I like to play 18-hole golf courses that are at least 6,000 yards in length. Among such public courses, Royal Woodbine is perhaps the closest to home. Only Don Valley and Lakeview are a comparable distance away. Despite its proximity, I only played Royal Woodbine once, and that was ten years ago! In the past, the course was one of the more expensive ones around. Not only that, but it's a tight layout with water on every hole. A significant creek meanders across and alongside fairways, often setting up multiple carries on a single hole. You can not bomb away on this course – it's target golf at every single turn. I was a novice golfer when I first played here, and not surprisingly, I got beat up badly. I don't remember my score, but it would have been way past the century mark. In fact, this was the primary reason for my decade long hiatus.
As it turns out, circumstances recently coalesced, and I had an opportunity to make my return to this course that I had feared for so long. I teed off at half past noon on an unseasonably warm fall day. It was 20 degrees Celsius throughout the afternoon – not quite as warm as the day earlier, but this time there was no pesky wind to deal with. I basked in the sunshine, knowing full well that this was likely the last warm weather round of the year. If the long term forecasts were correct, it might even be the final round at all. I was paired up and shared a cart with another single, who turned out to be a decent fellow. On another day, I might have found him chatty and annoying, but on this day, I was not perturbed at all by his storytelling. We played with another pair, who were also friendly, but went about their rounds a bit more quietly.
As for my game, it was pretty sharp right off the bat. I employed irons off the tee whenever additional length was not necessary. Hole #2, for example, is a 338-yard par-4. I hit 3-iron just past a bunker in the middle of the fairway, leaving a 9-iron approach. I was left of the green, but pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. When the situation called for driver, I also hit it well. Hole #3 is a 508-yard par-5 with a little more room than many other holes on the course. I bombed a drive 300 yards down the pipe, settling just behind and left of the 200-yard stick. I went for the green with 3-iron, but I had to be mindful of a lone tree on the left side that was causing some interference. In an effort to keep the ball below any branches, I completely duffed the shot. No worries, however, as I followed up with a brilliant 8-iron from 150 yards to set up a birdie chance. The downhill putt just missed, so I took par.
My first misstep of the round came on hole #5, which at 277 yards, is the shortest par-4 on the course. A large pond protects the right side of this hole from tee to green. The smart play is to hit a mid-iron to the fairway, followed by a wedge into the green. I tried to do just that, but pulled a 7-iron left into a fescue covered hillside. One hack got it out, but an uneven stance on the subsequent shot produced another miss hit. After four shots, I was just off the back of the green. Fortunately, a decent chip and a great putt salvaged double-bogey.
The rest of the front nine was smooth sailing, thanks in large part, to some excellent putting. Hole #6 began with a flared 5-wood to the right side. A 100-yard layup was the right call on the next shot, but I followed this up by sculling a wedge shot straight through the green. No worries, as I made a beautiful pitch and putt for the up-and-down bogey. Another up-and-down earned par on hole #7, a short par-3 that's all carry over water. The best up-and-down, if you can call it that, came on hole #9. My drive on this par-5 was a slice that bounced off the cart path and into the creek. After a penalty stroke and drop, I topped an 8-iron that sent the ball dribbling ahead, still 180 yards from the green. Skirting the trees on the left side, I hit a bullet of a 5-iron that I thought would roll off the back of the green. The ball stopped in the centre of the green, which allowed me to drain a very long par putt to the hole at the front of the putting surface. Sometimes the putter can really make up for other errors.
So how do you follow up a 6-over score of 42 on the front nine? How about with an 8-over score of 43 on the back! Beginning with hole #11, things get even tougher at Royal Woodbine. Hole #11 is a par-4 that doglegs to the left. As a right-hander, if you don't draw the ball with your driver, this is a test. You either have to flirt with tall trees and OB in the elbow of the dogleg, or you have to play to the right – exactly where the ever-present creek follows a path all the way to the green. I pulled my drive into the trees, but it kicked back to the rough, albeit just 50 yards ahead. A good 5-wood and wedge got me to the front of the green and I 2-putt to save bogey.
It was a pattern that would repeat itself on a couple more holes during the day. On hole #12, a par-5, I pulled my drive into a bush covered hillside. It was all I could do to hack one out to the rough. No problem though, as I hit a pure 7-iron, followed by a magnificent lob wedge over a tall tree. Each of these carried the meandering creek without issue. One putt later, par was the result. On hole #16, I pushed my drive slightly, hitting a very large willow. I was 180 yards away from the green on this par-4, but I would have to carry the creek twice in order to reach it. Feeling confident, I hit a brilliant 5-iron from a barren lie to just left of the green. An easy pitch and 2-putt saved bogey.
And so we come to the final hole of the round. Hole #18 is the longest par-5 on the course, measuring 575 yards from the blue tees. I hit a great drive, about 275 yards to the middle of the fairway. The problem now, is that the wind picked up and was in my face as I contemplated the next shot. I had to carry the creek to reach the landing zone near the 100-yard marker. However, the creek angles in such a way that the required carry distance varies greatly, depending on the line you take. It's a fairly long carry, no matter what, so I opted to lay up by punching a 4-iron just 100 yards with a baby swing. I threaded the ball surgically to the perfect layup spot – not too close to flirt with the creek and leaving 180 yards to the green. The wind was still there, and now I had to carry the creek directly in front and a large pond fronting the green if I wanted a chance to putt for birdie. Figuring that 5-wood was enough club to overcome the wind, I went for it. Boom! A perfect high cut that sailed over all the water and found the front of the green, directly below the hole. The uphill birdie putt was straight, but lengthy. I gave it a go and just missed, leaving an 8-inch tap-in for par.
This was the third time I shot 85 this season, equalling my second-best score of the year (I'm still loving that 78 at Braeben). It was an incredibly fun day that makes me wonder why I stayed away from Royal Woodbine for so long. It really is a brilliantly designed course. It's funny how success (or failure) on a particular layout shapes your view of that course. :)
And the day wasn't over yet. I played an extra nine, which I'll talk about in a separate post.
Score: 85
Putts: 32
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 4
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