Barring some unusual circumstances, I've likely played my last round of the year. It was at Twenty Valley, where I also played my first round of 2017. The rounds fell just before and just after the official golf season in Ontario, so neither had any effect on my handicap factor. There's something fitting about having the official season bookended by these two rounds – the symmetry is perfect.
It wasn't as warm as called for in the forecast a few days earlier, but it was warm enough to be comfortable and there was no significant wind. It rained steadily for a couple days before the round, so the course was a little soft. I teed off as a single, catching up to a foursome on the tee at hole #13. They let me through immediately, as did another foursome just ahead of them. All of this made for a quick round.
I started poorly, miss hitting my second shot on the opening par-5. This got me into some wet areas off the fairway and I only reached the green in 5. The subsequent 3-putt and triple-bogey was like a knife in the back. It didn't last long, as I followed up with two bogeys and a par on hole #4. The tee shot is a forced carry over a wide river to a steep hill on the other side. I managed it well, but my approach to the green from 90 yards came up two yards short. My chip went well past the hole, but I drained a long putt. Nice!
The wet ground and poor putting got me on hole #5, leading to double-bogey. My drive was fine, but my approach from 130 yards only travelled 80. After pitching to the front of the green, I 3-putt. The bad karma carried over the next two holes, as I registered a triple and quadruple-bogey. Hole #6 features a forced carry over the river from an elevated tee. I made poor contact and dunked one in the water. Just off the green in 3, I made a terrible chip and another 3-putt. It was horrible. Hole #7 is a par-3 over water and I put two balls off the tee into the wet stuff. When I finally got the ball airborne, it finished 15 feet from the hole. Still, I needed 2 putts to finish.
Luckily, I made the turn with some momentum on my side. I made par on hole #8 with a great drive and another long putt. I judged the cool temperature and elevation change on hole #9 almost perfectly, with my tee shot finishing just off the back of the green on this par-3. I couldn't get up and down from there, but bogey had me starting the back nine with a score of 50 even.
I had three pars on the back nine, including one on hole #10, a 493-yard par-5. It was a textbook hole from start to finish. Though I just missed the fairway on the left, my second shot was good and my third found the putting surface. A nice lag and tap-in closed the deal. The other pars were on holes #14, which is another par-5, and on hole #16, a 200-yard par-3. My birdie attempt from the fringe on #14 almost went in, finishing with part of the ball hanging over the edge of the hole. On #16, I missed the green off the tee, but a great pitch from a hillside left me close and I drained a 5-footer.
To go along with the three pars on the back nine there were four bogeys and a couple of doubles. The bogeys were fairly typical. Between driving the ball and making approach shots, I often miss slightly, requiring one extra shot to find the putting surface. When this is followed by a standard 2-putt, bogey is the result. One of the doubles resulted from a 3-putt, while the other was caused largely by a duffed second shot.
I shot 45 on the back nine, which is pretty good, and finished with a score of 95 overall.
Score: 95
Putts: 36
Fairways: 6
Greens: 2
Penalties: 3
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