My last round at Royal Woodbine was timed perfectly to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day. I was holding out for similar conditions, which seemed like they would finally materialize two weeks later, on the 1st of November. I booked a round at Bond Head four days in advance, as I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity. The forecast was calling for a mix of sun and cloud, with just 20% chance of rain and a high of 18 degrees Celsius. This was going to be sweet!
As I drove to the course, there was not a hint of sunshine in the sky. It was completely overcast. To make matters worse, I drove through a few patches of drizzle, which required the use of the windshield wipers. Out on the practice green, there was no rain, but it was freezing as hell and the wind was whipping around. I was scheduled to play the South Course, which is exposed in many areas, including the first hole.
I tried to put the weather out of my mind, but I was definitely not pleased. I hit a wicked pull hook off the first tee, losing the ball in a vast expanse of long fescue. I had opted for an iron off the tee for more control – so much for that idea. I took a penalty and dropped the ball near the spot where I lost it. That's against the rules, of course, but I was already holding people up and the round had just begun. I proceeded to plunk a ball into the creek fronting the green, collecting my second penalty of the hole. A great up and down only salvaged a double-bogey (with an asterisk).
I was so pissed off with the weather that I didn't even feel like playing. I pulled my drive on hole #2 into a lateral hazard. After a penalty and drop, I hooked an iron into the same hazard further afield. Taking my fourth penalty of the day and another drop, I took a halfhearted pitch toward the green – not even close. I picked up the ball in disgust and waited by the side of the green for my fellow competitors to finish up. I stopped keeping score at this point – though I've gone back over the round and filled in the blanks as I write this review. For the hole where I picked up, which is a par-4, I gave myself an 8.
For two more holes, there was no change in the weather. Through the first four holes, I was 11 over par and had collected four penalty strokes. I was miserable and had no desire to play. Suddenly, as we stood on the tee of hole #5, the wind stopped. This is a short par-3 from an elevated tee. I hit a pitching wedge flag high, just left of the green. A solid chip gave me a chance at par, but I missed and settled for bogey. Okay, not bad. On the next hole, a 294-yard par-4 from an elevated tee, the sun started poking out from behind the clouds. I tried to drive the green, which is risky because the right side features a steep drop to a large pond. My shot finished flag high, five yards left of the green. In other words, the safe side. I pitched one close and tapped in for birdie.
For the remainder of the front nine, and in fact for the remainder of the round, the weather was just fine. For the final five holes of the front nine, I was just three over par. It's amazing how weather can affect your game – especially when you're mentally weak, as this front nine would seem to indicate I am. The terrible start to the round meant I was shooting 50 at the turn, despite the good play from the fifth hole onward.
On the back nine, I had a number of good results. Holes #10 and #11, both of the par-4 variety, produced a pair of bogeys. Both began with excellent drives that split the fairway. Unfortunately, I could not find the greens with what should have been easy iron shots. I pulled a 9-iron on #10 and duffed a 40-yard wedge shot on #11. This failure to hit greens has been a pattern recently, even with very lofted clubs. On hole #13, a 394-yard par-4, I again hit my drive deep and straight. This time, with 120 yards to the flag, I hit a good gap wedge that found the putting surface and ultimately set up par.
The problem on the back nine was a couple of blowup holes interspersed with the good ones. Hole #12, a par-5, produced a triple bogey. Hole #14, a long par-4, resulted in a score of 9! Poor drives started both of these holes, followed by more bad shots and even some bad luck. The latter even produced a 4-putt. Though I had recovered some of my will to play, I still felt like the first four holes had ruined the round and those thoughts re-emerged during these troublesome situations.
The last four holes were played under duress, not because of the weather, but because we were losing light fast. The course was booked solid, so it was pretty slow going. When you're fighting the light, you lose focus and rush your shots. Amidst this backdrop, it's no surprise I went double-bogey, bogey, triple-bogey, and bogey to close out the round. The last two holes were played with the sun already below the horizon. It was only the residual glare that allowed us to play at all.
Overall, it was a disappointing day. Though there were good moments, the weather burned me and spoiled the round. The rush to finish in the dark was also not pleasant. The score is meaningless, but I would hate for this to be my final round of the season.
Score: 103
Putts: 35
Fairways: 7
Greens: 2
Penalties: 5
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