It was pouring rain when I pulled out of the garage, but the only moisture I had to deal with at Granite Ridge was that which had already fallen on the course. Playing the Cobalt Course, I got off to a good start on the front nine. The stretch included two pars, five bogeys, and two double-bogeys, for a score of 45. The pars came on two of the three greens that I hit in regulation. One of these was a 139-yard par-3, the other a short par-4 measuring 275 yards. The double-bogeys came on a 313-yard par-4 and a par-5 stretching out to 490 yards. I was pulling shots slightly with the driver, but managing to recover. I fared better off the tee on the shorter holes, where I used a 3-wood or an iron. Approach shots were quite good, with just a couple of miscues. The fairways were soggy in certain areas, which probably cost me a couple of strokes. Putting was solid, though not spectacular. I made a lone 3-putt on the fifth hole, a par-3 at 139 yards.
Earlier in the year, I shot a 46 on the back nine at Cobalt, so I really felt like I could take a run at breaking 90. Questions emerged on the eleventh hole, when I topped two tee shots in a row with the 3-wood. This was surprising, since I had been hitting that club well and feeling good with it. I managed to limit the damage to triple-bogey. A double-bogey on the fourteenth hole was disappointing, since my approach shot was rolling right to the front of the green, only to stop dead in some standing water. A 3-putt didn't help. My real undoing however, was on the fifteenth hole. The hardest of the holes on Cobalt's back nine, it is quite unforgiving. The entire right side is out of bounds on this 534-yard par-5. On the left side, marshy areas cover virtually the entire length. I succumbed to the hazards multiple times en route to shooting an abysmal five over par. The 3-wood, 3-iron, and putter all failed me.
I made a nice par on the sixteenth hole, a 130-yard par-3, but then spoiled breaking 100 on the par-4, 351-yard seventeenth hole. My tee shot was short, but in the fairway. I caught my next shot fat, but the ball was still in the fairway, 130 yards away from the green. I took a practice swing with my 9-iron and it felt amazingly good. I know it's only a practice swing, but this swing was so easy and fluid. My playing partner even commented how good the practice swing looked. It's hard to explain therefore, what happened next. I think I threw the club head at the ball, rather than making a committed swing. The club face was open and the ball went waaay to the right, only a short distance. This shot really damaged my concentration. I calculated the distance on my next shot as 100 yards, but then proceeded to hit a full pitching wedge, which for me is 120 yards. I ended up taking a quadruple bogey. I played the eighteenth hole well, but bogey was only good enough to score 100.
Disappointing score for sure, but if I disregard hole #15 and hole #17, I quite like how I played.
Score: 100
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
August 11, 2008
August 09, 2008
Carrying Place Round Cut Short by Rain
A record amount of rain has fallen in Toronto and many parts of southern Ontario this summer. Despite the heavier than usual rainfall, I have managed to complete all of my golf rounds, with only one significant delay. That was not the case today, as thunderstorms blanketed the entire GTA. I was able to squeeze only eight holes in at Carrying Place Golf & Country Club before thunder and lightning put an end to the soggy outing.
Before the round began at Carrying Place, I spent an hour on the driving range at Cardinal Golf Club, just up the road. It was time well spent, as I got a chance to work on all my clubs, from pitching wedge to driver. The scoring irons (PW to 7-iron) were working very well. I focused almost exclusively on tempo, trying to keep a nice fluid rhythm to my swing. The low irons (6-iron to 3-iron) were not bad, but I was pulling a higher percentage of shots with them, which seems to be my current tendency. Whenever I got the tempo just right with these clubs, the shots straightened out nicely. This is encouraging, because it confirms that a tempo adjustment is all I really need to drastically improve my shot-making. The same observation was made with the fairway woods. I finished up hitting about twenty shots with the driver, but I just could not find the groove with it.
By the time I teed off on the first hole at Carrying Place, the rain was coming down and grey skies loomed all around, so the round was clearly in jeopardy. I hit a poor drive short and to the left rough. The first hole was recently rebuilt, and with all the rain this year, the new rough is extremely lush. I had a hard time getting out of it, and when I finally did, I was in the large bunker that borders the right side of the green. I also had a hard time getting out of the bunker, but when I finally did, I stuck the ball within a couple feet of the hole. I one-putted for a quadruple bogey. Momentum was down.
On the second hole, a 340-yard dogleg right, I hit a good 3-iron off the tee. The ball rolled through the end of the fairway at the dogleg, about three feet into the rough. Thankfully, this rough was not as lush as on the first hole, so I was in good shape. From 150 yards out, I hit a 7-iron to a good distance, but just right of the green, into a bunker. I made a very nice out and two-putted for bogey. Momentum was up.
On the third hole, a 383-yard par-4, I pulled my drive slightly, but got a nice bounce off a mound on the left side of the fairway. The ball came to rest in the middle of the fairway, 157 yards away from the green. I hit a 7-iron to a good distance, but pulled it just into a hazard. After taking a drop, I found myself facing a tricky chip shot, since I was short-sided and had little green to work with. My chip came up about three feet short and got hung up near the green collar. I was forced to chip again, then two-putted for a triple-bogey. Momentum was back down.
On the fourth hole, a 321-yard par-4, I opted for 3-wood off the tee. I hit it low and to the right side of the fairway. It could have ended in the rough, but it caught a bit of a slope and came to rest in the middle of the fairway, 135 yards away from the green. The pin was in the back, so I attacked with an 8-iron. Once again, distance was good, but the ball travelled just right of target, ending in yet another bunker. I hit a good out to the back of the green and finished with a solid two-putt for bogey. Momentum was back up.
On the fifth hole, also Carrying Place's most difficult, things got very interesting. Players must hit their tee shots 190 yards to this par-3 almost entirely over water. I went with a 5-wood and the distance was good. Unfortunately, I pulled it slightly left of the green and was in danger of being out of bounds. When I found my ball, it was still in bounds, but directly beneath a pine tree. The next shot was the shot of the day. Using a 3-wood, because it has a longer shaft that could help me reach the ball under the pine tree, I punched a low shot in the direction of the flag. I couldn't see anything because of the pine branches, but my playing partner told me the ball rolled an inch by the edge of the hole. It stopped at a point three or four feet past the hole, from which I calmly drained the par putt. Momentum was still up.
On the sixth hole, I pulled my drive left of the fairway and was once again at the base of a pine tree. I had less success punching out with the 3-wood this time. After punching out, I played a baby pitch shot back to the fairway, about 150 yards away from the green. Since the approach was uphill, I added an extra club than I would normally play with, going with a 6-iron. Distance was again good, but again I pulled it slightly into a bunker. I barely had enough room in the bunker to take a stance, but I established my footing and hit a good out. My first putt lipped out, so I needed another to complete the triple-bogey. Momentum was down again.
On the seventh hole, a par-3 measuring 164 yards, I hit a 7-iron from the elevated tee. The distance was good, but the shot was pulled slightly. That's OK on this hole, since right of the green is all water. I made a delicate chip shot, then a long uphill putt to save par. Momentum was up again.
On the eighth hole, a par-5, the rain came down harder than it had on the previous holes. My drive found the rough just left of the fairway. Next, I hit a 6-iron in the direction of the 150-yard marker. Of course, it veered further left than I wanted and I was still a few feet into the left rough. I payed the penalty on my next shot, as the lush rough made it difficult to reach the green. I was only able to get the ball back in the fairway. From 95 yards out, I caught the ball too fat and it only travelled half the desired distance. My next chip shot was exactly as I planned it, but the ball died on the first bounce in front of the green. I had a very long putt and made a nice job of it. Unfortunately, with the thunder beginning, I required two more to hole out for a triple bogey. Momentum was down yet again.
It may sound like an up and down round, but I was playing with an even keel all the way through. The holes with the big scores weren't really bothering me, since I was making some good shots at the same time. I had the feeling that I could get better as the round progressed, but the rain and thunderstorm took away that chance.
If I put the score aside, I like the way I was playing. My approach shots were always the right distance, just a fraction off line. I made three or four nice sand shots. I one-putted four of eight holes. My driver was not good, but it wasn't killing me. This is one to build on, for sure.
Score: 46
Par: 31
Putts: 13
Fairways: 3
Greens: 0
NOTE: stats are for holes 1-8 only
Before the round began at Carrying Place, I spent an hour on the driving range at Cardinal Golf Club, just up the road. It was time well spent, as I got a chance to work on all my clubs, from pitching wedge to driver. The scoring irons (PW to 7-iron) were working very well. I focused almost exclusively on tempo, trying to keep a nice fluid rhythm to my swing. The low irons (6-iron to 3-iron) were not bad, but I was pulling a higher percentage of shots with them, which seems to be my current tendency. Whenever I got the tempo just right with these clubs, the shots straightened out nicely. This is encouraging, because it confirms that a tempo adjustment is all I really need to drastically improve my shot-making. The same observation was made with the fairway woods. I finished up hitting about twenty shots with the driver, but I just could not find the groove with it.
By the time I teed off on the first hole at Carrying Place, the rain was coming down and grey skies loomed all around, so the round was clearly in jeopardy. I hit a poor drive short and to the left rough. The first hole was recently rebuilt, and with all the rain this year, the new rough is extremely lush. I had a hard time getting out of it, and when I finally did, I was in the large bunker that borders the right side of the green. I also had a hard time getting out of the bunker, but when I finally did, I stuck the ball within a couple feet of the hole. I one-putted for a quadruple bogey. Momentum was down.
On the second hole, a 340-yard dogleg right, I hit a good 3-iron off the tee. The ball rolled through the end of the fairway at the dogleg, about three feet into the rough. Thankfully, this rough was not as lush as on the first hole, so I was in good shape. From 150 yards out, I hit a 7-iron to a good distance, but just right of the green, into a bunker. I made a very nice out and two-putted for bogey. Momentum was up.
On the third hole, a 383-yard par-4, I pulled my drive slightly, but got a nice bounce off a mound on the left side of the fairway. The ball came to rest in the middle of the fairway, 157 yards away from the green. I hit a 7-iron to a good distance, but pulled it just into a hazard. After taking a drop, I found myself facing a tricky chip shot, since I was short-sided and had little green to work with. My chip came up about three feet short and got hung up near the green collar. I was forced to chip again, then two-putted for a triple-bogey. Momentum was back down.
On the fourth hole, a 321-yard par-4, I opted for 3-wood off the tee. I hit it low and to the right side of the fairway. It could have ended in the rough, but it caught a bit of a slope and came to rest in the middle of the fairway, 135 yards away from the green. The pin was in the back, so I attacked with an 8-iron. Once again, distance was good, but the ball travelled just right of target, ending in yet another bunker. I hit a good out to the back of the green and finished with a solid two-putt for bogey. Momentum was back up.
On the fifth hole, also Carrying Place's most difficult, things got very interesting. Players must hit their tee shots 190 yards to this par-3 almost entirely over water. I went with a 5-wood and the distance was good. Unfortunately, I pulled it slightly left of the green and was in danger of being out of bounds. When I found my ball, it was still in bounds, but directly beneath a pine tree. The next shot was the shot of the day. Using a 3-wood, because it has a longer shaft that could help me reach the ball under the pine tree, I punched a low shot in the direction of the flag. I couldn't see anything because of the pine branches, but my playing partner told me the ball rolled an inch by the edge of the hole. It stopped at a point three or four feet past the hole, from which I calmly drained the par putt. Momentum was still up.
On the sixth hole, I pulled my drive left of the fairway and was once again at the base of a pine tree. I had less success punching out with the 3-wood this time. After punching out, I played a baby pitch shot back to the fairway, about 150 yards away from the green. Since the approach was uphill, I added an extra club than I would normally play with, going with a 6-iron. Distance was again good, but again I pulled it slightly into a bunker. I barely had enough room in the bunker to take a stance, but I established my footing and hit a good out. My first putt lipped out, so I needed another to complete the triple-bogey. Momentum was down again.
On the seventh hole, a par-3 measuring 164 yards, I hit a 7-iron from the elevated tee. The distance was good, but the shot was pulled slightly. That's OK on this hole, since right of the green is all water. I made a delicate chip shot, then a long uphill putt to save par. Momentum was up again.
On the eighth hole, a par-5, the rain came down harder than it had on the previous holes. My drive found the rough just left of the fairway. Next, I hit a 6-iron in the direction of the 150-yard marker. Of course, it veered further left than I wanted and I was still a few feet into the left rough. I payed the penalty on my next shot, as the lush rough made it difficult to reach the green. I was only able to get the ball back in the fairway. From 95 yards out, I caught the ball too fat and it only travelled half the desired distance. My next chip shot was exactly as I planned it, but the ball died on the first bounce in front of the green. I had a very long putt and made a nice job of it. Unfortunately, with the thunder beginning, I required two more to hole out for a triple bogey. Momentum was down yet again.
It may sound like an up and down round, but I was playing with an even keel all the way through. The holes with the big scores weren't really bothering me, since I was making some good shots at the same time. I had the feeling that I could get better as the round progressed, but the rain and thunderstorm took away that chance.
If I put the score aside, I like the way I was playing. My approach shots were always the right distance, just a fraction off line. I made three or four nice sand shots. I one-putted four of eight holes. My driver was not good, but it wasn't killing me. This is one to build on, for sure.
Score: 46
Par: 31
Putts: 13
Fairways: 3
Greens: 0
NOTE: stats are for holes 1-8 only
August 04, 2008
Gutting it Out at Deer Creek
For the second consecutive day, I had to grind hard to break one hundred. This time, it was on the South Course at Deer Creek. I got off to an abysmal start that lasted for six long holes. Fortunately, I got on track after that.
On the first hole, I duffed my tee shot and plunked the ball in the pond immediately in front of the tee box. My approach to the green with a sand wedge drifted under a pine tree. Those were the two worst shots en route to a quadruple-bogey. On hole #2, my tee shot went way right, into the hazard. A disastrous triple-bogey ensued. Double-bogey was the result on hole #4, a 137-yard par-3 to a green surrounded by water on three sides. I hit an 8-iron the correct distance, but pulled it left of the green, into the water. On hole #5, a simple par-4 with little danger, I could not hit any clubs correctly. I tallied yet another quad there.
Despite the horrific start, I was still in the game mentally. Usually, that kind of start is enough to send me off the deep end for the rest of a round. On the seventh hole, a 502-yard par-5, the turnaround began. I hit a straight drive into the middle of the fairway, followed by a mediocre 3-wood to the first cut on the left side of the fairway. A pitching wedge from 100 yards put me reasonably close to the hole. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in for par. On the eighth hole, a par-3 that was playing about 160 yards, I hit my tee shot to within 10 feet of the cup. I proceeded to drain the putt for a rare birdie. I closed out the front nine with another par, leaving me with a score of 51 at the turn.
The back nine was much more consistent, as I completed it with no worse than double-bogey on any hole. One of those, which happened to come on the fourteenth hole, was particularly painful. Measuring 545 yards, this par-5 is quite a good test. I found the fairway with my drive, hit a 3-iron to the fairway, and nailed the green with a 9-iron. I had a very long putt and hit it with the perfect weight, but was about 7 feet right of the target. My next putt was decent, but it burned the edge and travelled a little too far past the hole. Sure enough, I missed the next one! I was on the green in regulation, but 4-putted for the dreaded double-bogey. This could have been a momentum killer, but I just put it out of my mind. I moved on to the next hole and closed out the round going bogey, par, bogey, bogey. The last hole should have been a par, as I missed a straight two-footer.
Overall, the round was not great. However, I was pleased with my mental fortitude and the fact that I did not let a bad start destroy the whole round.
Score: 97
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
On the first hole, I duffed my tee shot and plunked the ball in the pond immediately in front of the tee box. My approach to the green with a sand wedge drifted under a pine tree. Those were the two worst shots en route to a quadruple-bogey. On hole #2, my tee shot went way right, into the hazard. A disastrous triple-bogey ensued. Double-bogey was the result on hole #4, a 137-yard par-3 to a green surrounded by water on three sides. I hit an 8-iron the correct distance, but pulled it left of the green, into the water. On hole #5, a simple par-4 with little danger, I could not hit any clubs correctly. I tallied yet another quad there.
Despite the horrific start, I was still in the game mentally. Usually, that kind of start is enough to send me off the deep end for the rest of a round. On the seventh hole, a 502-yard par-5, the turnaround began. I hit a straight drive into the middle of the fairway, followed by a mediocre 3-wood to the first cut on the left side of the fairway. A pitching wedge from 100 yards put me reasonably close to the hole. I missed the birdie putt, but tapped in for par. On the eighth hole, a par-3 that was playing about 160 yards, I hit my tee shot to within 10 feet of the cup. I proceeded to drain the putt for a rare birdie. I closed out the front nine with another par, leaving me with a score of 51 at the turn.
The back nine was much more consistent, as I completed it with no worse than double-bogey on any hole. One of those, which happened to come on the fourteenth hole, was particularly painful. Measuring 545 yards, this par-5 is quite a good test. I found the fairway with my drive, hit a 3-iron to the fairway, and nailed the green with a 9-iron. I had a very long putt and hit it with the perfect weight, but was about 7 feet right of the target. My next putt was decent, but it burned the edge and travelled a little too far past the hole. Sure enough, I missed the next one! I was on the green in regulation, but 4-putted for the dreaded double-bogey. This could have been a momentum killer, but I just put it out of my mind. I moved on to the next hole and closed out the round going bogey, par, bogey, bogey. The last hole should have been a par, as I missed a straight two-footer.
Overall, the round was not great. However, I was pleased with my mental fortitude and the fact that I did not let a bad start destroy the whole round.
Score: 97
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
August 03, 2008
Barely Holding on at Hornby Glen
It was Sunday of the long weekend and a great day for golf. Playing at Hornby Glen, I enjoyed the outing quite a bit, even though my game was far from spectacular.
I hit the first two greens in regulation, but 3-putted the first hole and 4-putted the second. I also 3-putted the fourth and fifth holes. The greens were absolutely eating me up! I played Hornby Glen quite a few times over the past few years, but the greens had never been this fast. Lacking any major impediments other than the occasional long rough, maybe the staff decided slicker greens was the way to go.
The speed of the greens came into play on a number of my chip attempts. I found myself short-sided quite a few times, with two options. The first option was to land the chip shot in the rough or fringe just before the green. If executed perfectly, the ball would take one bounce in the rough or fringe and decelerate just enough to finish somewhere near the hole. The second option was to fly the ball safely to the green, accepting the fact that it would probably finish somewhere past the hole. I chose the second option every time, which I still think was the right decision. I was amazed however at how far the ball rolled on the greens after landing. It was unbelievable. In some cases, I rolled right off the other side.
I did manage a couple of pars on holes six and eight, a par-5 and par-3 respectively. The drive on #6 was particularly satisfying, as it travelled about 285 yards downwind. After nine holes, I was shooting 50.
My putting got a little better on the back nine, but I still amassed a couple of 3-putts on holes twelve and eighteen. The first putt on #12 was a downhill one that kept going, and going, and going. The first one on #18 was an uphill one that was struck a tad too firm.
I played more controlled golf on the back nine, but the result was almost the same. A triple bogey thanks to a lost tee shot on hole #15 was the only real wild moment. Unfortunately, there were also no pars to be had.
I needed three consecutive bogeys to break 100, so at least I managed to salvage that. Had I added just a single more stroke, it would have been devastating.
Score: 99
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 2
Greens: 5
I hit the first two greens in regulation, but 3-putted the first hole and 4-putted the second. I also 3-putted the fourth and fifth holes. The greens were absolutely eating me up! I played Hornby Glen quite a few times over the past few years, but the greens had never been this fast. Lacking any major impediments other than the occasional long rough, maybe the staff decided slicker greens was the way to go.
The speed of the greens came into play on a number of my chip attempts. I found myself short-sided quite a few times, with two options. The first option was to land the chip shot in the rough or fringe just before the green. If executed perfectly, the ball would take one bounce in the rough or fringe and decelerate just enough to finish somewhere near the hole. The second option was to fly the ball safely to the green, accepting the fact that it would probably finish somewhere past the hole. I chose the second option every time, which I still think was the right decision. I was amazed however at how far the ball rolled on the greens after landing. It was unbelievable. In some cases, I rolled right off the other side.
I did manage a couple of pars on holes six and eight, a par-5 and par-3 respectively. The drive on #6 was particularly satisfying, as it travelled about 285 yards downwind. After nine holes, I was shooting 50.
My putting got a little better on the back nine, but I still amassed a couple of 3-putts on holes twelve and eighteen. The first putt on #12 was a downhill one that kept going, and going, and going. The first one on #18 was an uphill one that was struck a tad too firm.
I played more controlled golf on the back nine, but the result was almost the same. A triple bogey thanks to a lost tee shot on hole #15 was the only real wild moment. Unfortunately, there were also no pars to be had.
I needed three consecutive bogeys to break 100, so at least I managed to salvage that. Had I added just a single more stroke, it would have been devastating.
Score: 99
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 2
Greens: 5
July 26, 2008
Wasted Time at Angus Glen
Money wasn't the only thing I wasted at Angus Glen on Saturday. I also wasted my time. Then again, if I didn't waste it on the golf course, I'd be wasting it somewhere else, so what the hell.
Posting these results is getting to be embarrassing, so I'll keep it short:
I pulled most tee shots with the driver. Only a couple were pushed right.
I pulled a tee shot with the 3-wood en route to six over par on the tenth hole.
I pulled most approach shots with all irons. Only a couple were pushed right.
I made decent chips, with poor results.
I made decent putts, with poor results.
I made good decisions at times, but there was no reward.
I can no longer hit the 3-wood from the fairway. It used to be my best club.
I can not recover after a bad hole. You don't understand the rage.
Practice does not make perfect. Don't be gullible.
Good things do not come to those who wait.
Good guys do finish last. Always.
There is no justice. Only evil.
There is no Santa Claus. However, there are plenty of thieves, cheaters and liars.
You can't do whatever you set your mind to. However, you can be run over by a bus.
In the end, you will die and nobody will care.
Score: 111
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Posting these results is getting to be embarrassing, so I'll keep it short:
I pulled most tee shots with the driver. Only a couple were pushed right.
I pulled a tee shot with the 3-wood en route to six over par on the tenth hole.
I pulled most approach shots with all irons. Only a couple were pushed right.
I made decent chips, with poor results.
I made decent putts, with poor results.
I made good decisions at times, but there was no reward.
I can no longer hit the 3-wood from the fairway. It used to be my best club.
I can not recover after a bad hole. You don't understand the rage.
Practice does not make perfect. Don't be gullible.
Good things do not come to those who wait.
Good guys do finish last. Always.
There is no justice. Only evil.
There is no Santa Claus. However, there are plenty of thieves, cheaters and liars.
You can't do whatever you set your mind to. However, you can be run over by a bus.
In the end, you will die and nobody will care.
Score: 111
Par: 72
Putts: 38
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
July 22, 2008
Duffers' Rules Far Too Lax
I joined the Duffers' Dream Tour earlier this year and for the most part, it has been very enjoyable. The scheduling of rounds and the variety of courses suits me perfectly. In addition, organization of the league is good and the fees are reasonable. The size of the field on the weekday tour is modest, but this is okay since everyone can tee off within an hour of each other. The only thing I don't particularly like about the league are the peculiar rules it seems to employ.
The latest round at Hidden Lake really highlighted this issue. Prior to this round, I was only aware of a couple major deviations from the rules on the Duffers' Dream Tour. For balls that go out of bounds, players are allowed to take a one stroke penalty and drop a ball within two club lengths of the point where the original ball went out of bounds. Under the Rules of Golf, players would normally have to take a one stroke penalty and play a ball from the same location where the original ball was struck. The Duffers' Dream Tour also caps individual hole scores at twice the value of par. Both of these rule deviations are designed to speed up play, which is a worthy goal. They were communicated to me at the beginning of the season, so I don't really have a problem with them.
At Hidden Lake however, I became aware of a new twist. Playing the sixteenth hole on the New Course, a short par-4, one of my playing partners hit his tee shot well right of the fairway into some long fescue and trees. He then declared that he was hitting a provisional ball, which travelled well left of the fairway into more long fescue. We searched for his original ball for some time, with no luck. At that point, he declared that he would drop a ball at "point of entry" and take a one stroke penalty. He claimed that the Duffers' Dream Tour treated fescue as a lateral hazard, thereby permitting him to do this. After dropping a ball, he hit his third shot just off the green. After a chip and a putt, he marked a five on his scorecard.
This is such an abomination of the Rules of Golf, that I thought there was no way it would stand up. We brought it up to the league organizer at the end of the round and, to my absolute amazement, he let it stand. What??? According to the Rules of Golf, the player should have been hitting his fifth shot from the tee, because neither of his first two tee shots could be found. Instead, he scored five for the whole hole. That is a gift of at least three strokes, maybe more if he continued to struggle off the tee. To make matters worse, the same player used the same loophole to save strokes on another hole too. I'm sorry, but when you deviate this far from the rules, you are no longer playing golf, just a poor facsimile of it.
Even if you treat fescue as a lateral hazard (it's so ridiculous I feel silly saying it) then the player should have dropped where his second ball entered the fescue, because he declared that ball a provisional. The only way you can ignore a provisional ball is if you find the original. In this case, the player did not find the original, so he would have been laying four after his drop.
All of this was particularly annoying for two reasons. First of all, I had played five and a half rounds on the Duffers' Dream Tour without being told of this deviation from the rules. Had I known, I could have saved a few strokes myself along the way. Worse yet, at a previous round, I was denied relief from a cart path on a very harsh call. My tee shot landed in long fescue just right of the cart path. In addressing the ball, my feet were on the cart path, so I was allowed to drop the ball at the closest point of relief, no closer to the hole, with no penalty. In my estimation, the closest point of relief was the fairly tame rough on the opposite side of the cart path, but my partners insisted that the closest point of relief was backwards on the same side of the path where the fescue lay. It was extremely close and we probably needed a tape measure to settle it, but just to avoid the hassle, I played the ball where it lay. The point is, they were extremely picky in that situation. How then, do you explain the extremely lax attitude toward the situation at Hidden Lake?
In another bizarre decision, players at Hidden Lake were allowed to lift, clean, and place their balls through the green. Lift, clean, and place is allowed sometimes when a course is particularly soggy after heavy rainfall. We did have rain the day before, but the course was sufficiently dry that this was not necessary at all. In fact, it wasn't even necessary the day it actually rained. I know because I played the very same course on that day as part of the Deepwoods Tour. The kicker is that the Duffers' Dream Tour allowed players to lift, clean, and place anywhere on the course - even the rough! I have never seen this anywhere. It allows players who bury a ball in the rough to clean it off and prop it up nicely on the grass. Way too lax, is all I can say.
Bizarre rules aside, I had a pretty good round. My driving was still no good, as I was pulling everything off the tee left of target. However, my irons were decent, as was my putting.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 38
Fairways: 2
Greens: 7
The latest round at Hidden Lake really highlighted this issue. Prior to this round, I was only aware of a couple major deviations from the rules on the Duffers' Dream Tour. For balls that go out of bounds, players are allowed to take a one stroke penalty and drop a ball within two club lengths of the point where the original ball went out of bounds. Under the Rules of Golf, players would normally have to take a one stroke penalty and play a ball from the same location where the original ball was struck. The Duffers' Dream Tour also caps individual hole scores at twice the value of par. Both of these rule deviations are designed to speed up play, which is a worthy goal. They were communicated to me at the beginning of the season, so I don't really have a problem with them.
At Hidden Lake however, I became aware of a new twist. Playing the sixteenth hole on the New Course, a short par-4, one of my playing partners hit his tee shot well right of the fairway into some long fescue and trees. He then declared that he was hitting a provisional ball, which travelled well left of the fairway into more long fescue. We searched for his original ball for some time, with no luck. At that point, he declared that he would drop a ball at "point of entry" and take a one stroke penalty. He claimed that the Duffers' Dream Tour treated fescue as a lateral hazard, thereby permitting him to do this. After dropping a ball, he hit his third shot just off the green. After a chip and a putt, he marked a five on his scorecard.
This is such an abomination of the Rules of Golf, that I thought there was no way it would stand up. We brought it up to the league organizer at the end of the round and, to my absolute amazement, he let it stand. What??? According to the Rules of Golf, the player should have been hitting his fifth shot from the tee, because neither of his first two tee shots could be found. Instead, he scored five for the whole hole. That is a gift of at least three strokes, maybe more if he continued to struggle off the tee. To make matters worse, the same player used the same loophole to save strokes on another hole too. I'm sorry, but when you deviate this far from the rules, you are no longer playing golf, just a poor facsimile of it.
Even if you treat fescue as a lateral hazard (it's so ridiculous I feel silly saying it) then the player should have dropped where his second ball entered the fescue, because he declared that ball a provisional. The only way you can ignore a provisional ball is if you find the original. In this case, the player did not find the original, so he would have been laying four after his drop.
All of this was particularly annoying for two reasons. First of all, I had played five and a half rounds on the Duffers' Dream Tour without being told of this deviation from the rules. Had I known, I could have saved a few strokes myself along the way. Worse yet, at a previous round, I was denied relief from a cart path on a very harsh call. My tee shot landed in long fescue just right of the cart path. In addressing the ball, my feet were on the cart path, so I was allowed to drop the ball at the closest point of relief, no closer to the hole, with no penalty. In my estimation, the closest point of relief was the fairly tame rough on the opposite side of the cart path, but my partners insisted that the closest point of relief was backwards on the same side of the path where the fescue lay. It was extremely close and we probably needed a tape measure to settle it, but just to avoid the hassle, I played the ball where it lay. The point is, they were extremely picky in that situation. How then, do you explain the extremely lax attitude toward the situation at Hidden Lake?
In another bizarre decision, players at Hidden Lake were allowed to lift, clean, and place their balls through the green. Lift, clean, and place is allowed sometimes when a course is particularly soggy after heavy rainfall. We did have rain the day before, but the course was sufficiently dry that this was not necessary at all. In fact, it wasn't even necessary the day it actually rained. I know because I played the very same course on that day as part of the Deepwoods Tour. The kicker is that the Duffers' Dream Tour allowed players to lift, clean, and place anywhere on the course - even the rough! I have never seen this anywhere. It allows players who bury a ball in the rough to clean it off and prop it up nicely on the grass. Way too lax, is all I can say.
Bizarre rules aside, I had a pretty good round. My driving was still no good, as I was pulling everything off the tee left of target. However, my irons were decent, as was my putting.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 38
Fairways: 2
Greens: 7
July 20, 2008
Return to the New Course at Hidden Lake
Round 3 of the Deepwoods Tour went off on the New Course at Hidden Lake. My last few visits to Hidden Lake were on the Old Course, so it was nice to finally play the New Course again. In light drizzle, the first three holes went bogey, par, bogey. I hit a couple fairways and one green in that stretch, while putting was also solid.
Then the rain picked up and things got a little sketchy. I pulled my drive on hole #4, forcing me to punch a low 3-iron to get the ball back to the fairway. From 140 yards out, my 8-iron was a tad fat and I came up short. My chip also came up short, as the ball was in a very mushy area in front of the green. Putting from just off the green, I finished with a triple bogey. Even worse was the next hole, which I finished in 5 over par, thanks to two consecutive balls pulled straight off the tee.
On hole #6, a 149-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 7-iron flag high, then drained a 12-footer for birdie. Sweet! Another nice shot came on hole #7. My third shot drifted well right of the green, about 60 yards away. I hit a sand wedge over some extremely tall trees and landed pin high on the edge of the green. I made a solid two-putt to save bogey. After nine holes, I was sitting at 48. Not bad.
The tenth hole, a 383-yard par-4 was very frustrating. I hit a beautiful drive, leaving 150 yards to the pin. My 7-iron was flag high, but left of the green by about 15 yards. I had to keep the chip shot low to avoid hitting some tree branches. I was trying to land the ball in the rough about two yards before the green. That would have taken most of the speed off, allowing the ball to pop onto the green comfortably. Unfortunately, the ball carried a few yards too long, taking its first bounce on the green itself. It skidded across the entire green to the opposite rough. I then caught the next chip attempt thin, launching the ball back across the entire green. All of this led to a very unnecessary triple bogey.
On the eleventh hole, a 144-yard par-3, I hit a beautiful 8-iron to the pin, which was tucked in the extreme right portion of the green. I was in definite birdie range, but I hit the putt softly, coming up short. I settled for par. Holes twelve through fourteen were mediocre, resulting in double-bogey, bogey, and double-bogey. The double on #14 was tough to swallow, as my bogey putt was right on the money, but broke hard left at the very last second.
Holes fifteen through eighteen were very good, resulting in par, par, bogey, and par. I hit three fairways in that stretch, which set me up for decent finishes. On hole #17, my par putt barely missed, which was too bad. It would have been nice to finish with four pars in a row.
All in all, it was a good round. Despite pretty bad weather, I emerged with what I consider a respectable score.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 36
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
Then the rain picked up and things got a little sketchy. I pulled my drive on hole #4, forcing me to punch a low 3-iron to get the ball back to the fairway. From 140 yards out, my 8-iron was a tad fat and I came up short. My chip also came up short, as the ball was in a very mushy area in front of the green. Putting from just off the green, I finished with a triple bogey. Even worse was the next hole, which I finished in 5 over par, thanks to two consecutive balls pulled straight off the tee.
On hole #6, a 149-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 7-iron flag high, then drained a 12-footer for birdie. Sweet! Another nice shot came on hole #7. My third shot drifted well right of the green, about 60 yards away. I hit a sand wedge over some extremely tall trees and landed pin high on the edge of the green. I made a solid two-putt to save bogey. After nine holes, I was sitting at 48. Not bad.
The tenth hole, a 383-yard par-4 was very frustrating. I hit a beautiful drive, leaving 150 yards to the pin. My 7-iron was flag high, but left of the green by about 15 yards. I had to keep the chip shot low to avoid hitting some tree branches. I was trying to land the ball in the rough about two yards before the green. That would have taken most of the speed off, allowing the ball to pop onto the green comfortably. Unfortunately, the ball carried a few yards too long, taking its first bounce on the green itself. It skidded across the entire green to the opposite rough. I then caught the next chip attempt thin, launching the ball back across the entire green. All of this led to a very unnecessary triple bogey.
On the eleventh hole, a 144-yard par-3, I hit a beautiful 8-iron to the pin, which was tucked in the extreme right portion of the green. I was in definite birdie range, but I hit the putt softly, coming up short. I settled for par. Holes twelve through fourteen were mediocre, resulting in double-bogey, bogey, and double-bogey. The double on #14 was tough to swallow, as my bogey putt was right on the money, but broke hard left at the very last second.
Holes fifteen through eighteen were very good, resulting in par, par, bogey, and par. I hit three fairways in that stretch, which set me up for decent finishes. On hole #17, my par putt barely missed, which was too bad. It would have been nice to finish with four pars in a row.
All in all, it was a good round. Despite pretty bad weather, I emerged with what I consider a respectable score.
Score: 93
Par: 71
Putts: 36
Fairways: 6
Greens: 5
July 13, 2008
Lousy at Lionhead
If you step up to the first tee at a golf course and pull three consecutive balls into irretrievable territory, how do you expect that round to play out? Let me ask the same question in a different way. If you add six strokes to your card before you even tee up your first ball, what kind of score do you think you'll achieve?
If you need me to answer, then you're not a golfer. An idiot perhaps, but not a golfer. That's not to say that golfers can't be idiots. In fact, we may be the biggest idiots of all. Why else would we subject ourselves to this cruel sport, and pay handsomely for the privilege?
The scenario I described took place during my last round at Lionhead Golf & Country Club. It was my first visit to the club and I was playing the Masters course. After I launched the first ball into oblivion, the starter said something about taking a Mulligan. Let me be clear about something. I don't take Mulligans. I may suck as a golfer, but at least I count every stroke I take, including penalties. So thanks very much for the suggestion Mr. Starter, but no thanks.
I could go on an on describing all the terrible shots I had throughout the round, but why bother? What good would that do? I could also cherry pick the few good shots I made and talk about those, but to what end? The fact of the matter is I suck. I have a respectable round once in a blue moon, but it doesn't change the fact that I suck. I can't drive the ball consistently. I can't hit my irons regularly. My chipping and putting comes and goes. I don't have the mental strength to put bad shots behind me. Basically, I suck in every facet of the game.
I play a lot. It makes no difference. I practice. It makes no difference. I take lessons. It makes no difference. I read books, magazines, and other articles. It makes no difference. I buy better equipment. It makes no difference. I watch and listen to those who play better than I do. It makes no difference. Nothing makes a differnce. When you suck, you suck, and that's all there is to it.
So I suck, but at the end of this round I hit a new low. You see, I was playing with a friend of mine, a single-digit handicapper who I've played with many times. In all the times we had played together, I had never given him a single piece of golf advice. I never commented on his setup or swing. I never even suggested what club he should hit, or what line he should take. Why would I? It would make absolutely no sense for a single-digit handicapper to take advice from me, just like it wouldn't make sense for me to accept advice from a 30 handicapper.
For some reason though, I decided this time that I would weigh in on his birdie putt on the eighteenth hole. He had pretty much settled on a line that started the ball one cup width left of the hole. I convinced him that left edge of the cup was enough. He proceeded to hit the ball exactly on the line I suggested, and with perfect weight. Of course, the ball missed just right of the hole. His initial read turned out to be the right one. Thanks to my lousy advice, he finished with a score of 78, instead of 77.
Needless to say, that will be the first and last bit of advice I ever give him. It's bad enough that I poison my own game, there's no need for me to punish those who can actually play.
As an extra slap in the face, my average score is now over 100 for the first time in the 2008 season. It took twenty rounds, but there you go. Pathetic!
Score: 113
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
If you need me to answer, then you're not a golfer. An idiot perhaps, but not a golfer. That's not to say that golfers can't be idiots. In fact, we may be the biggest idiots of all. Why else would we subject ourselves to this cruel sport, and pay handsomely for the privilege?
The scenario I described took place during my last round at Lionhead Golf & Country Club. It was my first visit to the club and I was playing the Masters course. After I launched the first ball into oblivion, the starter said something about taking a Mulligan. Let me be clear about something. I don't take Mulligans. I may suck as a golfer, but at least I count every stroke I take, including penalties. So thanks very much for the suggestion Mr. Starter, but no thanks.
I could go on an on describing all the terrible shots I had throughout the round, but why bother? What good would that do? I could also cherry pick the few good shots I made and talk about those, but to what end? The fact of the matter is I suck. I have a respectable round once in a blue moon, but it doesn't change the fact that I suck. I can't drive the ball consistently. I can't hit my irons regularly. My chipping and putting comes and goes. I don't have the mental strength to put bad shots behind me. Basically, I suck in every facet of the game.
I play a lot. It makes no difference. I practice. It makes no difference. I take lessons. It makes no difference. I read books, magazines, and other articles. It makes no difference. I buy better equipment. It makes no difference. I watch and listen to those who play better than I do. It makes no difference. Nothing makes a differnce. When you suck, you suck, and that's all there is to it.
So I suck, but at the end of this round I hit a new low. You see, I was playing with a friend of mine, a single-digit handicapper who I've played with many times. In all the times we had played together, I had never given him a single piece of golf advice. I never commented on his setup or swing. I never even suggested what club he should hit, or what line he should take. Why would I? It would make absolutely no sense for a single-digit handicapper to take advice from me, just like it wouldn't make sense for me to accept advice from a 30 handicapper.
For some reason though, I decided this time that I would weigh in on his birdie putt on the eighteenth hole. He had pretty much settled on a line that started the ball one cup width left of the hole. I convinced him that left edge of the cup was enough. He proceeded to hit the ball exactly on the line I suggested, and with perfect weight. Of course, the ball missed just right of the hole. His initial read turned out to be the right one. Thanks to my lousy advice, he finished with a score of 78, instead of 77.
Needless to say, that will be the first and last bit of advice I ever give him. It's bad enough that I poison my own game, there's no need for me to punish those who can actually play.
As an extra slap in the face, my average score is now over 100 for the first time in the 2008 season. It took twenty rounds, but there you go. Pathetic!
Score: 113
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
July 07, 2008
Did I Mention I Love This Game?
Willow Valley
A Duffer's Dream Tour event. I had a fantastic back nine to salvage a respectable score. More later.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 10
A Duffer's Dream Tour event. I had a fantastic back nine to salvage a respectable score. More later.
Score: 92
Par: 72
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 10
July 06, 2008
Did I Mention I Hate This Game?
It's been a while since I posted anything. Time to catch up. Here are my latest rounds, most recent at the top.
Kedron Dells
Kedron Dells, you are my nemesis. I hate you with a passion. Don't get me wrong, you are a fine course. You provide a great challenge and good value. It's just that you deplete my energy and sap my spirit like no other track. Other courses are more difficult, but you know me much better than they do. You know exactly which buttons to press to knock me off my game. Your torturous tactics are seemingly infinite. When I develop a defense for one of them, you simply employ another.
In spite of your cruelty, I keep coming back. In fact, when I haven't seen you for a while, I look forward to reuniting. Why? Because I want to crush you. I want to pay you back ten-fold for the pain you've caused over the years. I want to dismantle you hole by hole, then stand victoriously over your worthless carcass. And I will. You picked the wrong guy to mess with, Kedron. You thought you were taking advantage of a hapless golfer, out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. You're going to regret that choice very soon.
Score: 115
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Bridgewater
I got robbed! You see, if I play a round of golf and collect triple-bogey or worse on only one hole, chances are I have broken 100. That's exactly what happened this time - all but the part about breaking 100. Despite limiting the blowup holes that seem to plague my game, I still did not break the century mark. The reason was that I only had a single par.
The scene of this somewhat unusual round was Bridgewater Country Club, located in Fort Erie, Ontario. It was the first time I had ever played there, but I was optimistic, since it was on the heels of a successful maiden round at Twenty Valley a week earlier. Through the first six holes, I was in a nice little groove. With one third of the round over, I was standing at six over par. Most of those were bogeys, but there was also the lone par of the day and a double-bogey mixed in. The stretch included four consecutive greens in regulation (excellent), but I 3-putt three of those (terrible).
I can't really say the wheels came off the wagon after that nice start. The next six holes, for example, included two bogeys and four double-bogeys. I was playing at a similar level, but my shots started to get a little less precise. I pulled a couple drives to opposite fairways, left a couple approach shots short of the green, had some trouble getting out of a couple of bunkers, and mis-hit a couple chip shots. Nothing was really terrible, just kind of sloppy.
The terrible moment was reserved for hole #14, a 302-yard par-4. I pulled two consecutive shots into the woods using a 3-wood. After that, I put it in the bag in favor of driver, which worked like a charm. The damage was done however, and quintuple-bogey was the result. I rounded out the round with more double bogeys and a bogey. The stretch also included more 3-putts, of which I had seven for the day. So just when I get the driver looking respectable again, my chipping and putting decides to abandon me. Alas, that is the cruelty of golf.
Score: 102
Par: 72
Putts: 41
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Twenty Valley
Twenty Valley is a new course for me, so I was looking forward to it. I started out inconsistently, alternating between pars and triple or quadruple-bogeys. The quadruple came on the second hole, with the cup located on a ridiculous part of the green. I mean just a stupid location. Four putts as a result. I settled down on the fifth hole, playing #5 through #9 in six over par. My score after nine was 48, which was respectable for a new course.
On the back nine, I managed no worse than double-bogey on any single hole, but that included just a single par. Four bogeys and four double-bogeys rounded out the other eight holes. My ball striking was OK, but as on the front nine, I could not buy a putt. Come on man, give me a break! This was a well-played round, but there is no real reward when you amass 42 putts over eighteen holes.
Overall, I guess I was happy with my score. Oh yes, the course was very nice too!
Score: 97
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
The Highlands
For God's sake, change your name back to Bradford Highlands, will you? There are fifty thousand golf courses called the Highlands throughout the world, it will do you some good to have something more unique. Geez.
I had this round all planned out, shot by shot. I have played it enough that I know all the tricky holes and where all the trouble spots are. On the first hole, for example, you don't want to be anywhere near the right side with your tee shot. I certainly wasn't, launching a drive past the tenth fairway to the left. A nice 8-iron put me to the 100-yard marker, en route to a nice bogey.
On the fourth hole, 324-yard par-4, you don't want to lose a ball to the woods on the left side. To avoid this, I played a conservative 4-iron. Well, I pulled it right into the woods, which led to a triple-bogey. On the sixth hole, a 342-yard par-4, I also hit the very hazard I had planned to avoid. This is a pond on the left side of the fairway. I actually hit it twice, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Aargh! In spite of these bad holes, I played well enough to salvage a 49 after nine holes.
The tenth and eleventh holes killed me, and they're not even hard holes. With the course marshall watching intently, I duffed a 3-wood off the tee on #10. After advancing the ball to the end of the fairway, I duffed a sand wedge in an attempt to hit the green. The end result was triple-bogey. I mis-hit a 3-wood into a creek for my second shot on #11. This too, resulted in a triple-bogey.
Then, I started playing well. I played the next six holes in five over par. Going to the last hole, a 493-yard par-5, all I needed was a triple-bogey or better to break 100. Now, I've been in this position a couple times before on this very golf course, and for some bloody reason, things haven't worked out. Well, I need someone to erase the memory of those occasions, because the very same thing happened again. Talk about mental breakdown. I totally psyched myself out. I finished with a quadruple-bogey for the lovely score of 100. Stupid, stupid stupid!
Score: 100
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Grey Silo
Round Four of the Duffer's Dream Tour took place at Grey Silo, which I had played a couple of times, but not recently. This round flat out sucked. I could not hit anything clean off the tee. It didn't matter if it was driver, 3-wood, or even 6-iron. If the ball was propped on one of those little wooden sticks, it meant I was either slicing it, pulling it, topping it, you name it. On rare occasions when I hit a fairway, it was soon followed by some other type of garbage.
Through fourteen holes, I had already amassed five triple-bogeys, which was enough to send me off the deep end. The fifteenth hole was a quadruple-bogey and the seventeenth alone was seven over par. For speed of play, the Duffer's Dream Tour limits individual hole scores to double par, so this particular hole was scored as five over. Seven over is my estimate of what I would have really scored, had I finished the hole completely.
Grey Silo is a nice course, but if you are striking the ball poorly, it will eat you up. I had nine penalty strokes due to lost balls. That means eighteen strokes just given away with no benefit. I hate that!
Score: 109
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Peninsula Lakes
Round Two of the Deepwoods Tour took place at Pen Lakes. I shot a 91 there earlier this year, so I was feeling confident. I couldn't hit a single club on the driving range, so there was a chink in that confidence. All I could do was go out on the course and see what happened.
We played the Quarry nine first. I played poorly through the first six holes, collecting three triple-bogeys along the way. All of my trouble came off the tee, whether it was a sliced driver, a topped 3-wood, or a pulled 4-iron. Fortunately, I played well over the next three holes, including two par-5 holes and one par-3. The par-3 was the ninth hole, measuring 141 yards. I managed a rare birdie there, for a 48 after nine holes.
Good play continued for the first six holes of the Hillside nine, which I played at six over par. Unfortunately, the seventh and ninth holes killed me. Both resulted in triple-bogeys. On the seventh, I pulled my second shot and it found water. After dropping a ball nearby, I launched a sand wedge over the back of the green. My chip was no good and it was followed by three putts. Yuck! Similar stupidity followed on the last hole of the day.
Score: 97
Par: 71
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
Kedron Dells
Kedron Dells, you are my nemesis. I hate you with a passion. Don't get me wrong, you are a fine course. You provide a great challenge and good value. It's just that you deplete my energy and sap my spirit like no other track. Other courses are more difficult, but you know me much better than they do. You know exactly which buttons to press to knock me off my game. Your torturous tactics are seemingly infinite. When I develop a defense for one of them, you simply employ another.
In spite of your cruelty, I keep coming back. In fact, when I haven't seen you for a while, I look forward to reuniting. Why? Because I want to crush you. I want to pay you back ten-fold for the pain you've caused over the years. I want to dismantle you hole by hole, then stand victoriously over your worthless carcass. And I will. You picked the wrong guy to mess with, Kedron. You thought you were taking advantage of a hapless golfer, out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. You're going to regret that choice very soon.
Score: 115
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 1
Bridgewater
I got robbed! You see, if I play a round of golf and collect triple-bogey or worse on only one hole, chances are I have broken 100. That's exactly what happened this time - all but the part about breaking 100. Despite limiting the blowup holes that seem to plague my game, I still did not break the century mark. The reason was that I only had a single par.
The scene of this somewhat unusual round was Bridgewater Country Club, located in Fort Erie, Ontario. It was the first time I had ever played there, but I was optimistic, since it was on the heels of a successful maiden round at Twenty Valley a week earlier. Through the first six holes, I was in a nice little groove. With one third of the round over, I was standing at six over par. Most of those were bogeys, but there was also the lone par of the day and a double-bogey mixed in. The stretch included four consecutive greens in regulation (excellent), but I 3-putt three of those (terrible).
I can't really say the wheels came off the wagon after that nice start. The next six holes, for example, included two bogeys and four double-bogeys. I was playing at a similar level, but my shots started to get a little less precise. I pulled a couple drives to opposite fairways, left a couple approach shots short of the green, had some trouble getting out of a couple of bunkers, and mis-hit a couple chip shots. Nothing was really terrible, just kind of sloppy.
The terrible moment was reserved for hole #14, a 302-yard par-4. I pulled two consecutive shots into the woods using a 3-wood. After that, I put it in the bag in favor of driver, which worked like a charm. The damage was done however, and quintuple-bogey was the result. I rounded out the round with more double bogeys and a bogey. The stretch also included more 3-putts, of which I had seven for the day. So just when I get the driver looking respectable again, my chipping and putting decides to abandon me. Alas, that is the cruelty of golf.
Score: 102
Par: 72
Putts: 41
Fairways: 5
Greens: 5
Twenty Valley
Twenty Valley is a new course for me, so I was looking forward to it. I started out inconsistently, alternating between pars and triple or quadruple-bogeys. The quadruple came on the second hole, with the cup located on a ridiculous part of the green. I mean just a stupid location. Four putts as a result. I settled down on the fifth hole, playing #5 through #9 in six over par. My score after nine was 48, which was respectable for a new course.
On the back nine, I managed no worse than double-bogey on any single hole, but that included just a single par. Four bogeys and four double-bogeys rounded out the other eight holes. My ball striking was OK, but as on the front nine, I could not buy a putt. Come on man, give me a break! This was a well-played round, but there is no real reward when you amass 42 putts over eighteen holes.
Overall, I guess I was happy with my score. Oh yes, the course was very nice too!
Score: 97
Par: 72
Putts: 42
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
The Highlands
For God's sake, change your name back to Bradford Highlands, will you? There are fifty thousand golf courses called the Highlands throughout the world, it will do you some good to have something more unique. Geez.
I had this round all planned out, shot by shot. I have played it enough that I know all the tricky holes and where all the trouble spots are. On the first hole, for example, you don't want to be anywhere near the right side with your tee shot. I certainly wasn't, launching a drive past the tenth fairway to the left. A nice 8-iron put me to the 100-yard marker, en route to a nice bogey.
On the fourth hole, 324-yard par-4, you don't want to lose a ball to the woods on the left side. To avoid this, I played a conservative 4-iron. Well, I pulled it right into the woods, which led to a triple-bogey. On the sixth hole, a 342-yard par-4, I also hit the very hazard I had planned to avoid. This is a pond on the left side of the fairway. I actually hit it twice, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Aargh! In spite of these bad holes, I played well enough to salvage a 49 after nine holes.
The tenth and eleventh holes killed me, and they're not even hard holes. With the course marshall watching intently, I duffed a 3-wood off the tee on #10. After advancing the ball to the end of the fairway, I duffed a sand wedge in an attempt to hit the green. The end result was triple-bogey. I mis-hit a 3-wood into a creek for my second shot on #11. This too, resulted in a triple-bogey.
Then, I started playing well. I played the next six holes in five over par. Going to the last hole, a 493-yard par-5, all I needed was a triple-bogey or better to break 100. Now, I've been in this position a couple times before on this very golf course, and for some bloody reason, things haven't worked out. Well, I need someone to erase the memory of those occasions, because the very same thing happened again. Talk about mental breakdown. I totally psyched myself out. I finished with a quadruple-bogey for the lovely score of 100. Stupid, stupid stupid!
Score: 100
Par: 72
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 2
Grey Silo
Round Four of the Duffer's Dream Tour took place at Grey Silo, which I had played a couple of times, but not recently. This round flat out sucked. I could not hit anything clean off the tee. It didn't matter if it was driver, 3-wood, or even 6-iron. If the ball was propped on one of those little wooden sticks, it meant I was either slicing it, pulling it, topping it, you name it. On rare occasions when I hit a fairway, it was soon followed by some other type of garbage.
Through fourteen holes, I had already amassed five triple-bogeys, which was enough to send me off the deep end. The fifteenth hole was a quadruple-bogey and the seventeenth alone was seven over par. For speed of play, the Duffer's Dream Tour limits individual hole scores to double par, so this particular hole was scored as five over. Seven over is my estimate of what I would have really scored, had I finished the hole completely.
Grey Silo is a nice course, but if you are striking the ball poorly, it will eat you up. I had nine penalty strokes due to lost balls. That means eighteen strokes just given away with no benefit. I hate that!
Score: 109
Par: 71
Putts: 37
Fairways: 4
Greens: 2
Peninsula Lakes
Round Two of the Deepwoods Tour took place at Pen Lakes. I shot a 91 there earlier this year, so I was feeling confident. I couldn't hit a single club on the driving range, so there was a chink in that confidence. All I could do was go out on the course and see what happened.
We played the Quarry nine first. I played poorly through the first six holes, collecting three triple-bogeys along the way. All of my trouble came off the tee, whether it was a sliced driver, a topped 3-wood, or a pulled 4-iron. Fortunately, I played well over the next three holes, including two par-5 holes and one par-3. The par-3 was the ninth hole, measuring 141 yards. I managed a rare birdie there, for a 48 after nine holes.
Good play continued for the first six holes of the Hillside nine, which I played at six over par. Unfortunately, the seventh and ninth holes killed me. Both resulted in triple-bogeys. On the seventh, I pulled my second shot and it found water. After dropping a ball nearby, I launched a sand wedge over the back of the green. My chip was no good and it was followed by three putts. Yuck! Similar stupidity followed on the last hole of the day.
Score: 97
Par: 71
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
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