Round 1 of the 2015 Deepwoods Golf Association Championship took place at Copetown Woods Golf Club, as it has every year since I joined the group back in 2006. I shot a personal best for the course, with a final score of 84. My previous best on the links style layout was 89, back in 2010. I actually wasn't far from my personal best for any Deepwoods event – that was an 83 that I registered at Willow Valley in 2011. The important thing is that I collected the maximum 40 points available in the modified Stableford system. Starting the season well is critical. It allows some room for error in the upcoming Deepwoods events.
This round was much more than a good Deepwoods showing. It ranks right up there with some of my greatest rounds of all time. In fact, I've only scored lower on four occasions: 81 at Deer Creek South, 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt, 83 at Carlisle North/East, and the aforementioned 83 at Willow Valley. I have a small collection of scorecards from my best rounds ever that also includes four scores of 85, which were tallied at: Lochness Links (now Hunters Pointe), Scenic Woods, Osprey Valley Heathlands, and Kleinburg Gold/White. The latest scorecard from Copetown Woods will definitely be joining the collection.
I actually began the round terribly, registering triple-bogey on the opening par-5. I pulled my drive toward the driveway, which usually results in a lost ball. I hit a provisional and it was a duplicate of the first attempt. Luckily, I found the first ball, but a bad lie in the fescue meant two strokes were required to get back to the fairway. From 100 yards, I pulled the approach a bit and went long, losing a ball in the hazard. After a drop, a chip and two putts, I recorded an ugly triple-bogey.
There was another blemish on the front nine – another triple-bogey on hole #8. I pulled a 6-iron off the tee into a forest of pine trees. I hit a provisional and did exactly the same thing. Again! Luckily, I found the first ball, but two punch shots were needed to get out of the trees. From 150 yards, I just missed the green, right. A hack out of the fescue and two putts completed the hole on this short par-4.
The remaining seven holes of the front nine were spectacular. I played them one under par, thanks to a pair of birdies, four pars and a bogey. I hit every fairway during that stretch, mostly using driver, but also the 5-wood when called for. Hole #3, for example, is a sharp dogleg to the right and it's easy to mess up with driver in hand. I only hit three of seven greens in regulation during this run, but my misses were to areas where I could get up and down. That's exactly what I did on holes #2, #3 and #4. Except for a fabulous pitch shot on hole #3, the other “ups” weren't that great. It was the “downs” that were amazing, as my putter was on fire. The putter stayed hot when I did reach greens in regulation, producing birdies on holes #5 and #9. The latter was especially satisfying, coming from a healthy distance.
My putting cooled off a bit on the back nine, or I would have been very close to a personal best. On hole #10, a lengthy par save looked like it was going to drop, but the putt just burned the edge. On #11, a slightly shorter bogey save lipped out. I was already walking it in as it looked so good. On hole #14, a breaking birdie attempt barely slid past the hole. Unfortunately, I also missed the comebacker, collecting my first 3-putt of the day. On hole #16, I made a terrible lag and a good second putt just missed. It was my second and last 3-putt of the day. I figure I should have had three less putts on the back nine, which would have been enough to tie my best ever score of 81.
My swing thoughts on the day were the same as they were over the last couple of rounds. On drives, I think about increasing my spine rotation just a bit on the backswing, instead of activating the arms. This shortens the backswing overall and helps approach the ball from the inside out. On irons, I think about keeping the left arm straight and finishing straight down the line or high. Right now, these thoughts seem to be helping. If I can consistently add some solid putting to the mix, maybe I can be in the 80s regularly.
Score: 84
Putts: 31
Fairways: 10
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
No comments:
Post a Comment