Every time I play the Cobalt Course at Granite Ridge, I think back to an 82 I shot there in 2008. Could I do it again? Could I go just a few strokes lower to break 80? It was no different this time, as I headed out to the Milton area course on a sunny afternoon.
The round was pretty much like all of my rounds this year. I shot 95, which is my most common score this season. Sometimes I finish a little lower, sometimes a little higher, but always in the nineties it seems. In a way, this is a good thing. A couple years back, I regressed and was shooting 100 or more far too often. After 29 rounds this season, I've only reached 100 twice. One of these was the first round of the season – on a tough course after six months without touching a club. I've also had three scores in the eighties, so I feel like these offer a reasonable degree of compensation. On two dozen occasions, however, my score has been between 92 and 99. How do I get out of this rut and start breaking 90 with regularity?
My driving at Granite Ridge was fairly typical for the season. I hit 7 of 15 fairways and was never in any real trouble when I missed one. The toughest spot was probably after my drive on hole #7, a par-5 rated as the most difficult hole on the course. To avoid wetlands on the right side, I aimed for the left, but a pull travelled near the hole #17 teeing ground. I had space to swing and a decent lie, but failed to clear the tree line with my second shot, forcing a pitch to the 100-yard stick, from where I would try to find the putting surface in four. Contrast this with hole #13, where my drive, albeit in the right rough, left just 100 yards and a great angle to the green.
My iron play was spotty, especially early on. It had been a week since my last round, where my irons were actually quite good. I tried to carry forward the same thoughts and actions, but they didn't always work. I hit poor second shots with the irons on holes #1 and #2, but luckily the results weren't terrible. It wasn't until hole #3, a 148-yard par-3, that I hit a nice iron. It was a 7-iron that went dead straight, finishing about 12 feet below the hole. I missed the birdie putt and made par.
The good iron play didn't last long, as I hooked my second shot on hole #4 into some weeds. I was lucky not to be out of bounds, but really had no swing and had to declare the ball unplayable. On hole #5, a 161-yard par-3, I sculled the 7-iron off the tee, right into a pond fronting the green. And so it continued for the rest of the round. I had slight misses with the irons that didn't hurt me as much, but overall, the irons just weren't sharp. I was fighting the hook and sometimes came up short as I tried to hit cut shots to compensate.
Pitching and chipping was a mixed bag. I made a great pitch from 15 yards left of the green on hole #1 to set up a par save opportunity. A nice chip from greenside on hole #2 also set up a chance at par. On both occasions, I missed the very makeable putts and settled for bogey. Contrast this with hole #8, a short par-4. My second shot, 66 yards from the flag was just right of target and rolled off the green, very close to the flag. I sculled two consecutive chip shots, leading to a double-bogey. What a waste! I sculled another on hole #9, before knocking a good one tight to salvage bogey.
Come to think of it, the inconsistent chipping continued through the back nine as well. I fluffed chip shots on holes #12, #14, and #16 that didn't help my cause. On the other hand, I hit serviceable ones on holes #13 and #15. My second attempt on hole #16 left a tap-in for bogey, while another on hole #17 did exactly the same thing. So my chipping wasn't entirely horrible, but I really gave away some strokes for no reason.
Last but not least, my putting was good. I didn't drain anything from distance, but I had no 3-putts, while managing a trio of 1-putts. Avoiding 3-putts is a nice feeling. I wish it happened more often. I also avoided triple-bogeys or worse, which was also nice. I usually have two or three blowup holes to mar my scorecard.
Approaching the end of September, we're now into the final stretch of the season. I may only play another seven or eight rounds, so it's time to get cracking. I'd like to get my handicap factor below 18, if possible.
Score: 95
Putts: 33
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
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