May 16, 2013
Pining for Less Than a Century
I've visited Century Pines Golf Club a couple of times each of the past few seasons. Looking back at my scores for those trips, it's apparent that I haven't really performed well at the Troy, Ontario course. In fact, I haven't broken 100 there since 2010, when I tallied 93 and 97 in a pair of outings. This time out, my final score was 101. I'm disappointed any time I reach the century mark, but I'm buoyed by the fact that my game seems to be improving steadily over the early part of this season.
In recent visits to Century Pines, I flared my opening drive to an opposite fairway, mindful of the strand of trees and out-of-bounds that line the entire left side of hole #1, a straight par-5. Since that approach hasn't worked so well, I opted for a 4-iron off the tee this time. My thinking was that I could control the iron more than the driver. Even with an iron off the tee, I could likely reach the green in three shots. Worst case scenario, I could get to the green in four shots and 2-putt for bogey, which I would be delighted with. Well, I pulled my tee shot into the trees left for a lost ball. Hitting 3 from the tee, I missed the sweet spot and barely cleared a hazard that crosses 150 yards in front of the teeing ground. With a terrible lie on the opposite bank of the creek, I barely advanced the ball. I finished up the hole with a quadruple bogey. Needless to say, the first hole got me again!
Strong winds were really gusting over the front nine. I handled them well to bogey hole #2, but they contributed greatly to double-bogeys on holes #3 through #5. Instead of attacking greens with high lofted clubs, I tried punching low shots with less lofted clubs. Uncertain about how much to shorten my swing, I either came up short or bounced straight across the greens.
On hole #6, a par-4 measuring 370 yards, I punched a 5-iron under some tree branches for my second shot. It was a very smart play and well executed, as the ball stopped in the fairway just short of the green. I chipped on and 2-putt on the highly sloped green for a satisfying bogey. I hit an absolute beauty off the tee on the par-3 seventh hole. The pin was at the front of the green, about 165 yards away. Accounting for the stiff wind blowing straight into my face, I hit a full 5-iron, which is my 180-yard club. The ball flew past the hole, hitting a bit of a backstop in the middle of the green and rolling back to within 8 feet of the hole. I burned the edge on the birdie putt, but tapped in for par.
I had trouble getting out of some trees with my second shot on hole #8. In addition, I made my first and only 3-putt of the day, resulting in a triple-bogey. I followed up with a stunning drive on the par-5 ninth hole, then hit a perfect lay up, leaving 117 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, I flushed the gap wedge over the back of the green, requiring a chip and two putts to hole out for bogey. I was shooting 52 at the turn.
Holes #10 through #12 are all short par-4 holes. Hole #10 measures 306 yards, but hitting driver off the tee comes with some risk, as you can easily run through the dogleg left or get tangled with a strand of trees that protect the line straight to the green. I went with driver anyway and ran through the end of the fairway. Luckily, I avoided three large bunkers in that area. I was just 50 yards from the green, but practically duffed the approach, leaving 15 yards to go. After a good chip, I almost made the par putt. A tap-in was required for bogey.
Hole #11 measures 309 yards, and once again, driver off the tee carries some risk. I pushed mine into some trees on the right, with a distinct possibility of being lost. I hit a provisional, which was almost perfect. The ball came to rest about 5 yards right of the green and flag high. As it turned out, I found my original ball. I was forced to chip out of the trees sideways. From 85 yards away, I hit a poor shot and failed to reach the green. I was trying to play a low runner and just took too much off of the swing. I finished with double-bogey.
I started hole #12 by losing my tee ball in a hazard on the left. Hitting 3 from the tee, I hit a stunning drive to the left fairway, leaving just 65 yards to the flag. This time, I tried to loft one in there with the 60-degree wedge, but caught it thin, sending the ball over the green and behind some trees. I had to take an unplayable, which contributed to a quadruple-bogey.
I played bogey golf over the last 6 holes, including par on the par-5 fourteenth hole and a very good bogey on hole #16. I mis-hit a 3-iron off the tee, failing to even reach the fairway. Next, I hit a controlled sand wedge to lay up in the perfect spot, 135 yards away from the green. This green is surrounded by water back and right, with a creek winding across the approach area and trees left. I hit a low drawing 9-iron into the wind that curled very near the hole. I burned the edge on the par putt, but tapped in for bogey.
I was also very happy with my drive on hole #17, a par-4 measuring 440 yards. In previous visits, I was perplexed by a tree that pinches in on the left side, just 50 yards ahead of the teeing ground. This time, I started my ball right and drew it in ever so slightly, finishing up on the right side of the fairway, 180 yards from the green. Mind you, I hit the next shot fat and ultimately made double-bogey. Hole #18 played out much like #9. I hit a perfect drive, followed by a perfect layup. From 117 yards away, I flushed a gap wedge over the back of the green. I guess I hit that club a few yards longer than I think. I made a poor chip, but 2-putt for bogey.
My game is coming around. I felt a lot more in control, whether with the driver or with the irons. I'm still not happy with the "feel" shots that are less than a full swing. My putting is good, even if the lengthy putts aren't going in.
Score: 101
Putts: 36
Fairways: 4
Greens: 1
Penalties: 3
May 07, 2013
Baby Steps at Carlisle
My previous golf round started poorly, as I adjusted to playing without contact lenses. My latest round started almost as poorly, as I barely made it to the golf course for my scheduled tee time. I had played at Carlisle many times before, and always took the same route to reach the club. I decided to take a different route this time, allowing plenty of time to arrive, stretch and do some practice putting. Very near the club, I took a wrong turn and ended up scrambling to make my tee time. I was forced to tee off on the first hole without taking a single practice swing or putt.
Not surprisingly, I topped my first shot and plunked it in the water in front of the teeing ground. After re-teeing, I hit a big push-slice (cue the video above). A series of topped balls and duffs ended up producing a score of nine on the opening par-4. A 4-iron off the tee on hole #2 was also pushed to the right of this par-3. My 60-degree wedge shot clipped the uppermost branches of some high trees and dropped short of the green. A duff into a greenside bunker, along with a poor out resulted in a quadruple bogey. What a way to start!
At this stage I settled down, but any hope of a good score was already gone. I tried to focus on each hole and each shot, just to start making some progress on the season. The biggest difference from the first round of the year was my thought process. I did not think about dropping my right shoulder or allowing the club to lag during my actual swings. I thought about these things when I took a practice swing, but during my actual swing, I simply cleared my mind. My hope was that my body would remember what it had practiced a few seconds earlier and that the adjustments would be less exaggerated.
This approach seemed to work, though you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at my score. I hit a lot of push-slicing drives, but also hit a couple of good ones, mostly on the back nine. My best came on East #1, a par-5 that offers a good scoring opportunity. A straight drive of 275 yards split the fairway, leaving 235 yards to the green. I had a go with the 3-wood, but topped it badly, leaving a 140-yard approach on my third shot. Of course, I pulled the 9-iron into a bunker, then took two to get out. I finished with double-bogey.
My irons were somewhat better than they were during my first round. I didn't flare the ball nearly as much, and some of my iron shots were actually very crisp. I found the fairway off the tee on North #5 with a good 4-iron. A solid pitching wedge from the right rough surprised me on the approach to East #5. I missed the green right, but chipped on and made a putt for par. The best iron of the day was a 4-iron off the tee on East #9. This is a short par-4 at just 300 yards. It's best to leave the driver in the bag, as water comes into play on the right side. I pummeled the 4-iron very deep and straight, leaving just 80 yards to the green. I actually came up short of the green, but chipped on and made a putt for another par.
My chipping was suspect at times, just as it was in my previous round. This accounted for some lost strokes, for sure. On the other hand, my putting was excellent. I blew a couple of putts well past the hole, but made the intermediate length comebackers every time. I had zero 3-putts and four 1-putts over eighteen holes. Any time I can keep 3-putts off my scorecard, I'm pretty happy. I missed a short par putt on North #5, which was really the only bad putt I made. I lipped out a couple of longer putts, or else my putting numbers would have been even better.
In summary, I made progress by eliminating technical thoughts during my actual swings. I took baby steps toward improving my drives and slightly more significant steps toward improving my irons. I have to close my club face up a little bit, while making sure that my swing path doesn't come outside-in. My chipping needs work, as do my fairway woods and bunker shots. Don't get me started on those last two – they've plagued me for far too long now. My putting took a huge step forward, which is good. My overall score was still very poor, but at least I moved in the right direction. My goal for the next round is to keep it up!
Score: 108
Putts: 32
Fairways: 5
Greens: 0
Penalties: 3
May 02, 2013
Sorry, Mr. Hacker
My first golf round of 2012 was played in the middle of March. No such luck this year, as early spring was a little on the cold side. Fortunately, the first of May was a spectacular day. Skies were clear and the temperature was warm enough to play in shorts. I headed out to Maples of Ballantrae, which is a course I hadn't played in almost seven years. I remembered very little about the layout; all I could recall were the first two and last two holes.
Halfway to the course, I realized that I forgot to bring my contact lenses. Aargh! I don't really need them to play, but it makes it difficult to track the ball past 200 yards. If my drive is heading into the bushes, the odds of losing a ball are greater, since I can't tell exactly where the ball disappears. On the first hole, I flared a 3-iron badly off the tee into an open area right of the fairway. There were no bushes or trees nearby – just a smattering of old leaves on the ground – but I lost the ball anyway. Go figure.
The flared iron shot on hole #1 was a harbinger of things to come. I hadn't played or practised in over five months. Over the winter and early spring, all I could do was think about how to improve my swing. My attention was focused on correcting the dreaded “over the top” move. This has been the bane of my golf experience, ever since I took up the game. Previous attempts to correct this flaw proved disastrous, so I always reverted to my natural ways, which at least enabled me to get around a golf course in a semi-respectable fashion.
In my mental preparation, I thought of dropping the right shoulder at the top of the backswing, enabling the club to drop down to a flatter plane. At the same time, I thought of “pulling” on the club shaft, allowing the club to lag more than usual. This combination should produce a club path that approaches the ball from the inside, which is exactly what I want. Well, thoughts are one thing and physically executing them are another. I found that I could swing flatter by dropping the right shoulder, but in trying to maintain lag, I was keeping the club face way too open. I'm so used to flipping the wrists early, that in trying to delay that action, I over-compensated.
I played the first two holes very nervously. After the long layoff, everything felt foreign to me. To make matters worse, I was holding up a pair of players behind me, even though I was playing as a single. Pretty embarrassing. I triple-bogeyed the opening hole and registered a score of 13 on the par-5 second hole. That included a lost ball in a creek fronting the teeing ground and two balls sliced out of bounds. Beginning with hole #3, I put some distance between myself and the pair behind as my comfort level increased. Still, I was making double and triple-bogeys, owing to shots hit thin or topped, duffed chips and 3-putts. Somehow I managed to par hole #9.
On the back nine, I was held up at every hole by a threesome ahead of me. Common courtesy is to allow a single in that situation to play through, but I had no such luck. On a few occasions, I reached the teeing ground of a hole while the threesome was still teeing off. Still, the trio didn't even offer to have me join. No worries, as I ended up sending them a message, albeit somewhat inadvertently, on hole #17.
Hole #17 is the hardest hole on the course, in my opinion, but ranked officially as the #2 handicap. It is a par-4, stretching a healthy 453 yards. The fairway is of average width, but doglegs slightly to the left and is entirely bordered on both sides by thick, mature trees. I had not hit a single fairway all day, but that finally changed. After practising my “swing from the inside” move a couple of times, I unleashed what has to rank as one of my best drives ever. Contact was right on the sweet spot. The ball started right of centre, then drew ever so slightly, following the contour of the fairway perfectly. I knew I hit it a mile deep to the centre of the fairway, but didn't know the exact distance, as I lost sight of the ball without my contact lenses.
When I struck the drive, I thought there was no chance of reaching the threesome that was ahead in the fairway. Still, if I managed to roll one up behind them, I didn't think that would be such a bad thing. I drove up to the 200-yard marker (which is where a 250-yard drive would have ended up) and looked for my ball – nothing. Then I looked further ahead and one of the guys in the threesome was looking at me with hands outstretched, as if to say, “What the hell are you doing?” He gestured a few yards in front of where he stood, indicating the location of my ball. “Sorry about that,” I said. "No, I'm not," I thought to myself, just like the guy at 0:16 in the video above. LOL. The ball had travelled 320 yards, leaving just 133 yards to the green. Bang!
I followed up my best drive of the day with my best approach shot. Pitching wedge was all I needed to reach my first green in regulation. From 18 feet, I left my first putt 6 feet short – terrible! Of course, I missed the par putt and settled for bogey. The “green in regulation, followed by a 3-putt” is one of those classic golf disappointments. It seems to happen so often!
Oh well. My final score was horrible, but I still had some fun. Onward and upward!
Score: 116
Putts: 38
Fairways: 1
Greens: 1
Penalties: 10
November 25, 2012
2012: Year in Review
I woke up this morning and looked out the window to find that the rooftops nearby were lightly dusted with snow. That's a sure sign that golf season is finished here in southern Ontario, so let's take a look back at the year that was.
In many ways, the season transpired like the one that preceded it. I played a total of 30 golf rounds, compared to 31 the year before. The rounds this year took place over 30 separate outings, while last year's total took place over just 27 outings. That's because I played 36 holes on two occasions last year, plus a remarkable 54 holes on another. Those particular outings came on “all you can play” days at Westview Golf Club, which I failed to play even once this year. Whether you look at rounds played or at outings, I've played much less over the past two years than I did from 2006-2010. During that time, I averaged 47 rounds per year. The reduced playing time is perhaps the main reason my skill level has dropped significantly.
Once again, I did not play much competitive golf this season. Years past included stints on various tours, including the GTA Amateur Tour, but there was none of that this season. For the second year in a row, the only competitive golf I played was with the Deepwoods Golf Association. My second best score of the year (94) came in the Deepwoods opener at Copetown Woods, but in reality, this was one of the most disappointing rounds of the season. That's because I was on pace to challenge my personal best of 81, but collapsed in epic fashion late in the round. To put it in perspective, consider this: I was just 5 over par through 14 holes, then went 17 over on the last four holes! I had a decent score of 95 in Round Two at Peninsula Lakes, but my point total with the modified Stableford system was nothing special. I struggled over the final three rounds, registering scores of 103, 103, and 102. When all was said and done, I finished the season in the middle of the pack, well behind the leaders.
As I try to do every year, I managed to find a couple of new courses to play in 2012. In June, I visited Victoria Park East for the first time, and was happy to finish below the century mark with a score of 99. I enjoyed the course enough to return in August, when I registered my best score of the season (93). I also broke the century mark on my debut visit to Tarandowah, scoring 98 despite a terrible start. The course was fine, but in retrospect probably not worth the lengthy drive to get there.
I didn't play any other new courses, but did return to a few that I had played sparingly in the past. In March, I returned to Tangle Creek for my second ever visit after a 6-year hiatus. I had a pretty good round for that early in the season, but there were just enough mistakes that led to a score of 100 even. I returned to Tangle Creek later in the season and fared better with a score of 95. My second ever visit to Royal Ashburn, albeit just a year after my debut, also produced a score of 100. Other courses that hosted my second ever visit in 2012 were Horseshoe Resort (Highlands Course), Bond Head (South Course), and Turnberry. The result at Bond Head (115) was easily my worst of the season. Wind on the front nine absolutely ate me up, as did the much-contoured greens. I played well on the back nine, but it was too little, too late.
The course I played most in 2012 was King's Forest, with a total of three visits. The second of these was the most successful (97), while the remaining results left something to be desired (102, 104). Like a lot of my rounds, I had long stretches of good golf, but a few blowup holes destroyed my scores. Nevertheless, King's Forest was always enjoyable, as I quite like the routing, layout and overall design. The courses that I played twice this year were: Century Pines, Tangle Creek, Granite Ridge, Lowville, Victoria Park East, Hidden Lake (Old Course), and The Highlands.
In terms of performance, my game slipped even further than it did last year. My handicap factor shot up from 17.4 at the start of the season all the way to 22.2 by the end. What a huge disappointment! Golf is a struggle to improve, so you never want to give up ground that you worked so hard to attain. At one time, my handicap factor was as low as 15.7, so I've given up quite a bit of ground indeed.
My average score this year (not counting the final round at Turnberry) was 101.4 – in other words, pretty pathetic. Of 29 rounds played (again, not counting Turnberry), just 11 (or 37.9%) were below the century mark. For me, anything below 100 is adequate, while anything at or above that level just doesn't cut it. I scored 100 even on three occasions, but even if I were to consider those rounds satisfactory, I was adequate just 48.3% of the time.
Delving further into my stats, I averaged 35.3 putts per round. I hit 30.8% of fairways and 15.9% of greens in regulation. I also averaged 3.8 penalty strokes per round. The putting numbers are not at all surprising. In a typical round, I have a large number of 2-putts, accompanied by as many 3-putts as there are 1-putts. Some of the 3-putts are not terrible – for example, when I reach a green in regulation, but have 100 feet remaining to the cup and finish with a bogey. The real problem is that some of those 2-putts should be 1-putts. Typically, these come after mediocre or poor chip shots. I really have to improve my chipping so that I get up-and-down a lot more often.
The percentage of fairways hit doesn't concern me so much. Often times, I hit a good drive that is just a yard or two into the rough. Those fairways are officially missed, but with most rough that I play, those drives are just as good as a fairway hit. What concerns me more is the low percentage of greens in regulation. All season long, I made inadequate approach shots into greens. Many of these came from the fairway, or from tame rough, with an unobstructed path to the target. Distance is not even the issue. I missed so many greens from 50-150 yards away that it's not even funny. How I manage to miss a green with a wedge in my hands is beyond me. Sometimes, I hook the ball slightly. Other times, I duff the ball completely, hitting a very fat shot that dribbles a few yards ahead. Those are wasted shots!
At this stage in my golf career, I really have to address the fundamental flaws with my swing. For a while, I improved merely by managing my game better. However, this will only take you so far. You could make all the right decisions, but if your swing is fundamentally flawed, you're not going to score well. The problem with my swing is that it varies so much. If I'm swinging over the top, or with an outside-in swing path, I can pretty easily make an adjustment. Unfortunately, I usually over-do the correction. Soon after addressing an outside-in move, I will find myself coming too far from the inside. Thus, I find myself oscillating back and forth wildly. Sometimes, I find something that seems to help with a particular shot. It may be shortening my backswing, weakening my grip, hinging more at the wrists, or focusing on my weight shift. Whatever it is, it lasts for a certain amount of time, before a new problem seems to emerge. Often, the very adjustment that previously helped is now the culprit, because I've gradually taken it too far. Without practice, it's hard to be consistent.
I'm not giving up – that's never been in my makeup – but the truth is, my golf game faces a serious challenge right now. I have to take the disappointments of this year and use them as fuel for next season. I am going to work on fundamentals over the winter and come back strong next spring. My immediate goal is to start shooting in the eighties once again and to never shoot 100 or more again...EVER!
In many ways, the season transpired like the one that preceded it. I played a total of 30 golf rounds, compared to 31 the year before. The rounds this year took place over 30 separate outings, while last year's total took place over just 27 outings. That's because I played 36 holes on two occasions last year, plus a remarkable 54 holes on another. Those particular outings came on “all you can play” days at Westview Golf Club, which I failed to play even once this year. Whether you look at rounds played or at outings, I've played much less over the past two years than I did from 2006-2010. During that time, I averaged 47 rounds per year. The reduced playing time is perhaps the main reason my skill level has dropped significantly.
Once again, I did not play much competitive golf this season. Years past included stints on various tours, including the GTA Amateur Tour, but there was none of that this season. For the second year in a row, the only competitive golf I played was with the Deepwoods Golf Association. My second best score of the year (94) came in the Deepwoods opener at Copetown Woods, but in reality, this was one of the most disappointing rounds of the season. That's because I was on pace to challenge my personal best of 81, but collapsed in epic fashion late in the round. To put it in perspective, consider this: I was just 5 over par through 14 holes, then went 17 over on the last four holes! I had a decent score of 95 in Round Two at Peninsula Lakes, but my point total with the modified Stableford system was nothing special. I struggled over the final three rounds, registering scores of 103, 103, and 102. When all was said and done, I finished the season in the middle of the pack, well behind the leaders.
As I try to do every year, I managed to find a couple of new courses to play in 2012. In June, I visited Victoria Park East for the first time, and was happy to finish below the century mark with a score of 99. I enjoyed the course enough to return in August, when I registered my best score of the season (93). I also broke the century mark on my debut visit to Tarandowah, scoring 98 despite a terrible start. The course was fine, but in retrospect probably not worth the lengthy drive to get there.
I didn't play any other new courses, but did return to a few that I had played sparingly in the past. In March, I returned to Tangle Creek for my second ever visit after a 6-year hiatus. I had a pretty good round for that early in the season, but there were just enough mistakes that led to a score of 100 even. I returned to Tangle Creek later in the season and fared better with a score of 95. My second ever visit to Royal Ashburn, albeit just a year after my debut, also produced a score of 100. Other courses that hosted my second ever visit in 2012 were Horseshoe Resort (Highlands Course), Bond Head (South Course), and Turnberry. The result at Bond Head (115) was easily my worst of the season. Wind on the front nine absolutely ate me up, as did the much-contoured greens. I played well on the back nine, but it was too little, too late.
The course I played most in 2012 was King's Forest, with a total of three visits. The second of these was the most successful (97), while the remaining results left something to be desired (102, 104). Like a lot of my rounds, I had long stretches of good golf, but a few blowup holes destroyed my scores. Nevertheless, King's Forest was always enjoyable, as I quite like the routing, layout and overall design. The courses that I played twice this year were: Century Pines, Tangle Creek, Granite Ridge, Lowville, Victoria Park East, Hidden Lake (Old Course), and The Highlands.
In terms of performance, my game slipped even further than it did last year. My handicap factor shot up from 17.4 at the start of the season all the way to 22.2 by the end. What a huge disappointment! Golf is a struggle to improve, so you never want to give up ground that you worked so hard to attain. At one time, my handicap factor was as low as 15.7, so I've given up quite a bit of ground indeed.
My average score this year (not counting the final round at Turnberry) was 101.4 – in other words, pretty pathetic. Of 29 rounds played (again, not counting Turnberry), just 11 (or 37.9%) were below the century mark. For me, anything below 100 is adequate, while anything at or above that level just doesn't cut it. I scored 100 even on three occasions, but even if I were to consider those rounds satisfactory, I was adequate just 48.3% of the time.
Delving further into my stats, I averaged 35.3 putts per round. I hit 30.8% of fairways and 15.9% of greens in regulation. I also averaged 3.8 penalty strokes per round. The putting numbers are not at all surprising. In a typical round, I have a large number of 2-putts, accompanied by as many 3-putts as there are 1-putts. Some of the 3-putts are not terrible – for example, when I reach a green in regulation, but have 100 feet remaining to the cup and finish with a bogey. The real problem is that some of those 2-putts should be 1-putts. Typically, these come after mediocre or poor chip shots. I really have to improve my chipping so that I get up-and-down a lot more often.
The percentage of fairways hit doesn't concern me so much. Often times, I hit a good drive that is just a yard or two into the rough. Those fairways are officially missed, but with most rough that I play, those drives are just as good as a fairway hit. What concerns me more is the low percentage of greens in regulation. All season long, I made inadequate approach shots into greens. Many of these came from the fairway, or from tame rough, with an unobstructed path to the target. Distance is not even the issue. I missed so many greens from 50-150 yards away that it's not even funny. How I manage to miss a green with a wedge in my hands is beyond me. Sometimes, I hook the ball slightly. Other times, I duff the ball completely, hitting a very fat shot that dribbles a few yards ahead. Those are wasted shots!
At this stage in my golf career, I really have to address the fundamental flaws with my swing. For a while, I improved merely by managing my game better. However, this will only take you so far. You could make all the right decisions, but if your swing is fundamentally flawed, you're not going to score well. The problem with my swing is that it varies so much. If I'm swinging over the top, or with an outside-in swing path, I can pretty easily make an adjustment. Unfortunately, I usually over-do the correction. Soon after addressing an outside-in move, I will find myself coming too far from the inside. Thus, I find myself oscillating back and forth wildly. Sometimes, I find something that seems to help with a particular shot. It may be shortening my backswing, weakening my grip, hinging more at the wrists, or focusing on my weight shift. Whatever it is, it lasts for a certain amount of time, before a new problem seems to emerge. Often, the very adjustment that previously helped is now the culprit, because I've gradually taken it too far. Without practice, it's hard to be consistent.
I'm not giving up – that's never been in my makeup – but the truth is, my golf game faces a serious challenge right now. I have to take the disappointments of this year and use them as fuel for next season. I am going to work on fundamentals over the winter and come back strong next spring. My immediate goal is to start shooting in the eighties once again and to never shoot 100 or more again...EVER!
November 23, 2012
Turnberry Treat
The treat, in this case, was simply the fact that I was able to get out and play some golf. It was just a day after my last round at Hidden Lake, but days like this are rare for late November. The venue was Turnberry, a par-3 course that I played once before. I prefer to play a full-length course, but the round was booked at the last minute and choices were slim. I thought quite highly of Turnberry after my first visit, but this time around, I found it merely satisfactory. I guess some of the novelty has worn off.
Turnberry begins and ends with par-4 holes, both of which are quite challenging. I like courses that ease you into things with a couple of easier holes, so I found the opener pretty stiff. I pulled my drive way left, into a fescue-covered dune. I recovered well to get back to the fairway, but then mis-hit a 4-iron into the fescue once again. It took five shots to reach the green and I 2-putt for a triple-bogey.
I closed out the opening nine averaging bogey golf. In addition to six bogeys, I registered one double-bogey and a par. This being a par-3 course, it's all about hitting greens. I hit very few of them – just one in fact. That came on hole #4, a straightaway affair measuring just 103 yards. I duffed the tee shot on an even shorter hole, but most of the time, I simply had a little too much draw to my iron shots. This usually put me left of the green trying to get up and down for a par.
I made a couple of nice chip shots, including one that helped save bogey on hole #3, but the rest were just mediocre. As a result, I had a lot of 2-putts for bogey. My best chip shot may have been on hole #9, a good distance from the flag. I landed softly on the green, allowing the ball to release slightly. It caught a slope at the perfect pace and settled very near the cup. Unfortunately, I missed the par putt from inside three feet.
Things started poorly on the back nine, when I missed two putts from within 3 feet on hole #10. A nice chip left me in good position to earn par, but the miscues with the flat stick turned that into a double-bogey. Putting woes also cost me on hole #13, which measures just 125 yards. On the green in two, I proceeded to 4-putt for a disastrous triple-bogey. Now, this particular green is rather extreme, featuring a very deep gulley that crosses through the middle. On this occasion, the cup happened to be located right in the gulley, at the extreme left. Still, I should not have had so much trouble.
The rest of the way, I was pressing to earn some of these lost strokes back. The fescue left of the green barely snagged my ball on hole #14, but that was enough to produce a double-bogey. I had a decent chance to save bogey, but my putt burned the edge of the cup. I made par on hole #15, thanks to an excellent 7-iron off the tee. With the flag at the back of the green and a solid wind in my face, club selection was paramount. It ended up being the only green I hit in regulation on the back nine.
With holes running out, I pressed a little too much and finished with a pair of double-bogeys. Overall, I felt like my irons were a little suspect, but I was hanging in nicely. My chip shots were mostly good, but the exceptions were costly. Finally, I felt like my putting let me down. I only made one putt of significant length, while I missed three or four that should have been gimmes.
Score: 80
Putts: 39
Fairways: 1 (out of 2)
Greens: 2
Penalties: 0
Turnberry begins and ends with par-4 holes, both of which are quite challenging. I like courses that ease you into things with a couple of easier holes, so I found the opener pretty stiff. I pulled my drive way left, into a fescue-covered dune. I recovered well to get back to the fairway, but then mis-hit a 4-iron into the fescue once again. It took five shots to reach the green and I 2-putt for a triple-bogey.
I closed out the opening nine averaging bogey golf. In addition to six bogeys, I registered one double-bogey and a par. This being a par-3 course, it's all about hitting greens. I hit very few of them – just one in fact. That came on hole #4, a straightaway affair measuring just 103 yards. I duffed the tee shot on an even shorter hole, but most of the time, I simply had a little too much draw to my iron shots. This usually put me left of the green trying to get up and down for a par.
I made a couple of nice chip shots, including one that helped save bogey on hole #3, but the rest were just mediocre. As a result, I had a lot of 2-putts for bogey. My best chip shot may have been on hole #9, a good distance from the flag. I landed softly on the green, allowing the ball to release slightly. It caught a slope at the perfect pace and settled very near the cup. Unfortunately, I missed the par putt from inside three feet.
Things started poorly on the back nine, when I missed two putts from within 3 feet on hole #10. A nice chip left me in good position to earn par, but the miscues with the flat stick turned that into a double-bogey. Putting woes also cost me on hole #13, which measures just 125 yards. On the green in two, I proceeded to 4-putt for a disastrous triple-bogey. Now, this particular green is rather extreme, featuring a very deep gulley that crosses through the middle. On this occasion, the cup happened to be located right in the gulley, at the extreme left. Still, I should not have had so much trouble.
The rest of the way, I was pressing to earn some of these lost strokes back. The fescue left of the green barely snagged my ball on hole #14, but that was enough to produce a double-bogey. I had a decent chance to save bogey, but my putt burned the edge of the cup. I made par on hole #15, thanks to an excellent 7-iron off the tee. With the flag at the back of the green and a solid wind in my face, club selection was paramount. It ended up being the only green I hit in regulation on the back nine.
With holes running out, I pressed a little too much and finished with a pair of double-bogeys. Overall, I felt like my irons were a little suspect, but I was hanging in nicely. My chip shots were mostly good, but the exceptions were costly. Finally, I felt like my putting let me down. I only made one putt of significant length, while I missed three or four that should have been gimmes.
Score: 80
Putts: 39
Fairways: 1 (out of 2)
Greens: 2
Penalties: 0
Close, But No Cigar at Hidden Lake
We were gifted with a couple of warmer than usual days and clear skies, so I jumped on the chance to play some golf. I returned to the Old Course at Hidden Lake, where a late-round collapse ruined a previous visit earlier this year. My tee time was a little earlier than ideal, which meant the first hole was played before all the fog had lifted. Once it was gone, the rest of the round was played under ideal conditions.
Beginning on the back nine, I struggled to a double-bogey on hole #10. It had been a long time since I hit any balls, so I needed a few strokes to get loose and regain the proper feel. By hole #11, I was feeling better and started with a 280-yard bomb off the tee. I was a yard into the right rough, but it was fairly tame and my path to the flag was unobstructed. I missed the green from 100 yards, finishing with a chip and two putts for bogey.
Hole #12, a par-4, demonstrates how strokes can quickly add up to ruin a score. I hit my drive a fair distance and about a yard into the left rough. I had some trees to my left, but I could go straight at the flag. Unfortunately, I pushed a shot with the pitching wedge, coming dangerously close to out of bounds. I had one of those brutal lies, where the ball is lying in a tangled mess of weeds, twigs, grass, etc. I barely hacked it out, then failed to clear a bunker between me and the green. It ultimately took five strokes to get on the putting surface, leading to a triple-bogey.
The next four holes were fabulous. I pounded a straight, 260-yard drive on hole #13, but failed to hit the green on this par-4 from just 90 yards away. My chip was not that great either, leading to two putts and a bogey. On hole #14, a par-3 perched on the side of a hill, I hit a sweet 9-iron off the tee. I hit it so pure, that I actually carried the green by about five yards. No worries, as I made a beautiful chip and solid putt for the up-and-down par. On hole #15, a par-5, I started out with a good drive to the right fairway, followed by a 3-iron that left me just 50 yards from the flag. I made a good pitch, followed by two putts for another par. Hole #16 also produced par, though it was more of a scramble. My drive was pulled left of target. I punched a 5-iron under some tree branches toward the green, but my ball skidded about 5 yards off the back. My chip was good, but with the green falling away from me, my ball ended up quite a distance from the cup. No worries, as I drained the long, uphill putt.
Hole #17, a par-4 perched at the top of the hill overlooking Lake Medad, was the one that killed me. It all started with the position of the tee blocks. I was playing the blue tees, which on this day were set up at the extreme left of a chute through which your tee shot must travel. The trees on the left side were incredibly close, just a few yards ahead of the teeing area. Starting the ball right is scary, because the fairway slopes to the right, where a massive waste bunker catches many balls. I tried to hit one straight, but pulled it directly into the trees on the left. I found my ball under a spruce tree. It was all I could do to hack it out to an opening that was covered in weeds. From there, all I could do was chip out to a small flat area in front of the forward tees. With a bad lie and a small target, I carried the ball about two yards too far. It ended up under a log. I was forced to declare the ball unplayable and took a drop a few yards behind that location. I was lying four and was still on the forward teeing ground. A pair of shaky iron shots put me right of the green. Next, I duffed a pitch, failed to carry a bunker, then splashed out to reach the green. Two putts ended the misery with a score of eleven.
To my credit, I regrouped quickly. I made a great chip shot and putt for an up-and-down par on hole #18. On hole #1, I hit another 280-yard drive straight down the middle. Disturbingly, I once again failed to hit the green from just 80 yards. The penalty wasn't too severe, as I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Another up-and-down salvaged bogey on hole #2, a short par-3. I found the green in regulation on hole #3, but a 3-putt led to another bogey. The green was covered in sand, which made reading the speed of putts very difficult. I also hit the green on hole #4, a medium length par-3. This time, I read the putts well, earning a par.
Triple-bogey was the result on hole #5, and I really deserved better. This is a par-5 measuring 498 yards. I hit a perfect drive on this dog-leg left, skirting the trees on the inside of the dog-leg to end up in the middle of the fairway, just 210 yards from the green. Next, I hit a pretty good 3-iron, but it found a bunker short and right of the green. It was a fairly long bunker shot, but the problem was that I inadvertently picked the ball clean, sending it 50 yards or more past the green. The area is covered in fescue, so the ball was lost. After a penalty, my next attempt from the bunker was better, ending up just left of the green. I was pretty far from the flag, so it took another chip and two putts to finish things up. Really, one bad bunker shot turned a potential birdie into a triple!
I played bogey golf the rest of the way, including a fabulous up-and-down from 50 yards away on hole #8, a long par-3. I finished with a score of 95, which is okay, but if not for the fiasco on hole #17, this would have been a round of 90. Still, I was pleased to register six pars on the day.
Score: 95
Putts: 33
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
Beginning on the back nine, I struggled to a double-bogey on hole #10. It had been a long time since I hit any balls, so I needed a few strokes to get loose and regain the proper feel. By hole #11, I was feeling better and started with a 280-yard bomb off the tee. I was a yard into the right rough, but it was fairly tame and my path to the flag was unobstructed. I missed the green from 100 yards, finishing with a chip and two putts for bogey.
Hole #12, a par-4, demonstrates how strokes can quickly add up to ruin a score. I hit my drive a fair distance and about a yard into the left rough. I had some trees to my left, but I could go straight at the flag. Unfortunately, I pushed a shot with the pitching wedge, coming dangerously close to out of bounds. I had one of those brutal lies, where the ball is lying in a tangled mess of weeds, twigs, grass, etc. I barely hacked it out, then failed to clear a bunker between me and the green. It ultimately took five strokes to get on the putting surface, leading to a triple-bogey.
The next four holes were fabulous. I pounded a straight, 260-yard drive on hole #13, but failed to hit the green on this par-4 from just 90 yards away. My chip was not that great either, leading to two putts and a bogey. On hole #14, a par-3 perched on the side of a hill, I hit a sweet 9-iron off the tee. I hit it so pure, that I actually carried the green by about five yards. No worries, as I made a beautiful chip and solid putt for the up-and-down par. On hole #15, a par-5, I started out with a good drive to the right fairway, followed by a 3-iron that left me just 50 yards from the flag. I made a good pitch, followed by two putts for another par. Hole #16 also produced par, though it was more of a scramble. My drive was pulled left of target. I punched a 5-iron under some tree branches toward the green, but my ball skidded about 5 yards off the back. My chip was good, but with the green falling away from me, my ball ended up quite a distance from the cup. No worries, as I drained the long, uphill putt.
Hole #17, a par-4 perched at the top of the hill overlooking Lake Medad, was the one that killed me. It all started with the position of the tee blocks. I was playing the blue tees, which on this day were set up at the extreme left of a chute through which your tee shot must travel. The trees on the left side were incredibly close, just a few yards ahead of the teeing area. Starting the ball right is scary, because the fairway slopes to the right, where a massive waste bunker catches many balls. I tried to hit one straight, but pulled it directly into the trees on the left. I found my ball under a spruce tree. It was all I could do to hack it out to an opening that was covered in weeds. From there, all I could do was chip out to a small flat area in front of the forward tees. With a bad lie and a small target, I carried the ball about two yards too far. It ended up under a log. I was forced to declare the ball unplayable and took a drop a few yards behind that location. I was lying four and was still on the forward teeing ground. A pair of shaky iron shots put me right of the green. Next, I duffed a pitch, failed to carry a bunker, then splashed out to reach the green. Two putts ended the misery with a score of eleven.
To my credit, I regrouped quickly. I made a great chip shot and putt for an up-and-down par on hole #18. On hole #1, I hit another 280-yard drive straight down the middle. Disturbingly, I once again failed to hit the green from just 80 yards. The penalty wasn't too severe, as I chipped on and 2-putt for bogey. Another up-and-down salvaged bogey on hole #2, a short par-3. I found the green in regulation on hole #3, but a 3-putt led to another bogey. The green was covered in sand, which made reading the speed of putts very difficult. I also hit the green on hole #4, a medium length par-3. This time, I read the putts well, earning a par.
Triple-bogey was the result on hole #5, and I really deserved better. This is a par-5 measuring 498 yards. I hit a perfect drive on this dog-leg left, skirting the trees on the inside of the dog-leg to end up in the middle of the fairway, just 210 yards from the green. Next, I hit a pretty good 3-iron, but it found a bunker short and right of the green. It was a fairly long bunker shot, but the problem was that I inadvertently picked the ball clean, sending it 50 yards or more past the green. The area is covered in fescue, so the ball was lost. After a penalty, my next attempt from the bunker was better, ending up just left of the green. I was pretty far from the flag, so it took another chip and two putts to finish things up. Really, one bad bunker shot turned a potential birdie into a triple!
I played bogey golf the rest of the way, including a fabulous up-and-down from 50 yards away on hole #8, a long par-3. I finished with a score of 95, which is okay, but if not for the fiasco on hole #17, this would have been a round of 90. Still, I was pleased to register six pars on the day.
Score: 95
Putts: 33
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
November 13, 2012
Last Hurrah at King's Forest
My last two rounds of golf were quite satisfactory, so with the weather getting too cold to play, I was content to let the season end on something of a high note. However, an uncharacteristically warm day proved to be too tempting. I snagged a perfect tee time at King's Forest – a course I've come to like quite a bit over the past couple of years.
For the first seven holes, it looked like a smart decision. I collected two pars and five bogeys primarily by staying out of trouble. I hit a good drive on hole #1 and a rocket on hole #2, leaving just 100 yards to the flag from the middle of the fairway. A 3-iron off the tee on the short hole #3 was hit off centre, but I was still in the middle of the fairway, 160 yards from the flag. The driver served me well on hole #4, a par-5, while the 3-iron came around with a pretty good tee shot on hole #5, a long par-3.
I played safely, not only from the tee, but also on approach shots. I took a cluster of trees fronting the right side of the first green out of play by laying up to the left, 30 yards short. I avoided woods that pinch the left side of the sixth fairway by taking quite a bit off my swing and aiming right. When I needed a chip shot, I focused simply on making the greens. This avoided any duffs or sculled shots. My putting was solid, as I 2-putt all holes, except for one that required three strokes from distance after hitting the green in regulation.
The turning point came on the tee of hole #8. This is not a difficult hole, a straightaway par-4 measuring just 358 yards. I opted for driver and topped the ball badly, dribbling into the bush just below the slightly elevated tee. I was forced to take a penalty and hit my third off the tee once again. I smacked a beautiful drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving 100 yards to the flag. I was proud of myself for following up a terrible shot with a great one. The feeling didn't last long, however, as I completely duffed my next two shots. With my sixth shot, I finally reached the green, then 2-putt for a momentum shattering score of eight.
Though I felt like I put the hole behind me immediately, I hit a badly pulled drive off the very next tee. A sideways chip to the fairway was followed by a weak approach that came up short. After a medium length pitch shot, I 3-putt for a triple-bogey. Through seven holes, my score was a very nice 33. After just two more holes, I was at 48. Ugh!
Still, I was comfortably on pace to break 100, so I pressed on. I made bogey on hole #10 before entering the hardest stretch of the course. Holes #11 through #13 didn't destroy me completely (that would happen on the very tame hole #14), but they definitely put a chink in my armour. On #11, I flared my first tee shot right, but less so than one of my playing partners. The area was full of leaves and while I managed to find my partner's ball, I did not find my own. Typical. I was forced to continue with the provisional I had played earlier, and finished the hole with a triple-bogey as a result.
I mis-hit a 3-iron off the tee on hole #12, but it put me in a position to hit a 9-iron, gap wedge to about a yard or two off the back left of the green. A chip and 2-putt produced a double-bogey. A perfect 4-iron off the tee on hole #13 was followed by an 8-iron to a greenside bunker. I hit the sand shot way too thin and sailed 30 yards past the green into the weeds. Next, I hit an amazing shot to make the green. I 2-putt for another double-bogey.
I was hanging in there, but the next hole was my undoing. A poor pitching wedge shot on this short par-3 left me between two large tree trunks left of the green. Going straight at the flag meant flying over a bunker, and I had no backswing on that line. I made a good decision to aim away from the flag, avoiding the bunker altogether, just looking for a piece of the green. Unfortunately, I mis-hit the ball completely and it ended up – you guessed it – in the bunker. Sheesh! The worst part was that this bunker looked like it had been hit by mortar fire. There were massive footprints all over that had not been raked. Of course, my ball was right in one. I took three shots to get out of that bunker and two of them were from giant holes. For patrons to leave the bunker in that condition is absolutely inconsiderate and unacceptable. I ended up with a quadruple-bogey and was psychologically done for the day.
I closed out the round with four consecutive double-bogeys, as I was no longer focused and knew that breaking 100 was unlikely. It's a shame because the round began with such promise. So, instead of ending the season feeling good about a couple of rounds, I ended it with another disappointment. Sigh.
Score: 104
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
For the first seven holes, it looked like a smart decision. I collected two pars and five bogeys primarily by staying out of trouble. I hit a good drive on hole #1 and a rocket on hole #2, leaving just 100 yards to the flag from the middle of the fairway. A 3-iron off the tee on the short hole #3 was hit off centre, but I was still in the middle of the fairway, 160 yards from the flag. The driver served me well on hole #4, a par-5, while the 3-iron came around with a pretty good tee shot on hole #5, a long par-3.
I played safely, not only from the tee, but also on approach shots. I took a cluster of trees fronting the right side of the first green out of play by laying up to the left, 30 yards short. I avoided woods that pinch the left side of the sixth fairway by taking quite a bit off my swing and aiming right. When I needed a chip shot, I focused simply on making the greens. This avoided any duffs or sculled shots. My putting was solid, as I 2-putt all holes, except for one that required three strokes from distance after hitting the green in regulation.
The turning point came on the tee of hole #8. This is not a difficult hole, a straightaway par-4 measuring just 358 yards. I opted for driver and topped the ball badly, dribbling into the bush just below the slightly elevated tee. I was forced to take a penalty and hit my third off the tee once again. I smacked a beautiful drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving 100 yards to the flag. I was proud of myself for following up a terrible shot with a great one. The feeling didn't last long, however, as I completely duffed my next two shots. With my sixth shot, I finally reached the green, then 2-putt for a momentum shattering score of eight.
Though I felt like I put the hole behind me immediately, I hit a badly pulled drive off the very next tee. A sideways chip to the fairway was followed by a weak approach that came up short. After a medium length pitch shot, I 3-putt for a triple-bogey. Through seven holes, my score was a very nice 33. After just two more holes, I was at 48. Ugh!
Still, I was comfortably on pace to break 100, so I pressed on. I made bogey on hole #10 before entering the hardest stretch of the course. Holes #11 through #13 didn't destroy me completely (that would happen on the very tame hole #14), but they definitely put a chink in my armour. On #11, I flared my first tee shot right, but less so than one of my playing partners. The area was full of leaves and while I managed to find my partner's ball, I did not find my own. Typical. I was forced to continue with the provisional I had played earlier, and finished the hole with a triple-bogey as a result.
I mis-hit a 3-iron off the tee on hole #12, but it put me in a position to hit a 9-iron, gap wedge to about a yard or two off the back left of the green. A chip and 2-putt produced a double-bogey. A perfect 4-iron off the tee on hole #13 was followed by an 8-iron to a greenside bunker. I hit the sand shot way too thin and sailed 30 yards past the green into the weeds. Next, I hit an amazing shot to make the green. I 2-putt for another double-bogey.
I was hanging in there, but the next hole was my undoing. A poor pitching wedge shot on this short par-3 left me between two large tree trunks left of the green. Going straight at the flag meant flying over a bunker, and I had no backswing on that line. I made a good decision to aim away from the flag, avoiding the bunker altogether, just looking for a piece of the green. Unfortunately, I mis-hit the ball completely and it ended up – you guessed it – in the bunker. Sheesh! The worst part was that this bunker looked like it had been hit by mortar fire. There were massive footprints all over that had not been raked. Of course, my ball was right in one. I took three shots to get out of that bunker and two of them were from giant holes. For patrons to leave the bunker in that condition is absolutely inconsiderate and unacceptable. I ended up with a quadruple-bogey and was psychologically done for the day.
I closed out the round with four consecutive double-bogeys, as I was no longer focused and knew that breaking 100 was unlikely. It's a shame because the round began with such promise. So, instead of ending the season feeling good about a couple of rounds, I ended it with another disappointment. Sigh.
Score: 104
Putts: 38
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
October 26, 2012
Tangling with Tangle Creek
Wow, my last post was long. What a bore! I'll keep it shorter this time.
The long term weather forecast was bleak, calling for steady rain and cold temperatures. There was one exception, a sunny and remarkably warm Thursday, so I had to take advantage of it. I found a good deal at Tangle Creek Golf Club, so I headed out for what might be my last round of the season.
I began with a great drive to the right fairway of hole #1, followed by a pitching wedge to the centre of the fairway. My lob wedge into the par-5 green drifted right of target, into a bunker. After a good out, I 2-putt for a solid bogey. Given the trouble I've had with bunker shots this season, I felt good.
I pushed an approach shot on hole #2 out of bounds, leading to a triple-bogey, but then settled into a nice groove. I hit the next two greens in regulation, 3-putting the first for a bogey, while navigating the second for par. The first putt on each hole was from distance, so the overall result was good.
Two more pars ensued on the front nine, one coming thanks to a terrific approach shot, followed by a chip and a putt, the other coming in standard fashion on a medium length par-3. A couple of bogeys also made their way to my scorecard. At the turn, I was shooting a solid 45.
I made a mess of hole #10, carding a triple-bogey after playing through the group ahead. There is always a tendency to rush in that situation. On hole #11, a par-4 playing 410 yards, I got my revenge with a sweet 320-yard drive. Sure, there was a helping wind, but I hit that shot so pure it was a thing of beauty! From 90 yards out, I hit a lob wedge close, but burned the edge of the cup on the birdie attempt. Still, par was a good result.
I made a bad decision on hole #13, opting to go for the green with my third shot on this par-5. I was 175 yards out, but there is a hazard crossing right in front of the green, with a steep slope on the opposite side. I thought seriously about laying up to 100 yards or so, but didn't do it. This set off a sequence of events that lead to a quadruple-bogey. I also made a bad decision on the tee of hole #14, hitting driver into a pond on this short par-4. Chalk that one up to lack of familiarity with the course. The good news is I hit a perfect 6-iron after taking a drop and salvaged bogey.
I held it together for the rest of the round, recovering from some bad shots with some very good ones. I hit some pure irons, nice chips and another good bunker shot. The latter came from a very difficult stance, with one foot inside the bunker and the other outside. While the back nine was not nearly as good as the front nine, I managed things well enough to finish with a satisfying score of 95.
This year, I'll take that!
Score: 95
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6
The long term weather forecast was bleak, calling for steady rain and cold temperatures. There was one exception, a sunny and remarkably warm Thursday, so I had to take advantage of it. I found a good deal at Tangle Creek Golf Club, so I headed out for what might be my last round of the season.
I began with a great drive to the right fairway of hole #1, followed by a pitching wedge to the centre of the fairway. My lob wedge into the par-5 green drifted right of target, into a bunker. After a good out, I 2-putt for a solid bogey. Given the trouble I've had with bunker shots this season, I felt good.
I pushed an approach shot on hole #2 out of bounds, leading to a triple-bogey, but then settled into a nice groove. I hit the next two greens in regulation, 3-putting the first for a bogey, while navigating the second for par. The first putt on each hole was from distance, so the overall result was good.
Two more pars ensued on the front nine, one coming thanks to a terrific approach shot, followed by a chip and a putt, the other coming in standard fashion on a medium length par-3. A couple of bogeys also made their way to my scorecard. At the turn, I was shooting a solid 45.
I made a mess of hole #10, carding a triple-bogey after playing through the group ahead. There is always a tendency to rush in that situation. On hole #11, a par-4 playing 410 yards, I got my revenge with a sweet 320-yard drive. Sure, there was a helping wind, but I hit that shot so pure it was a thing of beauty! From 90 yards out, I hit a lob wedge close, but burned the edge of the cup on the birdie attempt. Still, par was a good result.
I made a bad decision on hole #13, opting to go for the green with my third shot on this par-5. I was 175 yards out, but there is a hazard crossing right in front of the green, with a steep slope on the opposite side. I thought seriously about laying up to 100 yards or so, but didn't do it. This set off a sequence of events that lead to a quadruple-bogey. I also made a bad decision on the tee of hole #14, hitting driver into a pond on this short par-4. Chalk that one up to lack of familiarity with the course. The good news is I hit a perfect 6-iron after taking a drop and salvaged bogey.
I held it together for the rest of the round, recovering from some bad shots with some very good ones. I hit some pure irons, nice chips and another good bunker shot. The latter came from a very difficult stance, with one foot inside the bunker and the other outside. While the back nine was not nearly as good as the front nine, I managed things well enough to finish with a satisfying score of 95.
This year, I'll take that!
Score: 95
Putts: 35
Fairways: 4
Greens: 4
Penalties: 6
October 25, 2012
Lessons of Lowville
Perched on the Niagara Escarpment, Lowville Golf Club offers a nice view of the surrounding countryside, particularly in autumn, when the trees transform into a pretty collection of reds, oranges and yellows. I paid a return visit to the club, hoping not only for pleasant scenery, but also for a solid performance.
Prior to the round, I had been reading various golf articles on the Internet. Specifically, I was looking for advice on preventing blowup holes, like the one that ruined an otherwise decent round recently at Twenty Valley. Most of the articles stressed the importance of game management, or more precisely, the need to play within one's skill level. I've heard this message before and wholeheartedly agree, but nevertheless, I continue to experience blowup holes all too regularly.
One particular article repeated the message, but did so in a way that really struck a chord. The author of the article advised taking a particular shot only if you could convert that shot at least 60 percent of the time. So, for instance, if your approach to the green is impeded by a tree, one option is to play a draw or cut around the offending obstacle. That's fine, so long as you can execute that option successfully at least six times out of ten. If you can't do that, a better option is to chip the ball to an open area and then attack the green on your next shot.
Many times, we attempt the more difficult option because we've “done it before.” Sure, but what is the probability of doing it again? That's what really matters. I would venture to say that it is often much less that 60 percent. Incidentally, the actual percentage isn't that critical. One could argue that one should have 75 percent confidence, or even more. The point is that the odds should be in your favour, otherwise it's a bad decision.
Determined to put this into practice, I teed off on Lowville's opening par-5. Right of the green after three, I made a decent chip and 2-putt for bogey. After missing the fairway right on hole #2, I punched a low one under some tree branches to the front of the green. A great chip and putt earned par. Poor iron play gave me a scare on the par-3 third hole, but I drained a long putt to salvage bogey.
On hole #4, I put into practice another method for avoiding blowup holes: I avoided out of bounds at all cost. OB lines the entire left side of this straightaway par-5. I favoured the right side with my driver, hitting a tree and ricocheting to the right rough. It was not a great shot, but it was better than being OB. In lush rough, I opted for a 7-iron. Adding extra loft was the right call, as I hit a beauty to the centre of the fairway, just 115 yards from the flag. My gap wedge came up short and the ensuing chip was a little too hot, leaving a longer putt than desired. Sure enough, I 3-putt for a double bogey. That can be considered a blowup, but I didn't mind, because I felt like I had made some good decisions.
Hole #5, a par-3, played out in similar fashion, albeit with a better result. Once again, OB lines the entire left side of this hole. I hit a 6-iron well right of the green and quite short, as I contacted the ball off centre. It was not a good shot, but completely safe. I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. The lesson here is that a mediocre shot to a safe location is better than a pretty good shot to a risky location.
Holes #6 through #9 produced four consecutive pars. Yes, you heard correctly. An up and down from a fescue-covered mound right of the sixth green got things rolling. On hole #7, an uphill par-5, I took aim at the extreme left side of the fairway. Once again, OB lurked along the entire right side. The last time I played Lowville, I put two consecutive balls off the tee out of bounds on this hole. There went four strokes, just like that. There was none of that this time. I caught the left centre of the fairway, then hit a 4-iron straight, leaving a 50-yard pitch to the green. Two putts finished the hole.
Hole #8 is a par-3 measuring just 121 yards, but don't let that fool you. Anything hit long drops off a severely sloped hill, covered in fescue. Anything short has a good chance of finding a large bunker. The green is on the small side and angled in a way that makes play around it very delicate. I hit a perfect sand wedge to the back of the green and had a good look at birdie. I rolled an inch right of the hole, leaving a tap-in to finish. Hole #9 is a par-4 that I played in textbook style: hit the fairway, hit the green, and 2-putt.
At the turn, I was shooting 41 and feeling great. However, things began to unravel slowly. I slid my lob wedge right under an approach shot on hole #10, leading to double-bogey. Solid bogeys came next on holes #11 and #12. On hole #13, a par-3 with OB along the right side, I once again played to the safe side. I missed the green left, but had plenty of green to work with and a good lie. Just as I took my chip, something made noise in the nearby woods. Bad luck, as I sculled the shot. From the opposite fringe, I 3-putt for double-bogey.
The green on hole #14 was under construction and replaced with a temporary green, just 100 yards from the teeing ground. It was pretty lame, but what can you do. I registered a boring bogey. On hole #15, a par-3 with OB left, I bailed out to the right. Can you see the pattern here? This time, I messed up a chip attempt, so I had to settle for double-bogey.
Hole #16 was more disappointing, as I registered a triple-bogey. I hit a perfect drive, leaving 175 yards to this long, uphill par-4. My next shot was the worst of the day. I topped a 5-iron, which sent the ball dribbling to the right, down a steep hillside. With a terrible stance, I pulled one long and left of the green, into a lateral hazard. It was my first penalty of the day and it rattled me.
I sliced a drive on the next hole, but recovered well for bogey. On the tee of hole #18, all I needed was a bogey to shoot 89. Unfortunately, this hole provided no opportunity to do what I had been doing all day – avoiding OB and hazards at all cost. That's because golfers must carry their tee shots over a marshy area that is about 180 yards long, and more than that the further left you go. There is no safe bailout area. I hit two drives very low off the club face, failing to clear the marsh each time. Just like that, I wasted four strokes. I finished the hole with a score of 10 and the round with a score of 94.
I could have broken 90, but in the grand scheme of things, this was still one of my better rounds of this difficult year.
Score: 94
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
Prior to the round, I had been reading various golf articles on the Internet. Specifically, I was looking for advice on preventing blowup holes, like the one that ruined an otherwise decent round recently at Twenty Valley. Most of the articles stressed the importance of game management, or more precisely, the need to play within one's skill level. I've heard this message before and wholeheartedly agree, but nevertheless, I continue to experience blowup holes all too regularly.
One particular article repeated the message, but did so in a way that really struck a chord. The author of the article advised taking a particular shot only if you could convert that shot at least 60 percent of the time. So, for instance, if your approach to the green is impeded by a tree, one option is to play a draw or cut around the offending obstacle. That's fine, so long as you can execute that option successfully at least six times out of ten. If you can't do that, a better option is to chip the ball to an open area and then attack the green on your next shot.
Many times, we attempt the more difficult option because we've “done it before.” Sure, but what is the probability of doing it again? That's what really matters. I would venture to say that it is often much less that 60 percent. Incidentally, the actual percentage isn't that critical. One could argue that one should have 75 percent confidence, or even more. The point is that the odds should be in your favour, otherwise it's a bad decision.
Determined to put this into practice, I teed off on Lowville's opening par-5. Right of the green after three, I made a decent chip and 2-putt for bogey. After missing the fairway right on hole #2, I punched a low one under some tree branches to the front of the green. A great chip and putt earned par. Poor iron play gave me a scare on the par-3 third hole, but I drained a long putt to salvage bogey.
On hole #4, I put into practice another method for avoiding blowup holes: I avoided out of bounds at all cost. OB lines the entire left side of this straightaway par-5. I favoured the right side with my driver, hitting a tree and ricocheting to the right rough. It was not a great shot, but it was better than being OB. In lush rough, I opted for a 7-iron. Adding extra loft was the right call, as I hit a beauty to the centre of the fairway, just 115 yards from the flag. My gap wedge came up short and the ensuing chip was a little too hot, leaving a longer putt than desired. Sure enough, I 3-putt for a double bogey. That can be considered a blowup, but I didn't mind, because I felt like I had made some good decisions.
Hole #5, a par-3, played out in similar fashion, albeit with a better result. Once again, OB lines the entire left side of this hole. I hit a 6-iron well right of the green and quite short, as I contacted the ball off centre. It was not a good shot, but completely safe. I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey. The lesson here is that a mediocre shot to a safe location is better than a pretty good shot to a risky location.
Holes #6 through #9 produced four consecutive pars. Yes, you heard correctly. An up and down from a fescue-covered mound right of the sixth green got things rolling. On hole #7, an uphill par-5, I took aim at the extreme left side of the fairway. Once again, OB lurked along the entire right side. The last time I played Lowville, I put two consecutive balls off the tee out of bounds on this hole. There went four strokes, just like that. There was none of that this time. I caught the left centre of the fairway, then hit a 4-iron straight, leaving a 50-yard pitch to the green. Two putts finished the hole.
Hole #8 is a par-3 measuring just 121 yards, but don't let that fool you. Anything hit long drops off a severely sloped hill, covered in fescue. Anything short has a good chance of finding a large bunker. The green is on the small side and angled in a way that makes play around it very delicate. I hit a perfect sand wedge to the back of the green and had a good look at birdie. I rolled an inch right of the hole, leaving a tap-in to finish. Hole #9 is a par-4 that I played in textbook style: hit the fairway, hit the green, and 2-putt.
At the turn, I was shooting 41 and feeling great. However, things began to unravel slowly. I slid my lob wedge right under an approach shot on hole #10, leading to double-bogey. Solid bogeys came next on holes #11 and #12. On hole #13, a par-3 with OB along the right side, I once again played to the safe side. I missed the green left, but had plenty of green to work with and a good lie. Just as I took my chip, something made noise in the nearby woods. Bad luck, as I sculled the shot. From the opposite fringe, I 3-putt for double-bogey.
The green on hole #14 was under construction and replaced with a temporary green, just 100 yards from the teeing ground. It was pretty lame, but what can you do. I registered a boring bogey. On hole #15, a par-3 with OB left, I bailed out to the right. Can you see the pattern here? This time, I messed up a chip attempt, so I had to settle for double-bogey.
Hole #16 was more disappointing, as I registered a triple-bogey. I hit a perfect drive, leaving 175 yards to this long, uphill par-4. My next shot was the worst of the day. I topped a 5-iron, which sent the ball dribbling to the right, down a steep hillside. With a terrible stance, I pulled one long and left of the green, into a lateral hazard. It was my first penalty of the day and it rattled me.
I sliced a drive on the next hole, but recovered well for bogey. On the tee of hole #18, all I needed was a bogey to shoot 89. Unfortunately, this hole provided no opportunity to do what I had been doing all day – avoiding OB and hazards at all cost. That's because golfers must carry their tee shots over a marshy area that is about 180 yards long, and more than that the further left you go. There is no safe bailout area. I hit two drives very low off the club face, failing to clear the marsh each time. Just like that, I wasted four strokes. I finished the hole with a score of 10 and the round with a score of 94.
I could have broken 90, but in the grand scheme of things, this was still one of my better rounds of this difficult year.
Score: 94
Putts: 35
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3
October 08, 2012
Catastrophic Finish at Twenty Valley
The cold weather is here. I'm writing this one week after my latest round of golf, which was played at Twenty Valley Golf Club in Vineland, Ontario. I wore shorts that day, as the temperature climbed into the low twenties. Now, I fear that may have been my last round of the season. Two days ago, the high was less than 10 degrees Celsius. The forecast for the upcoming week indicates temperatures in the very low teens. I was hoping for a couple more rounds of golf this year; if that's going to happen, I'll need to take advantage of any break in the cold snap.
I played the entire round at Twenty Valley on my own. There was a twosome in front and a twosome behind, but nobody asked to join up and I would just as well play by myself. The round slowed down on the back nine, thanks to a foursome two groups ahead of me. Nevertheless, I finished the round in about three and a half hours. With respect to the course and conditions, it was a pleasant outing.
I started things off on the opening par-5 with a controlled 3-iron, my ball stopping about a yard into the right rough. From there, I hit a pure 8-iron to the centre of the fairway, leaving 130 yards to the green. Once again, I focused on keeping a short backswing, allowing some wrist cock and the unwinding of the club to do the work. I felt confident and my first two swings helped the cause.
Flag-high and just off the green after three, I needed a chip and a putt for par. It shouldn't have been a problem from my position, but I duffed the chip. The ball hit the top of a ridge and rolled away from the hole. I was on the green, but further from the hole than I was before the chip shot. Of course, I then made a 3-putt for double bogey.
The opening hole exemplified most of my round. I drove the ball safely and hit good iron shots, but my chipping was as bad as it's ever been and my putting was suspect. I made par on hole #2, but a 4-putt on hole #3 lead to a triple-bogey. A missed approach from 75 yards, followed by a bad chip, turned a certain par on hole #4 into a double-bogey. A green in regulation on hole #5 was followed by a 3-putt.
The worst of it came on hole #6, a short par-4 featuring a fairway that drops dramatically from an elevated tee, before climbing up steeply to the green. I got away with a bad drive, clipping a tree left of the landing zone. I had an open shot from 115 yards out, but sculled the ball into the hill. Luckily, it came to rest just five yards left of the green. I would have been happy with a chip and two putts, but my first attempt landed on a downslope and rolled across the entire green. My second attempt was once again sculled across the entire green to the fringe. I topped things off with a 3-putt for my second triple-bogey of the day.
With one third of the round, or six holes played, I had already amassed 36 strokes. Sixteen of those were putts! I was striking the ball well, but my short game was non-existent. It was surprising that I managed to break 50 through nine holes, making the turn with a score of 49. I did it with a par on hole #9, a pretty par-3 with an elevated tee and a forced carry over a creek. Breaking the earlier trend, I made a fabulous up and down a good distance away from the green.
On the back nine, my putting got a little better, as did my chipping. Still, I was collecting bogeys and double-bogeys. My driving was good, with the exception of a pulled ball out of bounds on hole #11. My irons were also good, but I could have used more precision on approach shots. My best shot was a 3-iron off the tee on hole #16, a par-3 measuring 200 yards. The flag was at the back of the green, adding about 10 yards to the total distance. I struck a beauty, as the ball hit the front of the green and released to the back fringe. After a good lag, I tapped in for par.
Even with some difficulties, I had a good chance to break 100. I didn't know it at the time, but all I needed was a double bogey on the final hole, a very nice par-5. Unfortunately, I blew up on the hole for a score of 12. It all started with a low drive off the heel of the club that travelled a mere 100 yards. The worst part was that my ball was in the rough and on a severe slope, leaving me with an extreme side hill lie and the ball well above my feet. I had to choke up on my club so much that my hands were off the grip. My first attempt was a shank that sent the ball 80 degrees off line and out of bounds on the other side of the fairway. Penalty stroke, new ball, and try again. The next attempt was on the proper line, but had no distance whatsoever. I advanced the ball 100 yards and faced the same situation. With my next shot, the result was the same. I managed to reach a flat zone of the fairway, but just barely. I had collected five strokes and was still 180 yards from the green. Worse yet, a creek crosses just in front of the green, with a steep rise on the other side. The probability of going in the hazard was high, but I had to go for it in order to break 100. Of course, I went straight into it and that was the end of that. After another penalty stroke, a thinly hit approach, two bad chips and a couple of putts, 12 was the result. So be it.
Too bad, because I hit the ball well for the most part. Short game was the killer.
Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
I played the entire round at Twenty Valley on my own. There was a twosome in front and a twosome behind, but nobody asked to join up and I would just as well play by myself. The round slowed down on the back nine, thanks to a foursome two groups ahead of me. Nevertheless, I finished the round in about three and a half hours. With respect to the course and conditions, it was a pleasant outing.
I started things off on the opening par-5 with a controlled 3-iron, my ball stopping about a yard into the right rough. From there, I hit a pure 8-iron to the centre of the fairway, leaving 130 yards to the green. Once again, I focused on keeping a short backswing, allowing some wrist cock and the unwinding of the club to do the work. I felt confident and my first two swings helped the cause.
Flag-high and just off the green after three, I needed a chip and a putt for par. It shouldn't have been a problem from my position, but I duffed the chip. The ball hit the top of a ridge and rolled away from the hole. I was on the green, but further from the hole than I was before the chip shot. Of course, I then made a 3-putt for double bogey.
The opening hole exemplified most of my round. I drove the ball safely and hit good iron shots, but my chipping was as bad as it's ever been and my putting was suspect. I made par on hole #2, but a 4-putt on hole #3 lead to a triple-bogey. A missed approach from 75 yards, followed by a bad chip, turned a certain par on hole #4 into a double-bogey. A green in regulation on hole #5 was followed by a 3-putt.
The worst of it came on hole #6, a short par-4 featuring a fairway that drops dramatically from an elevated tee, before climbing up steeply to the green. I got away with a bad drive, clipping a tree left of the landing zone. I had an open shot from 115 yards out, but sculled the ball into the hill. Luckily, it came to rest just five yards left of the green. I would have been happy with a chip and two putts, but my first attempt landed on a downslope and rolled across the entire green. My second attempt was once again sculled across the entire green to the fringe. I topped things off with a 3-putt for my second triple-bogey of the day.
With one third of the round, or six holes played, I had already amassed 36 strokes. Sixteen of those were putts! I was striking the ball well, but my short game was non-existent. It was surprising that I managed to break 50 through nine holes, making the turn with a score of 49. I did it with a par on hole #9, a pretty par-3 with an elevated tee and a forced carry over a creek. Breaking the earlier trend, I made a fabulous up and down a good distance away from the green.
On the back nine, my putting got a little better, as did my chipping. Still, I was collecting bogeys and double-bogeys. My driving was good, with the exception of a pulled ball out of bounds on hole #11. My irons were also good, but I could have used more precision on approach shots. My best shot was a 3-iron off the tee on hole #16, a par-3 measuring 200 yards. The flag was at the back of the green, adding about 10 yards to the total distance. I struck a beauty, as the ball hit the front of the green and released to the back fringe. After a good lag, I tapped in for par.
Even with some difficulties, I had a good chance to break 100. I didn't know it at the time, but all I needed was a double bogey on the final hole, a very nice par-5. Unfortunately, I blew up on the hole for a score of 12. It all started with a low drive off the heel of the club that travelled a mere 100 yards. The worst part was that my ball was in the rough and on a severe slope, leaving me with an extreme side hill lie and the ball well above my feet. I had to choke up on my club so much that my hands were off the grip. My first attempt was a shank that sent the ball 80 degrees off line and out of bounds on the other side of the fairway. Penalty stroke, new ball, and try again. The next attempt was on the proper line, but had no distance whatsoever. I advanced the ball 100 yards and faced the same situation. With my next shot, the result was the same. I managed to reach a flat zone of the fairway, but just barely. I had collected five strokes and was still 180 yards from the green. Worse yet, a creek crosses just in front of the green, with a steep rise on the other side. The probability of going in the hazard was high, but I had to go for it in order to break 100. Of course, I went straight into it and that was the end of that. After another penalty stroke, a thinly hit approach, two bad chips and a couple of putts, 12 was the result. So be it.
Too bad, because I hit the ball well for the most part. Short game was the killer.
Score: 104
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 3
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