My last round was a pretty good one, which got me thinking about the current state of my game. It occurred to me that three of my best rounds of all time have occurred over the last 20 rounds or so. That's encouraging and it inspired me to recap my top rounds of all time. So here we go, starting with #10 and counting down to #1.
Edit on July 6, 2017: I had some good rounds after I wrote this post, so I decided to go back and update it. The result is now my Top 12, plus a bunch of honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Wolf Run (May 2016) – 86 (14 over)
An early season round in 2016. I decided to add this one only because the score was the same as the next few rounds on the list. Those performances were special at the time, but they've been knocked out of the Top 10 by better results. 85 or better is the new mark of excellence.
Bradford Highlands (June 2016) – 86 (14 over)
Much like the previous round on this list, I'm including this one because it produced a score that would have been among my best not too long before it was played. While some of the magic may now be absent with a score of 86, this was a controlled round and my personal best at Bradford Highlands.
Dragon's Fire (July 2015) – 86 (14 over)
This was a recent round, played by myself on a scorcher of a day. The fact that I survived the heat was almost as impressive as the result. A score of 40 on the opening nine was close to my best ever, but I slipped a little on the back nine. On a positive note, I had no worse than double-bogey on any single hole.
Dragon's Fire (August 2015) – 86 (14 over)
Just a week after the previously listed round, I returned to Dragon's Fire for a Deepwoods event. The result was the exact same score, but this visit has to rank a little higher, since it was registered in competition. I had my share of double bogeys, but three birdies provided a welcome offset, including one where I drove the green on a par-4.
Kleinburg (Sept 2007) – 85 (14 over)
This one brings back memories of some good times. Sadly, the course no longer exists – a victim of the GTA real estate market. It's hard to believe I went this low back then, or maybe just shocking that I haven't been in this range very often since. It was a pretty clean scorecard, with only one double-bogey and one triple.
Osprey Valley Heathlands (June 2010) – 85 (14 over)
This took place on day 2 of a major event on the GTA Amateur Tour. I shot 96 a day earlier, so it was a substantial improvement. In control of all facets of the game, I scored no worse than double-bogey on any single hole. There were three of those, all on the back nine. Osprey Valley's courses remain among my favourite in the GTA.
The Top 12
# 12 – Scenic Woods (Oct 2014) – 85 (13 over)
Another recent round that makes the list. This was my first ever visit to the golf course and it was late October, so I wasn't expecting much. I started hot, with three pars over the first four holes. I was shooting 40 at the turn, then slipped just a bit on the back nine. Three double-bogeys were the only blemish on a nice scorecard.
# 11 – Scenic Woods (Oct 2015) – 85 (13 over)
Only my second visit to the course, exactly one year after #12 on this list. I lucked out with the weather, though it was fairly windy. The great thing about this round was consistency. I had only one double-bogey, to go along with 11 bogey and 6 pars. If some really close putts go down, this round would be near #1.
# 10 – Scenic Woods (May 2016) -- 85 (13 over)
What is going on with Scenic Woods? This was my third ever visit to the course. Three visits, three scores of 85. There's nothing particularly easy about the course, except perhaps the first couple of holes. It's hard to differentiate between the three rounds played there, but the edge goes to the most recent.
# 9 – Scenic Woods (July 2016) – 85 (13 over)
Given the variety of courses that I play, it's amazing that Scenic Woods features so prominently on this list. Four visits, four scores of 85. This round began with a 38 on the opening nine, matching my best ever. Deep into the round, I began thinking about a personal best. Alas, I tensed up a bit and "dropped back" to my familiar score.
# 8 – Lochness Links (Sept 2009) – 85 (13 over)
Formerly (and currently) known as Hunters Pointe, it was Lochness Links when I played this round. 45 on the front nine was good but not great. It was the back nine 40 that turned this into something special. I'll always remember this round as the first time I beat my friend Linley – an extremely rare occurrence.
# 7 – Copetown Woods (May 2015) – 84 (12 over)
Another recent round and another appearance of a Deepwoods Golf Association event. I actually began this round with a triple-bogey and registered another on hole #8. Despite that, I still shot 40 on the opening nine. My putter was especially on fire. A couple breaks here or there and this could have been even better.
# 6 – Lakeview (Jul 2017) – 83 (12 over)
My first visit to this course in over nine years! I stayed out of trouble, collecting only one penalty stroke all day. I hit a good number of fairways and kept my misses very close. Same thing with my irons on approach shots into greens. Putting was solid on some pretty sloped greens.
# 5 – Carlisle (Sep 2009) – 83 (11 over)
A week after the Lochness Links round (#8 above) I went two strokes better with this performance at Carlisle. I shot 43 on the North nine, followed by an excellent 40 on the East nine. It was the second time I beat Linley and it happened back-to-back. Unbelievable, as I only beat him 3 times ever over many, many rounds.
# 4 – Willow Valley (Sep 2011) – 83 (11 over)
Another Deepwoods event. This one was notable because I was having a terrible season when this result came out of the blue. Little did I know that a couple of grim years would soon follow. I shot 44 on the front nine, which was okay. Then I caught fire for a back nine score of 39, including a par, birdie, par finish.
# 3 – Granite Ridge Cobalt (Oct 2008) – 82 (10 over)
Wow, this was a long time ago. Nine pars, eight bogeys, and one double for a really clean scorecard. I only hit four fairways, but was on 12 greens in regulation. I stayed out of trouble with the driver and was chasing flags all day. Putting was mediocre or this might have been the time I broke 80.
# 2 – Deer Creek South (July 2007) – 81 (10 over)
The oldest round on the list and also one that brings back great memories. Amazing that this happened back then. I was playing with The Unreliables – a group of guys I joined up with when I first started playing regularly. 38 on the front nine is still my best ever, I think. That included three birdies. I wasn't keeping track of my total score, or I would have realized that bogey on the final hole would produce a score of 79. As it was, I made a triple-bogey. LOL!
# 1 – BraeBen (Sep 2016) – 78 (6 over)
Magnificent doesn't even come close to describing this special round. It took a long time, but I shattered my previous best and also broke 80 for the first time. A glorious front nine, with seven pars and two bogeys. One of those bogeys should have been another par, as I collected an untimely 3-putt. I survived a double-bogey on the back nine, along with two more bogeys. Amazingly, my best score ever came without making a single birdie! What a game.
No comments:
Post a Comment