Brutal Conditions at Twenty Valley

My first round of the season at Victoria Park East featured some pretty poor conditions. Three temporary greens were being used, while portions of the remaining greens were covered in tarps. However, given the harsh winter we just had, it was acceptable. The exposed parts of the greens were rolling reasonably, and fairways were fine. Despite a few soft areas, the rough was in fairly regular shape.

I can't say the same for my second round of the season, which was played at Twenty Valley Golf Club. Six temporary greens were being used – tiny, featureless patches of closely mowed grass at the end of the fairways, with holes cut near the high side. Six was just too many! The greens that were in play were extremely bumpy and slow. In fact, they weren't much better than the temporary counterparts. Worst of all, the course was very soft. As a result, I don't think crews were able to mow the rough, which was lush and way too long.

The course was in terrible shape, and so was my game. One doesn't expect to score well in poor conditions, but it was more than that. I hit a few good tee shots, including a 5-wood on the opening hole, a 3-iron into the wind early on the back nine, and a couple of drivers here and there. Unfortunately, it seemed like I only had one good shot in me with each club. The 5-wood failed me off the tee on hole #2, as did the 3-iron from the teeing ground on hole #12. Both were sliced into the punishing rough, and once I was in there, it was game over. When I missed with the driver, it was also a push slice.

With my ball striking very shaky, could I compensate with a good short game? Not at all. My chipping was even worse than it was in my first round of the season. On a few occasions, I needed multiple chips to get on a green. From the green fringe, I misjudged the speed of a lot of putts. Once on the greens proper, it was impossible to make anything. I did manage one nice sand shot from a greenside bunker, but the other time I was in that situation, I sculled one over the green.

So, what about my mantra of “plan conservatively, execute aggressively?” Well, I followed it. Did it help? Obviously not. Now, I didn't get upset after any of my shots. Getting upset won't help you on your next shot, so there's really no reason for it. The fact is, however, that my “take it in stride” demeanour didn't help me either. At the end of the day with a horrific tally on my scorecard, I felt just as bad as I have ever felt when obtaining a similar result.

We're only two rounds into the season, and I've already matched my best score (93) and exceeded my worst score (116) of the previous year. These wild swings are hard to understand. My next outing will be Round 1 of the 2014 Deepwoods Golf Association championship. Which game will show up? It's a complete crapshoot.

Score: 119
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4