I picked a great day and headed out to Whirlpool Golf Course in Niagara Falls. I made a lot of good shots throughout the day, but also some bad ones that ended up being rather costly. It's a shame because some of those bad ones came right after I had placed the ball in the optimal position. Such is the game of golf, I suppose. I wasn't very happy with my putting either, as I amassed a lot of 3-putts and 40 putts in total. The greens had suffered some winter damage and had some patchy areas, but I can't really blame that. I struggled with pace, first coming up short, then overcompensating and blowing some putts well past the hole.
The round began with a trio of bogeys, which wasn't bad at all. On hole #1, I punched a masterful second shot low to get under some tree branches and finished on the collar at the back of the green. I was very near the flagstick and opted to use the putter, but failed to make a smooth strike. A 3-putt bogey was the result. I also had a 3-putt on hole #2, but I was in legitimate 3-putt territory after reaching the green of this par-4 in regulation. Hole #3 is a par-3 where I found the greenside bunker with my tee shot. I made a very good out and almost salvaged par with a 10-foot putt, but couldn't get off the bogey train just yet.
Hole #4 is a par-5 that started out with a mis-hit from the tee that didn't even reach the fairway. A sculled flop attempt near the green and a really bad 3-putt produced triple-bogey. Fortunately, the remainder of the front nine was played at bogey pace. It consisted of three bogeys, one double and a par. The par came on the second of back-to-back par-5 holes. Aside from the triple on hole #4, I managed bogey pace for the front nine. If I could do that for an entire round, I would shoot a respectable score of 90. Throw in one or two breaks here and there and I would be in the 80s. Too bad the game doesn't work that way.
The first half of the back nine was a little shaky. Hole #10 is a beast of a par-4, so you need a good drive to play it well. I pulled my drive into a strand of trees left and had to punch back to the fairway, still a long way from the green. I ended up with double-bogey. Hole #11 was worse, as I collected my second triple-bogey of the day. This, despite hitting one of my best drives to the centre of the fairway, right beside the 150-yard stick. The green is on an elevated plateau and the flag was at the back, so I chose 7-iron. Unfortunately, I pulled it just enough to catch some bushes left of the green. The ball was unplayable, so I took a penalty. I gave away an extra stroke by duffing a chip attempt, leading to the triple.
I got aggressive on a couple of par-5 holes, opting to hit 3-wood after some good drives put me within reach of the greens. Neither approach worked out very well. One put me in a terrible position with a side-hill lie on a mound, located behind a tree. There were branches overhead and a bunker low, so it was near impossible to manufacture any kind of good result. That hole finished with a double-bogey, while I managed bogey on the other par-5.
Luckily, I salvaged a decent overall score with a couple of pars to finish the round. Hole #17 is a par-3 that was playing 200 yards into the wind. I struck a piercing 3-iron that found the green, though I was a long way from the cup. I blasted the birdie attempt 15 feet past the hole and was resigned to the fact that I would walk away with bogey. Next thing you know, I drained the long par putt! Hole #18 is a par-5 and once again, I had a go at the green with my second shot. I pushed the 5-wood slightly right, finishing under some trees near the cart path. From there, I chipped a low one, bouncing it off the path and finding the green. A solid 2-putt closed out the par.
Overall, a decent effort with some scattered errors and generally poor putting.
Score: 96
Putts: 40
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
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