carry a pond in front of the green. I didn’t clear the water and that was the end of it. I finished with another triple-bogey.
I will need a miracle in the final Deepwoods event in order to defend my title from last year.
Score: 105
Par: 71
Putts: 42
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
August 17, 2009
Brampton Yields Another 89
Coming off scores of 90 and 89 in two consecutive rounds at Osprey Valley Hoot, I was primed for my next event on the GTA Amateur Tour. This one was held at Brampton Golf Club, a classic parkland course in the heart of Brampton. The threat of thunderstorms loomed all day, but we managed to play the round shower free, except for a single hole during the back nine. It was hot and humid all day however.
I started the round with two bogeys, followed by two pars. The bogeys were a bit unlucky, as I was playing well, but found myself in some tough spots. On hole #1, my approach to the green was partially blocked by a lone tree on the left edge of the fairway. I tried to avoid it altogether, but clipped some branches and had to pay the price. On hole #2, a par-5 with OB on both sides of the fairway, I was in excellent position after two shots. In the middle of the fairway 120 yards away from the flag, I caught the approach shot fat, which sent the ball left of my target line and into a greenside pond. After taking a penalty stroke, I made a nice up and down from 75 yards away! Holes #3 and #4 were textbook pars.
All the trouble in this round came on holes #5 through #8. I made par on hole #7, a par-3 measuring 164 yards, so actually the trouble came on the other three holes. A tough side hill lie caused problems for my second shot on hole #5. A skulled chip shot and a duffed chip shot later on in the hole led to a triple-bogey. An errant tee shot on the next hole led to a lost ball and subsequent penalty stroke. My approach to the green was actually struck very well, but the result was terrible. The approach was right at the flag, which was hidden behind a cluster of spruce trees. When I approached the flag, I discovered that a bunker lay between the trees and the green. Sure enough, I was a yard short of clearing the bunker. My first shot from the sand was fat, while my second was thin, sending the ball to the fringe on the opposite side of the green. A three-putt was almost inevitable from there, leading to a score of 9 for the hole. On hole #8, I thought I could get my second shot over a short pine tree on the right side of the fairway. I smacked the trunk of the tree and then struggled with a couple more approach shots. I was also in a bunker on this hole and hit a mediocre out. The result was a score of 8 for the hole.
It seems as though I got all the bad shots out of my system on the eighth hole, as I played extremely well for the rest of the round. In fact, I shot a remarkable 38 on the back nine! A clutch putt saved bogey on the par-4 tenth. A good tee shot and two putts were good enough for par on hole #11. Hole #12 is when the rain came, leading to double-bogey. After the rain passed, I made a beautiful birdie on hole #13. The tee shot on this par-3 must carry water all the way to the green. I picked the right club and struck it well, leaving a straight 12 foot putt, which I drained.
A good putt from the front of the green set up a tap-in par on hole #14. I had hit a solid drive and pair of approach shots to get things going. I made an even better putt from the front of the green on hole #15. The flag was at the back of the green, so this one traveled a good 90 feet to get there. The ball stopped just inches from the cup. It was another tap-in par on hole #16, a beautiful par-3 from an elevated teeing ground. This one was set up by an excellent 4-iron off the tee into the wind. The par streak continued on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 456 yards. After a shaky second shot, I hit a nice 6-iron to the edge of the green. A good lag putt set up the easy tap-in. The par streak ended with a bogey on hole #18, but I broke 90 for the second consecutive round, so I didn’t mind at all. I finished fourth for the tournament, which was my best finish so far on the GTA Amateur Tour.
Score: 89
Par: 71
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
I started the round with two bogeys, followed by two pars. The bogeys were a bit unlucky, as I was playing well, but found myself in some tough spots. On hole #1, my approach to the green was partially blocked by a lone tree on the left edge of the fairway. I tried to avoid it altogether, but clipped some branches and had to pay the price. On hole #2, a par-5 with OB on both sides of the fairway, I was in excellent position after two shots. In the middle of the fairway 120 yards away from the flag, I caught the approach shot fat, which sent the ball left of my target line and into a greenside pond. After taking a penalty stroke, I made a nice up and down from 75 yards away! Holes #3 and #4 were textbook pars.
All the trouble in this round came on holes #5 through #8. I made par on hole #7, a par-3 measuring 164 yards, so actually the trouble came on the other three holes. A tough side hill lie caused problems for my second shot on hole #5. A skulled chip shot and a duffed chip shot later on in the hole led to a triple-bogey. An errant tee shot on the next hole led to a lost ball and subsequent penalty stroke. My approach to the green was actually struck very well, but the result was terrible. The approach was right at the flag, which was hidden behind a cluster of spruce trees. When I approached the flag, I discovered that a bunker lay between the trees and the green. Sure enough, I was a yard short of clearing the bunker. My first shot from the sand was fat, while my second was thin, sending the ball to the fringe on the opposite side of the green. A three-putt was almost inevitable from there, leading to a score of 9 for the hole. On hole #8, I thought I could get my second shot over a short pine tree on the right side of the fairway. I smacked the trunk of the tree and then struggled with a couple more approach shots. I was also in a bunker on this hole and hit a mediocre out. The result was a score of 8 for the hole.
It seems as though I got all the bad shots out of my system on the eighth hole, as I played extremely well for the rest of the round. In fact, I shot a remarkable 38 on the back nine! A clutch putt saved bogey on the par-4 tenth. A good tee shot and two putts were good enough for par on hole #11. Hole #12 is when the rain came, leading to double-bogey. After the rain passed, I made a beautiful birdie on hole #13. The tee shot on this par-3 must carry water all the way to the green. I picked the right club and struck it well, leaving a straight 12 foot putt, which I drained.
A good putt from the front of the green set up a tap-in par on hole #14. I had hit a solid drive and pair of approach shots to get things going. I made an even better putt from the front of the green on hole #15. The flag was at the back of the green, so this one traveled a good 90 feet to get there. The ball stopped just inches from the cup. It was another tap-in par on hole #16, a beautiful par-3 from an elevated teeing ground. This one was set up by an excellent 4-iron off the tee into the wind. The par streak continued on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 456 yards. After a shaky second shot, I hit a nice 6-iron to the edge of the green. A good lag putt set up the easy tap-in. The par streak ended with a bogey on hole #18, but I broke 90 for the second consecutive round, so I didn’t mind at all. I finished fourth for the tournament, which was my best finish so far on the GTA Amateur Tour.
Score: 89
Par: 71
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Break 90 on Return to Crosswinds
Earlier in the year, I played a very frustrating round of golf at Crosswinds Golf & Country Club. In fact, I played so poorly that I stopped keeping score halfway through the round. Looking back, that round was a bit of a turning point in my season. It reminded me to examine the technical flaws in my swing and to work on specific techniques to fix them. The renewed focus must have worked, as I went on to score eleven consecutive rounds under 100. Nine of those rounds were 95 or better, while three of them were 90 or better. My handicap factor also dropped by almost four points.
I returned to Crosswinds recently, looking to make up for the poor round on my previous visit. I got off to a poor start on hole #1, a short par-4 measuring 272 yards. I pulled my tee shot just left of the fairway, under a spruce tree. I was forced to play a low chip just to get the ball back in the fairway. After my approach shot came up short, I used the putter from the fringe. With no putts under my belt yet, I struggled to get the right weight and finished with a triple-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was excellent – the kind of golf I know I can play, but don’t seem to do it consistently enough. Over the remaining eight holes, I was four over par. This pretty stretch included four pars and four bogeys. One of the bogeys was the result of a three-putt on hole #2. Another was the result of hitting an approach shot fat on hole #7. Aside from those two minor mistakes, there was nothing else I could criticize. I hit some fairways and some greens, chipped well when I had to, and made some putts. The game seems so easy when you avoid mis-hits and penalty strokes.
A par on hole #10 was followed by a trio of holes that tested my resilience. On holes #11 through #13, I went double-bogey, triple-bogey, double-bogey. On each of these holes, a big problem was getting out of bunkers. I picked a couple of balls way too clean, sending them sailing over the other side of the green. When I tried to adjust, I over-compensated, leaving the ball in the bunker after hitting it fat. Hole #14 provided a brief respite as I registered bogey, but this was followed by a disastrous triple-bogey on #15. I spent a lot of time on the teeing ground waiting for the beverage cart girl to drive away, and then duffed one into the weeds left of the fairway.
To salvage a good round, I needed to finish strong on the last three holes and I did exactly that. Playing aggressively on hole #16, a short par-4 measuring 305 yards, I hit driver straight down the pipe, leaving an approach of 65 yards to the flag. I placed the approach flag high, and then took two putts to hole out for par. On hole #17, a par-3 measuring 145 yards, my approach came up five yards short of the green. It turned out to be no problem, as I hit a perfect chip shot that tracked directly into the cup for birdie! Finally, I finished with a par on hole # 18. My drive found the fairway, while my approach landed just in front of the green. I lagged one near the hole with the putter, and then tapped in to finish with a score of 89. Nice!
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
I returned to Crosswinds recently, looking to make up for the poor round on my previous visit. I got off to a poor start on hole #1, a short par-4 measuring 272 yards. I pulled my tee shot just left of the fairway, under a spruce tree. I was forced to play a low chip just to get the ball back in the fairway. After my approach shot came up short, I used the putter from the fringe. With no putts under my belt yet, I struggled to get the right weight and finished with a triple-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was excellent – the kind of golf I know I can play, but don’t seem to do it consistently enough. Over the remaining eight holes, I was four over par. This pretty stretch included four pars and four bogeys. One of the bogeys was the result of a three-putt on hole #2. Another was the result of hitting an approach shot fat on hole #7. Aside from those two minor mistakes, there was nothing else I could criticize. I hit some fairways and some greens, chipped well when I had to, and made some putts. The game seems so easy when you avoid mis-hits and penalty strokes.
A par on hole #10 was followed by a trio of holes that tested my resilience. On holes #11 through #13, I went double-bogey, triple-bogey, double-bogey. On each of these holes, a big problem was getting out of bunkers. I picked a couple of balls way too clean, sending them sailing over the other side of the green. When I tried to adjust, I over-compensated, leaving the ball in the bunker after hitting it fat. Hole #14 provided a brief respite as I registered bogey, but this was followed by a disastrous triple-bogey on #15. I spent a lot of time on the teeing ground waiting for the beverage cart girl to drive away, and then duffed one into the weeds left of the fairway.
To salvage a good round, I needed to finish strong on the last three holes and I did exactly that. Playing aggressively on hole #16, a short par-4 measuring 305 yards, I hit driver straight down the pipe, leaving an approach of 65 yards to the flag. I placed the approach flag high, and then took two putts to hole out for par. On hole #17, a par-3 measuring 145 yards, my approach came up five yards short of the green. It turned out to be no problem, as I hit a perfect chip shot that tracked directly into the cup for birdie! Finally, I finished with a par on hole # 18. My drive found the fairway, while my approach landed just in front of the green. I lagged one near the hole with the putter, and then tapped in to finish with a score of 89. Nice!
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
August 03, 2009
Mill Run Outing Eases The Pain
Okay, I feel better now. I visited Uxbridge and played the Grist / Wheel combination on the Championship Course at Mill Run Golf Club. There were a couple of bad holes, but overall I played quite consistently and managed to finish with a respectable score of 95.
A couple of par-3 holes on Grist got the better of me. On hole #3, measuring 212 yards, my second shot from the greenside bunker traveled over the green and bounced into a water hazard. I chipped on and two-putted for triple-bogey. On hole #5, my tee shot came to rest in some weeds short and right of the green. It wasn't a terrible lie, but my pitch shot travelled no more than a couple of yards. Determined to pop the ball out the second time, I flew the green and found my ball in a wooded ravine. I opted to replay the last shot (under penalty of stroke and distance). This time, I made a nice up and one-putt to save a triple-bogey.
The only other hole that gave me trouble was Wheel #1, a par-5 measuring 546 yards. It is rated as the most difficult hole on the Wheel nine, and deservedly so. Thick woods line the entire fairway on both sides. It's not narrow, but the woods still intimidate. I sliced my drive into the woods on the right side. The second shot on this hole is key. Ideally, players should advance their ball close to the end of the fairway, inside 150 yards. This is because the final approach must cross two streams to an elevated green. If players leave 170 yards to the green, as I did, it makes the final approach much more difficult. From that position, I hit the ball into the hazard, chalking up another penalty stroke. I had to settle for a score of 9 on this tough hole.
As I said, all the other holes were played quite consistently. I wasn't happy with my driving, as I was cutting the ball far too much. There were perhaps three drives that I really liked. I was happy with my iron play, though a couple of shots that I thought I hit well came up short of target. My chipping was good, including a couple that left me with easy one-putts. And finally, my putting was satisfactory, except for a two-footer that I missed on the second-last hole. Doh!
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
I should mention that the round prior to this one followed the third round of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. Held at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, located in Carlisle, Ontario, the round was suspended due to bad weather. Before play stopped, I was six over par through six holes. It's too bad we couldn't finish, because I felt like I could score well that day. Oh well.
A couple of par-3 holes on Grist got the better of me. On hole #3, measuring 212 yards, my second shot from the greenside bunker traveled over the green and bounced into a water hazard. I chipped on and two-putted for triple-bogey. On hole #5, my tee shot came to rest in some weeds short and right of the green. It wasn't a terrible lie, but my pitch shot travelled no more than a couple of yards. Determined to pop the ball out the second time, I flew the green and found my ball in a wooded ravine. I opted to replay the last shot (under penalty of stroke and distance). This time, I made a nice up and one-putt to save a triple-bogey.
The only other hole that gave me trouble was Wheel #1, a par-5 measuring 546 yards. It is rated as the most difficult hole on the Wheel nine, and deservedly so. Thick woods line the entire fairway on both sides. It's not narrow, but the woods still intimidate. I sliced my drive into the woods on the right side. The second shot on this hole is key. Ideally, players should advance their ball close to the end of the fairway, inside 150 yards. This is because the final approach must cross two streams to an elevated green. If players leave 170 yards to the green, as I did, it makes the final approach much more difficult. From that position, I hit the ball into the hazard, chalking up another penalty stroke. I had to settle for a score of 9 on this tough hole.
As I said, all the other holes were played quite consistently. I wasn't happy with my driving, as I was cutting the ball far too much. There were perhaps three drives that I really liked. I was happy with my iron play, though a couple of shots that I thought I hit well came up short of target. My chipping was good, including a couple that left me with easy one-putts. And finally, my putting was satisfactory, except for a two-footer that I missed on the second-last hole. Doh!
Score: 95
Par: 71
Putts: 33
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
I should mention that the round prior to this one followed the third round of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. Held at Dragon's Fire Golf Club, located in Carlisle, Ontario, the round was suspended due to bad weather. Before play stopped, I was six over par through six holes. It's too bad we couldn't finish, because I felt like I could score well that day. Oh well.
August 01, 2009
Agony at RedCrest
I've never been stabbed in the heart, but I imagine it feels like my last round of golf at RedCrest, a new course that opened this summer at Cardinal Golf Club.
Through the first six holes, I was even par! My scorecard read par, bogey, birdie, birdie, par, bogey. The par on hole #1 was utter perfection. Hit the fairway, nail the green, lag a putt and tap another in. The bogey on hole #2 was the result of a 3-putt after a good tee shot. The birdie on hole #3 was of the scramble variety. After a pulled tee shot, trees blocked me from going at the flag. All I could do was place the ball about eight yards in front of the green. It worked out well, as I knocked one in from there using the putter!
The bogey on hole #4 was no scramble. It was more like a thing of beauty. Hit the fairway, stick the approach right beside the flag, and sink the putt. Nice! Par on hole #5 was equally fulfilling. Hit the fairway bunker with a tee shot, knock it out 15 yards in front of the green, chip to within three feet and sink the putt. I was robbed a little bit on hole #6, a par-5. I drove the ball into the fairway, then hit a good 3-wood to a bunker fronting the green. The bunker shot sailed way past the flag. I then had another 3-putt for bogey.
The stab to the heart came on hole #7, another par-5. Actually, it was more like eleven stabs to the heart in quick succession. That's how many shots I took to complete the hole. Quickly, here's how it played out: worm-burner off the tee to the start of the fairway, topped 3-wood to a fairway bunker, barely get the ball out, pulled 5-wood to a puddle in a muddy area left of the fairway, penalty stroke for an unplayable ball, approach to a greenside bunker, launched over the green, duffed chip after being informed that my aim is off, chip past the flag, and two putts. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
Of course, I get a triple bogey on the very next hole, a par-5 measuring 148 yards. I hit a good tee shot, but could have used an extra club as my ball failed to clear a bunker fronting the green by a mere yard. It took me three shots to get out of the bunker! The sand in the bunkers at RedCrest is unlike any sand I've played in before. It's very loose and fluffy, but different from the fluffy varieties I've seen before. It seems somewhat unnatural, almost like a manufactured gravel.
I settled down on holes #9 through #13, averaging bogey golf. It wasn't the magic that I experienced through the first six holes, but continuing at that pace would put me near the 90 mark for the round, even with the adventures on holes #7 and #8.
Then came more stabs to the heart, and these would continue for the remainder of the round. I found water off the tee on hole #14, as well as the greenside hazard. Chalk up a couple of penalty strokes and a triple-bogey. An atrocious drive on the next hole, along with a short approach shot and a chip shot that I can't even describe led to a quadruple-bogey. Water came into play twice on hole #16. Two penalty strokes and a triple-bogey was again the result. Oh hole #17, a par-3 measuring 201 yards, I added another penalty stroke en route to a double-bogey. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
And then the cruelty got really bad. I hit a drive on hole #18 that was just three or four yards right of the fairway. When the ball landed, it veered right almost 90 degrees into some rough vegetation! When I walked over to the landing area, I was looking for mounds or other features that might have caused the ball to veer off like that. There was nothing that could possibly cause that, except for a little sign on the cart path at the 200 yard mark. These signs are on every hole at RedCrest, usually at the 100, 150, or 200 yard mark. They are raised wooden signs attached to the cart path. Why they didn't simpy paint the numbers on the path is beyond me. Paint doesn't deflect balls. Geez! I was forced to take a penalty stroke, after which I hit a 5-iron to the side of the green and chipped on.
Now, all I needed was two putts from about 13 feet to salvage a score of 99. I wouldn't be happy with that, but I could live with it. However, one extra stroke (and a score of 100) and I would be livid. I really thought there was no chance I would 3-putt. My first putt was 5 feet short! At that point, I still felt like I would make the next putt. I didn't. I tapped in stroke #100, then promptly tossed my ball into the bushes.
After being bludgeoned repeatedly over five holes, the golf gods decided to inflict one final stab wound. For their final act of violence, they stabbed me deep in the heart, then gave the knife a good wrench to make sure I was done.
I am reeling right now, but don't worry. I'll be back.
UPDATE: A reader pointed out that I should not have taken a penalty stroke on hole #7 after my ball was found in the puddle left of the fairway. The puddle was casual water, from which a player can take relief without penalty. He is absolutely right! As a result, my correct score was actually 99 and all is well in the universe again.
Score: 99
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Through the first six holes, I was even par! My scorecard read par, bogey, birdie, birdie, par, bogey. The par on hole #1 was utter perfection. Hit the fairway, nail the green, lag a putt and tap another in. The bogey on hole #2 was the result of a 3-putt after a good tee shot. The birdie on hole #3 was of the scramble variety. After a pulled tee shot, trees blocked me from going at the flag. All I could do was place the ball about eight yards in front of the green. It worked out well, as I knocked one in from there using the putter!
The bogey on hole #4 was no scramble. It was more like a thing of beauty. Hit the fairway, stick the approach right beside the flag, and sink the putt. Nice! Par on hole #5 was equally fulfilling. Hit the fairway bunker with a tee shot, knock it out 15 yards in front of the green, chip to within three feet and sink the putt. I was robbed a little bit on hole #6, a par-5. I drove the ball into the fairway, then hit a good 3-wood to a bunker fronting the green. The bunker shot sailed way past the flag. I then had another 3-putt for bogey.
The stab to the heart came on hole #7, another par-5. Actually, it was more like eleven stabs to the heart in quick succession. That's how many shots I took to complete the hole. Quickly, here's how it played out: worm-burner off the tee to the start of the fairway, topped 3-wood to a fairway bunker, barely get the ball out, pulled 5-wood to a puddle in a muddy area left of the fairway, penalty stroke for an unplayable ball, approach to a greenside bunker, launched over the green, duffed chip after being informed that my aim is off, chip past the flag, and two putts. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
Of course, I get a triple bogey on the very next hole, a par-5 measuring 148 yards. I hit a good tee shot, but could have used an extra club as my ball failed to clear a bunker fronting the green by a mere yard. It took me three shots to get out of the bunker! The sand in the bunkers at RedCrest is unlike any sand I've played in before. It's very loose and fluffy, but different from the fluffy varieties I've seen before. It seems somewhat unnatural, almost like a manufactured gravel.
I settled down on holes #9 through #13, averaging bogey golf. It wasn't the magic that I experienced through the first six holes, but continuing at that pace would put me near the 90 mark for the round, even with the adventures on holes #7 and #8.
Then came more stabs to the heart, and these would continue for the remainder of the round. I found water off the tee on hole #14, as well as the greenside hazard. Chalk up a couple of penalty strokes and a triple-bogey. An atrocious drive on the next hole, along with a short approach shot and a chip shot that I can't even describe led to a quadruple-bogey. Water came into play twice on hole #16. Two penalty strokes and a triple-bogey was again the result. Oh hole #17, a par-3 measuring 201 yards, I added another penalty stroke en route to a double-bogey. Stab, stab, stab, etc.
And then the cruelty got really bad. I hit a drive on hole #18 that was just three or four yards right of the fairway. When the ball landed, it veered right almost 90 degrees into some rough vegetation! When I walked over to the landing area, I was looking for mounds or other features that might have caused the ball to veer off like that. There was nothing that could possibly cause that, except for a little sign on the cart path at the 200 yard mark. These signs are on every hole at RedCrest, usually at the 100, 150, or 200 yard mark. They are raised wooden signs attached to the cart path. Why they didn't simpy paint the numbers on the path is beyond me. Paint doesn't deflect balls. Geez! I was forced to take a penalty stroke, after which I hit a 5-iron to the side of the green and chipped on.
Now, all I needed was two putts from about 13 feet to salvage a score of 99. I wouldn't be happy with that, but I could live with it. However, one extra stroke (and a score of 100) and I would be livid. I really thought there was no chance I would 3-putt. My first putt was 5 feet short! At that point, I still felt like I would make the next putt. I didn't. I tapped in stroke #100, then promptly tossed my ball into the bushes.
After being bludgeoned repeatedly over five holes, the golf gods decided to inflict one final stab wound. For their final act of violence, they stabbed me deep in the heart, then gave the knife a good wrench to make sure I was done.
I am reeling right now, but don't worry. I'll be back.
UPDATE: A reader pointed out that I should not have taken a penalty stroke on hole #7 after my ball was found in the puddle left of the fairway. The puddle was casual water, from which a player can take relief without penalty. He is absolutely right! As a result, my correct score was actually 99 and all is well in the universe again.
Score: 99
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
July 21, 2009
Break 90 on Return to Hoot
After stringing together a series of solid rounds over the past month, I finally managed to break the 90 barrier. Playing The Hoot at Osprey Valley for the second consecutive day, I had plenty of confidence to start the round.
Following a bogey on the opening hole, I took a triple bogey on hole #2, which would be one of my worst holes of the round. My tee shot landed in a waste bunker on the left side of the fairway and I was left with a terrible lie. All I could do was punch the ball back in the fairway to the 100-yard marker. Unfortunately my approach landed short of the green and after chipping on, I took three putts to hole out.
I made up some of those lost strokes with two consecutive pars on holes #3 and #4. A rare chip and single putt saved par on the par-4 third, while a nice tee shot set up the textbook par on the par-3 fourth. A beautiful tee shot from an elevated teeing ground was wasted on hole #5, when I duffed my second shot with a mid-iron. The subsequent approach came to rest on the fringe, but I had a lot of green between myself and the pin. Three putts and double-bogey was a reasonable finish from that position.
The last four holes on the front nine were played very well and as a result, I collected two pars and two bogeys. On hole #6, a par-5 measuring 440 yards, I drove the ball 250 yards to the left edge of the fairway. The day before, I drove the ball to virtually the same place, but some trees near the fairway blocked me from going for the green in two. This time, I had an opening, so I hit 4-iron with visions of an eagle putt dancing in my head. As it turned out, the ball came up five yards short of the green. I chipped on and two-putt for par.
Bogey was the result on hole #7, which was good considering I took a triple-bogey on the same hole a day earlier. Experience paid off as I approached the hole very conservatively. Aggressive play is only recommended on this hole if you are hitting your targets very consistently. Trees and fescue pinch the front of this elevated green and putts from above the hole are very treacherous. On the par-3 eighth hole, another good tee shot produced the textbook par. On the par-4 ninth hole, my approach came up short of the green, setting up a rather non-descript bogey.
A pair of bogeys started things off on the back nine, the second of those resulting from a disappointing three-putt. I played hole #11 more conservatively than I did the day before, since I got burned trying to reach the green in two. I suppose the srtategy paid off, but I really should have made par there.
Hole #12, a short par-4 measuring 330 yards from the white tees, was my best hole of the day. The fairway wraps around a large pond that borders the entire right side. Distance from the tee directly to the green is somewhat less than 330 yards, tempting players to hit driver into the green. It is a classic risk / reward hole, since the straight line to the green forces players to carry the ball about 200 yards directly over the water. I was feeling good, so I went for it. The shot came off exactly as I envisioned, landing in the fairway running up to the green, and stopping in the centre of the green, about 20 feet from the pin. What a great feeling! Not wanting to leave the eagle putt short, I blew past the hole by about five feet. The bridie putt was no gimmie, but I managed to make it.
Hole #13, a short par-5 at 464 yards, gave me trouble for the second day in a row. The type of trouble was completely different though. This time, I cut the corner on my drive a little too much, losing my ball somewhere left of the fairway. Shooting my third from the tee, I hit the middle of the fairway. From that position, I would normally take two shots to follow the fairway around the large pond that fronts the green. Feeling like I needed to make up for the lost ball and penalty stroke however, I decided to carry the water and go for glory. My 5-iron came up about five yards short, so the result was another penalty stroke. I ended up taking a triple-bogey.
Hole #16, a par-4 with water flanking the right side of the fairway from tee to green, also tripped me up for the second day in a row. I had just come off a bogey and a par on holes #14 and #15 respectively, so I was feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, I hit a very tentative 3-wood off the tee, just as I did the day before. This time, my ball popped up high and dribbled right into the water hazard. Standing on the tee, it appears as though there is trouble left of the fairway in the form of clustered trees. However, as I walked toward the green, I realized that there is a lot of room past the trees. Next time I play the hole, I will play to miss left of the fairway, instead of right.
Hole #17, one of the prettiest at The Hoot with a tee shot over water and its green nestled near a lovely waterfall, resulted in a solid par. This was followed by a regrettable double-bogey on hole #18. I hit a fantastic drive 275 yards to the middle of the fairway. A bit of a downslope helped me get a few more yards than I usually do on my drives. From 80 yards away, I hit my approach a little thin, sending the ball just behind the green. I then skulled my chip, blowing the ball past the hole to the opposite side of the green. And then I three-putt! Can you believe it?
If that mistake had put my score into the nineties, I would have been pretty upset. As it was, I didn't mind so much.
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 9
Greens: 6
Following a bogey on the opening hole, I took a triple bogey on hole #2, which would be one of my worst holes of the round. My tee shot landed in a waste bunker on the left side of the fairway and I was left with a terrible lie. All I could do was punch the ball back in the fairway to the 100-yard marker. Unfortunately my approach landed short of the green and after chipping on, I took three putts to hole out.
I made up some of those lost strokes with two consecutive pars on holes #3 and #4. A rare chip and single putt saved par on the par-4 third, while a nice tee shot set up the textbook par on the par-3 fourth. A beautiful tee shot from an elevated teeing ground was wasted on hole #5, when I duffed my second shot with a mid-iron. The subsequent approach came to rest on the fringe, but I had a lot of green between myself and the pin. Three putts and double-bogey was a reasonable finish from that position.
The last four holes on the front nine were played very well and as a result, I collected two pars and two bogeys. On hole #6, a par-5 measuring 440 yards, I drove the ball 250 yards to the left edge of the fairway. The day before, I drove the ball to virtually the same place, but some trees near the fairway blocked me from going for the green in two. This time, I had an opening, so I hit 4-iron with visions of an eagle putt dancing in my head. As it turned out, the ball came up five yards short of the green. I chipped on and two-putt for par.
Bogey was the result on hole #7, which was good considering I took a triple-bogey on the same hole a day earlier. Experience paid off as I approached the hole very conservatively. Aggressive play is only recommended on this hole if you are hitting your targets very consistently. Trees and fescue pinch the front of this elevated green and putts from above the hole are very treacherous. On the par-3 eighth hole, another good tee shot produced the textbook par. On the par-4 ninth hole, my approach came up short of the green, setting up a rather non-descript bogey.
A pair of bogeys started things off on the back nine, the second of those resulting from a disappointing three-putt. I played hole #11 more conservatively than I did the day before, since I got burned trying to reach the green in two. I suppose the srtategy paid off, but I really should have made par there.
Hole #12, a short par-4 measuring 330 yards from the white tees, was my best hole of the day. The fairway wraps around a large pond that borders the entire right side. Distance from the tee directly to the green is somewhat less than 330 yards, tempting players to hit driver into the green. It is a classic risk / reward hole, since the straight line to the green forces players to carry the ball about 200 yards directly over the water. I was feeling good, so I went for it. The shot came off exactly as I envisioned, landing in the fairway running up to the green, and stopping in the centre of the green, about 20 feet from the pin. What a great feeling! Not wanting to leave the eagle putt short, I blew past the hole by about five feet. The bridie putt was no gimmie, but I managed to make it.
Hole #13, a short par-5 at 464 yards, gave me trouble for the second day in a row. The type of trouble was completely different though. This time, I cut the corner on my drive a little too much, losing my ball somewhere left of the fairway. Shooting my third from the tee, I hit the middle of the fairway. From that position, I would normally take two shots to follow the fairway around the large pond that fronts the green. Feeling like I needed to make up for the lost ball and penalty stroke however, I decided to carry the water and go for glory. My 5-iron came up about five yards short, so the result was another penalty stroke. I ended up taking a triple-bogey.
Hole #16, a par-4 with water flanking the right side of the fairway from tee to green, also tripped me up for the second day in a row. I had just come off a bogey and a par on holes #14 and #15 respectively, so I was feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, I hit a very tentative 3-wood off the tee, just as I did the day before. This time, my ball popped up high and dribbled right into the water hazard. Standing on the tee, it appears as though there is trouble left of the fairway in the form of clustered trees. However, as I walked toward the green, I realized that there is a lot of room past the trees. Next time I play the hole, I will play to miss left of the fairway, instead of right.
Hole #17, one of the prettiest at The Hoot with a tee shot over water and its green nestled near a lovely waterfall, resulted in a solid par. This was followed by a regrettable double-bogey on hole #18. I hit a fantastic drive 275 yards to the middle of the fairway. A bit of a downslope helped me get a few more yards than I usually do on my drives. From 80 yards away, I hit my approach a little thin, sending the ball just behind the green. I then skulled my chip, blowing the ball past the hole to the opposite side of the green. And then I three-putt! Can you believe it?
If that mistake had put my score into the nineties, I would have been pretty upset. As it was, I didn't mind so much.
Score: 89
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 9
Greens: 6
July 20, 2009
Finally Visit Osprey Valley
After hearing people rave about it for years, I finally played at Osprey Valley. Playing Hoot, which is a wasteland style course, I had an absolutely wonderful time. I now understand why people enjoy the course so much. A few holes are very receptive to driver off the tee, while others make you think twice if you're not hitting the big stick straight.
There's plenty of water, especially on the back nine, but it's laid out to provide great variety. On some holes, water must be carried off the tee, while on others, it flanks the side of the fairway. On others still, water must be carried to reach the green, or it is tucked to the side of the green, forcing a careful approach.
The other main impediment throughout the course are dramatic waste bunkers, which give the course much of its character. As with water, waste bunkers are used to provide a variety of experiences. Some holes force you to carry the waste bunker off the tee, while others feature a gnarly waste bunker near the green. Fescue abounds near the edges of the waste bunkers, giving the course a rugged look.
Some of the holes cut through a spruce forest, which looks spectacular. The fairways roll gently throughout the course. The greens are nicely sized and fair.
This was the first round of a 2-day tournament on the GTA Amateur Tour. I was satisifed to shoot 90, equalling my best score of the season so far, but the truth is I tacked on a couple of unnecessary strokes, mostly with the putter. After splashing out of a greenside waste bunker brilliantly on hole #3, I missed a par putt from within three feet. On holes #4 and #13, I hit downhill putts too firmly, blowing the ball well past the cup. On a couple of other occasions, I picked a good putting line, but came up short of the hole. With better putting, this round could have been in the mid 80's.
Hole #11, a par-5 measuring 430 yards from the white tees, made me shake my head in disappointment. I hit a perfect drive, 260 yards to the middle of the fairway. With 170 yards to the flag, I felt I could get on in two quite easily. Unfortunately, my approach shot drifted slightly right, hitting a cluster of trees near the green. I was able to find my ball under a tree at the edge of the cluster. I made a difficult out to get the ball in the open, just short of the green. Then I messed up a chip shot, leaving the ball on the fringe at the front of the green. I made a couple of decent putts, but burned the edge of the cup on the second, resulting in a dreaded double-bogey. After my drive, I was thinking possible eagle, so it was quite disappointing. Such is the game.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 11
Greens: 6
There's plenty of water, especially on the back nine, but it's laid out to provide great variety. On some holes, water must be carried off the tee, while on others, it flanks the side of the fairway. On others still, water must be carried to reach the green, or it is tucked to the side of the green, forcing a careful approach.
The other main impediment throughout the course are dramatic waste bunkers, which give the course much of its character. As with water, waste bunkers are used to provide a variety of experiences. Some holes force you to carry the waste bunker off the tee, while others feature a gnarly waste bunker near the green. Fescue abounds near the edges of the waste bunkers, giving the course a rugged look.
Some of the holes cut through a spruce forest, which looks spectacular. The fairways roll gently throughout the course. The greens are nicely sized and fair.
This was the first round of a 2-day tournament on the GTA Amateur Tour. I was satisifed to shoot 90, equalling my best score of the season so far, but the truth is I tacked on a couple of unnecessary strokes, mostly with the putter. After splashing out of a greenside waste bunker brilliantly on hole #3, I missed a par putt from within three feet. On holes #4 and #13, I hit downhill putts too firmly, blowing the ball well past the cup. On a couple of other occasions, I picked a good putting line, but came up short of the hole. With better putting, this round could have been in the mid 80's.
Hole #11, a par-5 measuring 430 yards from the white tees, made me shake my head in disappointment. I hit a perfect drive, 260 yards to the middle of the fairway. With 170 yards to the flag, I felt I could get on in two quite easily. Unfortunately, my approach shot drifted slightly right, hitting a cluster of trees near the green. I was able to find my ball under a tree at the edge of the cluster. I made a difficult out to get the ball in the open, just short of the green. Then I messed up a chip shot, leaving the ball on the fringe at the front of the green. I made a couple of decent putts, but burned the edge of the cup on the second, resulting in a dreaded double-bogey. After my drive, I was thinking possible eagle, so it was quite disappointing. Such is the game.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 11
Greens: 6
July 19, 2009
Finding Some Consistency
After twenty rounds at twenty different golf courses, I finally paid a return visit to one of them this season. A week after shooting a solid 90 on the Cobalt Course at Granite Ridge, I returned to fire a respectable 92.
Teeing off on the back nine first, I started the round with two consecutive pars. On both holes, I hit the fairway, hit the green, then 2-putted. It all seemed so simple and I was feeling good. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #12, which brought me back to reality. It seemed as though I exaggerated my forearm turn, sending a low dribbler to the left less than 100 yards. It was a mistake I made a couple more times during the round, including two holes later on #14. This time, I ended up beneath a spruce tree, which cost me a couple of strokes.
Through the first nine holes, I hit a number of really good wedges and high iron shots. A couple of these were struck after not-so-good shots, when I was just trying to advance the ball down the fairway. In the past, I may have tried to hit 3-wood or 5-wood in those situations, but I relaize now it's simply not worth it. I am more likely to make an error with those long clubs, so it's better to hit a couple of controlled shots instead. Some of those shots were struck so pure, it felt effortless. When the ball pops off the club face like that it's a great feeling.
Even though I was playing fairly well, I still had a score of 48 at the turn, thanks to one very bad hole. I had to turn it around on the back nine in order to salvage a good round. I made par on hole #1, but had to settle for double-bogey on #2 after my tee shot came to rest directly behind a tree trunk right of the fairway. I struck a beautiful shot off the tee on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 139 yards, but the wind fooled me. I added two extra clubs because of a gusting headwind. The gusts must have stopped just as I took my swing and my ball bounced off the back of the green. From thick fescue, I hit a nice wedge to the front of the green, but messed up some putts en route to a triple-bogey.
Luckily, four pars would ensue on the remaining six holes. The key was great iron shots like the ones I already described. When you can hit a green from 100-160 yards out, it makes such a huge difference. Each of the four pars came after hitting the green in regulation with a solid approach shot. Chipping was satisfactory on the day, as was putting. I would really like to improve these aspects of the game, as I feel I can gain three to six strokes almost every round. That would go a long way toward breaking the 90 barrier.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
Teeing off on the back nine first, I started the round with two consecutive pars. On both holes, I hit the fairway, hit the green, then 2-putted. It all seemed so simple and I was feeling good. Unfortunately, I mis-hit my tee shot on hole #12, which brought me back to reality. It seemed as though I exaggerated my forearm turn, sending a low dribbler to the left less than 100 yards. It was a mistake I made a couple more times during the round, including two holes later on #14. This time, I ended up beneath a spruce tree, which cost me a couple of strokes.
Through the first nine holes, I hit a number of really good wedges and high iron shots. A couple of these were struck after not-so-good shots, when I was just trying to advance the ball down the fairway. In the past, I may have tried to hit 3-wood or 5-wood in those situations, but I relaize now it's simply not worth it. I am more likely to make an error with those long clubs, so it's better to hit a couple of controlled shots instead. Some of those shots were struck so pure, it felt effortless. When the ball pops off the club face like that it's a great feeling.
Even though I was playing fairly well, I still had a score of 48 at the turn, thanks to one very bad hole. I had to turn it around on the back nine in order to salvage a good round. I made par on hole #1, but had to settle for double-bogey on #2 after my tee shot came to rest directly behind a tree trunk right of the fairway. I struck a beautiful shot off the tee on hole #3, a par-3 measuring 139 yards, but the wind fooled me. I added two extra clubs because of a gusting headwind. The gusts must have stopped just as I took my swing and my ball bounced off the back of the green. From thick fescue, I hit a nice wedge to the front of the green, but messed up some putts en route to a triple-bogey.
Luckily, four pars would ensue on the remaining six holes. The key was great iron shots like the ones I already described. When you can hit a green from 100-160 yards out, it makes such a huge difference. Each of the four pars came after hitting the green in regulation with a solid approach shot. Chipping was satisfactory on the day, as was putting. I would really like to improve these aspects of the game, as I feel I can gain three to six strokes almost every round. That would go a long way toward breaking the 90 barrier.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 7
Greens: 7
July 14, 2009
Grand Niagara
I played in a GTA Amateur Tour event today at Grand Niagara. If not for a couple of silly plays, this would have been quite a good scoring round.
The first trouble surfaced on hole #4, a par-5 measuring 550 yards. Two good shots left me on the right side of the fairway with only 135 yards left to the flag. From that position, the approach is all carry over water. I hit a 9-iron to be sure I would carry the wet stuff. A 9-iron for me usually travels 140 yards. I struck the shot perfectly, but it carried to the back of the green. I thought it was just behind the green, but when I walked up I discovered that the ball had bounced out of bounds. There is a cart path there, which is where carts loop around. Once the ball hit the asphalt, there really was no chance to stay in bounds. It's silly, because it really wasn't a bad shot.
I returned to where my previous shot was played and dropped a ball. Since I carried the ball so far with a 9-iron, I clubbed down to a 52-degree wedge, which I usually hit 115 yards. Again, I struck the shot perfectly. Howver, this time the ball failed to clear the water! I dropped another ball and now split the difference with a pitching wedge, which landed on the green safely. I then 2-putted for an ugly score of nine.
The second silly play took place on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 510 yards. I hit a beautiful drive to the right fairway, leaving 240 yards to the flag. There seemed to be enough room leading up to the green, so I tried to hit a 3-wood to the front of the green. It was a tentative swing - the kind you take when you fear something bad might happen. Sure enough, I didn't make good contact and the ball pushed right into the fescue. The area was staked red, so I was able to drop near point of entry. I then caught my sand wedge thin and sent the ball behind the green. I made a nice chip shot back, but the green runs away when shooting from back there. I did well just to stay on the green. From 70 feet, I hit perfect weight but pulled the ball left of the hole. Next I burned the edge of the cup on a 5-footer, so I walked away with triple-bogey. Why did I try to hit the 3-wood? From 240 yards out, all I needed was a pitching wedge, sand wedge combination to reach the green in regulation. In hindsight, it was a bad decision.
I said in a recent post that I wouldn't focus on the negatives, and here I've just outlined in great detail, the two worst moments of the round. Oh well. Apart from these two plays, the round was very good. I figured out a way to keep my driver on plane during my backswing and I hit a few beauties with it. For example, on holes #10 and #11, I hit drives that travelled about 270 yards. It's no surprise I made par on both of those holes. I also hit many good irons throughout the day. I must say however, that my worst iron shots came off the tee on par-3 holes. It's a weird thing. From the fairway 150 yards out I hit some nice approaches, but from the same distance off the tee, I made some mis-hits. It's completely a mental lapse.
My chipping was excellent on the day. I don't remember making a single bad chip shot. My putting was also good, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my total number of putts - 39. It seems I have been putting pretty well, but the number of putts says otherwise. I either have to chip better to make more 1-putts, or I have to lag the first putts better in order to avoid the 3-putts after a burned edge.
My handicap is back over 20 now, but the good news is I have strung together quite a few good rounds recently
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
The first trouble surfaced on hole #4, a par-5 measuring 550 yards. Two good shots left me on the right side of the fairway with only 135 yards left to the flag. From that position, the approach is all carry over water. I hit a 9-iron to be sure I would carry the wet stuff. A 9-iron for me usually travels 140 yards. I struck the shot perfectly, but it carried to the back of the green. I thought it was just behind the green, but when I walked up I discovered that the ball had bounced out of bounds. There is a cart path there, which is where carts loop around. Once the ball hit the asphalt, there really was no chance to stay in bounds. It's silly, because it really wasn't a bad shot.
I returned to where my previous shot was played and dropped a ball. Since I carried the ball so far with a 9-iron, I clubbed down to a 52-degree wedge, which I usually hit 115 yards. Again, I struck the shot perfectly. Howver, this time the ball failed to clear the water! I dropped another ball and now split the difference with a pitching wedge, which landed on the green safely. I then 2-putted for an ugly score of nine.
The second silly play took place on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 510 yards. I hit a beautiful drive to the right fairway, leaving 240 yards to the flag. There seemed to be enough room leading up to the green, so I tried to hit a 3-wood to the front of the green. It was a tentative swing - the kind you take when you fear something bad might happen. Sure enough, I didn't make good contact and the ball pushed right into the fescue. The area was staked red, so I was able to drop near point of entry. I then caught my sand wedge thin and sent the ball behind the green. I made a nice chip shot back, but the green runs away when shooting from back there. I did well just to stay on the green. From 70 feet, I hit perfect weight but pulled the ball left of the hole. Next I burned the edge of the cup on a 5-footer, so I walked away with triple-bogey. Why did I try to hit the 3-wood? From 240 yards out, all I needed was a pitching wedge, sand wedge combination to reach the green in regulation. In hindsight, it was a bad decision.
I said in a recent post that I wouldn't focus on the negatives, and here I've just outlined in great detail, the two worst moments of the round. Oh well. Apart from these two plays, the round was very good. I figured out a way to keep my driver on plane during my backswing and I hit a few beauties with it. For example, on holes #10 and #11, I hit drives that travelled about 270 yards. It's no surprise I made par on both of those holes. I also hit many good irons throughout the day. I must say however, that my worst iron shots came off the tee on par-3 holes. It's a weird thing. From the fairway 150 yards out I hit some nice approaches, but from the same distance off the tee, I made some mis-hits. It's completely a mental lapse.
My chipping was excellent on the day. I don't remember making a single bad chip shot. My putting was also good, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my total number of putts - 39. It seems I have been putting pretty well, but the number of putts says otherwise. I either have to chip better to make more 1-putts, or I have to lag the first putts better in order to avoid the 3-putts after a burned edge.
My handicap is back over 20 now, but the good news is I have strung together quite a few good rounds recently
Score: 95
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
July 12, 2009
Handicap Factor Dips Into Teens - For Now
I played a very consistent round on the Cobalt Course at Granite Ridge Golf Club. Playing from the blue tees, I managed to score 90. It was enough to push my handicap factor down to 19.5 (which as far as I can remember, is the lowest it has ever been since I started keeping track).
It will be hard to keep my factor below 20 after the next round, since my best round ever (an 81, also on Granite Ridge Cobalt) will drop off the list of my last twenty rounds played. Unless I have a great round at Grand Niagara (the site of my next round, which I have never played before) my factor will rise back to about 21.
I'm feeling good about my game right now. That happens when you string together a few good rounds. If I could get hot with the putter, a round in the 80's is not impossible.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
It will be hard to keep my factor below 20 after the next round, since my best round ever (an 81, also on Granite Ridge Cobalt) will drop off the list of my last twenty rounds played. Unless I have a great round at Grand Niagara (the site of my next round, which I have never played before) my factor will rise back to about 21.
I'm feeling good about my game right now. That happens when you string together a few good rounds. If I could get hot with the putter, a round in the 80's is not impossible.
Score: 90
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
July 06, 2009
Could Have Gone Lower at Angus Glen
I played my latest GTA Amateur Tour event on the South Course at Angus Glen Golf Club - home of the 2002 Canadian Open. I got off to a good start. If not for a couple of near misses with the putter and a mis-hit into the green on hole #9, I could have made the turn about three strokes better than 45.
Hole #13 killed me. I amassed three penalty strokes on that hole alone, leading to a score of 9. I only had one other penalty stroke for the entire round. Nevertheless, I made three pars on the back nine, just as I did on the front. I finished with a score of 94, which is pretty good.
I figure a sub-90 round was within reach, but a couple of missed putts, a couple of mis-hit approaches from close in, and a couple of penalties did me in.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Hole #13 killed me. I amassed three penalty strokes on that hole alone, leading to a score of 9. I only had one other penalty stroke for the entire round. Nevertheless, I made three pars on the back nine, just as I did on the front. I finished with a score of 94, which is pretty good.
I figure a sub-90 round was within reach, but a couple of missed putts, a couple of mis-hit approaches from close in, and a couple of penalties did me in.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
July 04, 2009
Solid Round at Deer Creek
I usually approach a round at Deer Creek Golf Club with some anticipation, since it is the site of my lowest golf round ever - a 10-over-par 81 registered a couple of years ago. If not for a pointless triple-bogey on the very last hole, that score could easily have been a 79.
My latest visit began in horrific fashion. Teeing off on Sapphire #1, I took a very tentative swing which sent the ball to the trees right of the fairway. That one was lost for sure. After re-teeing, I over-compensated far too much and sent the ball into the trees left of the fairway. After getting the ball back close to the fairway, I had a medium-sized tree between me and the green. I hit an 8-iron flush, but it smacked the very top of the tree trunk. Unfortunately, I did not see where the ball went. Another lost ball meant another penalty stroke. My next attempt made it to the front of the green, where I was able to chip and 1-putt for a score of 9. Yikes! How does one clear his mind after a start like this?
A good way to start is to make a birdie on the next hole. I hit a good 3-wood off the tee, followed by an equally good 6-iron. I followed that up with a perfect putt of about 13 feet. Par would have been a good result on hole #3, but because I hit my first tee shot out-of-bounds, double-bogey was the result. Still, I made a very good approach shot of about 60 yards, followed by a putt from about five feet. I've had success in the past on hole #4, a short par-3 measuring 137 yards over water. This time, I had the club face way too open on my tee shot, sending the ball right of the water. On the subsequent pitch shot, I failed to carry the water by about two yards. It ended up as a triple-bogey, which effectively nullified the birdie a couple holes earlier. How does one get back on a roll after a roller-coaster ride like this?
One way is to make a solid bogey, followed by a brilliant birdie. At 473 yards in length, hole #6 is a shot-maker's par-5. Players must hit a straight tee shot, no longer than about 200 yards, in order to set up a second shot that angles almost 90 degrees in a different direction. The second shot is over a creek, ideally to the 100 yard marker. From there, players can attack the green with a wedge, flying over the creek once more as it loops back in front of the putting surface. I executed all the shots, leaving a 15-foot putt which I also drained.
I closed out the front nine with a triple-bogey, bogey and par, for a score of 49 at the turn. It was an up and down nine holes for sure.
The Emerald nine was a completely different experience, as I seemed to settle down and played very consistently. I tallied two pars, six bogeys, and one triple-bogey. The triple was the result of an errant tee shot and the associated penalty stroke. After re-teeing, I effectively scored bogey on the hole.
This round was similar to the last round at Hidden Lake in many ways. My driver was extremely unpredictable, but the rest of my game was great. Full irons were struck well, and I didn't make any mistakes chipping. Putting was also pretty good.
If I could get my driver back in check and gain some confidence, I feel like I can break 90. My next round is a GTA Amateur Tour event at Angus Glen South - that would be a great place to do it!
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
My latest visit began in horrific fashion. Teeing off on Sapphire #1, I took a very tentative swing which sent the ball to the trees right of the fairway. That one was lost for sure. After re-teeing, I over-compensated far too much and sent the ball into the trees left of the fairway. After getting the ball back close to the fairway, I had a medium-sized tree between me and the green. I hit an 8-iron flush, but it smacked the very top of the tree trunk. Unfortunately, I did not see where the ball went. Another lost ball meant another penalty stroke. My next attempt made it to the front of the green, where I was able to chip and 1-putt for a score of 9. Yikes! How does one clear his mind after a start like this?
A good way to start is to make a birdie on the next hole. I hit a good 3-wood off the tee, followed by an equally good 6-iron. I followed that up with a perfect putt of about 13 feet. Par would have been a good result on hole #3, but because I hit my first tee shot out-of-bounds, double-bogey was the result. Still, I made a very good approach shot of about 60 yards, followed by a putt from about five feet. I've had success in the past on hole #4, a short par-3 measuring 137 yards over water. This time, I had the club face way too open on my tee shot, sending the ball right of the water. On the subsequent pitch shot, I failed to carry the water by about two yards. It ended up as a triple-bogey, which effectively nullified the birdie a couple holes earlier. How does one get back on a roll after a roller-coaster ride like this?
One way is to make a solid bogey, followed by a brilliant birdie. At 473 yards in length, hole #6 is a shot-maker's par-5. Players must hit a straight tee shot, no longer than about 200 yards, in order to set up a second shot that angles almost 90 degrees in a different direction. The second shot is over a creek, ideally to the 100 yard marker. From there, players can attack the green with a wedge, flying over the creek once more as it loops back in front of the putting surface. I executed all the shots, leaving a 15-foot putt which I also drained.
I closed out the front nine with a triple-bogey, bogey and par, for a score of 49 at the turn. It was an up and down nine holes for sure.
The Emerald nine was a completely different experience, as I seemed to settle down and played very consistently. I tallied two pars, six bogeys, and one triple-bogey. The triple was the result of an errant tee shot and the associated penalty stroke. After re-teeing, I effectively scored bogey on the hole.
This round was similar to the last round at Hidden Lake in many ways. My driver was extremely unpredictable, but the rest of my game was great. Full irons were struck well, and I didn't make any mistakes chipping. Putting was also pretty good.
If I could get my driver back in check and gain some confidence, I feel like I can break 90. My next round is a GTA Amateur Tour event at Angus Glen South - that would be a great place to do it!
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 6
July 03, 2009
Good Round at Hidden Lake
I played the New Course at Hidden Lake recently and it was perhaps the most enjoyable round of the year. There was a chance of rain, but it didn't arrive until we were finishing up the eighteenth hole. The round was not without struggles, but there were enough good shots to give me some hope for the future.
The most troublesome part of the game was my driving. On the first tee, I pulled a low screamer and smacked a tree just 50 yards away. It was not even close to being on line. Pulled drives were also the story on holes #2, #4, #5, and #7. In most of these cases I was able to recover, either by lofting an iron shot over some trees, or by punching a low shot under some branches. Hole #8, a par-5 measuring 519 yards, is the only one I hit a good drive on. Not surprisingly, it resulted in a score of par, rather than bogey or worse.
The problem with my driving is related to swing plane, tempo, and weight shift. It's the same problem I have with every club, but the extra length of the driver and its bulky head seem to exacerbate the problem for me. On the back nine I was able to make some adjustments, resulting in more fairways hit. Nevertheless, I still did not feel very confident with the big stick in hand.
The good news is that my irons worked well all day long. Whether I was hitting from the fairway or the rough, I was able to make good contact and hit the ball squarely. My recent visit to the driving range seems to have paid off. If I could translate the same lessons to the driver, I would be in good shape. Officially, I hit four greens in regulation. However, there were four other occasions when I was putting from the fringe. These are (or should be) almost as good as greens in regulation. There were a lot of front pin placements at Hidden Lake on the day I played, so an uphill putt from the fringe is not bad.
Putting itself was neither good nor bad on the day. Although I amassed 43 putts, that number is misleading. All those putts from the fringe inflated the total. On the other hand, if I was putting well, I should have been able to 2-putt from those positions. I didn't make any notable putts, but I felt like I was lagging the ball near the hole very consistently. Undoubtedly, I have to improve my putting in order to score well. I simply can't afford to 3-putt as often as I do.
At the end of the day, my final score was 93. That's my best score of the season so far. Let's hope I can start breaking the 90 barrier.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 43
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
The most troublesome part of the game was my driving. On the first tee, I pulled a low screamer and smacked a tree just 50 yards away. It was not even close to being on line. Pulled drives were also the story on holes #2, #4, #5, and #7. In most of these cases I was able to recover, either by lofting an iron shot over some trees, or by punching a low shot under some branches. Hole #8, a par-5 measuring 519 yards, is the only one I hit a good drive on. Not surprisingly, it resulted in a score of par, rather than bogey or worse.
The problem with my driving is related to swing plane, tempo, and weight shift. It's the same problem I have with every club, but the extra length of the driver and its bulky head seem to exacerbate the problem for me. On the back nine I was able to make some adjustments, resulting in more fairways hit. Nevertheless, I still did not feel very confident with the big stick in hand.
The good news is that my irons worked well all day long. Whether I was hitting from the fairway or the rough, I was able to make good contact and hit the ball squarely. My recent visit to the driving range seems to have paid off. If I could translate the same lessons to the driver, I would be in good shape. Officially, I hit four greens in regulation. However, there were four other occasions when I was putting from the fringe. These are (or should be) almost as good as greens in regulation. There were a lot of front pin placements at Hidden Lake on the day I played, so an uphill putt from the fringe is not bad.
Putting itself was neither good nor bad on the day. Although I amassed 43 putts, that number is misleading. All those putts from the fringe inflated the total. On the other hand, if I was putting well, I should have been able to 2-putt from those positions. I didn't make any notable putts, but I felt like I was lagging the ball near the hole very consistently. Undoubtedly, I have to improve my putting in order to score well. I simply can't afford to 3-putt as often as I do.
At the end of the day, my final score was 93. That's my best score of the season so far. Let's hope I can start breaking the 90 barrier.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 43
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
July 02, 2009
Blaming The Rain at Peninsula Lakes
The second round of the Deepwoods Golf Asociation championship took place on a rainy Sunday at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club. Prior to the round, I spent some time on the driving range reinforcing the things I had been working on recently. My irons in particular were working wonderfully. By the time I teed off on Quarry #1, the rain started to fall. It was a struggle keeping grips dry on the first three or four holes. The third hole was the worst, as my club slipped in my hands on the first two shot attempts. After four holes the rain stopped and we played in dry conditions the rest of the way.
The Quarry nine passed without incident, except for a triple-bogey on hole #7, a par-5 stretching 525 yards from the white tees. I hit a bad tee shot and was forced to chip out of some vegetation to get back near the fairway. The rest of the Quarry nine consisted of bogeys and double-bogeys. I wasn't playing terribly, but was off my game just enough to amass too many doubles. A couple of drives missed the mark, as did a few chip shots and a couple of putts. Mind you, I hit some good approach irons and made some putts as well. It all added up to a score of 51 at the turn.
On the Hillside nine, I played quite a bit better. Again, there was a lone triple-bogey on hole #6, a medium length par-3. Hitting 7-iron off the tee, the ball travelled flag-high, but drifted right into a greenside bunker. It took two shots to get out and then I pulled off the dreaded 3-putt. Aside from that, I collected two pars, four bogeys and two double-bogeys. Stretches like these make me feel like I should average bogey golf quite comfortably.
One of the pars came on Hillside #4, rated the most difficult hole on the course. A par-4 measuring 396 yards from the white tees, players must hit a straight drive to avoid ponds both left and right of the fairway. The ideal drive is 250 yards, leaving a 150-yard approach over water to a green protected on the right by more water and on the left by out of bounds. My drive was perfect, coming to rest directly beside the 150-yard marker. My approach was straight but fat, coming up short of the green but safely over the water. From there, I hit a little bump and run, leaving a putt of about five feet for par, which I drained calmly. It was a well earned par.
Overall, I ended up with a score of 98, which is okay but not great. Unfortunately, I didn't score a lot of points in the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods. As a result, I have my work cut out for me at the next Deepwoods event, which will be played at Dragon's Fire Golf Club in about a month or so.
Score: 98
Par: 71
Putts: 36
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
The Quarry nine passed without incident, except for a triple-bogey on hole #7, a par-5 stretching 525 yards from the white tees. I hit a bad tee shot and was forced to chip out of some vegetation to get back near the fairway. The rest of the Quarry nine consisted of bogeys and double-bogeys. I wasn't playing terribly, but was off my game just enough to amass too many doubles. A couple of drives missed the mark, as did a few chip shots and a couple of putts. Mind you, I hit some good approach irons and made some putts as well. It all added up to a score of 51 at the turn.
On the Hillside nine, I played quite a bit better. Again, there was a lone triple-bogey on hole #6, a medium length par-3. Hitting 7-iron off the tee, the ball travelled flag-high, but drifted right into a greenside bunker. It took two shots to get out and then I pulled off the dreaded 3-putt. Aside from that, I collected two pars, four bogeys and two double-bogeys. Stretches like these make me feel like I should average bogey golf quite comfortably.
One of the pars came on Hillside #4, rated the most difficult hole on the course. A par-4 measuring 396 yards from the white tees, players must hit a straight drive to avoid ponds both left and right of the fairway. The ideal drive is 250 yards, leaving a 150-yard approach over water to a green protected on the right by more water and on the left by out of bounds. My drive was perfect, coming to rest directly beside the 150-yard marker. My approach was straight but fat, coming up short of the green but safely over the water. From there, I hit a little bump and run, leaving a putt of about five feet for par, which I drained calmly. It was a well earned par.
Overall, I ended up with a score of 98, which is okay but not great. Unfortunately, I didn't score a lot of points in the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods. As a result, I have my work cut out for me at the next Deepwoods event, which will be played at Dragon's Fire Golf Club in about a month or so.
Score: 98
Par: 71
Putts: 36
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
June 29, 2009
Emerald Hills, Golfing Thrills
A recent article in ScoreGolf magazine describes how pro golfers keep a journal of their experiences on the golf course. The idea is to record examples of excellent play, to serve as a reminder of things that worked well and to boost confidence. I realized that my own journal often focuses on things that went wrong, which of course has exactly the opposite effect. So I am resolving to be at least a little more positive in my reviews, beginning with my latest round at Emerald Hills Golf Club.
Teeing off on the first hole of the Forest nine, I hit a perfect drive high and straight, coming to rest beside the 150-yard marker. It was especially satisfying since it came from the gold tees, which are the tips at Emerald Hills. There are also plenty of trees on this hole to gobble up wayward drives. They don't call it the Forest nine for nothing. I proceeded to mis-hit a few shots en route to a triple-bogey, but we're trying to be positive here, so enough of that.
The next good moment came on hole #5, a par-4 measuring 406 yards. I hit a cut shot off the tee, leaving the ball in the middle of the fairway. I didn't intend for it to be a cut shot, but that's how it worked out. I hit an approach with the 5-iron, but caught it a little fat and as a result came up short of the green. From there I hit a little bump and run shot with the pitching wedge, leaving a medium length putt for par, which I calmly drained. Pars are nice.
The shot of the day took place on hole #8, an intimidating par-5 lined by forest on both sides of the fairway from tee box to green. I hit 5-wood off the tee in an attempt to keep the ball out of the woods. It didn't work. Luckily, the area was staked red, so I got to drop a ball near point of entry after taking a penalty. My third shot now was a medium iron to advance the ball down the fairway. It worked well, but I was still left with 205 yards to the green, which was perched on a plateau about twelve to fifteen feet above the fairway. The shot of the day was a spectacular 5-wood that travelled dead straight, bounced near the top of the plateau and came to rest within five feet of the cup. Luckily, I made the putt to make the great approach shot pay off. It was a great par save.
After finishing the Forest nine, we proceeded to the Valley nine, which offers a very different experience. On holes one and two, I hit some less than perfect shots, but also came into the greens with some nice approaches. On hole #1 it was with a sand wedge, while on hole #2 it was with a 9-iron. I wish I had an equally good approach on hole #3, but that wasn't the case. After a solid drive, I had 170 yards to the flag. Anything left of the green is into a hillside covered in fescue. Anything right of the green is into a steep mound that pushes balls further right into a hazard. I hit the mound and had to take a penalty, but it was a fun hole to play, probably my favourite of the Valley nine.
On hole #6, I hit a perfect 3-wood off the elevated tee, leaving 80 yards to a severely elevated green. I hit a solid sand wedge approach and two-putted for another solid par. Pars are nice. Hole #7 is also one of my favourites on the Valley nine. This is a par-3 measuring 181 yards. Players must carry a fescue-covered valley to a diagonal green that plays longer to the right hand side. When we played, the flag was at the back of the green, tempting players to take the more aggressive line. I settled for an intermediate line, starting the ball about 20 feet left of the flag. I hit what seemed like a perfect 5-iron, landing on the green exactly where I was aiming. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold the green and spilled over the back into a well-placed bunker. The combination of visual intimidation, distance, and strategic bunkering are what make this a nice hole. I failed to get out of the bunker with a single shot and ended up with a double-bogey.
Overall, it was a nice outing and I had enough positive takeaways to carry to my next round. The elevated score was mostly a result of penalty strokes after balls found the dense woods. I had eight penalty strokes in total.
Score: 108
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Teeing off on the first hole of the Forest nine, I hit a perfect drive high and straight, coming to rest beside the 150-yard marker. It was especially satisfying since it came from the gold tees, which are the tips at Emerald Hills. There are also plenty of trees on this hole to gobble up wayward drives. They don't call it the Forest nine for nothing. I proceeded to mis-hit a few shots en route to a triple-bogey, but we're trying to be positive here, so enough of that.
The next good moment came on hole #5, a par-4 measuring 406 yards. I hit a cut shot off the tee, leaving the ball in the middle of the fairway. I didn't intend for it to be a cut shot, but that's how it worked out. I hit an approach with the 5-iron, but caught it a little fat and as a result came up short of the green. From there I hit a little bump and run shot with the pitching wedge, leaving a medium length putt for par, which I calmly drained. Pars are nice.
The shot of the day took place on hole #8, an intimidating par-5 lined by forest on both sides of the fairway from tee box to green. I hit 5-wood off the tee in an attempt to keep the ball out of the woods. It didn't work. Luckily, the area was staked red, so I got to drop a ball near point of entry after taking a penalty. My third shot now was a medium iron to advance the ball down the fairway. It worked well, but I was still left with 205 yards to the green, which was perched on a plateau about twelve to fifteen feet above the fairway. The shot of the day was a spectacular 5-wood that travelled dead straight, bounced near the top of the plateau and came to rest within five feet of the cup. Luckily, I made the putt to make the great approach shot pay off. It was a great par save.
After finishing the Forest nine, we proceeded to the Valley nine, which offers a very different experience. On holes one and two, I hit some less than perfect shots, but also came into the greens with some nice approaches. On hole #1 it was with a sand wedge, while on hole #2 it was with a 9-iron. I wish I had an equally good approach on hole #3, but that wasn't the case. After a solid drive, I had 170 yards to the flag. Anything left of the green is into a hillside covered in fescue. Anything right of the green is into a steep mound that pushes balls further right into a hazard. I hit the mound and had to take a penalty, but it was a fun hole to play, probably my favourite of the Valley nine.
On hole #6, I hit a perfect 3-wood off the elevated tee, leaving 80 yards to a severely elevated green. I hit a solid sand wedge approach and two-putted for another solid par. Pars are nice. Hole #7 is also one of my favourites on the Valley nine. This is a par-3 measuring 181 yards. Players must carry a fescue-covered valley to a diagonal green that plays longer to the right hand side. When we played, the flag was at the back of the green, tempting players to take the more aggressive line. I settled for an intermediate line, starting the ball about 20 feet left of the flag. I hit what seemed like a perfect 5-iron, landing on the green exactly where I was aiming. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold the green and spilled over the back into a well-placed bunker. The combination of visual intimidation, distance, and strategic bunkering are what make this a nice hole. I failed to get out of the bunker with a single shot and ended up with a double-bogey.
Overall, it was a nice outing and I had enough positive takeaways to carry to my next round. The elevated score was mostly a result of penalty strokes after balls found the dense woods. I had eight penalty strokes in total.
Score: 108
Par: 72
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
June 22, 2009
No Round This Weekend, Just Practice
I didn't have any rounds scheduled for this weekend, so I decided to do some much needed practice. I began by chipping abour four hundred balls from various positions around the chipping green. The dispersion of my shots was not bad and I mis-hit very few balls. The grass around the chipping green was fairly long, which meant that the ball was nicely propped up most of the time. I pressed some balls down into the grass to get the feel of shooting from a different lie. The chipping green was one of those shaggy affairs, so the benefits of this practice were limited. Still, it was good to spend some time on the short game.
Following the chipping practice, I headed over to the driving range, working my way from sand wedge to driver. I was focused primarily on taking the club away a few degrees to the inside, shortening and flattening my backswing, and swinging in rhythm. As I concentrated on flattening the backswing, I realized just how steep my backswing had become recently. I knew this was the case with longer clubs such as fairway woods and driver, but it became clear that I was doing it with all clubs, including the short wedges. Even as I flattened my swing plane, all of my shots were being pulled left of my target line, as a result of an outside-in swing path. In recent weeks, I was compensating for that by fading or cutting the ball at the same time. The ball would end up more or less where I wanted it to, but the flight path was not ideal. I continued to work on the swing plane and eventually began hitting some better balls. I got a lot of great work in with the irons, but spent less time on the fairway woods and driver than I had hoped.
To wrap up, I sent some time on the putting green, practicing short, medium and long range putts from different positions. My distance control was good. I lagged the more lengthy putts very near the hole, even if they didn't drop with great frequency. I tried to concentrate on a nice, aggressive follow through. Sometimes, I take a big backswing and then decelerate the putter, so I was training myself not to do that.
Hopefully, this work pays off at my next round later this week.
Following the chipping practice, I headed over to the driving range, working my way from sand wedge to driver. I was focused primarily on taking the club away a few degrees to the inside, shortening and flattening my backswing, and swinging in rhythm. As I concentrated on flattening the backswing, I realized just how steep my backswing had become recently. I knew this was the case with longer clubs such as fairway woods and driver, but it became clear that I was doing it with all clubs, including the short wedges. Even as I flattened my swing plane, all of my shots were being pulled left of my target line, as a result of an outside-in swing path. In recent weeks, I was compensating for that by fading or cutting the ball at the same time. The ball would end up more or less where I wanted it to, but the flight path was not ideal. I continued to work on the swing plane and eventually began hitting some better balls. I got a lot of great work in with the irons, but spent less time on the fairway woods and driver than I had hoped.
To wrap up, I sent some time on the putting green, practicing short, medium and long range putts from different positions. My distance control was good. I lagged the more lengthy putts very near the hole, even if they didn't drop with great frequency. I tried to concentrate on a nice, aggressive follow through. Sometimes, I take a big backswing and then decelerate the putter, so I was training myself not to do that.
Hopefully, this work pays off at my next round later this week.
June 19, 2009
Starting From Scratch After Crosswinds
My latest round of golf, played at Crosswinds Golf & Country Club, was easily my worst performance of an already poor season. I played fairly well through the first four holes, tallying a couple of bogeys and even a birdie on the par-5 second. It was the fifth hole, a par-3 featuring an island green, that ruined any hope of a good round. Playing my tee shot to the safer side of the green, my ball hit the embankment and bounced in the water. Playing my third shot from the drop zone, I duffed a chip, then skulled one over the green and into the water on the other side. After my second penalty stroke on the hole, I chipped safely on the green, only to 3-putt for an embarrassing score of 9. I hung in there for the remainder of the front nine, amassing a score of 54 at the turn. When I duffed my tee shot on hole #10, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. On hole #11, I stopped trying completely and didn't bother keeping score the rest of the way.
The only thing to do now is forget about it and start from scratch. My swing has deteriorated this year and I know I have to make improvements. The good news is that I have a fairly good sense of what the problem is. Basically, I have slipped back to my natural tendencies - the very things I have adjusted in the past with some success. Here are a few things I need to to examine as I rebuild my swing.
Alignment - I have been setting up with my feet, hips and shoulders aligned and parallel to the target line. No adjustments are necessary.
Ball position - I have been playing my iron shots with the ball pretty close to the centre of my stance. I play my fairway woods and driver with the ball closer to the front of my stance, a few inches inside the left foot. This is good. I just have to be careful that the ball doesn't get too far ahead when using the driver.
Posture - My feet are a comfortable distance apart and I have a good amount of flex in the knees. My spine angle is also pretty good. If anything, I might be dropping the head down a bit too much. Any adjustment here should be very minor.
Grip - I might be getting a little strong with the right hand, which is no good. I should make sure that the right hand is a little weaker. Also, I should check to make sure that I am not using too much grip pressure.
Takeaway - I think I might be taking the clubhead back almost in line with the target line, which is no good. Ideally, the clubhead goes back a few degrees on the inside. This promotes a flatter and more consistent swing plane.
Shoulder turn - I need to remind myself to make a nice shoulder turn. Early this season, I may have slipped back into using the arms too much. When I use the arms like that, the top of my backswing gets too steep.
Swing plane - My biggest flaw is the tendency to swing over the top or outside-in. Basically, my backswing gets really steep and off plane near the top. A good takeaway and shoulder turn help prevent that, but it also helps when I shorten the backswing.
Tempo - I need to swing in rhythm and I haven't been doing that this season. When my tempo is off, my swing gets off plane and it becomes more difficult to make good crisp contact with the ball. Recently, I have slowed the backswing too much. Smooth and easy is the key. I need to get back to that.
Weight shift - For some reason, I have recently fallen victim to the reverse pivot. I have no idea how this crept into my swing, but it has. I need to make sure that my weight is evenly balanced on the backswing and that is shifts naturally to the left side on the downswing.
Finally, I need to do all this without getting bogged down by too much thinking. The most important things for me are a good takeaway, with proper tempo and weight shift. If I can do that, I will keep my swing more on plane and hit better shots.
As for chipping and putting, I just need to practice more and get more confidence. In the last couple of years I have gotten away from playing these shots by feel. I think I should get back to that a bit more because I was fairly good at it.
The only thing to do now is forget about it and start from scratch. My swing has deteriorated this year and I know I have to make improvements. The good news is that I have a fairly good sense of what the problem is. Basically, I have slipped back to my natural tendencies - the very things I have adjusted in the past with some success. Here are a few things I need to to examine as I rebuild my swing.
Alignment - I have been setting up with my feet, hips and shoulders aligned and parallel to the target line. No adjustments are necessary.
Ball position - I have been playing my iron shots with the ball pretty close to the centre of my stance. I play my fairway woods and driver with the ball closer to the front of my stance, a few inches inside the left foot. This is good. I just have to be careful that the ball doesn't get too far ahead when using the driver.
Posture - My feet are a comfortable distance apart and I have a good amount of flex in the knees. My spine angle is also pretty good. If anything, I might be dropping the head down a bit too much. Any adjustment here should be very minor.
Grip - I might be getting a little strong with the right hand, which is no good. I should make sure that the right hand is a little weaker. Also, I should check to make sure that I am not using too much grip pressure.
Takeaway - I think I might be taking the clubhead back almost in line with the target line, which is no good. Ideally, the clubhead goes back a few degrees on the inside. This promotes a flatter and more consistent swing plane.
Shoulder turn - I need to remind myself to make a nice shoulder turn. Early this season, I may have slipped back into using the arms too much. When I use the arms like that, the top of my backswing gets too steep.
Swing plane - My biggest flaw is the tendency to swing over the top or outside-in. Basically, my backswing gets really steep and off plane near the top. A good takeaway and shoulder turn help prevent that, but it also helps when I shorten the backswing.
Tempo - I need to swing in rhythm and I haven't been doing that this season. When my tempo is off, my swing gets off plane and it becomes more difficult to make good crisp contact with the ball. Recently, I have slowed the backswing too much. Smooth and easy is the key. I need to get back to that.
Weight shift - For some reason, I have recently fallen victim to the reverse pivot. I have no idea how this crept into my swing, but it has. I need to make sure that my weight is evenly balanced on the backswing and that is shifts naturally to the left side on the downswing.
Finally, I need to do all this without getting bogged down by too much thinking. The most important things for me are a good takeaway, with proper tempo and weight shift. If I can do that, I will keep my swing more on plane and hit better shots.
As for chipping and putting, I just need to practice more and get more confidence. In the last couple of years I have gotten away from playing these shots by feel. I think I should get back to that a bit more because I was fairly good at it.
June 17, 2009
Good Recovery at Wooden Sticks
Following a couple of poor rounds, I headed out to Uxbridge for my first ever visit to Wooden Sticks Golf Club. Many of the holes at Wooden Sticks are inspired by famous holes at some of the world's best-known golf clubs, including Augusta, Sawgrass, Pine Valley, St. Andrews, and Carnoustie.
I double-bogeyed the first three holes, mixing good shots with bad ones. The second hole was particularly disappointing because I hit a perfect 5-wood off the tee to the middle of the fairway, followed by a straight shot with the sand wedge from about 80 yards away. The ball was all over the flag, but ended up a couple yards behind the green on a severe downslope. From that position, it was nearly impossible to chip it close. The third hole, inspired by #12 at Augusta, was also disappointing because I duffed my tee shot into the water.
The fourth hole, inspired by #13 at Augusta, was played very well. I hit a perfect drive to the middle of the fairway, followed by a half-swing with the 5-iron which took the ball to the left side of the fairway in front of a creek that protects the green. Next, I hit a very nice pitch shot about 40 yards, near the flag. I calmly drained the putt for birdie. The rest of the front nine was like the first three holes - a mix of good and bad shots. Except for a shot from a greenside bunker on hole #7, I played very well from the sand, which I haven't done for most of the season. My putting, which has also been a problem this year, was quite good.
On the tenth hole I began a bit of a hot streak. Hole #10 shares a fairway with #18, leaving ample room for golfers to be aggressive on their tee shots. Following a good drive, I hit the green from 140 yards out, setting up a two-putt par. On hole #11, inspired by the "postage stamp" eighth hole at Troon, I hit a very good tee shot, but came up a yard short of the green. After a poor chip, I two-putted for bogey. On holes #12 and #13, both inspired by Pine Valley, I collected two excellent pars. Both were set up by long approaches made with the 5-wood. On hole #14, inspired by the "Hogan's Alley" 6th hole at Carnoustie, a spectacular shot from a deep pot bunker allowed me to save bogey.
The streak ended on holes #15 and #16, a long par-4 and a par-5. Wind made me think too much about my drive on the fifteenth, leading to a weak slice and a lost ball. On the sixteenth, my second shot from a waste bunker lead to a series of problems. It should have been no problem at all as I had a great lie in the bunker and was hitting 7-iron. Nevertheless, I was a tad fat and that's all it took.
I managed a par on hole #17, based on the "island green" 17th hole at Sawgrass. I hit a strong tee shot to the left side of the green. From there, I hit a nice uphill putt to the centre of the cup, but the ball had a bit too much speed and popped out the other side. It was very nearly another birdie, so I felt good. Finally, I bogeyed #18 after making three putts from the super massive green.
Overall, I was happy with the way I fought on the back nine and felt like my score was satisfactory.
Score: 96
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
I double-bogeyed the first three holes, mixing good shots with bad ones. The second hole was particularly disappointing because I hit a perfect 5-wood off the tee to the middle of the fairway, followed by a straight shot with the sand wedge from about 80 yards away. The ball was all over the flag, but ended up a couple yards behind the green on a severe downslope. From that position, it was nearly impossible to chip it close. The third hole, inspired by #12 at Augusta, was also disappointing because I duffed my tee shot into the water.
The fourth hole, inspired by #13 at Augusta, was played very well. I hit a perfect drive to the middle of the fairway, followed by a half-swing with the 5-iron which took the ball to the left side of the fairway in front of a creek that protects the green. Next, I hit a very nice pitch shot about 40 yards, near the flag. I calmly drained the putt for birdie. The rest of the front nine was like the first three holes - a mix of good and bad shots. Except for a shot from a greenside bunker on hole #7, I played very well from the sand, which I haven't done for most of the season. My putting, which has also been a problem this year, was quite good.
On the tenth hole I began a bit of a hot streak. Hole #10 shares a fairway with #18, leaving ample room for golfers to be aggressive on their tee shots. Following a good drive, I hit the green from 140 yards out, setting up a two-putt par. On hole #11, inspired by the "postage stamp" eighth hole at Troon, I hit a very good tee shot, but came up a yard short of the green. After a poor chip, I two-putted for bogey. On holes #12 and #13, both inspired by Pine Valley, I collected two excellent pars. Both were set up by long approaches made with the 5-wood. On hole #14, inspired by the "Hogan's Alley" 6th hole at Carnoustie, a spectacular shot from a deep pot bunker allowed me to save bogey.
The streak ended on holes #15 and #16, a long par-4 and a par-5. Wind made me think too much about my drive on the fifteenth, leading to a weak slice and a lost ball. On the sixteenth, my second shot from a waste bunker lead to a series of problems. It should have been no problem at all as I had a great lie in the bunker and was hitting 7-iron. Nevertheless, I was a tad fat and that's all it took.
I managed a par on hole #17, based on the "island green" 17th hole at Sawgrass. I hit a strong tee shot to the left side of the green. From there, I hit a nice uphill putt to the centre of the cup, but the ball had a bit too much speed and popped out the other side. It was very nearly another birdie, so I felt good. Finally, I bogeyed #18 after making three putts from the super massive green.
Overall, I was happy with the way I fought on the back nine and felt like my score was satisfactory.
Score: 96
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
June 11, 2009
Putting the Wild in Wildfire
My third event on the GTA Amateur Tour took place at Wildfire Golf Club, a lovely Tom McBroom design in the Kawartha region. It was overcast and windy when I teed off in the late afternoon with the last group of the day.
I tallied six bogeys and a par on the front nine, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The driver never came out of my bag, as I opted for the 3-wood on the relatively short holes. On the second hole, I topped my tee shot. On the fourth hole, I hit my tee shot very thin. Fortunately, the ball skipped over a creek and carried well along the fairway. I hit some good tee shots as well, but it was a very mixed bag.
Similarly, my irons varied from spectacular to outright disgusting - even on the same hole! After a solid tee shot on hole #7, a par-5 measuring 486 yards, I completely messed up my second shot with a 7-iron. This left me with a 195-yard approach to the green, which I nailed with a fantastic 4-iron. Overall, there were far too many worm-burners resulting from my iron shots. They didn't hurt the score tremendously because the ball still advanced, but they were ugly. On a couple iron shots I opened the club face far too much, with predictable results.
Bunker play, chipping and putting were all good on the front nine.
On the back nine there were a couple moments of brilliance amidst a sea of errors. I birdied hole #11, a par-3 measuring 140 yards. After hitting the green in regulation, I sank a long putt from about 25 feet. On the next hole, a par-5, I hit two perfect shots to lay up in front of a pond guarding the green. From 135 yards out, I mis-hit the approach ever so slightly and the ball came down a yard short of crossing the water. I proceeded to hit two more balls into the water, catching the ball fat on both occasions.
After that disastrous hole, I felt I was still mentally in the game, but my scores tell another story. On one hole, I lost a ball in the woods after hitting a 7-iron with the club face way too open again. I duffed a 6-iron off the tee on a short par-4. I picked a ball clean out of a greenside bunker, launching it out of bounds. I even pulled a drive left of the fairway into the woods. They were the kind of errors that involve penalty strokes, so my score got terribly inflated.
On hole #17, a par-3 measuring 142 yards, I hit my tee shot into a bunker guarding the left side of the green. With lots of green to work with, I hit a perfect sand shot, rolling the ball to about five feet from the cup. Finally, I made the straight uphill putt to save par.
Chipping and putting remained solid on the back nine.
Right now, my game is all over the place. It seems each round I fix one problem, only to have a new one emerge. My handicap is inching up instead of going down. It's frustrating to say the least. Patience, I guess. Patience.
Score: 111
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 8
Greens: 2
I tallied six bogeys and a par on the front nine, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The driver never came out of my bag, as I opted for the 3-wood on the relatively short holes. On the second hole, I topped my tee shot. On the fourth hole, I hit my tee shot very thin. Fortunately, the ball skipped over a creek and carried well along the fairway. I hit some good tee shots as well, but it was a very mixed bag.
Similarly, my irons varied from spectacular to outright disgusting - even on the same hole! After a solid tee shot on hole #7, a par-5 measuring 486 yards, I completely messed up my second shot with a 7-iron. This left me with a 195-yard approach to the green, which I nailed with a fantastic 4-iron. Overall, there were far too many worm-burners resulting from my iron shots. They didn't hurt the score tremendously because the ball still advanced, but they were ugly. On a couple iron shots I opened the club face far too much, with predictable results.
Bunker play, chipping and putting were all good on the front nine.
On the back nine there were a couple moments of brilliance amidst a sea of errors. I birdied hole #11, a par-3 measuring 140 yards. After hitting the green in regulation, I sank a long putt from about 25 feet. On the next hole, a par-5, I hit two perfect shots to lay up in front of a pond guarding the green. From 135 yards out, I mis-hit the approach ever so slightly and the ball came down a yard short of crossing the water. I proceeded to hit two more balls into the water, catching the ball fat on both occasions.
After that disastrous hole, I felt I was still mentally in the game, but my scores tell another story. On one hole, I lost a ball in the woods after hitting a 7-iron with the club face way too open again. I duffed a 6-iron off the tee on a short par-4. I picked a ball clean out of a greenside bunker, launching it out of bounds. I even pulled a drive left of the fairway into the woods. They were the kind of errors that involve penalty strokes, so my score got terribly inflated.
On hole #17, a par-3 measuring 142 yards, I hit my tee shot into a bunker guarding the left side of the green. With lots of green to work with, I hit a perfect sand shot, rolling the ball to about five feet from the cup. Finally, I made the straight uphill putt to save par.
Chipping and putting remained solid on the back nine.
Right now, my game is all over the place. It seems each round I fix one problem, only to have a new one emerge. My handicap is inching up instead of going down. It's frustrating to say the least. Patience, I guess. Patience.
Score: 111
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 8
Greens: 2
June 07, 2009
Setback at Kleinburg
With my last three rounds in the nineties (94, 98, 94) it looked like I was headed in the right direction. If those rounds represented two steps forward, then my last round at Kleinburg Golf Club was most definitely a step backward.
My tee shot on the frst hole of the Gold course was a sign of things to come. I realize now that I shifted my weight to the right foot (the classic reverse pivot), causing me to hit the ball very low on the clubface. The flaw led to a double-bogey on that hole, but it would lead to much worse on the next hole. Visual intimidation is plentiful on hole #2, especially from the blue tees which I was playing. Anyone watching might have thought I was psyched out by the gulley and trees immediately in front of the teeing ground. In fact, visual intimidation had nothing to do with my poor shots. I felt very comfortable. The problem was the reverse pivot, which crept into my swing for some reason. On two successive occasions, the flaw caused me to top the ball, sending it dribbling just a few yards into the junk ahead. It was only with my third attempt that I got the ball airborne.
On holes #3 through #8, I continued to make the same mistake but got away with it, putting together a string of bogeys and double-bogeys. On hole #9 I wasn't so lucky. The same move caused me to top the ball again, sending it into some trees just left of the tee box. I actually did well to record a triple-bogey from that position.
I finished the Gold nine with a score of 55. As it turns out, I still have the scorecard from my last visit to Kleinburg in 2007. That day, I shot 41 on the same course, albeit from the white tees. That's a difference of 14 strokes over just nine holes! It's remarkable to see how things can go so well on one day, and so terrible on another.
My 2007 visit to Kleinburg concluded by playing the White course, while this round ended by playing the Red course. On hole #1, I smoked a 3-wood off the tee, leaving just 30 yards to the green. My pitch shot was pretty good, leaving an uphill putt for birdie. I put a good stroke on the putt, but it caught a damaged patch of grass and actually veered to the right. I was extremely upset. The greens at Kleinburg were in absolutely terrible shape, but this was beyond anything I've seen before. I had a hard time clearing my mind for my next putt and missed it as a result. Instead of birdie, I walked away with bogey. A pair of bogeys on the next two holes was easier to take, as I had less than perfect approaches to the greens.
On hole #4, the reverse pivot reared its ugly head again, sending my tee shot left into some trees just ahead of the tee. The ball was lost in the fescue and I was forced to re-tee. When I reached the green, my second putt skimmed the edge of the cup and that upset me again. It's bad enough that I had to hit my third shot from the tee - the last thing I needed was more bad luck on a makeable putt. This put me in a poor mental state and I played the next two holes in a rather undisciplined fashion. It's not surprising then, that I recorded a quadruple and a triple-bogey.
Oh hole #7, I hit a good drive long and in the centre of the fairway. From 85 yards out, I judged the stroke perfectly, landing the ball flag-high, left of the cup. I took my time and nailed the 13-footer for only my second birdie of the season. I followed this up with a textbook par on the next hole, a 166-yard par-3. I closed out the round with a solid bogey. The last three holes helped ease some of the anguish I was feeling.
Overall, I can't sugar-coat anything here. This was a terrible round. I don't know why the reverse pivot surfaced, but I have to eliminate it at my next round, which will be a GTA Amateur Tour event.
Score: 104
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
My tee shot on the frst hole of the Gold course was a sign of things to come. I realize now that I shifted my weight to the right foot (the classic reverse pivot), causing me to hit the ball very low on the clubface. The flaw led to a double-bogey on that hole, but it would lead to much worse on the next hole. Visual intimidation is plentiful on hole #2, especially from the blue tees which I was playing. Anyone watching might have thought I was psyched out by the gulley and trees immediately in front of the teeing ground. In fact, visual intimidation had nothing to do with my poor shots. I felt very comfortable. The problem was the reverse pivot, which crept into my swing for some reason. On two successive occasions, the flaw caused me to top the ball, sending it dribbling just a few yards into the junk ahead. It was only with my third attempt that I got the ball airborne.
On holes #3 through #8, I continued to make the same mistake but got away with it, putting together a string of bogeys and double-bogeys. On hole #9 I wasn't so lucky. The same move caused me to top the ball again, sending it into some trees just left of the tee box. I actually did well to record a triple-bogey from that position.
I finished the Gold nine with a score of 55. As it turns out, I still have the scorecard from my last visit to Kleinburg in 2007. That day, I shot 41 on the same course, albeit from the white tees. That's a difference of 14 strokes over just nine holes! It's remarkable to see how things can go so well on one day, and so terrible on another.
My 2007 visit to Kleinburg concluded by playing the White course, while this round ended by playing the Red course. On hole #1, I smoked a 3-wood off the tee, leaving just 30 yards to the green. My pitch shot was pretty good, leaving an uphill putt for birdie. I put a good stroke on the putt, but it caught a damaged patch of grass and actually veered to the right. I was extremely upset. The greens at Kleinburg were in absolutely terrible shape, but this was beyond anything I've seen before. I had a hard time clearing my mind for my next putt and missed it as a result. Instead of birdie, I walked away with bogey. A pair of bogeys on the next two holes was easier to take, as I had less than perfect approaches to the greens.
On hole #4, the reverse pivot reared its ugly head again, sending my tee shot left into some trees just ahead of the tee. The ball was lost in the fescue and I was forced to re-tee. When I reached the green, my second putt skimmed the edge of the cup and that upset me again. It's bad enough that I had to hit my third shot from the tee - the last thing I needed was more bad luck on a makeable putt. This put me in a poor mental state and I played the next two holes in a rather undisciplined fashion. It's not surprising then, that I recorded a quadruple and a triple-bogey.
Oh hole #7, I hit a good drive long and in the centre of the fairway. From 85 yards out, I judged the stroke perfectly, landing the ball flag-high, left of the cup. I took my time and nailed the 13-footer for only my second birdie of the season. I followed this up with a textbook par on the next hole, a 166-yard par-3. I closed out the round with a solid bogey. The last three holes helped ease some of the anguish I was feeling.
Overall, I can't sugar-coat anything here. This was a terrible round. I don't know why the reverse pivot surfaced, but I have to eliminate it at my next round, which will be a GTA Amateur Tour event.
Score: 104
Par: 72
Putts: 40
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Solid at Deepwoods Opener
I began my defence of the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship with the opening round of the 2009 season at Copetown Woods Golf Club. Strong wind made it tough for most competitors, but I was in a good zone and pulled out a solid result.
Playing the back nine first, I wasted a perfect drive on hole #10 when my second shot on the par-5 from only 165 yards out was hit fat. The ball came up well short of the green in a large waste bunker. Of course, it was also nestled behind a shrub within the bunker, forcing me to chip out sideways. After a double bogey on #10, I made par on the next two holes. Both were textbook plays, as I hit the greens in regulation and 2-putted to finish. On hole #14 I hit a nice drive, which was good enough to win the longest drive competition. There are much longer hitters on the Deepwoods Tour, but I'm sure the wind made it tough on them. I got near the green with my second shot, but ended up beneath a pine tree, which led to a double-bogey.
Hole #16, the third par-5 on the back nine at Copetown, was notable as I registered an impressive par. I hit the fairway, advanced the ball to the 100-yard marker, then hit the green and made a couple of putts. Easy stuff. The only terrible hole on the back nine was #17, a par-3 measuring 137 yards and rated the easiest hole on the course. I mis-hit my wedge off the tee, sending the ball to a bunker on the left side. It took a couple of swipes to get the ball out, followed by three putts for a triple-bogey.
Playing the front nine, I scrambled well to save par on hole #1, a par-5 stretching 439 yards. I pulled my drive left, then played the next two shots hugging the trees along that side. A chip and a putt finished it up. On hole #2, my drive came to rest about a foot into the long fescue. It didn't appear very thick, but the long grass wraps around the clubhead and shaft, making it tough to get out. A triple bogey was the result. On hole #4, a short par-3 measuring 139 yards, I missed a par putt from within 3 feet. The wind was incredibly strong and I found it impacted my putting more than anything else.
Some bad luck on hole #6 produced another triple-bogey. After duffing my tee shot and advancing the ball with two more strokes, I was 50 yards away from the green, near the tee area of hole #5. I hit a sand wedge shot that went high in the air, hitting an overhanging electrical wire before coming to rest on the lower tier of the large green. I opted to replay the shot, figuring I could stick the ball on the top tier of the green near the flag. Sure enough, I mis-hit the replayed shot and came up well short of the green. Following that episode, I made par on the next two holes. Pars are very boring to describe, but extremely satisfying to make.
Overall, I was happy with my score, especially given the terrible weather conditions. I actually shot the same score as I did last year at Copetown Woods. This year my handicap is lower, so it didn't produce as many points according to the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods. Still, it was good enough for seventh place. A cluster of players directly ahead of me means that third place is just two points away. It's a long season and I am still in the hunt.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Playing the back nine first, I wasted a perfect drive on hole #10 when my second shot on the par-5 from only 165 yards out was hit fat. The ball came up well short of the green in a large waste bunker. Of course, it was also nestled behind a shrub within the bunker, forcing me to chip out sideways. After a double bogey on #10, I made par on the next two holes. Both were textbook plays, as I hit the greens in regulation and 2-putted to finish. On hole #14 I hit a nice drive, which was good enough to win the longest drive competition. There are much longer hitters on the Deepwoods Tour, but I'm sure the wind made it tough on them. I got near the green with my second shot, but ended up beneath a pine tree, which led to a double-bogey.
Hole #16, the third par-5 on the back nine at Copetown, was notable as I registered an impressive par. I hit the fairway, advanced the ball to the 100-yard marker, then hit the green and made a couple of putts. Easy stuff. The only terrible hole on the back nine was #17, a par-3 measuring 137 yards and rated the easiest hole on the course. I mis-hit my wedge off the tee, sending the ball to a bunker on the left side. It took a couple of swipes to get the ball out, followed by three putts for a triple-bogey.
Playing the front nine, I scrambled well to save par on hole #1, a par-5 stretching 439 yards. I pulled my drive left, then played the next two shots hugging the trees along that side. A chip and a putt finished it up. On hole #2, my drive came to rest about a foot into the long fescue. It didn't appear very thick, but the long grass wraps around the clubhead and shaft, making it tough to get out. A triple bogey was the result. On hole #4, a short par-3 measuring 139 yards, I missed a par putt from within 3 feet. The wind was incredibly strong and I found it impacted my putting more than anything else.
Some bad luck on hole #6 produced another triple-bogey. After duffing my tee shot and advancing the ball with two more strokes, I was 50 yards away from the green, near the tee area of hole #5. I hit a sand wedge shot that went high in the air, hitting an overhanging electrical wire before coming to rest on the lower tier of the large green. I opted to replay the shot, figuring I could stick the ball on the top tier of the green near the flag. Sure enough, I mis-hit the replayed shot and came up well short of the green. Following that episode, I made par on the next two holes. Pars are very boring to describe, but extremely satisfying to make.
Overall, I was happy with my score, especially given the terrible weather conditions. I actually shot the same score as I did last year at Copetown Woods. This year my handicap is lower, so it didn't produce as many points according to the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods. Still, it was good enough for seventh place. A cluster of players directly ahead of me means that third place is just two points away. It's a long season and I am still in the hunt.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
June 05, 2009
More Progress at Silver Lakes
A day after having a decent round at Lowville, I headed out to Silver Lakes Golf & Country Club. It was only my second ever visit to the club, the first coming near the end of the 2007 season. I recalled that many of the holes cut through thick forest, so accuracy would be critical.
I played well on the front nine, registering a score of 45 at the turn. On a couple of occasions when I made a bad shot, the forest literally spit my ball back toward the fairway. Golf is primarily a game of skill, but luck comes into play every now and then. Most of the time it's of the bad variety, but sometimes it's good. The key is to capitalize on luck when it's in your favour. I did precisely that on the front nine, hitting four greens in regulation, which translated into four pars. I played very conservatively and felt that I managed my game very well. I used the driver very sparingly, relying on the 3-wood or 5-wood off the tee on most occasions. When I was in a tough position, I took my medicine and simply put the ball back in play.
On the back nine, I started to falter a little bit as my luck turned from good to bad. On hole #11 for instance, a par-3 measuring 158 yards, I made a decent tee shot, but the ball hit a cambered cart path which directed it out of bounds. That hole seemed to take the wind out of my sails and a few mis-hits followed throughout the rest of the round. I still made plenty of good shots, just less consistently than I had over the first nine holes. The back nine produced only one par, which came on hole #14, a par-5 which is the longest hole on the course at 570 yards. My drive was not especially long, but safely in the fairway. The key was a fabulous second shot, a monster with the 3-wood. From 125 yards away, I stuck the ball flag-high, on the low side of the hole. It was a great birdie opportunity, but I just missed and had to settle for par.
Overall, I was satisfied that I broke 100 at Silver Lakes. Over the full round, I collected just one penalty stroke, which was a key stat. The only aspect of the game I was unhappy with was my putting. Just as with the previous round, I had way too many putts. This is definitely something I have to work on.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 43
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
I played well on the front nine, registering a score of 45 at the turn. On a couple of occasions when I made a bad shot, the forest literally spit my ball back toward the fairway. Golf is primarily a game of skill, but luck comes into play every now and then. Most of the time it's of the bad variety, but sometimes it's good. The key is to capitalize on luck when it's in your favour. I did precisely that on the front nine, hitting four greens in regulation, which translated into four pars. I played very conservatively and felt that I managed my game very well. I used the driver very sparingly, relying on the 3-wood or 5-wood off the tee on most occasions. When I was in a tough position, I took my medicine and simply put the ball back in play.
On the back nine, I started to falter a little bit as my luck turned from good to bad. On hole #11 for instance, a par-3 measuring 158 yards, I made a decent tee shot, but the ball hit a cambered cart path which directed it out of bounds. That hole seemed to take the wind out of my sails and a few mis-hits followed throughout the rest of the round. I still made plenty of good shots, just less consistently than I had over the first nine holes. The back nine produced only one par, which came on hole #14, a par-5 which is the longest hole on the course at 570 yards. My drive was not especially long, but safely in the fairway. The key was a fabulous second shot, a monster with the 3-wood. From 125 yards away, I stuck the ball flag-high, on the low side of the hole. It was a great birdie opportunity, but I just missed and had to settle for par.
Overall, I was satisfied that I broke 100 at Silver Lakes. Over the full round, I collected just one penalty stroke, which was a key stat. The only aspect of the game I was unhappy with was my putting. Just as with the previous round, I had way too many putts. This is definitely something I have to work on.
Score: 98
Par: 72
Putts: 43
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
June 04, 2009
Signs of Progress at Lowville
Six rounds of golf in 2009 and I still have not broken 100. That's pretty alarming, considering that I began 2008 shooting 100 or better in eight of my first nine rounds. In the first round of 2009, I had no distance control with my irons and my chipping was bad. By the second round, I solved the distance problem, but chipping was still bad, as was sand play. These problems persisted in the third round and I also struggled with putting. In the fourth round, I greatly improved my chipping, but I was no match for some slick greens, so my putting numbers were still bad. In the fifth round, my putting was better, but I had a heck of a time getting out of bunkers. In the sixth round, inconsistency crept into my iron play. Looking at the whole season, the bulk of my problems have been with the short game. The greatest problem has been sand play, followed by putting and then chipping.
I headed out to Lowville Golf Club to see what the next round would bring. Things started well with a par on the first hole, a par-5 measuring 480 yards. As is usually the case with pars, there is not much to tell. I hit three trouble-free shots to reach the green, then made a solid lag putt and a tap-in. I double-bogeyed the second hole, but the real trouble came on hole #3 and hole #4. Measuring 181 yards, the third hole is a fairly non-descript par-3. My tee shot was pin-high in a bunker left of the green. Well, it took me four shots to get out of the bunker and three putts to hole out. My sand play has been bad all year, but not that bad! On the fourth hole, another par-5, I pulled my second shot and it bounced about a yard out of bounds, leading to a triple-bogey.
I'm glad to say that I scored no worse than double-bogey for the remainder of the round. In fact, there were only two double bogeys in the rest of the round, thanks to some 3-putts, along with eight bogeys and four pars. I was hitting a decent number of fairways, but I was also hitting an unusually high number of greens, including five straight beginning on hole #6. It seemed I was always going at the green with the gap wedge in hand, resulting in a high, soft approach shot. These successful approach shots gave me confidence on each subsequent attempt. Every part of the game was suddenly working, except for putting. A pair of 3-putts spoiled certain pars on hole #6 and hole #7. Two bogeys were the result. I did make three consecutive pars beginning with hole #8, which felt good. However, three more 3-putts would take some of the shine off the back nine.
On hole #16, a par-5 measuring 489 yards, I hit my best drive of the day, leaving just 149 yards to the centre of the green. The drive was good, but I don't think it was 340 yards, so the tees must have been playing up that day. With thoughts of eagle on my mind, I pulled my approach shot near a hazard left of the green. It took two chips to get on and two putts to hole out for bogey. A squandered eagle chance is always disappointing.
Overall, I was happy with all aspects of my game, except for sand play and putting. Since my approach shots were excellent, poor sand play did not hurt my score too much. However, thee is no denying that putting cost me the chance of breaking 90.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 5
Greens: 8
I headed out to Lowville Golf Club to see what the next round would bring. Things started well with a par on the first hole, a par-5 measuring 480 yards. As is usually the case with pars, there is not much to tell. I hit three trouble-free shots to reach the green, then made a solid lag putt and a tap-in. I double-bogeyed the second hole, but the real trouble came on hole #3 and hole #4. Measuring 181 yards, the third hole is a fairly non-descript par-3. My tee shot was pin-high in a bunker left of the green. Well, it took me four shots to get out of the bunker and three putts to hole out. My sand play has been bad all year, but not that bad! On the fourth hole, another par-5, I pulled my second shot and it bounced about a yard out of bounds, leading to a triple-bogey.
I'm glad to say that I scored no worse than double-bogey for the remainder of the round. In fact, there were only two double bogeys in the rest of the round, thanks to some 3-putts, along with eight bogeys and four pars. I was hitting a decent number of fairways, but I was also hitting an unusually high number of greens, including five straight beginning on hole #6. It seemed I was always going at the green with the gap wedge in hand, resulting in a high, soft approach shot. These successful approach shots gave me confidence on each subsequent attempt. Every part of the game was suddenly working, except for putting. A pair of 3-putts spoiled certain pars on hole #6 and hole #7. Two bogeys were the result. I did make three consecutive pars beginning with hole #8, which felt good. However, three more 3-putts would take some of the shine off the back nine.
On hole #16, a par-5 measuring 489 yards, I hit my best drive of the day, leaving just 149 yards to the centre of the green. The drive was good, but I don't think it was 340 yards, so the tees must have been playing up that day. With thoughts of eagle on my mind, I pulled my approach shot near a hazard left of the green. It took two chips to get on and two putts to hole out for bogey. A squandered eagle chance is always disappointing.
Overall, I was happy with all aspects of my game, except for sand play and putting. Since my approach shots were excellent, poor sand play did not hurt my score too much. However, thee is no denying that putting cost me the chance of breaking 90.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 5
Greens: 8
June 03, 2009
Back to St. Andrew's Valley?
A day after playing the Legends course at Lionhead, I played my first ever round at St. Andrew's Valley - or so I thought.
Things went terribly wrong from the opening tee shot. I made excellent contact with the 5-wood, but pulled the ball toward a lone tree on the left side of the fairway. The ball was lost and I collected the first of many penalty strokes on the day. On the second hole, I duffed an iron shot off the tee and promptly followed it up with a shot into a water hazard. Four of the first six holes resulted in triple-bogey or worse. The only relief came in the form of a pair of par-3 holes - the 153-yard fourth hole and the 179-yard sixth. In both cases, I hit the green with a good tee shot, followed by two putts for par. I closed out the front nine with a bogey and a pair of double-bogeys. I deserved a better result on hole #9, a par-5 that bends around a creek and then forces players to carry the ball directly over it. I made good decisions, but simply failed to execute my tee shot.
On the back nine, I had better results, with the exception of hole #14 and hole #18. My 3-wood off the tee on #14 drifted a tiny bit right, taking the first bounce off the cart path, which directed the ball into a water hazard. From that point onward, I actually played the hole very well. My second shot on #18 came up short of the green, landing in some thick fescue near the margin of another water hazard. It took a couple of hacks to get the ball out, which led to a triple-bogey. Apart from those two holes, I was reasonably satisfied with my game on the back nine. Sure, there were a couple of 3-putts and a few wayward shots, but there were some very good shots mixed in with the bad. It appears I am as inconsistent as I ever have been, but my good shots now are better than they ever have been.
The unusual thing about the round was my walk up the 18th fairway. As I approached my ball following my tee shot, the green came into view, neatly tucked beside a pond with the clubhouse perched in behind. At that moment, I realized I had in fact played the course once before. Nothing about the previous seventeen holes had jogged my memory. I guess the course is just not a memorable one. No offense.
Score: 104
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 5
Things went terribly wrong from the opening tee shot. I made excellent contact with the 5-wood, but pulled the ball toward a lone tree on the left side of the fairway. The ball was lost and I collected the first of many penalty strokes on the day. On the second hole, I duffed an iron shot off the tee and promptly followed it up with a shot into a water hazard. Four of the first six holes resulted in triple-bogey or worse. The only relief came in the form of a pair of par-3 holes - the 153-yard fourth hole and the 179-yard sixth. In both cases, I hit the green with a good tee shot, followed by two putts for par. I closed out the front nine with a bogey and a pair of double-bogeys. I deserved a better result on hole #9, a par-5 that bends around a creek and then forces players to carry the ball directly over it. I made good decisions, but simply failed to execute my tee shot.
On the back nine, I had better results, with the exception of hole #14 and hole #18. My 3-wood off the tee on #14 drifted a tiny bit right, taking the first bounce off the cart path, which directed the ball into a water hazard. From that point onward, I actually played the hole very well. My second shot on #18 came up short of the green, landing in some thick fescue near the margin of another water hazard. It took a couple of hacks to get the ball out, which led to a triple-bogey. Apart from those two holes, I was reasonably satisfied with my game on the back nine. Sure, there were a couple of 3-putts and a few wayward shots, but there were some very good shots mixed in with the bad. It appears I am as inconsistent as I ever have been, but my good shots now are better than they ever have been.
The unusual thing about the round was my walk up the 18th fairway. As I approached my ball following my tee shot, the green came into view, neatly tucked beside a pond with the clubhouse perched in behind. At that moment, I realized I had in fact played the course once before. Nothing about the previous seventeen holes had jogged my memory. I guess the course is just not a memorable one. No offense.
Score: 104
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 5
May 30, 2009
Unrewarded at Lionhead Legends
Where do you play on a windy Saturday when you've been struggling with your golf game? How about the toughest course in the country? What tees do you play from once you get there? Not the tips, where the slope rating is 150 - that would be plain foolish. Instead, dial it back a set, where the slope is a mere 148. Such was the case on my visit to the Legends course at Lionhead Golf & Country Club.
On the front nine holes I drove the ball well, hitting five of seven fairways. Unfortunately, I did not follow the drives up with good iron play, hitting just one of nine greens in regulation. On the second hole, a mis-hit approach with an 8-iron left me 20 yards short of the green. On a number of occasions my approach shots drifted off line just enough to find a greenside bunker. That was my fate on holes 1, 3, 5, 6, and 9. In every case, I managed to get out of the bunker with a single shot, but required a subsequent chip to get on the green. My sand play has simply been poor all season. My putting was hot and cold, as I collected three 1-putts to go along with four 3-putts. I was penalty free on the front nine, which is no small feat at Legends.
On the back nine my driving faltered, forcing me to play harder second shots. My irons were still not great, leading to a few encounters with the many water hazards at Legends. I wasn't in the sand as often as I was on the front nine, but the result was the same on the couple of occasions when I found myself standing on silica. The one aspect of the game that worked well on the back nine was putting. I avoided any 3-putts, while collecting three 1-putts. One of those came on hole #18, which I played wonderfully for just the second par of the day.
Score: 111
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
On the front nine holes I drove the ball well, hitting five of seven fairways. Unfortunately, I did not follow the drives up with good iron play, hitting just one of nine greens in regulation. On the second hole, a mis-hit approach with an 8-iron left me 20 yards short of the green. On a number of occasions my approach shots drifted off line just enough to find a greenside bunker. That was my fate on holes 1, 3, 5, 6, and 9. In every case, I managed to get out of the bunker with a single shot, but required a subsequent chip to get on the green. My sand play has simply been poor all season. My putting was hot and cold, as I collected three 1-putts to go along with four 3-putts. I was penalty free on the front nine, which is no small feat at Legends.
On the back nine my driving faltered, forcing me to play harder second shots. My irons were still not great, leading to a few encounters with the many water hazards at Legends. I wasn't in the sand as often as I was on the front nine, but the result was the same on the couple of occasions when I found myself standing on silica. The one aspect of the game that worked well on the back nine was putting. I avoided any 3-putts, while collecting three 1-putts. One of those came on hole #18, which I played wonderfully for just the second par of the day.
Score: 111
Par: 72
Putts: 34
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
May 29, 2009
GTA Amateur Tour Visits Coppinwood
My second stop on the GTA Amateur Tour was at Coppinwood, a Tom Fazio design featuring ribbons of lush fairway and white sand bunkers against rolling terrain and dramatic fescue. Unhappy with my chipping and putting at the previous stop on the tour, I arrived at the club early to practice my short game.
The practice worked wonders and I must say, I was very happy with the way I chipped during the entire round. Unfortunately, I was simply no match for the slick greens at Coppinwood. Time after time, I executed chip shots exactly as I envisioned, only to have the ball travel well past the hole and almost off the green. In almost every case, I bounced the ball barely on the green or even in the fringe, but it didn't matter. Up and down at Coppinwood is tough, especially when you find yourself on the high side of the green. I actually made a few up and downs when my putting was good, but these were offset by a bunch of 3-putts when my putting was off.
The first five holes were a mix of bogeys and double-bogeys, the latter coming thanks to the tricky greens. On the sixth hole, a par-5 measuring 484 yards from the blue tees, a pair of fairway bunkers between 80 and 100 yards from the green spelled disaster. When I finally got to the green, a 4-putt resulted in a score of 10 for that hole alone. On the eighth hole, a fairway bunker with a massive lip once again got the best of me. In retrospect, I should have played a sideways shot to take the high lip out of play. I tried a more heroic shot and the result was a triple-bogey.
And so it continued pretty much through hole #14. Lacking confidence, I mis-hit a few iron shots here and there, including a couple that resulted in penalty strokes on holes ten and eleven. It was only on hole #15 that I settled back into something resembling my usual game. A great drive, followed by a good second shot and a medium range pitch shot set me up for a bogey on the par-5 test. Two more bogeys and a par (the only one of the day) rounded out the day. The best shot of the day may have been my approach shot on hole #18, a picturesque 7-iron that was hit flag-high from the fescue well right of the fairway. The guys on the patio overlooking the 18th green must have thought I could really play. Little did they know how terrible the previous 17 holes had been.
Needless to say, I was disappointed with my overall score. I tried to stay positive by convincing myself it was just another learning experience.
Score: 112
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
The practice worked wonders and I must say, I was very happy with the way I chipped during the entire round. Unfortunately, I was simply no match for the slick greens at Coppinwood. Time after time, I executed chip shots exactly as I envisioned, only to have the ball travel well past the hole and almost off the green. In almost every case, I bounced the ball barely on the green or even in the fringe, but it didn't matter. Up and down at Coppinwood is tough, especially when you find yourself on the high side of the green. I actually made a few up and downs when my putting was good, but these were offset by a bunch of 3-putts when my putting was off.
The first five holes were a mix of bogeys and double-bogeys, the latter coming thanks to the tricky greens. On the sixth hole, a par-5 measuring 484 yards from the blue tees, a pair of fairway bunkers between 80 and 100 yards from the green spelled disaster. When I finally got to the green, a 4-putt resulted in a score of 10 for that hole alone. On the eighth hole, a fairway bunker with a massive lip once again got the best of me. In retrospect, I should have played a sideways shot to take the high lip out of play. I tried a more heroic shot and the result was a triple-bogey.
And so it continued pretty much through hole #14. Lacking confidence, I mis-hit a few iron shots here and there, including a couple that resulted in penalty strokes on holes ten and eleven. It was only on hole #15 that I settled back into something resembling my usual game. A great drive, followed by a good second shot and a medium range pitch shot set me up for a bogey on the par-5 test. Two more bogeys and a par (the only one of the day) rounded out the day. The best shot of the day may have been my approach shot on hole #18, a picturesque 7-iron that was hit flag-high from the fescue well right of the fairway. The guys on the patio overlooking the 18th green must have thought I could really play. Little did they know how terrible the previous 17 holes had been.
Needless to say, I was disappointed with my overall score. I tried to stay positive by convincing myself it was just another learning experience.
Score: 112
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
May 09, 2009
GTA Amateur Tour at Devil's Pulpit
My first GTA Amateur Tour event took place on a beautiful Monday afternoon at Devil's Pulpit, a Michael Hurdzan design that has received plenty of acclaim since opening in 1990. Situated in Caledon Village, northwest of Toronto, the course is nestled against the Niagara Escarpment, making for complex topography and spectacular views.
I struggled with the greens on the first three holes, amassing three, four and three putts respectively. My putting on the first hole was decent, but a bad chip put me in definite 3-putt territory. A hot chip on the second hole also left me with a long first putt. The slope of the green fooled me, as the ball broke opposite to the direction I had anticipated. A careless third putt missed the mark from within two feet. On the third hole, my second putt from a makeable distance just burned the edge. Nerves may have been a factor.
Hole #5, a par-4 measuring 371 yards from the white tees, proved to be very difficult. I duffed my tee shot, but followed it up with a good 8-iron, recovering to the middle of the fairway. With a downhill lie, I faced the green 115 yards away. To reach the green, I needed to carry a water hazard and avoid a massive bunker that wraps around three sides of the putting surface. My ball flew just over the bunker in the back and came to rest about a foot past the margin of a lateral hazard. With no backswing available, all I could do was punch the ball into the bunker. Three bunker shots followed, the first two being simply terrible. After two putts, I walked away with a disappointing 9 on my scorecard.
Hole #7, a tricky little par-3 with its green nestled atop a mound, also posed some trouble, resulting in triple-bogey. However, I played some fine shots on holes 6, 8 and 9, resulting in a couple of bogeys and a par. The par on hole #9 was textbook, as I hit fairway, then green, followed by a long breaking lag putt and a tap-in. Sometimes the game seems so easy, I wonder how all the trouble surfaces.
On the back nine, I played wonderful, steady golf, with the exception of hole #13, a par-5 measuring 493 yards that features a large pond stretching from the mid-point of the fairway to the green. My drive was perfect, but my second shot was a pull hook into the pond. After taking a drop, I failed to carry the pond with my next shot. I dropped once again and this time was able to carry the pond, but my ball came to rest in some fescue left of the green. Two shots were required to dislodge the ball from the nasty fescue, and after two putts I marked a 10 on my scorecard.
Aside from the adventures on #13, the back nine produced good results, namely a double-bogey, six bogeys, and a birdie. The birdie came on hole #16, a par-3 that was being used for the closest to the pin competition. The hole was playing about 160 yards long, all carry over a large pond. I hit an easy 6-iron to the right edge of the green, where some slope directed the ball closer to the pin. I missed closest to the pin by about eight inches, but made the birdie putt, which felt relly good.
Overall, I was disappointed with my score. I could have easily broken 100, but did not. My chipping and putting left a lot to be desired. I really have to get my chipping feel back, after the long winter layoff. However, I was satisfied with my driving and iron play. I hit 10 of 15 fairways, which is quite good. I also hit some nice, pure iron shots. Let's see what the next round brings.
Score: 102
Par: 71
Putts: 42
Fairways: 10
Greens: 3
I struggled with the greens on the first three holes, amassing three, four and three putts respectively. My putting on the first hole was decent, but a bad chip put me in definite 3-putt territory. A hot chip on the second hole also left me with a long first putt. The slope of the green fooled me, as the ball broke opposite to the direction I had anticipated. A careless third putt missed the mark from within two feet. On the third hole, my second putt from a makeable distance just burned the edge. Nerves may have been a factor.
Hole #5, a par-4 measuring 371 yards from the white tees, proved to be very difficult. I duffed my tee shot, but followed it up with a good 8-iron, recovering to the middle of the fairway. With a downhill lie, I faced the green 115 yards away. To reach the green, I needed to carry a water hazard and avoid a massive bunker that wraps around three sides of the putting surface. My ball flew just over the bunker in the back and came to rest about a foot past the margin of a lateral hazard. With no backswing available, all I could do was punch the ball into the bunker. Three bunker shots followed, the first two being simply terrible. After two putts, I walked away with a disappointing 9 on my scorecard.
Hole #7, a tricky little par-3 with its green nestled atop a mound, also posed some trouble, resulting in triple-bogey. However, I played some fine shots on holes 6, 8 and 9, resulting in a couple of bogeys and a par. The par on hole #9 was textbook, as I hit fairway, then green, followed by a long breaking lag putt and a tap-in. Sometimes the game seems so easy, I wonder how all the trouble surfaces.
On the back nine, I played wonderful, steady golf, with the exception of hole #13, a par-5 measuring 493 yards that features a large pond stretching from the mid-point of the fairway to the green. My drive was perfect, but my second shot was a pull hook into the pond. After taking a drop, I failed to carry the pond with my next shot. I dropped once again and this time was able to carry the pond, but my ball came to rest in some fescue left of the green. Two shots were required to dislodge the ball from the nasty fescue, and after two putts I marked a 10 on my scorecard.
Aside from the adventures on #13, the back nine produced good results, namely a double-bogey, six bogeys, and a birdie. The birdie came on hole #16, a par-3 that was being used for the closest to the pin competition. The hole was playing about 160 yards long, all carry over a large pond. I hit an easy 6-iron to the right edge of the green, where some slope directed the ball closer to the pin. I missed closest to the pin by about eight inches, but made the birdie putt, which felt relly good.
Overall, I was disappointed with my score. I could have easily broken 100, but did not. My chipping and putting left a lot to be desired. I really have to get my chipping feel back, after the long winter layoff. However, I was satisfied with my driving and iron play. I hit 10 of 15 fairways, which is quite good. I also hit some nice, pure iron shots. Let's see what the next round brings.
Score: 102
Par: 71
Putts: 42
Fairways: 10
Greens: 3
May 03, 2009
Testing the Knee at Piper's Heath
I rarely go an entire weekend without golf, but it happened recently. I took the time off to rest my chronically injured knee, which flared up due to a street crossing incident. Yes, I injured my knee crossing the street. Pathetic, I know. After two weeks off, the knee was still sketchy, but I wanted to test it out before my first event on the GTA Amateur Tour, which was fast approaching. I headed over to Piper's Heath Golf Club on a Saturday afternoon.
Starting on the back nine, I bogeyed three of the first four holes played. My tee shot on the 11th hole, a par-3 measuring 187 yards, found a bunker left of the green. An awkward stance made it difficult to get the ball out of the trap. On the second attempt from a better lie, I carried the ball over the green. A chip and two-putt produced a triple bogey. Clearly, the short game needs work.
The 14th hole, a par-4 that usually plays 415 yards, should have been a breeze, but circumstances conspired to produce a score of 6 over par. The tees were playing up, shortening the hole significantly. I hit a perfect 3-wood off the tee, leaving 130 yards to the pin. A water hazard crosses the fairway about 60 yards in front of the green. Sure enough, I skulled my shot into the hazard. After taking a drop, I chunked a wedge only half way to the green. From that position, I chunked another one to a bunker guarding the front of the green. From the bunker, I carried the ball over the green. My chip back to the green went way too long, from whence I proceeded to 3-putt. When it rains, it pours. Did I mention the short game needs work?
Speaking of the dreaded 3-putt, another one occurred on hole #15, resulting in double-bogey. I managed to two-putt the 16th hole, a short par-3, but the first of those putts was inside two feet, so my putting was still terrible. On a positive note, I made a fantastic second shot out of the bunker. The result was bogey, but it really should have been par. On the 17th hole, I went from tee to fairway bunker, to greenside bunker, to over the green, en route to another triple bogey. Yikes! After the first nine holes, I was sitting at 56 strokes.
I'm happy to say I played a bit more consistently on holes 1 thru 9. That stretch included five bogeys and three double-bogeys. While I would certainly prefer to see some pars thrown in there, there is a certain amount of satisfaction in limiting the blowup holes (those that produce triple-bogey or worse). I did shoot an 8 on hole #5, a par-4 measuring 353 yards. My tee shot found a water hazard right of the fairway. After taking a drop, I skulled the next shot into the same hazard. When you string together mistakes like that, the result is never good.
Overall, I hit a few fairways and some decent mid-iron shots. My play with the wedges was terrible and my play out of the bunkers left a lot to be desired. I stumbled on some putts, but on the whole, putting was average. Most importantly, my knee did not explode and I was able to walk off the course on my own power. At this point, that was the most important thing. I can now go to my first GTA Amateur Tour event knowing that it's possible for me to walk 18 holes and swing the golf club. Still, I have to be careful not to get careless. I know from experience that one bad move - like crossing the street incorrectly - can have dire consequences.
Score: 107
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 0
Starting on the back nine, I bogeyed three of the first four holes played. My tee shot on the 11th hole, a par-3 measuring 187 yards, found a bunker left of the green. An awkward stance made it difficult to get the ball out of the trap. On the second attempt from a better lie, I carried the ball over the green. A chip and two-putt produced a triple bogey. Clearly, the short game needs work.
The 14th hole, a par-4 that usually plays 415 yards, should have been a breeze, but circumstances conspired to produce a score of 6 over par. The tees were playing up, shortening the hole significantly. I hit a perfect 3-wood off the tee, leaving 130 yards to the pin. A water hazard crosses the fairway about 60 yards in front of the green. Sure enough, I skulled my shot into the hazard. After taking a drop, I chunked a wedge only half way to the green. From that position, I chunked another one to a bunker guarding the front of the green. From the bunker, I carried the ball over the green. My chip back to the green went way too long, from whence I proceeded to 3-putt. When it rains, it pours. Did I mention the short game needs work?
Speaking of the dreaded 3-putt, another one occurred on hole #15, resulting in double-bogey. I managed to two-putt the 16th hole, a short par-3, but the first of those putts was inside two feet, so my putting was still terrible. On a positive note, I made a fantastic second shot out of the bunker. The result was bogey, but it really should have been par. On the 17th hole, I went from tee to fairway bunker, to greenside bunker, to over the green, en route to another triple bogey. Yikes! After the first nine holes, I was sitting at 56 strokes.
I'm happy to say I played a bit more consistently on holes 1 thru 9. That stretch included five bogeys and three double-bogeys. While I would certainly prefer to see some pars thrown in there, there is a certain amount of satisfaction in limiting the blowup holes (those that produce triple-bogey or worse). I did shoot an 8 on hole #5, a par-4 measuring 353 yards. My tee shot found a water hazard right of the fairway. After taking a drop, I skulled the next shot into the same hazard. When you string together mistakes like that, the result is never good.
Overall, I hit a few fairways and some decent mid-iron shots. My play with the wedges was terrible and my play out of the bunkers left a lot to be desired. I stumbled on some putts, but on the whole, putting was average. Most importantly, my knee did not explode and I was able to walk off the course on my own power. At this point, that was the most important thing. I can now go to my first GTA Amateur Tour event knowing that it's possible for me to walk 18 holes and swing the golf club. Still, I have to be careful not to get careless. I know from experience that one bad move - like crossing the street incorrectly - can have dire consequences.
Score: 107
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 0
April 20, 2009
Another Season Begins at Saw-Whet
The 2009 golf season got underway in earnest with a Saturday afternoon round at Saw-Whet Golf Course. Weather was good, except perhaps for the wind, which picked up greatly mid way through the round. Things started off on a sour note, as I forgot my pull cart at home. No worries, I would just carry my bag. Unfortunately, I also forgot my putter. Luckily, I was able to borrow one from the pro shop and it served just fine.
I struggled quite a bit on the front nine, amassing four triple-bogeys and three double-bogeys, to go along with a bogey and a par. My biggest problem was judging the distance with my approach shots. On the second, third and seventh holes, I hit what I thought were excellent approach shots, only to watch the ball sail directly over the greens. On hole #2, I overshot the green with a gap wedge from 105 yards. On #3, it happened with a 7-iron from 150 yards out on a bit of an up slope. On #7, it happened with a sand wedge from 80 yards out. On the last two occasions, penalty strokes were added because the balls were lost in the trees behind the greens. Despite the punishing results, this should be easy to fix. As I progress, I am hitting the ball more consistently on the downswing, reducing loft slightly and getting greater distance as a result. All I have to do is adjust the clubs I use for various distances. Some time on the driving range is called for to really get a handle on my current distances with the irons.
On the par-5 ninth hole, I hit 3-wood a few yards right of the green on my second shot. I managed to pitch the ball over a bunker and landed safely on the green, en route to a par. Looking back at my scorecard, it appears this is where I managed to shake off most of the winter rust, for I managed three more pars and three bogeys on the back nine. The pars all came on par-3 holes. A double-bogey on hole #10 was once again the result of overshooting the green with a sand wedge. The two remaining holes were blowups, only because I got careless with the driver off the tee. Oh hole #13, I pulled my drive out of bounds to the left. On hole #16, I did the same thing again, except this time I did it twice. That adds up to six strokes just given away.
Overall, I am unhappy with my score, but I'm not going to beat myself up too much about it. Except for a couple of wayward drives, the driver was working okay. I just have to remember to keep the game simple by doing what I know I am capable of. When I hit those bad drives, I was trying to pull off shots that just aren't in my arsenal yet. The 3-wood I only hit once, but it was a goodie. I hit a few 5-woods and they were very well struck, both off the tee and from the fairway. The irons were struck solidly all day long, though they all carried longer than I'm accustomed to. The real problem on the day was chipping. I think I hit one good chip shot all day. I simply could not get the ball aloft on my chip shots. After a while, I was trying to bump and run everything and even then I couldn't get the proper contact. This will no doubt improve with some practice and more rounds, so I won't panic just yet.
Looking forward to next week!
Score: 104
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
I struggled quite a bit on the front nine, amassing four triple-bogeys and three double-bogeys, to go along with a bogey and a par. My biggest problem was judging the distance with my approach shots. On the second, third and seventh holes, I hit what I thought were excellent approach shots, only to watch the ball sail directly over the greens. On hole #2, I overshot the green with a gap wedge from 105 yards. On #3, it happened with a 7-iron from 150 yards out on a bit of an up slope. On #7, it happened with a sand wedge from 80 yards out. On the last two occasions, penalty strokes were added because the balls were lost in the trees behind the greens. Despite the punishing results, this should be easy to fix. As I progress, I am hitting the ball more consistently on the downswing, reducing loft slightly and getting greater distance as a result. All I have to do is adjust the clubs I use for various distances. Some time on the driving range is called for to really get a handle on my current distances with the irons.
On the par-5 ninth hole, I hit 3-wood a few yards right of the green on my second shot. I managed to pitch the ball over a bunker and landed safely on the green, en route to a par. Looking back at my scorecard, it appears this is where I managed to shake off most of the winter rust, for I managed three more pars and three bogeys on the back nine. The pars all came on par-3 holes. A double-bogey on hole #10 was once again the result of overshooting the green with a sand wedge. The two remaining holes were blowups, only because I got careless with the driver off the tee. Oh hole #13, I pulled my drive out of bounds to the left. On hole #16, I did the same thing again, except this time I did it twice. That adds up to six strokes just given away.
Overall, I am unhappy with my score, but I'm not going to beat myself up too much about it. Except for a couple of wayward drives, the driver was working okay. I just have to remember to keep the game simple by doing what I know I am capable of. When I hit those bad drives, I was trying to pull off shots that just aren't in my arsenal yet. The 3-wood I only hit once, but it was a goodie. I hit a few 5-woods and they were very well struck, both off the tee and from the fairway. The irons were struck solidly all day long, though they all carried longer than I'm accustomed to. The real problem on the day was chipping. I think I hit one good chip shot all day. I simply could not get the ball aloft on my chip shots. After a while, I was trying to bump and run everything and even then I couldn't get the proper contact. This will no doubt improve with some practice and more rounds, so I won't panic just yet.
Looking forward to next week!
Score: 104
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 2
Greens: 2
February 21, 2009
Sim Simma
Who got the keys to my Bimmer? Play it and read on.
Actually, "sim" is short for simulator, which is the only type of golf I can play here in southern Ontario during the winter.
I've been enjoying these virtual rounds quite a bit. They are very realistic, as are the scores. Here's a recap of my scores so far. The most recent rounds appear first.
89 - Sub 90 baby!
81 - Boo yah!
94 - Consistency
93 - Solid round
93 - Much better
113 - First round jitters
I'll probably drive to the simma a few more times before the real season starts.
Pass me the keys to my Bimmer!
Actually, "sim" is short for simulator, which is the only type of golf I can play here in southern Ontario during the winter.
I've been enjoying these virtual rounds quite a bit. They are very realistic, as are the scores. Here's a recap of my scores so far. The most recent rounds appear first.
89 - Sub 90 baby!
81 - Boo yah!
94 - Consistency
93 - Solid round
93 - Much better
113 - First round jitters
I'll probably drive to the simma a few more times before the real season starts.
Pass me the keys to my Bimmer!
February 01, 2009
Mid Winter Golf Withdrawal
It's the first day of February and I have golf on the mind. Not since late October have I had the pleasure of challenging a course, grass underfoot and clubs in hand. Three months is a long time to go golfless and it will be at least a couple more before winter gives way to spring and the golf season begins here in southern Ontario. Until then, all I can do is watch the pros on television, read a few golf articles online, chat about the upcoming season at the local golf shop, and occasionally play a round on the simulator.
Last season ended a little early for me, compared to the preceding season, when I played well into November. In spite of the earlier finish, I managed to play 45 rounds in 2008, one more than I did in 2007. At the start of the year, my primary goal was to reduce my handicap to 18 or better. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. I started the season well, scoring 100 or better on eight of nine occasions, including a low of 91. For the rest of the season, I played inconsistently. Two or three rounds in the nineties would be followed by something over 100. My handicap never dipped below 20, and at the end of the year it was 21 even.
Though I failed at reducing my handicap, there were a couple of highlights throughout the year:
Duffer's Highs - I had the low net score in the opening round of The Duffer's Dream Tour at Peninsula Lakes. I also won the tour event at King's Forest. Other successful Duffer's performances came at Willow Valley and Hidden Lake. I don't know how I fared in the overall championship, since updates to the standings ceased mid way through the season. At the end of the season, the Duffer's Dream website disappeared entirely.
Deepwoods Glory - I won the Deepwoods Golf Association championship, after finishing as the runner-up in 2007. Victory was secured on the strength of four very solid rounds at Copetown Woods, Peninsula Lakes, Hidden Lake, and Willow Valley. I am looking forward to defending my championship in 2009.
Alleluia - I capped the year off with my best round ever, a miraculous 10 over par at Granite Ridge. This was a terrific round that could have been as low as 7 over, had a few really close putts dropped in. Still, I'm not complaining. This was the kind of round that brings you back to the course to try again, and again.
Can't wait for the new season to start!
Last season ended a little early for me, compared to the preceding season, when I played well into November. In spite of the earlier finish, I managed to play 45 rounds in 2008, one more than I did in 2007. At the start of the year, my primary goal was to reduce my handicap to 18 or better. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. I started the season well, scoring 100 or better on eight of nine occasions, including a low of 91. For the rest of the season, I played inconsistently. Two or three rounds in the nineties would be followed by something over 100. My handicap never dipped below 20, and at the end of the year it was 21 even.
Though I failed at reducing my handicap, there were a couple of highlights throughout the year:
Duffer's Highs - I had the low net score in the opening round of The Duffer's Dream Tour at Peninsula Lakes. I also won the tour event at King's Forest. Other successful Duffer's performances came at Willow Valley and Hidden Lake. I don't know how I fared in the overall championship, since updates to the standings ceased mid way through the season. At the end of the season, the Duffer's Dream website disappeared entirely.
Deepwoods Glory - I won the Deepwoods Golf Association championship, after finishing as the runner-up in 2007. Victory was secured on the strength of four very solid rounds at Copetown Woods, Peninsula Lakes, Hidden Lake, and Willow Valley. I am looking forward to defending my championship in 2009.
Alleluia - I capped the year off with my best round ever, a miraculous 10 over par at Granite Ridge. This was a terrific round that could have been as low as 7 over, had a few really close putts dropped in. Still, I'm not complaining. This was the kind of round that brings you back to the course to try again, and again.
Can't wait for the new season to start!
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