It's been a good year for golf. Spring was highlighted by my first ever hole in one – a satisfying ace at Calerin Golf Club. During the summer, my handicap factor dipped to 15.5 – a personal best. It seems fitting, therefore, that the first day of fall produced another milestone – the first time I broke 80!
It was a long time coming. I started golfing regularly in 2002. Before that, I had only played a handful of rounds. So you could say that this accomplishment is 15 years in the making. My previous best score – an 81 at Deer Creek Golf Club – took place 9 years ago! Golf is certainly a game of ups and downs.
The scene was BraeBen Golf Course on a lovely afternoon. In previous visits to the Mississauga course, I managed scores of 87, 94, 93 and 95. The 87 came earlier this year, while the 95 was way back in 2006. It was a personal best at the time, and I remember how hopeful it made me for the future.
This latest round also makes me hopeful, so I think it merits a shot-by-shot account. Lengthy and boring, yes, but I don't care. This only happens once every 15 years. Let's get started.
Hole #1 – Par-5 (502 yards)
Anything hit to the left on the opening hole is a recipe for disaster, thanks to a very steep drop-off covered in brush. I hit a 240-yard drive that finished two feet into the right rough. The ball was above my feet, promoting a pull hook to the dangerous left side, so I had to be careful. Aiming well right, I hit a 7-iron that finished in the middle of the fairway. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge into the heart of the green. I curled a 12-foot birdie putt very near the hole, tapping in for a stress-free par.
Hole #2 – Par-3 (144 yards)
The left side of this hole is also defined by the brush-covered hillside and must be avoided at all cost. A bit of wind was at our backs, so I pulled pitching wedge from the bag. Aiming at the right edge of the green, I had a sweet swing and watched the ball draw slightly toward the flag. I was surprised that I only reached the front of the green, leaving a fairly lengthy uphill putt. It also had a lot of break, as I was coming over a mound. My weight was good, but a 4-footer remained for par. I drained it convincingly.
Hole #3 – Par-4 (315 yards)
Although this is a short hole, I played driver off the tee. My intention was to steer the ball into a good position, rather than launch one deep. A low cut shot settled two feet into the right rough. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge directly at the flag. It was a little long and came to rest at the back of the green. The birdie putt was straight, but quite lengthy and a bit downhill. I judged the pace well, leaving a 3-footer for par. Once again, it went down without incident.
Hole #4 – Par-3 (131 yards)
Wind features prominently at BraeBen, particularly on this hole. It's really all about club selection. It was in our face at this moment, so I clubbed up to a 9-iron. Once again, I took aim at the right side of the green, envisioning a slight draw back to the centre. That's exactly what happened, but I finished well short of the back hole location. I could have used an 8-iron. No problem, as I lagged a long putt up the hill, followed by a steely 4-footer that dropped for par.
Hole #5 – Par-4 (314 yards)
Another short par-4 where I opted for driver off the tee. The hole suits my eye, but I pushed the drive to the right, well behind some bunkers. It was the first stumble of the round. The fescue at BraeBen was not nearly as thick or high as I remember it, so I ended up with a fairly decent lie and an open line to the green. I hit sand wedge on the proper line, but it didn't come out clean and I was 10 yards short of the green. I lobbed one onto the putting surface within makeable range, but just missed the putt, settling for bogey.
Hole #6 – Par-5 (441 yards)
This hole began with a 250-yard drive to the right rough, where the cart path leads toward the green. It's the safe side of the hole and pretty much where I was aiming. Unfortunately, the ball was way above my feet at mid-thigh level. I choked up on a 4-iron and went for the green. It was a bad miss, as I topped the ball and it dribbled forward just 30 yards. The worst part was that I had the same lie to contend with, albeit with a shorter and more lofted club. I hit a perfect 7-iron that found the left side of the green in regulation. Facing a long downhill putt, I raced it way past the hole. A 10-foot uphill putt remained for par and I drained it. Yes!
Hole #7 – Par-3 (138 yards)
A par-3 with a massive drop-off from the tee to the shallow green, fronted by a pond and backed by thick trees. We were actually playing from 150 yards, so I calculated that pitching wedge would work. This shot can be very intimidating, but I went through the routine that had been working so far and fired a dart, left of the hole but flag high. Great shot! The birdie putt was close to 20 feet, but straight uphill, so I could be aggressive. Like a bonehead, I left the attempt six feet short. I missed the par putt too, taking a disappointing 3-putt bogey.
Hole #8 – Par-5 (475 yards)
Though it wasn't by design, I hit a low cutting drive on this hole that finished two feet into the right rough. I was too far back to go for the green, so I hit a pitching wedge, being careful to avoid a large bunker that sits in the middle of the fairway. The ball stopped in the rough surrounding the bunker, but I had a level lie. From 100 yards, I hit sand wedge directly over the flag, setting up a birdie chance. The ten-footer was a delicate downhill try, which I rolled to within a foot. Another stress-free par.
Hole #9 – Par-4 (372 yards)
I tried to drive the ball over the left side bunker on the inside of this dogleg, but missed slightly to the right. I had a nice lie in the right rough, steps away from the nasty fescue and weeds. From there, I directed a sand wedge to the front of the green. This left a lengthy uphill putt for birdie. I didn't make it, but my pace was perfect and I tapped in for par. I shot 38 (+2) on the front nine and it really should have been 37, if not for the ridiculous 3-putt on hole #7. I hit 8 of 9 greens in regulation, which made all the difference.
Hole #10 – Par-3 (140 yards)
The tees were back at 164 yards, so I went with the 7-iron. Again, I aimed at the right edge of the green, looking for a slight draw back to the centre. This time, it was more of a pull. The first bounce was off the cart path, so I finished 40 yards from the flag. I pitched on very well, but did not make a great lag putt, leaving a nervy 6-footer for bogey. This one had a slight break, which I read perfectly. It was a clutch putt, albeit for bogey.
Hole #11 – Par-4 (425 yards)
The hardest hole on the back nine and with good reason. It's quite long, so you need a good drive off the tee. Mine finished two feet into the left rough, a few feet away from a fairway bunker. The ball was below my feet, promoting a push slice, which would direct a right-handed player to the right side of the green, where all the danger lies. I buckled down and hit a great 6-iron. It was flag high, three feet off the left side of the green. With the entire width of the green to work with, I hit a lovely chip to about four feet. I had been making putts of this length all day and I did so again for a nice par.
Hole #12 – Par-4 (355 yards)
With a modest course length of 5867 yards from the blue tees, I was definitely not worrying about length off the tee. I took the same approach on this hole, but I caught it pretty well and sent it 275 yards down the pipe. With 80 yards to the flag, I reached for the lob wedge. It looked great, but actually carried to the back edge of the green. A long downhill putt ensued, which stopped five feet short of the hole. I was feeling confident at that range and rolled another beauty into the cup for par.
Hole #13 – Par-3 (168 yards)
At this point, I had really only missed three shots – the drive on #5, the first putt on #7, and the iron shot on #10. These mistakes were isolated. On this hole, unfortunately, I strung together a few mis-hits. I pushed a 7-iron off the tee, 30 yards to the right of the green. I caught the pitch attempt thin, rolling to the opposite side of the green. Finally, I pushed my long lag putt at the last second, leaving a 10-footer for bogey. This time, I didn't make it and ended up with a double-bogey. It was the worst result of the day.
Hole #14 – Par-4 (321 yards)
Like hole #9, this is a dogleg left. There is a bunker on the left side which is a good aiming point if you want to leave a wedge shot as your approach. I hit a really weak slice, but stayed in the fairway, 150 yards from the green. The wind was in our face, so I opted for 7-iron. It was a mis-hit that came out low and right, stopping in a deep greenside bunker. Next came a fabulous out from wet sand that finished three feet from the cup. Oh baby! It was a great up and down for par.
Hole #15 – Par-4 (411 yards)
This is a sharp dogleg right that plays much shorter than the listed yardage if you cut the corner. I hit a good drive that ran through the end of the fairway, stopping in the rough on a steep downhill lie. I paced off the distance to the green as 72 yards. Because of the lie and stance, it was not an easy shot, but I made it look so by nailing the green with the lob wedge. I tried the uphill birdie putt, but left it three feet short. It was a poor effort, but I was able to make the next one for par.
Hole #16 – Par-5 (476 yards)
I teed off at 2:30 in the afternoon and the course was busy, so we were beginning to lose light. With some cloud cover, it was getting hard to spot the ball. I hit a straight drive to the middle of the fairway, though not very deep. I tried to punch a 5-iron down the fairway with a half-swing, but I caught the toe of the club and the ball squirted short and right. I was in the rough, 125 yards from the green, but on the side of a massive slope. The green is tucked to the right side, so I had to go over a couple small trees. The shot looked okay, but I couldn't see the result as the green was not visible. As I approached the green, there was my ball, 12 feet behind the hole. I gave the birdie putt a good chance, but it missed and I tapped in for par.
Hole #17 – Par-4 (293 yards)
This green is reachable with a good drive and I've put one just a few feet off the front edge in the past. I considered playing a mid-iron off the tee, but felt the risk of playing driver was worth the reward. There is a huge drop-off all along the right side of this hole, so I aimed to the left side. It was a good shot, finishing in some rough just 25 yards short and left of the green. My first pitch attempt came up 10 yards short and my next one rolled a healthy distance past the hole. No worries, as I drained a 10-footer for par.
Hole #18 – Par-5 (446 yards)
A fun finishing hole. I began with a drive that finished three feet into the left rough. It wasn't all that deep, leaving 225 yards to the green. I pulled 5-wood to see if I could get it close. It was a high towering shot that finished flag-high, ten yards right of the green. I could smell a par at this point, maybe even a birdie, but my pitch shot had to barely land on the green, as it was all falling away from me toward the hole. The ball took a bounce in the rough and did not release to the green. I hit a delicate chip that just missed the flagstick, settling in the low spot, ten feet from the hole. It was a straight par putt, but a steep uphill, so I had to be aggressive. Again, I left it short. Oh well, bogey was the result.
I knew all along that this had a chance to be my best round ever. It felt great to rattle off four pars at the start. This gave me confidence that I carried right to the end. It was so much fun to hit greens and make putts. Mind you, I had a couple of 3-putts and 35 putts overall. Perhaps that's why I didn't make a single birdie all day. It's funny – you would think I'd need a couple of birdies to produce a score like this. Not so when you're a par machine.
An amazing round! :)
Score: 78
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 11
Penalties: 0
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