What a difference a couple of days makes. 48 hours after battling severe neck pain to get through a round, I managed to play another round virtually pain free. The neck was not completely back to normal, but it didn't interfere with my game at all. In fact, I never even thought about it. The round was played at Ussher's Creek – one of two fine courses that make up Legends on the Niagara.
I started the round with two pars and three bogeys. Over the past couple of years, I've lamented that I never get off to a good start. I often blow up with a big score on the opening hole or very soon thereafter. I've often thought that if I could play four or five holes with no worse than bogey, I could gather some momentum and carry it through the entire round. Finally, I had an opportunity to put my theory to the test. Over the first five holes, I missed just one fairway off the tee. My approach shots were straight and well struck, even if they came up two or three yards short of the greens. My chips were a little too long, but serviceable, and my putts were solid. I literally went five holes without making a bad shot.
Then came hole #6 (pictured above), a 381-yard par-4 that may be the most intimidating at Ussher's Creek. The hole is dominated by a lake that looms over the entire left side. The fairway wraps around the right side of the lake, forcing a carry over water, not only on the tee shot, but potentially also on the approach to the green. Protecting against a pull off the tee, I hit a ballooning shot right into the waist-high fescue. The ball was lost, so I was forced to take a penalty. En route to the green, I hit a 7-iron off the heel, then hit a wedge shot fat and into the water. Add another penalty stroke. After finally reaching the green, I hit a wonderful breaking lag putt, only to miss the subsequent 3-footer. I finished with a score of 9.
I bogeyed the next hole, a medium length par-3 over water, before struggling again on holes #8 and #9. The trouble on #8 was my second shot, which I played from a grass bunker right of the fairway. With my ball on the up-slope, I made good contact with a 5-iron. For some reason, the ball travelled well left of my intended line. Once again, I was lost in the nasty fescue and had to take a penalty. On the green, my putt for double-bogey burned the lip, so triple was the result. On hole #9, I visited the fescue again after pulling my tee shot. Further up the fairway, I tried a layup to 120 yards. It was actually 170 yards, as I confused the 150-yard stick with a 100-yard stick. This made the approach into a tight green all the more difficult. Guarding against the creek that protects the green front and left, I pushed a 7-iron into the fescue. Two penalties on the same hole led to another triple-bogey.
For the first five holes of the back nine I was back in the groove, registering two pars, two bogeys, and a double-bogey. The double came thanks to a 9-iron that I thinned into a creek fronting the 11th green. Playing as a single, I was waved through on that hole by a foursome ahead. After splitting the fairway with my drive, I succumbed to the pressure of playing with a group of onlookers. No big deal, as I was still playing well. On hole #14, a par-5, my third shot with the gap wedge was all over the flag at the back of the green. The ball crested a little hill and disappeared out of sight very near the hole. As I drove up to the green, I still didn't see the ball, so I thought I may have had an eagle from 130 yards. Alas, once I drove past a mound, I spotted the ball behind the flag, very near the rear fringe. I made a good birdie attempt from 10 feet away, but settled for the tap-in par.
Hole #15 was disappointing because I wasted a wonderful drive. From 160 yards in the middle of the fairway, I pulled the ball 20 yards left of the green. I then duffed two pitch attempts, before chipping very near the cup and tapping in for double-bogey. My short game was better on the next hole, a 172-yard par-3. My tee shot drew left of the green into a bunker. From there, I made a pretty good sand shot, then drained a lengthy putt for par. I made another good bunker shot on hole #17, after finding the sand with my tee shot. Facing a large lip in front of me, I hit the lob wedge, giving up a chance at reaching the green to ensure that I could get out of the bunker safely. It worked like a charm, but then I duffed two short approaches and sculled two chips for a quadruple-bogey. Aargh!
I found another fairway bunker (and another high lip) off the tee on the last hole of the day. No problem, as I hit a great out to the middle of the fairway, 70 yards from the flag. Ussher's Creek crosses right in front of this green, so there is no chance of reaching the putting surface from that particular bunker. Next, I made a nice approach to the back of the green, directly behind the flag. I made a good downhill lag, but missed a 3-footer for bogey and had to settle for double.
I finished with a score of 99, but that doesn't really tell the story. I've shot similar scores, where I never really make any good shots. This round featured lots of good shots and lots of good stretches of error-free play. The problem is that my errors came in quick succession, usually back-to-back on the same hole. Not only that, but they were very penal errors, such as losing a ball in the fescue or water. Seven penalty strokes is way too much for a round of golf. I was happy with my driving and encouraged by my iron play. My sand play was great and my putting was mostly solid. I missed two short putts, but what can you do? I was disappointed with my consistency from inside 100 yards, but that is really the only complaint.
Score: 99
Putts: 33
Fairways: 6
Greens: 3
Penalties: 7
Decent ball striking round.
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