I was feeling good about my last couple of rounds and eager for my next outing at Scenic Woods. This was the first time I've played the course, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I wouldn't go out of my way to play there again, but overall, it wasn't a bad layout. The first three holes were wide and flat, leading me to believe it was going to be a bland experience. The greens, in particular, were rather featureless. The remainder of the front nine was comprised of some more interesting holes, including some short par-4 holes that require carefully placed tee shots to avoid water hazards. The back nine was much more interesting, with some solid par-5 holes and a couple of challenging par-3 tests. Meandering creeks feature a little more prominently, calling for well struck shots to avoid penalties.
Despite the fact it was cold and a little windy, I got off to an amazing start. I was paired up with a threesome, who quickly asked me what my handicap was. I told them, truthfully, that I was a 20. After going par, par, bogey, and par over the first four holes, they had good reason to believe I was feeding them a load of bull. It wasn't just the results that were great; it was the way I achieved them. On the opening par-5, I hit the left side of the fairway, then bombed a huge 5-wood down the pipe, leaving 60 yards to the green. I striped my drive on hole #2, leaving 120 yards to the green. On hole #4, I hit 5-iron off the tee, placing the ball exactly where my playing partners had recommended. On the greens, I made four great lag putts from distance, leaving easy finishing putts.
I had an errant second shot on hole #5, a dogleg left, that led to double-bogey. After that, I resumed my surgical attack against the course. On hole #6, I carried one creek and laid up just in front of another, using the 6-iron. It was the perfect location to place the ball. On holes #7 and #9, a pair of par-3 holes, I struck pure irons off the tee that were all over the flags. The birdie putts did not drop, but my ball striking was really looking good. I owe it all to the adjustment I made a few rounds back – the wrist roll that keeps the club face open during the backswing and closes it to square at impact. It was helping my drives, but it was making my iron play spectacular. At the turn, I was shooting 40, so I knew I had something special going.
After going bogey, par, par to start the back nine, I was just six over par through twelve holes. That put me right on pace to challenge my personal best score of 81, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. Hole #13 is a nice par-3, nestled perfectly into the surrounding landscape. The flag was 170 yards away, near the back left of the green. I hit a beautiful 6-iron, but it was just a fraction right of my intended target and managed to find some trees. It's a shame because I really didn't miss by much at all, but ended up with a double-bogey.
Solid play continued through hole #16, but I was making bogeys instead of pars. After recovering from a shaky drive on hole #15, I stuck a 90-yard shot right near the pin, for a chance at saving par. Unfortunately, I just burned the edge of the cup. On hole #16, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 3-iron off the tee. It was so good that it rolled through the back of the green. My chip was mediocre and a bogey ensued.
Perhaps the magic was wearing off, as I hit another bad drive on hole #17, a par-4 with a dogleg left. I was forced, not only to take my third and last penalty of the day, but also to lay up in front of a water hazard, as there were trees blocking me out from the green. Double bogey ensued. Thankfully, I played hole #18, a par-5, in textbook fashion. After hitting the fairway with a good drive, I was within range of the green, but wisely decided to play a baby 8-iron to the 100 yard stick, followed by a sand wedge into the green. A large pond right of the fairway and green was simply too risky to take on.
In the end, I shot an 85. This was my best result of the year and my best since September 2011, when I shot an 83 at Willow Valley. In fact, I've only had four rounds better than this one, ever. Besides that 83 at Willow Valley, I also have an 83 at Carlisle North/East, an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt, and an 81 at Deer Creek South. I have scored 85 on three other occasions (at Lochness Links, Osprey Valley Heathlands, and Kleinburg), but those were some time ago.
With this result, my handicap factor also dipped below 20 for the first time since 2011. Considering I started this season as a 25.8 handicap, it's nice to currently be at 19.8 and trending in the right direction.
Score: 85
Putts: 34
Fairways: 9
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
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