This is another summary that I'm writing well after the round was played, so it may lack some of the more vivid details. A year after playing Coppinwood for the first time ever, I returned to play my second event of the season on the GTA Amateur Tour.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with my performance. I improved my score by twenty strokes over the previous visit to Coppinwood. What was the difference? In one word: experience.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: knowledge of a course goes an extremely long way in helping a golfer score well. Golf is a game of decisions. Do I hit driver or 3-iron off the tee? Do I go for the par-5 green in two, or do I lay up? Can I get out of the rough with a 4-iron, or do I need more loft? Do I give this putt 2 feet or 4 feet of break? How firmly do I have to hit it? Knowledge of a course helps immensely with all of these questions.
At Coppinwood, even a single round played there previously helped me make good choices. I knew what line to take off the tee to avoid hazards and other danger zones. I knew how the greens were tilted and hence, how to approach them. I knew the importance of keeping the ball below the hole. I also knew which holes called for conservative play and which ones I could get aggressive on.
The round was a little bit like my previous round at Hidden Lake. I had a few double-bogeys on the front nine, but I kept my head in the game and avoided any disaster holes. With a score of 49 at the turn, I started to play better, producing bogeys and pars. A couple of those pars were very nearly birdies, but the putts lipped out for me. Once again, I finished with a 43 on the back nine, and 92 overall.
I'll take it. That's three decent results in a row!
Score: 92
Putts: 38
Fairways: 10
Greens: 4
Penalties: 0
June 16, 2010
Comfortable on Old Course at Hidden Lake
I'm writing this well after the round was played, so forgive me if my memory is a little sketchy. My recent visits to Hidden Lake have been to the New Course, so I was glad to challenge the Old Course once again.
The front nine featured a lot of double-bogeys - six of them, to be exact. I was playing inconsistently, alternating between good shots and bad ones. On hole #1 for instance, I hit an excellent drive, straight and long. On hole #3 however, I pull-sliced one. On hole #2, a par-3, I had trouble getting up and down. On hole #4 however, which is also a par-3, I got up and down beautifully to save par.
Though I was inconsistent, I was happy that I avoided any blow-up holes - those where the result is triple-bogey or worse. My score at the turn was 49, which meant I had some work to do to salvage a good score.
On the back nine, I played very well. The driver was working fairly, as were the irons. If I have one complaint, it was the fact that I missed some greens from the middle of the fairway and inside 150 yards. You have to hit those if you want to reach the next level. My putting was not spectacular, but I got the job done.
A couple of pars on the last two holes gave me a 43 for the back nine, and 92 overall. That's a decent result - one I can build on next time out.
Score: 92
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 1
The front nine featured a lot of double-bogeys - six of them, to be exact. I was playing inconsistently, alternating between good shots and bad ones. On hole #1 for instance, I hit an excellent drive, straight and long. On hole #3 however, I pull-sliced one. On hole #2, a par-3, I had trouble getting up and down. On hole #4 however, which is also a par-3, I got up and down beautifully to save par.
Though I was inconsistent, I was happy that I avoided any blow-up holes - those where the result is triple-bogey or worse. My score at the turn was 49, which meant I had some work to do to salvage a good score.
On the back nine, I played very well. The driver was working fairly, as were the irons. If I have one complaint, it was the fact that I missed some greens from the middle of the fairway and inside 150 yards. You have to hit those if you want to reach the next level. My putting was not spectacular, but I got the job done.
A couple of pars on the last two holes gave me a 43 for the back nine, and 92 overall. That's a decent result - one I can build on next time out.
Score: 92
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 1
Almost a Legend at Sleepy Hollow
In The Legend of Sleppy Hollow, the short story by American Washington Irving, bumbling schoolmaster Ichabod Crane vies for the hand of the lovely Katrina Van Tassel. A midnight encounter with the Headless Horseman, thought to be another of Katrina's suitors in disguise, ultimately drives Crane out of town empty-handed.
My first GTA Amateur Tour event of the season unfolded like this classic tale in many ways. To begin with, it took place at the appropriately named Sleepy Hollow Country Club, a private club located in Stouffville, Ontario. I played the role of Ichabod Crane, but it was a championship I was pursuing, rather than a young lady. Other suitors for the title were many. I guess you could describe them as a veritable gang of headless horsemen.
On the opening hole, a par-4, I was just off the green after two shots. I completely duffed a chip attempt and then took three putts to register a triple-bogey. It was my only triple of the day, but the failed chip shot is one I would come to regret at the end of the day.
My play was a little choppy over the next four holes, but I managed to avoid another blowout. I just missed a birdie putt on hole #19, a short par-3, which we played as the second hole because #10 was closed for maintenance. Hole #3, a long par-3, also produced a decent result. Unfortunately, holes #2 and #4, which are both par-5 holes, were not so great. A couple of mis-hits on each led to a pair of double-bogeys.
Over the final thirteen holes, I played much more consistently. I was able to control the driver, while hitting good irons, chip shots and putts. Irons off the tee were especially good, setting me up well on par-3 holes and a short par-4. For the final thirteen holes I was ten over par, finishing with a total score of 89, my best of the year.
As I turned in my scorecard, I learned that I was in a four way tie for first place. I immediately thought of the duffed chip shot on the very first hole of the day. The four competitors who finished tied proceeded to a sudden death playoff. I was one of two players eliminated after the first playoff hole, when a 3-putt ruined my chance at victory. I had to settle for second place, earned on the basis of having the best back nine score among the runners-up.
Score: 89
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 0
My first GTA Amateur Tour event of the season unfolded like this classic tale in many ways. To begin with, it took place at the appropriately named Sleepy Hollow Country Club, a private club located in Stouffville, Ontario. I played the role of Ichabod Crane, but it was a championship I was pursuing, rather than a young lady. Other suitors for the title were many. I guess you could describe them as a veritable gang of headless horsemen.
On the opening hole, a par-4, I was just off the green after two shots. I completely duffed a chip attempt and then took three putts to register a triple-bogey. It was my only triple of the day, but the failed chip shot is one I would come to regret at the end of the day.
My play was a little choppy over the next four holes, but I managed to avoid another blowout. I just missed a birdie putt on hole #19, a short par-3, which we played as the second hole because #10 was closed for maintenance. Hole #3, a long par-3, also produced a decent result. Unfortunately, holes #2 and #4, which are both par-5 holes, were not so great. A couple of mis-hits on each led to a pair of double-bogeys.
Over the final thirteen holes, I played much more consistently. I was able to control the driver, while hitting good irons, chip shots and putts. Irons off the tee were especially good, setting me up well on par-3 holes and a short par-4. For the final thirteen holes I was ten over par, finishing with a total score of 89, my best of the year.
As I turned in my scorecard, I learned that I was in a four way tie for first place. I immediately thought of the duffed chip shot on the very first hole of the day. The four competitors who finished tied proceeded to a sudden death playoff. I was one of two players eliminated after the first playoff hole, when a 3-putt ruined my chance at victory. I had to settle for second place, earned on the basis of having the best back nine score among the runners-up.
Score: 89
Putts: 34
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 0
Indian Wells Becoming a Nemesis
Indian Wells is the new Kedron Dells, or so it seems. For those unfamiliar with my golfing history, Kedron Dells was a nemesis of mine for quite some time. It seemed like I would have a bad round every time I ventured to the Oshawa area course. Last summer, I finally got the Kedron monkey off my back.
No sooner did I rid myself of one nemesis than have another step up to take its place. The new nemesis is Indian Wells, a Burlington area course situated in the shadow of the Niagara escarpment. I have played the course in the past without incident, but recent visits have been less than pleasant.
In fact, these unfortunate experiences encouraged me to re-visit the course. I want to replace the bad memories with good ones, or perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment. Either way, I returned to Indian Wells on a cold and windy weekend.
The fact that I hit my first shot out of bounds was a very bad omen. There is a lot of room on the first hole and no need to bring out of bounds into play. Almost every shot I atempted on the first hole was a bad one, leading to a terrible score of nine. I quickly repeated the feat, scoring a nine on hole #2. My round was over practically before it started, and I knew it. I would soldier on for the remaining holes, but there was really nothing left to salvage.
I tried to focus on every shot and actually played half of the holes very well. When I found myself in trouble however, there was simply no recovery. The rough at Indian Wells has been particularly lush of late, making it highly penal to miss the fairway. On a couple of occasions, I ventured into the woods and could not easily chip out. To top it all off, I had way too many 3-putts.
Chalk it up as a learning experience and move on.
Score: 108
Putts: 39
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
No sooner did I rid myself of one nemesis than have another step up to take its place. The new nemesis is Indian Wells, a Burlington area course situated in the shadow of the Niagara escarpment. I have played the course in the past without incident, but recent visits have been less than pleasant.
In fact, these unfortunate experiences encouraged me to re-visit the course. I want to replace the bad memories with good ones, or perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment. Either way, I returned to Indian Wells on a cold and windy weekend.
The fact that I hit my first shot out of bounds was a very bad omen. There is a lot of room on the first hole and no need to bring out of bounds into play. Almost every shot I atempted on the first hole was a bad one, leading to a terrible score of nine. I quickly repeated the feat, scoring a nine on hole #2. My round was over practically before it started, and I knew it. I would soldier on for the remaining holes, but there was really nothing left to salvage.
I tried to focus on every shot and actually played half of the holes very well. When I found myself in trouble however, there was simply no recovery. The rough at Indian Wells has been particularly lush of late, making it highly penal to miss the fairway. On a couple of occasions, I ventured into the woods and could not easily chip out. To top it all off, I had way too many 3-putts.
Chalk it up as a learning experience and move on.
Score: 108
Putts: 39
Fairways: 7
Greens: 1
Penalties: 4
Successful Debut at Eagle's Nest
Owing to its stratospheric green fees, I had never played at Eagle's Nest Golf Club, though I had always heard good things about the course. On a wet weekend in May, I finally had a chance to play the Doug Carrick designed course in Maple, Ontario.
The front nine began and ended with textbook pars on a couple of par-5 holes. In each case, I hit the fairway with my tee shot, advanced the ball with a mid-iron, hit the green with a short iron, and two-putt to hole out. It makes for a boring story, but a very satisfying experience.
Between those two holes, I registered four bogeys, two doubles, and one triple. For the most part, I was hitting the ball decently. A fairway bunker on hole #2 was the cause of the triple, while an uneven fairway lie on hole #6 and a poor pitch shot on hole #7 produced the doubles.
The back nine got off to a rough start on hole #10, a par-4 measuring 383 yards. After hitting the fairway off the tee, I flared my approach shot into a massive waste bunker right of the green. I had trouble getting out, leading to a score of eight. Luckily, I bounced right back on the next hole, hitting a great approach shot to set up par.
This was followed by a pair of bogeys and two more pars, in a stretch of well controlled golf. Unfortunately, the stretch was cut short by a hazard lining the right side of hole #16. My second shot was in there and I had trouble getting out cleanly. Triple bogey ensued.
Overall, I was pleased with a score of 95 on a tough track I had never played before.
Score: 95
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 4
Penalties: 0
The front nine began and ended with textbook pars on a couple of par-5 holes. In each case, I hit the fairway with my tee shot, advanced the ball with a mid-iron, hit the green with a short iron, and two-putt to hole out. It makes for a boring story, but a very satisfying experience.
Between those two holes, I registered four bogeys, two doubles, and one triple. For the most part, I was hitting the ball decently. A fairway bunker on hole #2 was the cause of the triple, while an uneven fairway lie on hole #6 and a poor pitch shot on hole #7 produced the doubles.
The back nine got off to a rough start on hole #10, a par-4 measuring 383 yards. After hitting the fairway off the tee, I flared my approach shot into a massive waste bunker right of the green. I had trouble getting out, leading to a score of eight. Luckily, I bounced right back on the next hole, hitting a great approach shot to set up par.
This was followed by a pair of bogeys and two more pars, in a stretch of well controlled golf. Unfortunately, the stretch was cut short by a hazard lining the right side of hole #16. My second shot was in there and I had trouble getting out cleanly. Triple bogey ensued.
Overall, I was pleased with a score of 95 on a tough track I had never played before.
Score: 95
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 4
Penalties: 0
First Visit to Bond Head
On my first ever visit to Bond Head, I was eager to tackle the South Course. Considering I had never played the course before, I was relatively happy to register three bogeys and three double-bogeys through the first six holes. I was making some mistakes, but I was hanging in there.
Once again, I managed to score a birdie on hole #7, a par-5. My drive was left of the fairway, but I followed up with a good 5-wood to a position right of the fairway, about 175 yards from the flag. The next shot, using a 5-iron, was pure magic. It came off exactly as I envisioned, landing on the green and funneling toward the hole. This was followed by a lengthy downhill putt for bird. Sweet!
On the back nine, my driver and fairway woods became very erratic once again, leading to a couple of bad holes. To be honest, my putting was also quite bad. OK, it was terrible. On the positive side, my irons were working well. I am struggling to find the right swing path with the longer clubs right now. Need to fix that!
Score: 97
Putts: 44
Fairways: 2
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
Once again, I managed to score a birdie on hole #7, a par-5. My drive was left of the fairway, but I followed up with a good 5-wood to a position right of the fairway, about 175 yards from the flag. The next shot, using a 5-iron, was pure magic. It came off exactly as I envisioned, landing on the green and funneling toward the hole. This was followed by a lengthy downhill putt for bird. Sweet!
On the back nine, my driver and fairway woods became very erratic once again, leading to a couple of bad holes. To be honest, my putting was also quite bad. OK, it was terrible. On the positive side, my irons were working well. I am struggling to find the right swing path with the longer clubs right now. Need to fix that!
Score: 97
Putts: 44
Fairways: 2
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
Coming Around at Glen Cedars
I hadn't played Glen Cedars in a couple of years, so I was looking forward to it. Bad tee shots early in the round forced me to scramble often, but I didn't let the score get out of hand. Bad shots were usually followed by good ones, keeping me in the game.
A birdie on hole #7 was the turning point. A huge drive left me just 160 yards from the green on this par-5, albeit from the opposite fairway. My 8-iron had to clear some tall trees to reach the green and it just failed to do so. From 90 yards, I had the same trees to clear and this time did so with a beautiful 60 degree wedge shot. The ball stopped six feet in front of the pin and I easily drained the putt.
I was 8 over par for the last 12 holes, including that birdie and five pars. I still had a couple of bad drives, but the good ones were beginning to appear. Most of all, I felt very comfortable with short irons, such as 7-iron and above. I hit some very pure approach shots, which felt good. Putting was just average.
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 5
Penalties: 1
A birdie on hole #7 was the turning point. A huge drive left me just 160 yards from the green on this par-5, albeit from the opposite fairway. My 8-iron had to clear some tall trees to reach the green and it just failed to do so. From 90 yards, I had the same trees to clear and this time did so with a beautiful 60 degree wedge shot. The ball stopped six feet in front of the pin and I easily drained the putt.
I was 8 over par for the last 12 holes, including that birdie and five pars. I still had a couple of bad drives, but the good ones were beginning to appear. Most of all, I felt very comfortable with short irons, such as 7-iron and above. I hit some very pure approach shots, which felt good. Putting was just average.
Score: 92
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 5
Penalties: 1
Crossed Up at Crosswinds
I've had some great rounds at Crosswinds and I've had some stinkers. This was one of the latter. A lost ball on my very first shot was a bad way to start. After hitting my third from the tee, I effectively made par on the hole, but that equates to a double bogey.
Holes #2 through #4 set the tone for the rest of the day. I could not hit a shot to save my life! It didn't matter what club I was hitting either. I hooked shots with the driver, duffed others with fairway woods, and zeroed in on bunkers and trees with my irons. It was the kind of round you just want to forget.
In the greenside bunker on hole #10, I accidentally picked another ball clean, sending it somewhere into the woods behind the green. That was my cue to abandon any hope of salvaging a decent finish. I soldiered on, but it was not a fun day.
Score: 114
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 9
Holes #2 through #4 set the tone for the rest of the day. I could not hit a shot to save my life! It didn't matter what club I was hitting either. I hooked shots with the driver, duffed others with fairway woods, and zeroed in on bunkers and trees with my irons. It was the kind of round you just want to forget.
In the greenside bunker on hole #10, I accidentally picked another ball clean, sending it somewhere into the woods behind the green. That was my cue to abandon any hope of salvaging a decent finish. I soldiered on, but it was not a fun day.
Score: 114
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 3
Penalties: 9
Some Tough Moments at Saw-Whet
There were no birdies at Saw-Whet a week later; the best I could muster was a couple of pars on holes #10 and #12. Driver play was still very erratic, with many shots off the heel of the club. At times, I set up a couple inches away from the ball and it seemed to help.
Hole #9 inflated my score as I took eleven strokes to complete this par-5. In the greenside bunker after four, I proceeded to pick the ball clean and launch it out of bounds into the driving range. After a penalty stroke and a drop, of course my next attempt was hit fat. It was a giant comedy of errors.
I settled down and went 11 over par for the back nine. On hole #12, a par-3 playing 175 yards, I nearly made a hole-in-one. My tee shot rode the wind and dropped a foot in front of the pin, coming to rest about six feet left of the cup.
Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
Hole #9 inflated my score as I took eleven strokes to complete this par-5. In the greenside bunker after four, I proceeded to pick the ball clean and launch it out of bounds into the driving range. After a penalty stroke and a drop, of course my next attempt was hit fat. It was a giant comedy of errors.
I settled down and went 11 over par for the back nine. On hole #12, a par-3 playing 175 yards, I nearly made a hole-in-one. My tee shot rode the wind and dropped a foot in front of the pin, coming to rest about six feet left of the cup.
Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
Great Start at Piper's Heath
It was Easter Sunday and the golf season started out well with a birdie on the first hole at Piper's Heath. I drove the ball to the centre of the fairway, hit an 8-iron to the front of the green, then drained a long putt. Good vibes.
I pulled my drive on the second hole and topped my tee shot on the fourth, which was pretty typical for the day. Poor scores resulted on both of those holes. Though I scored better on the remaining holes, my driver and especially my fairway woods were very inconsistent.
I was 13 over par for the last 14 holes, including 5 pars. My irons were decent and my play around the greens was actually quite good. I chipped a number of shots smartly into the mounds surrounding the greens. Overall, my putting was pretty solid.
Score: 92
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
I pulled my drive on the second hole and topped my tee shot on the fourth, which was pretty typical for the day. Poor scores resulted on both of those holes. Though I scored better on the remaining holes, my driver and especially my fairway woods were very inconsistent.
I was 13 over par for the last 14 holes, including 5 pars. My irons were decent and my play around the greens was actually quite good. I chipped a number of shots smartly into the mounds surrounding the greens. Overall, my putting was pretty solid.
Score: 92
Putts: 35
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
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