Silver Lakes is a challenging course, owing to the fact that almost every hole is tree-lined. I'm not talking about sparse trees here and there, but rather about thick strands of trees from tee to green. If your ball finds the forest, it's usually lost. The width of the fairways is not massive, but generally there's enough room to get around if you have decent control from side to side. If you start missing your lines, it can be a long day.
I had a poor result on my latest visit, scoring 100+ for the third time this season. However, the round was not even close to being as bad as the score seems to indicate. The trees didn't get me all that often. I drove the ball very well, including a few beauties. I also struck the long irons well, advancing brilliantly on the par-5 holes, for example. What killed me were the short irons – the so-called scoring clubs. With highly lofted clubs, including wedges in my hand, I simply could not hit a green. More often than not, the miss was short or long, rather than off to one side.
On hole #1, a 362-yard par-4, I hit a controlled 240-yard drive to the right centre of the fairway. With a gap wedge in hand, I took a beaver pelt out of the turf, leaving myself 50 yards short of the green. On hole #2, a 328-yard par-4, I hit a lovely 5-wood off the tee, leaving 130 yards from the middle of the fairway. I proceeded to pull a pitching wedge, smacking a tall tree 30 yards in front of the green. On hole #3, a 130-yard par-3, I pulled the very same club left of target. I finished these holes with bogeys, but should have had some pars give the positions from which I was attacking the greens.
On hole #6, a 357-yard par-4, the twosome ahead of me let me play through. This fairway bends through the trees ever so gently to the left. A draw is the ideal shot shape, but I don't really possess that with the driver or any sort of fairway wood. To play a straight shot, I needed to hug the trees on the left side a bit. I took aim and piped an absolute beauty, just avoiding the trees on the left by a yard or two. I could tell the onlookers were impressed. My ball finished on the left side of the fairway, just 95 yards from the green. How did I follow that up? With a duffed sand wedge that was 30 yards short of the green. Another bogey ensued, where there should have been better.
Hole #7 is a par-3 that was playing 160 yards. Using a 7-iron off the tee, I pushed it slightly right, hitting a tall tree 30 yards in front of the green. Again, bogey was the reward. Hole #9 is a 387-yard par-4. I hit a decent drive, but it was slightly left and the ball settled in a fairway bunker. The worst part was that I was up against a high lip and had to play it like a greenside bunker shot. After getting out, I had 150 yards remaining to the green. I was a yard into the left rough, but the lie looked decent. Perhaps it wasn't really, as I struggled to get the 8-iron through. Again, I was 30 yards short of the green. Whether soft fairways, or thick rough, something managed to leave me short all too often. After a string of bogeys on every hole, this time I finished with a double.
A foursome let me through on hole #10, so this time I had more spectators for my tee shot. I piped a drive straight on my intended line. There were no comments from the onlookers, but they had to like that. The shot was actually too good, as it was deep enough to roll through the fairway, which bends ever so slightly to the right on this 365-yard par-4. I chipped sideways from amongst the trees, leaving 85 yards to the green. Do you know what happened next? Another beaver pelt, this time courtesy of the lob wedge. With an extra shot to get on the putting surface, I tallied another double-bogey.
Next up was another foursome that let me through on hole #11, a par-3 that was playing 150 yards. This group had nothing to be impressed by, as I pulled my 8-iron slightly left of the green into a water hazard. Another mistake with a “scoring club” and another double-bogey. The worst of the round came over the next two holes, as I found myself caught behind yet another foursome. I had a long wait before teeing off on hole #12, as every one of their group was buying something from the beverage cart. I flared a drive into the forest – gone! Later on the same hole, a shot with the 3-iron bounced into the same forest – gone again! Rack up a quadruple-bogey. It was truly the only hole where the driver and a long iron let me down.
This latest foursome really should have let me through on hole #12. This is a short par-4 at only 275 yards from the white tees. You have to challenge a large pond in front of the green if you go for it. The safe play is to hit a couple of irons instead. I arrived at the tee before any of the group had teed off. They were waiting for the green to clear, as they all intended to go for the green. Three of them went in the water, while the fourth popped one up into the trees on the right side. Terrible! I fared no better, despite taking the sensible approach. I hit an 8-iron pretty well, but it squirted a little right and rolled off the fairway into the rough. The lie looked okay, but I failed to get through the rough cleanly with my 9-iron. The result, of course, was a water ball. After taking a penalty stroke and drop, I didn't do particularly well, finishing with a triple-bogey.
Unbelievably, the foursome didn't let me through on the next tee, which is the start of a 542-yard par-5. I waited until they were about 270 yards away before piping a laser drive...270 yards! LOL...that was great. Now, they decided to let me through, and I followed up with a laser 4-iron straight and deep down the fairway, leaving just 80 yards to the flag. While these guys were messing around left and right, I showed them how two beauties could have you near the green in no time. So how did I finish the hole? By pushing a lob wedge slightly right into a greenside bunker. I made a great out from there, but the ball released all the way over the green. I chipped on and 2-putt for a disappointing double-bogey. I actually was in greenside bunkers about half a dozen times on the day and made good outs every single time. Again, it didn't help my score because of the woeful short irons.
The only par of the day came on hole #15, a 338-yard par-4. A rare miss with the driver went nowhere, leaving me with 195 yards to the green from the left rough. A large tree was blocking my line up ahead, so I had to go left of the green. I hit a brilliant 4-iron right to my spot, then pitched on and drained it with a single putt. It seems the 4-iron was more productive than my wedges.
Now came hole #16, a 385-yard par-4. Yet another foursome waved me through on the tee. One guy told me to take my time, as he noticed I was rushing so as not to keep them waiting. By now, I was used to having people watch my drives, and I hit a dead-straight shot 250 yards down the line. “Nice pipe,” one guy exclaimed, as the others nodded in agreement. So, how to follow up that beauty? How about thinning a pitching wedge over the back of the green? Yup. With the green falling away from me, I chipped well past the hole. A 2-putt gave me yet another bogey where I should have had better.
By now, you see the pattern, but let me offer one final example. Hole #18 is a 494-yard par-5 from the white tees. I began by piping a towering drive straight to the middle of the fairway. I followed up with one of those gorgeous 4-irons to the left side of the fairway, leaving 80 yards to the flag. Certain green in regulation, right? Wrong! My lob wedge shot was a little short and right. I was short-sided and pitched well past the hole, finishing with a 2-putt and another bogey. Some bogeys are nice, but the ones I had this day were all the ugly kind.
In summary, I hit great drives and long irons. My play near the greens was fine, including putting. I had the best sand game I've had in a very long time. However, I missed greens from prime positions with the following clubs: 6i, 7i, 8i, 8i, 9i, PW, PW, PW, GW, SW, LW, LW, LW. That's at least 10 strokes given away right there. Scoring clubs, my foot! (I was thinking of another body part, but let's stick with foot.)
Score: 101
Putts: 34
Fairways: 6
Greens: 0
Penalties: 5
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