Round 1 of the 2015 Deepwoods Golf Association Championship took place at Copetown Woods Golf Club, as it has every year since I joined the group back in 2006. I shot a personal best for the course, with a final score of 84. My previous best on the links style layout was 89, back in 2010. I actually wasn't far from my personal best for any Deepwoods event – that was an 83 that I registered at Willow Valley in 2011. The important thing is that I collected the maximum 40 points available in the modified Stableford system. Starting the season well is critical. It allows some room for error in the upcoming Deepwoods events.
This round was much more than a good Deepwoods showing. It ranks right up there with some of my greatest rounds of all time. In fact, I've only scored lower on four occasions: 81 at Deer Creek South, 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt, 83 at Carlisle North/East, and the aforementioned 83 at Willow Valley. I have a small collection of scorecards from my best rounds ever that also includes four scores of 85, which were tallied at: Lochness Links (now Hunters Pointe), Scenic Woods, Osprey Valley Heathlands, and Kleinburg Gold/White. The latest scorecard from Copetown Woods will definitely be joining the collection.
I actually began the round terribly, registering triple-bogey on the opening par-5. I pulled my drive toward the driveway, which usually results in a lost ball. I hit a provisional and it was a duplicate of the first attempt. Luckily, I found the first ball, but a bad lie in the fescue meant two strokes were required to get back to the fairway. From 100 yards, I pulled the approach a bit and went long, losing a ball in the hazard. After a drop, a chip and two putts, I recorded an ugly triple-bogey.
There was another blemish on the front nine – another triple-bogey on hole #8. I pulled a 6-iron off the tee into a forest of pine trees. I hit a provisional and did exactly the same thing. Again! Luckily, I found the first ball, but two punch shots were needed to get out of the trees. From 150 yards, I just missed the green, right. A hack out of the fescue and two putts completed the hole on this short par-4.
The remaining seven holes of the front nine were spectacular. I played them one under par, thanks to a pair of birdies, four pars and a bogey. I hit every fairway during that stretch, mostly using driver, but also the 5-wood when called for. Hole #3, for example, is a sharp dogleg to the right and it's easy to mess up with driver in hand. I only hit three of seven greens in regulation during this run, but my misses were to areas where I could get up and down. That's exactly what I did on holes #2, #3 and #4. Except for a fabulous pitch shot on hole #3, the other “ups” weren't that great. It was the “downs” that were amazing, as my putter was on fire. The putter stayed hot when I did reach greens in regulation, producing birdies on holes #5 and #9. The latter was especially satisfying, coming from a healthy distance.
My putting cooled off a bit on the back nine, or I would have been very close to a personal best. On hole #10, a lengthy par save looked like it was going to drop, but the putt just burned the edge. On #11, a slightly shorter bogey save lipped out. I was already walking it in as it looked so good. On hole #14, a breaking birdie attempt barely slid past the hole. Unfortunately, I also missed the comebacker, collecting my first 3-putt of the day. On hole #16, I made a terrible lag and a good second putt just missed. It was my second and last 3-putt of the day. I figure I should have had three less putts on the back nine, which would have been enough to tie my best ever score of 81.
My swing thoughts on the day were the same as they were over the last couple of rounds. On drives, I think about increasing my spine rotation just a bit on the backswing, instead of activating the arms. This shortens the backswing overall and helps approach the ball from the inside out. On irons, I think about keeping the left arm straight and finishing straight down the line or high. Right now, these thoughts seem to be helping. If I can consistently add some solid putting to the mix, maybe I can be in the 80s regularly.
Score: 84
Putts: 31
Fairways: 10
Greens: 6
Penalties: 1
May 29, 2015
May 22, 2015
Mixed Bag at Hunters Pointe
I wanted to play once more before the Deepwoods season opener, so I booked an early afternoon round at Hunters Pointe Golf Course, in Welland. It was sunny, but cool, with a strong, steady wind throughout the day. On a links style course, wind is one of the major challenges. On this occasion, it tripped me up a few times.
Playing the back nine first, my driving was shaky. I pulled most of my drives left of target, often to the opposite fairway. There were a couple of exceptions, however. I hit a straight drive that found the fairway on hole #14, a par-5. I hit a baby cut on hole #18, but the wind carried it further right than desirable, bouncing off an embankment and into the lake. I was trying to replicate the move that seemed to help me in recent rounds – that is, to feel the point where my body naturally wants to stop rotating on the backswing and to extend further just a couple of degrees, instead of bringing the arms into play. I think I was extending the rotation just a bit too much. When that happens, it's easy to sweep across the ball, often catching the heel of the club.
Iron play on the back nine was mixed. I hit some bad ones on the opening hole, presumably because I hadn't gotten warmed up. I pulled one terribly off the tee on hole #12, a par-3. I pulled another on my approach to the 18th green, though there was little danger there. As I hinted at earlier, the wind is what tripped up some of my iron shots. On hole #14, a par-4, my third shot from 110 yards was straight into the wind. Judging it to be a 2-club wind, I opted for pitching wedge. I hit a crisp, straight shot, but it carried clear over the green, 30 yards past the flag and into a bunker. An almost certain par ended up as a triple-bogey, as I picked the ball clean out of the bunker sending it 50 yards across the other side of the green. On hole #17, a short par-4, I hit another seemingly great shot into the wind with the gap wedge. The ball sailed over the green and over a bunker into knee-high fescue. Two shots to hack the ball into the bunker and another that barely got out led to a score of 9 for the hole, my worst of the day.
Despite the negative outcomes with the irons, there were a few positive ones as well. I hit a beautiful 7-iron from the thick rough on hole #11 to nail the green and save par. I hit a solid 5-iron off the tee on hole #15, straight into the wind to find the green. With a pond looming right and in front, that was a good shot. I went on to 3-putt, despite a good lag from distance.
On the front nine, I had some work to do. My score was 55 at the turn, so I really needed to turn things around in order to salvage a respectable score. I tried to reduce the extra spine rotation on my drives and it helped slightly. I was still missing left, just not so far. The other thing I thought about was “finishing down the line.” If you think of a clock face with the target line pointing at 12 o'clock, I actually thought about finishing at 1 o'clock. This is because my tendency seems to be finishing at 11 o'clock – no good, as that is what leads either to pull shots or slices.
On hole #7, I got the drive just right. The last four holes run in a line toward the clubhouse and the wind was directly at our backs. This hole is a par-4, measuring 420 yards from the white tees, which we were playing. I picked my line and nailed it high and deep. I rode the wind and made use of the downhill landing zone. My ball travelled 320 yards, coming to rest in the fairway, right beside the 100-yard stick. Oh baby! From there, I bumped up an easy pitching wedge, rolling the ball near the flag at the front of the green. I missed a 10-foot birdie putt, but tapped in for par.
My irons performed well on the front nine too. Hole #2, a par-3, was playing 190 yards straight into a stiff wind. I hit a beautiful 3-iron low and on a string at the flag. I missed a 12-foot birdie putt, just burning the left edge of the hole. Still, I was happy with par. I had many more good iron shots on the front nine. My thought with the irons was once again to keep the left arm straight. This helps me hinge at the wrist better. It also helps the club bottom out at the right spot. It's satisfying when there are no topped balls or duffed shots that are hit fat.
Here's the best thing about this round: I went par, bogey, par, par, and bogey over the last four holes to salvage a score of 98. What a finish! This was my third 98 in a row and my handicap factor crept up to 20.4 as a result. I need to perform for a full round as I did over the last five holes at Hunters Pointe. If I do, I should easily score in the 80's on a regular basis. Why does it happen so rarely? That is the million dollar question.
Score: 98
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 6
Penalties: 5
Playing the back nine first, my driving was shaky. I pulled most of my drives left of target, often to the opposite fairway. There were a couple of exceptions, however. I hit a straight drive that found the fairway on hole #14, a par-5. I hit a baby cut on hole #18, but the wind carried it further right than desirable, bouncing off an embankment and into the lake. I was trying to replicate the move that seemed to help me in recent rounds – that is, to feel the point where my body naturally wants to stop rotating on the backswing and to extend further just a couple of degrees, instead of bringing the arms into play. I think I was extending the rotation just a bit too much. When that happens, it's easy to sweep across the ball, often catching the heel of the club.
Iron play on the back nine was mixed. I hit some bad ones on the opening hole, presumably because I hadn't gotten warmed up. I pulled one terribly off the tee on hole #12, a par-3. I pulled another on my approach to the 18th green, though there was little danger there. As I hinted at earlier, the wind is what tripped up some of my iron shots. On hole #14, a par-4, my third shot from 110 yards was straight into the wind. Judging it to be a 2-club wind, I opted for pitching wedge. I hit a crisp, straight shot, but it carried clear over the green, 30 yards past the flag and into a bunker. An almost certain par ended up as a triple-bogey, as I picked the ball clean out of the bunker sending it 50 yards across the other side of the green. On hole #17, a short par-4, I hit another seemingly great shot into the wind with the gap wedge. The ball sailed over the green and over a bunker into knee-high fescue. Two shots to hack the ball into the bunker and another that barely got out led to a score of 9 for the hole, my worst of the day.
Despite the negative outcomes with the irons, there were a few positive ones as well. I hit a beautiful 7-iron from the thick rough on hole #11 to nail the green and save par. I hit a solid 5-iron off the tee on hole #15, straight into the wind to find the green. With a pond looming right and in front, that was a good shot. I went on to 3-putt, despite a good lag from distance.
On the front nine, I had some work to do. My score was 55 at the turn, so I really needed to turn things around in order to salvage a respectable score. I tried to reduce the extra spine rotation on my drives and it helped slightly. I was still missing left, just not so far. The other thing I thought about was “finishing down the line.” If you think of a clock face with the target line pointing at 12 o'clock, I actually thought about finishing at 1 o'clock. This is because my tendency seems to be finishing at 11 o'clock – no good, as that is what leads either to pull shots or slices.
On hole #7, I got the drive just right. The last four holes run in a line toward the clubhouse and the wind was directly at our backs. This hole is a par-4, measuring 420 yards from the white tees, which we were playing. I picked my line and nailed it high and deep. I rode the wind and made use of the downhill landing zone. My ball travelled 320 yards, coming to rest in the fairway, right beside the 100-yard stick. Oh baby! From there, I bumped up an easy pitching wedge, rolling the ball near the flag at the front of the green. I missed a 10-foot birdie putt, but tapped in for par.
My irons performed well on the front nine too. Hole #2, a par-3, was playing 190 yards straight into a stiff wind. I hit a beautiful 3-iron low and on a string at the flag. I missed a 12-foot birdie putt, just burning the left edge of the hole. Still, I was happy with par. I had many more good iron shots on the front nine. My thought with the irons was once again to keep the left arm straight. This helps me hinge at the wrist better. It also helps the club bottom out at the right spot. It's satisfying when there are no topped balls or duffed shots that are hit fat.
Here's the best thing about this round: I went par, bogey, par, par, and bogey over the last four holes to salvage a score of 98. What a finish! This was my third 98 in a row and my handicap factor crept up to 20.4 as a result. I need to perform for a full round as I did over the last five holes at Hunters Pointe. If I do, I should easily score in the 80's on a regular basis. Why does it happen so rarely? That is the million dollar question.
Score: 98
Putts: 37
Fairways: 3
Greens: 6
Penalties: 5
May 18, 2015
Return to Mystic
My latest round was at Mystic Golf Club, in Ancaster. I had only played there once before, but that was nine years ago! I don't remember much from that outing, except that I got spanked big time and shot 119. I failed to navigate many forced carries and lost a lot of balls. Despite the terrible result, I carried a favourable impression of the golf course. For that reason, I was eager to go back and try my luck again.
This time was a very different experience. The fact of the matter is that I'm a very different golfer now than I was back then. In 2006, I was still a relatively new golfer, with few rounds under my belt. As inconsistent as I am today, I was much worse in those days. Topped balls and duffs were more common and I didn't hit the ball nearly as far as I do now. Ironically, however, I probably had a better short game. This time around, the course seemed much more manageable. The forced carries are still there, of course, but they were not the huge obstacle that I had remembered.
I had two primary thoughts for this round. On my drives, I felt the point where my body wants to stop rotating, then extended past that point just a fraction. When I do this, it seems that everything else falls into place. The swing seems to stay more on plane and I approach the ball more from the inside. The danger is extending too far past that point. If I do that, I'm more likely to hit the ball with the heel of the club or smother hook it with disastrous results. The second thought was to keep the left arm straight on my iron shots. This helps the club bottom out in the right place, leading to crisp contact.
There were moments of brilliance during this round. Alas, there were also mistakes. Even a slight error or two easily leads to inflated scores on certain holes. In the end, it was a fairly typical score of 98. I've had rounds where I shoot that score by playing mediocre golf from start to finish. On this occasion, it was a case of some great holes offset by some bad ones, typically involving an untimely penalty stroke.
One of the greatest holes was #2, a short par-4 that was playing 270 yards. A small pond protects the green front and left, while forest looms on the right for anybody contemplating a drive to the green. Feeling confident, I pulled driver and let rip with a nice, smooth swing. The ball sailed high and straight, landing softly on the green, flag-high, about 15 feet from the cup. Oh baby! My uphill eagle putt was two feet short, but I tapped in for birdie.
Another birdie came on hole #17, a 475-yard par-5. The tee shot was drive over a large pond to the fairway that wraps around the other side. The more of the pond that you carry, the shorter you'll have remaining to the green. I did not take the most aggressive line, but I smoked the ball high with a baby cut. I finished two yards off the other side of the fairway, 195 yards from the green. Had I finished on the fairway, I would have no hesitation going for the green. However, with my ball in the rough, I had some thinking to do. After judging that the lie was decent, I hit a beautiful, high 4-iron that finished just right of the green, flag-high. I chipped on and drained a 10-footer!
Not surprisingly, great shots led to great results. On hole #4, a par-5, my third shot from 130 yards away in the right rough sailed high and landed softly, 12 feet from the cup. On hole #12, a similar shot from 110 yards was all over the flag. On hole #14, a par-4, my second from 158 yards was a picture perfect 8-iron. The green is not large and protected front and back by bunkers and forest respectively. I was left with another 12-foot birdie attempt. In all cases, I finished with a very respectable par.
Unfortunately, the consistency was not there. For every great drive that split the fairway, there was one that got away from me, flaring right into the woods, for example. The mistake was slight, but the penalty was high, as I was forced to hit my third from the tee on a few occasions. On hole #6, a par-4, I was a yard into the right rough after my tee shot, just 100 yards from the green. I caught the wedge thin, sending the ball through the green to some long fescue in behind. With two shots to get out and a couple of putts, the result was double-bogey. The same thing happened on hole #8. After a wonderful drive, I was one yard into the left rough, 100 yards from the green. With the ball above my feet a bit, I caught the heel of the club – a complete mis-hit. Three to get on and three putts turned an almost certain par into a double-bogey.
That's the way it goes. I have the tools to score better, but I need consistency.
Score: 98
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 6
Penalties: 6
This time was a very different experience. The fact of the matter is that I'm a very different golfer now than I was back then. In 2006, I was still a relatively new golfer, with few rounds under my belt. As inconsistent as I am today, I was much worse in those days. Topped balls and duffs were more common and I didn't hit the ball nearly as far as I do now. Ironically, however, I probably had a better short game. This time around, the course seemed much more manageable. The forced carries are still there, of course, but they were not the huge obstacle that I had remembered.
I had two primary thoughts for this round. On my drives, I felt the point where my body wants to stop rotating, then extended past that point just a fraction. When I do this, it seems that everything else falls into place. The swing seems to stay more on plane and I approach the ball more from the inside. The danger is extending too far past that point. If I do that, I'm more likely to hit the ball with the heel of the club or smother hook it with disastrous results. The second thought was to keep the left arm straight on my iron shots. This helps the club bottom out in the right place, leading to crisp contact.
There were moments of brilliance during this round. Alas, there were also mistakes. Even a slight error or two easily leads to inflated scores on certain holes. In the end, it was a fairly typical score of 98. I've had rounds where I shoot that score by playing mediocre golf from start to finish. On this occasion, it was a case of some great holes offset by some bad ones, typically involving an untimely penalty stroke.
One of the greatest holes was #2, a short par-4 that was playing 270 yards. A small pond protects the green front and left, while forest looms on the right for anybody contemplating a drive to the green. Feeling confident, I pulled driver and let rip with a nice, smooth swing. The ball sailed high and straight, landing softly on the green, flag-high, about 15 feet from the cup. Oh baby! My uphill eagle putt was two feet short, but I tapped in for birdie.
Another birdie came on hole #17, a 475-yard par-5. The tee shot was drive over a large pond to the fairway that wraps around the other side. The more of the pond that you carry, the shorter you'll have remaining to the green. I did not take the most aggressive line, but I smoked the ball high with a baby cut. I finished two yards off the other side of the fairway, 195 yards from the green. Had I finished on the fairway, I would have no hesitation going for the green. However, with my ball in the rough, I had some thinking to do. After judging that the lie was decent, I hit a beautiful, high 4-iron that finished just right of the green, flag-high. I chipped on and drained a 10-footer!
Not surprisingly, great shots led to great results. On hole #4, a par-5, my third shot from 130 yards away in the right rough sailed high and landed softly, 12 feet from the cup. On hole #12, a similar shot from 110 yards was all over the flag. On hole #14, a par-4, my second from 158 yards was a picture perfect 8-iron. The green is not large and protected front and back by bunkers and forest respectively. I was left with another 12-foot birdie attempt. In all cases, I finished with a very respectable par.
Unfortunately, the consistency was not there. For every great drive that split the fairway, there was one that got away from me, flaring right into the woods, for example. The mistake was slight, but the penalty was high, as I was forced to hit my third from the tee on a few occasions. On hole #6, a par-4, I was a yard into the right rough after my tee shot, just 100 yards from the green. I caught the wedge thin, sending the ball through the green to some long fescue in behind. With two shots to get out and a couple of putts, the result was double-bogey. The same thing happened on hole #8. After a wonderful drive, I was one yard into the left rough, 100 yards from the green. With the ball above my feet a bit, I caught the heel of the club – a complete mis-hit. Three to get on and three putts turned an almost certain par into a double-bogey.
That's the way it goes. I have the tools to score better, but I need consistency.
Score: 98
Putts: 38
Fairways: 6
Greens: 6
Penalties: 6
May 08, 2015
Par Par Par at Glen Eagle
A week after my 2016 debut, the second round of the season took place at Glen Eagle Golf Club. Short pants and sleeves were in order, as warm temperatures and sunny skies took over the GTA. I took a power cart this time, so fatigue wouldn't be a factor.
Beginning with the Blue nine, I struggled early. Blue #1 is a tough par-4, requiring a tee shot from an elevated teeing ground that doesn't suit my eye. Trees left and a small pond right are the main obstacles. I smothered one off the heel of the club and found myself with trouble on the left side. It took two shots to get close to the fairway, with a final tree still impeding my swing. Five shots to get on the green and a terrible 3-putt resulted in a quadruple bogey, my worst result of the day.
I bogeyed hole #2, despite a hard pull off the tee that smacked the nearest tree just ahead of the teeing ground. With barely a swing available, I hit a perfect 5-iron to advance the ball down the fairway. Still 240 yards from the green, I tried a 3-wood. I hit it well, but my ball stopped half way up a steep incline just in front of the green. The result was double bogey on hole #3, a long par-3. I pulled my tee shot behind some trees with the 5-iron, but I was encouraged that contact was crisp. Unfortunately, I followed up with a triple bogey on hole #4, mostly due to a weak chip shot and another 3-putt. Through four holes, this round was already looking grim.
The next thing you know, I rattled off five bogeys in a row. The stretch began with a laser of a drive on hole #5 that pierced the fairway. I wasted my second shot by topping it, then hit a towering 3-iron just short of the green. On hole #6, a medium length par-3, it was a towering 7-iron shot that set things up. After a wayward drive on hole #7, a couple of crisp irons got me back on track. I was certainly hitting the irons high and straight. The best one was a 3-iron off the tee on hole #8, a long par-3. The hole was playing 192 yards, but I chose my 200-yard club to take a pair of ponds fronting either side of the green right out of play. What a beauty it was. The ball sailed right to the back fringe, with no danger of getting wet.
The main adjustment I made with the irons was to focus on straightening my left arm. When the left elbow bends, even slightly, I have difficulty controlling where the club will bottom out. The result is a mix of duffs and topped balls. It's particularly bad when the ball is above or below the feet. Straightening the left arm also seems to improve my swing path, from backswing to follow through. So that's what I focused on this time. I did not focus on the turning of the forearms, as I did during my last round. That has helped me in the past, but only seemed to cause trouble recently.
Moving to the Yellow nine, I took a few steps backwards again. The first four holes were a repeat of the front nine, as I went triple, bogey, double, and triple to start things off. I flared a couple of drives well out to the right, which didn't help. On Yellow #1, I also hit a weird one off the heel of the gap wedge from 120 yards out. The ball finished in a bunker, 50 yards from the green, which can be awkward. During this stretch, I also collected a pair of penalty strokes – the only ones on the day. Despite the bad scores, there were a couple of nice shots mixed in, so I was still feeling good.
The next thing you know, I rattled off a pair of bogeys, followed by three pars to finish the round. The three pars were brilliant – three fairways hit and three greens in regulation – golf the way it was meant to be played! On hole #7, I bombed a drive down the centre, leaving just 100 yards to the green. On hole #8, another bomb left me with 120 to the flag. On #9, I used every bit of fairway available, actually trickling through the end by a foot or so. I was just 80 yards from the flag. In all cases, I was able to hit sky high wedges the appropriate distance, leaving legitimate birdie chances.
The adjustment on my drives was subtle, demonstrating how a slight change can make a huge difference. I tend to swing with my arms, more than my body. The problem is that when I try to adjust this, the results can be horrific. After duffing or topping a few balls, I invariably go back to swinging with the arms, which I can at least get airborne. What I did differently this time was to ensure that extra rotation around the spine in my backswing was ever so slight. I could feel the point where I would normally stop my rotation. From there, I just went a couple degrees further. I could control that movement and it helped my club come from the inside-out -- exactly what you want.
Score: 98
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
Beginning with the Blue nine, I struggled early. Blue #1 is a tough par-4, requiring a tee shot from an elevated teeing ground that doesn't suit my eye. Trees left and a small pond right are the main obstacles. I smothered one off the heel of the club and found myself with trouble on the left side. It took two shots to get close to the fairway, with a final tree still impeding my swing. Five shots to get on the green and a terrible 3-putt resulted in a quadruple bogey, my worst result of the day.
I bogeyed hole #2, despite a hard pull off the tee that smacked the nearest tree just ahead of the teeing ground. With barely a swing available, I hit a perfect 5-iron to advance the ball down the fairway. Still 240 yards from the green, I tried a 3-wood. I hit it well, but my ball stopped half way up a steep incline just in front of the green. The result was double bogey on hole #3, a long par-3. I pulled my tee shot behind some trees with the 5-iron, but I was encouraged that contact was crisp. Unfortunately, I followed up with a triple bogey on hole #4, mostly due to a weak chip shot and another 3-putt. Through four holes, this round was already looking grim.
The next thing you know, I rattled off five bogeys in a row. The stretch began with a laser of a drive on hole #5 that pierced the fairway. I wasted my second shot by topping it, then hit a towering 3-iron just short of the green. On hole #6, a medium length par-3, it was a towering 7-iron shot that set things up. After a wayward drive on hole #7, a couple of crisp irons got me back on track. I was certainly hitting the irons high and straight. The best one was a 3-iron off the tee on hole #8, a long par-3. The hole was playing 192 yards, but I chose my 200-yard club to take a pair of ponds fronting either side of the green right out of play. What a beauty it was. The ball sailed right to the back fringe, with no danger of getting wet.
The main adjustment I made with the irons was to focus on straightening my left arm. When the left elbow bends, even slightly, I have difficulty controlling where the club will bottom out. The result is a mix of duffs and topped balls. It's particularly bad when the ball is above or below the feet. Straightening the left arm also seems to improve my swing path, from backswing to follow through. So that's what I focused on this time. I did not focus on the turning of the forearms, as I did during my last round. That has helped me in the past, but only seemed to cause trouble recently.
Moving to the Yellow nine, I took a few steps backwards again. The first four holes were a repeat of the front nine, as I went triple, bogey, double, and triple to start things off. I flared a couple of drives well out to the right, which didn't help. On Yellow #1, I also hit a weird one off the heel of the gap wedge from 120 yards out. The ball finished in a bunker, 50 yards from the green, which can be awkward. During this stretch, I also collected a pair of penalty strokes – the only ones on the day. Despite the bad scores, there were a couple of nice shots mixed in, so I was still feeling good.
The next thing you know, I rattled off a pair of bogeys, followed by three pars to finish the round. The three pars were brilliant – three fairways hit and three greens in regulation – golf the way it was meant to be played! On hole #7, I bombed a drive down the centre, leaving just 100 yards to the green. On hole #8, another bomb left me with 120 to the flag. On #9, I used every bit of fairway available, actually trickling through the end by a foot or so. I was just 80 yards from the flag. In all cases, I was able to hit sky high wedges the appropriate distance, leaving legitimate birdie chances.
The adjustment on my drives was subtle, demonstrating how a slight change can make a huge difference. I tend to swing with my arms, more than my body. The problem is that when I try to adjust this, the results can be horrific. After duffing or topping a few balls, I invariably go back to swinging with the arms, which I can at least get airborne. What I did differently this time was to ensure that extra rotation around the spine in my backswing was ever so slight. I could feel the point where I would normally stop my rotation. From there, I just went a couple degrees further. I could control that movement and it helped my club come from the inside-out -- exactly what you want.
Score: 98
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 4
Penalties: 2
April 29, 2015
Square One at King's Forest
Hello faithful readers – all three of you! OK, more like two and a half. It's been a long time since I recorded anything in this space, which is not surprising. It's a golf blog after all, and there has been no golf to speak of since the end of October. Precisely six months have passed since I last hacked my way around a golf course. Over that time, there were no trips to warm weather locations down south or visits to indoor practice facilities here in the Great White North – not even a jaunt to the lowly simulator. At my first round of the season, to be played at King's Forest Golf Club, I would be starting from square one.
I had no expectations going into the round. There's simply no way of knowing what will show up after a lengthy layoff. I was a little worried about the course selection, however. King's Forest is a stiff challenge for me, even when I'm in mid-season form. My best result there came in 2008, on my first ever visit. I shot a gross score of 95, which was good enough for low net on the now defunct Duffer's Dream Tour. Aah, those were the days! In seven visits since then, I scored between 97 and 107, averaging a couple of strokes over the century mark. The course is fair, but its challenges are varied. Some holes are long, while others are narrow. Elevation changes are a primary feature, and it's not uncommon to be shooting from an uneven lie.
The most surprising part of the day was my stamina, or lack of it. King's Forest is not an easy walk, to be sure, but I've had no trouble hoofing it in the past, even with my bag on my back. This time, I was noticeably tired in the late stages of the round. With four holes to play, my pace slowed considerably. Part of the problem is the fact that I get relatively little physical activity over the winter, tending to put on a few extra pounds. Then there's my knee, or what remains of it. I've lived with a torn meniscus for 15 years. As I get older, it's gradually becoming more of an issue. The hills at King's Forest definitely had my knee straining.
As for my ball striking, it was horrible. My results off the tee were decent – I hit many fairways and was only off by a couple of yards when I missed – but they don't tell the full story. I hit a lot of weak, cutting shots, and that was not the shape I was after. Most of these were with the driver, but I also hit a couple of 3-woods. A few of these tee shots also came out very low. In spite of my attempt to swing inside-out, I was clearly coming from the outside-in, with a relatively open club face. Surprise, surprise. Hole #16, a short par-4, was the only time I drove the ball left of the fairway. I kind of smothered the ball, after making a concerted effort to really turn the hands over at impact.
My second shots were truly bad and largely responsible for my inflated scores. I duffed on hole #1 with the ball above my feet. Same thing on hole #10. This despite choking up on the club and brushing the grass nicely with my practice swings. I topped my second shots on holes #2 and #6, connecting awkwardly with the heel of the club. Most often, I hit weak, slicing shots that came out with a low trajectory. From the fairway on hole #3, I hit one of these into the river. After a nice drive on hole #11, I hit an identical one into water hazard protecting the front right of the green. These were the most costly, as they resulted in penalty strokes.
There were only a handful of iron shots that I really liked. The best was an approach into the green on hole #13. I had laid up short of the river on this difficult par-4, leaving 170 yards to the putting surface. Normally, that's my 6-iron distance, but since I was shorter than usual all day long and the flag was at the back of the green, I opted for 5-iron. What followed was perfection. A crisp strike sent the ball dead straight to the heart of the green, flag high. Nice, but rare! Another great shot was my third on hole #18, a par-5. From 150 yards, I opted for 7-iron into the elevated green. I was left of the fairway near a pond and the ball was well above my feet. I choked up and took a nice, easy swing. The ball popped off the club face on a bee-line for the flagstick. It skidded past, finishing on the fringe at the back of the green. After a great lag, I tapped in for my only par of the day.
I have no complaints about my short game. I hit decent pitch and chip shots. I had mixed results from greenside bunkers. On hole #6, I got up and down from one with the help of a good putt. On the other hand, I sculled one clear past the practice green behind hole #9. My putting was fine. I left a couple of lags woefully short, leading to 3-putts, but I also made a couple to finish with 35 putts overall.
My final score was 114 – much worse than I ever shot at King's Forest. It didn't feel quite so bad out there, but the score doesn't lie. There's a lot of work to be done.
Score: 114
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 6
I had no expectations going into the round. There's simply no way of knowing what will show up after a lengthy layoff. I was a little worried about the course selection, however. King's Forest is a stiff challenge for me, even when I'm in mid-season form. My best result there came in 2008, on my first ever visit. I shot a gross score of 95, which was good enough for low net on the now defunct Duffer's Dream Tour. Aah, those were the days! In seven visits since then, I scored between 97 and 107, averaging a couple of strokes over the century mark. The course is fair, but its challenges are varied. Some holes are long, while others are narrow. Elevation changes are a primary feature, and it's not uncommon to be shooting from an uneven lie.
The most surprising part of the day was my stamina, or lack of it. King's Forest is not an easy walk, to be sure, but I've had no trouble hoofing it in the past, even with my bag on my back. This time, I was noticeably tired in the late stages of the round. With four holes to play, my pace slowed considerably. Part of the problem is the fact that I get relatively little physical activity over the winter, tending to put on a few extra pounds. Then there's my knee, or what remains of it. I've lived with a torn meniscus for 15 years. As I get older, it's gradually becoming more of an issue. The hills at King's Forest definitely had my knee straining.
As for my ball striking, it was horrible. My results off the tee were decent – I hit many fairways and was only off by a couple of yards when I missed – but they don't tell the full story. I hit a lot of weak, cutting shots, and that was not the shape I was after. Most of these were with the driver, but I also hit a couple of 3-woods. A few of these tee shots also came out very low. In spite of my attempt to swing inside-out, I was clearly coming from the outside-in, with a relatively open club face. Surprise, surprise. Hole #16, a short par-4, was the only time I drove the ball left of the fairway. I kind of smothered the ball, after making a concerted effort to really turn the hands over at impact.
My second shots were truly bad and largely responsible for my inflated scores. I duffed on hole #1 with the ball above my feet. Same thing on hole #10. This despite choking up on the club and brushing the grass nicely with my practice swings. I topped my second shots on holes #2 and #6, connecting awkwardly with the heel of the club. Most often, I hit weak, slicing shots that came out with a low trajectory. From the fairway on hole #3, I hit one of these into the river. After a nice drive on hole #11, I hit an identical one into water hazard protecting the front right of the green. These were the most costly, as they resulted in penalty strokes.
There were only a handful of iron shots that I really liked. The best was an approach into the green on hole #13. I had laid up short of the river on this difficult par-4, leaving 170 yards to the putting surface. Normally, that's my 6-iron distance, but since I was shorter than usual all day long and the flag was at the back of the green, I opted for 5-iron. What followed was perfection. A crisp strike sent the ball dead straight to the heart of the green, flag high. Nice, but rare! Another great shot was my third on hole #18, a par-5. From 150 yards, I opted for 7-iron into the elevated green. I was left of the fairway near a pond and the ball was well above my feet. I choked up and took a nice, easy swing. The ball popped off the club face on a bee-line for the flagstick. It skidded past, finishing on the fringe at the back of the green. After a great lag, I tapped in for my only par of the day.
I have no complaints about my short game. I hit decent pitch and chip shots. I had mixed results from greenside bunkers. On hole #6, I got up and down from one with the help of a good putt. On the other hand, I sculled one clear past the practice green behind hole #9. My putting was fine. I left a couple of lags woefully short, leading to 3-putts, but I also made a couple to finish with 35 putts overall.
My final score was 114 – much worse than I ever shot at King's Forest. It didn't feel quite so bad out there, but the score doesn't lie. There's a lot of work to be done.
Score: 114
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 1
Penalties: 6
November 10, 2014
2014: Year in Review
The temperature reached 11 degrees Celsius today in Toronto. The long-term forecast is calling for highs no greater than 7 degrees, so I took advantage of today's double-digit high to put my winter tires on the car. In recent years, this has served as a reminder to write my year-end golf review. After all, when the winter tires go on, you can be sure that golf season has come to an end. So here we go!
Overall, I have to say that 2014 was a success. Keep in mind that my game peaked in 2009, before levelling off in 2010. Since then, it has been three years of steady decline. The clearest indicator of this has been my handicap factor. It got as low as 15.7 in 2009, albeit briefly. In 2010, it stayed in a tight range between 17 and 18. It climbed to 19.3 by the end of 2011, then to 22.2 by the end of 2012. By the end of last year, it had risen all the way to 25.8 – not far from my estimated handicap when I first took up the game. All season long, I chipped away at the handicap factor, reaching 19.7 after my last round of the year. I stalled a bit at 20, which was a barrier I set out to overcome at the start of the year, so I'm glad I busted through with a final surge.
Last year, I broke 100 only five times. More than my handicap, this was a very telling stat. In my early golf days, breaking 100 was the goal. As my game improved, it became the rule, rather than the exception. In fact, 100 or greater became the mark of failure. To go lower than the century mark only a handful of times in 2013 was like starting the game all over again. For that reason, I'm happy to report that I managed to break 100 thirty times in 2014. Perhaps because I was back in the 90s with regularity, I didn't even mind the occasions when I “missed the cut” by a stroke or two. On seven occasions, I scored 100 or 101, but brushed it aside as no different than shooting 99 or 98. That's a big mental adjustment for me – one I will strive to carry forward next year. Bad rounds happen. It's no big deal and doesn't always reflect on your overall ability.
One of the reasons I was able to improve was the sheer number of games played. My dip in performance over the three previous years corresponded directly with fewer games played. I played only 31 rounds each of those years. This year, I was aiming for about 35 games, but a late season flurry pushed my total up to 44. That's very close to the levels I reached in the years leading up to 2011, when my game was at its best. I know some people who are able to maintain their performance level with very few games played, but I'm not one of them. I need to be active to keep my game as sharp as it can be.
Those 44 rounds were played at 34 different golf courses. The course I played most often, with three visits, was Lowville. Two of those rounds were played back-to-back in late October. I played 8 courses twice – Dragon's Fire, Willodell, Hidden Lake Old, Legends Battlefield, Century Pines, Calerin, Bradford Highlands, and Glen Eagle. On my second visit to Glen Eagle, I played the Original 18, which was substantially different than the first time around.
The courses I played for the first time this year were: Glencairn, Calerin, Royal Ontario, Caledon, and Scenic Woods. Glencairn was the nicest of these, and I played it with some good friends, which is always a treat. Despite the fact that it was only my fourth round of the year, I had a good result. Calerin is the only 9-hole course I've ever played, but you go around twice to complete 18 holes. I was pleasantly surprised with the layout. Royal Ontario was finally crossed off my list of unplayed courses, as it hosted the Deepwoods Golf Association final. I had heard much about the course, so it was nice to be able to form my own opinion. Caledon is another course that I never got around to playing, so I enjoyed getting out there as well. Finally, there was Scenic Woods. I won't be rushing back any time soon, but I'll remember it fondly because it was the site of my best round in 2014 – a respectable 85 in late October.
Looking at my average stats for the year reveals some improvement over last season. My average score was 98.1 – down from 103.5 a year earlier. While it's now heading in the right direction, I would like to see this number closer to 93 or so. With a normal distribution, that would see the bulk of my scores falling between 87 and 99. This year, my typical scoring range was between 89 and 101, with a slight skew toward the upper end. I averaged 35.3 putts in 2014, which was not all that different from the 35.6 averaged in 2013. I've never had many complaints about my putting, but I'll save strokes wherever I can find them. Fairways hit improved from 4.1 to 5.3 during this year's campaign. Greens in regulation saw a similar bump – to 3.3 from just 2.8 last season. Improvement is always good, but these numbers are still far too low. I figure I should be able to hit at least 7 fairways per round, every time out. Greens are harder for me, but 6 per round is a good goal. That's a long way off, but a guy can dream, right?
Finally, a few words about my performance in the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. There was a time (2007-2010) when I had a lot of confidence at this competition. With a win and two runner-up finishes in the span of four years, I had reason to be. Then came three years where I wasn't even a factor. Poor performances early in the season took me right out of contention. 2013 was particularly gruesome, as I finished near the bottom of the standings. For all of these reasons, it felt great to challenge for the championship once again in 2014. I finished in 8th place, which is still some distance from the leader, but just to be mathematically alive going into the final round was an accomplishment. I will take some confidence from this season and channel it into next year's competition.
And now, I have 6 months without golf to endure. Ugh!
Overall, I have to say that 2014 was a success. Keep in mind that my game peaked in 2009, before levelling off in 2010. Since then, it has been three years of steady decline. The clearest indicator of this has been my handicap factor. It got as low as 15.7 in 2009, albeit briefly. In 2010, it stayed in a tight range between 17 and 18. It climbed to 19.3 by the end of 2011, then to 22.2 by the end of 2012. By the end of last year, it had risen all the way to 25.8 – not far from my estimated handicap when I first took up the game. All season long, I chipped away at the handicap factor, reaching 19.7 after my last round of the year. I stalled a bit at 20, which was a barrier I set out to overcome at the start of the year, so I'm glad I busted through with a final surge.
Last year, I broke 100 only five times. More than my handicap, this was a very telling stat. In my early golf days, breaking 100 was the goal. As my game improved, it became the rule, rather than the exception. In fact, 100 or greater became the mark of failure. To go lower than the century mark only a handful of times in 2013 was like starting the game all over again. For that reason, I'm happy to report that I managed to break 100 thirty times in 2014. Perhaps because I was back in the 90s with regularity, I didn't even mind the occasions when I “missed the cut” by a stroke or two. On seven occasions, I scored 100 or 101, but brushed it aside as no different than shooting 99 or 98. That's a big mental adjustment for me – one I will strive to carry forward next year. Bad rounds happen. It's no big deal and doesn't always reflect on your overall ability.
One of the reasons I was able to improve was the sheer number of games played. My dip in performance over the three previous years corresponded directly with fewer games played. I played only 31 rounds each of those years. This year, I was aiming for about 35 games, but a late season flurry pushed my total up to 44. That's very close to the levels I reached in the years leading up to 2011, when my game was at its best. I know some people who are able to maintain their performance level with very few games played, but I'm not one of them. I need to be active to keep my game as sharp as it can be.
Those 44 rounds were played at 34 different golf courses. The course I played most often, with three visits, was Lowville. Two of those rounds were played back-to-back in late October. I played 8 courses twice – Dragon's Fire, Willodell, Hidden Lake Old, Legends Battlefield, Century Pines, Calerin, Bradford Highlands, and Glen Eagle. On my second visit to Glen Eagle, I played the Original 18, which was substantially different than the first time around.
The courses I played for the first time this year were: Glencairn, Calerin, Royal Ontario, Caledon, and Scenic Woods. Glencairn was the nicest of these, and I played it with some good friends, which is always a treat. Despite the fact that it was only my fourth round of the year, I had a good result. Calerin is the only 9-hole course I've ever played, but you go around twice to complete 18 holes. I was pleasantly surprised with the layout. Royal Ontario was finally crossed off my list of unplayed courses, as it hosted the Deepwoods Golf Association final. I had heard much about the course, so it was nice to be able to form my own opinion. Caledon is another course that I never got around to playing, so I enjoyed getting out there as well. Finally, there was Scenic Woods. I won't be rushing back any time soon, but I'll remember it fondly because it was the site of my best round in 2014 – a respectable 85 in late October.
Looking at my average stats for the year reveals some improvement over last season. My average score was 98.1 – down from 103.5 a year earlier. While it's now heading in the right direction, I would like to see this number closer to 93 or so. With a normal distribution, that would see the bulk of my scores falling between 87 and 99. This year, my typical scoring range was between 89 and 101, with a slight skew toward the upper end. I averaged 35.3 putts in 2014, which was not all that different from the 35.6 averaged in 2013. I've never had many complaints about my putting, but I'll save strokes wherever I can find them. Fairways hit improved from 4.1 to 5.3 during this year's campaign. Greens in regulation saw a similar bump – to 3.3 from just 2.8 last season. Improvement is always good, but these numbers are still far too low. I figure I should be able to hit at least 7 fairways per round, every time out. Greens are harder for me, but 6 per round is a good goal. That's a long way off, but a guy can dream, right?
Finally, a few words about my performance in the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. There was a time (2007-2010) when I had a lot of confidence at this competition. With a win and two runner-up finishes in the span of four years, I had reason to be. Then came three years where I wasn't even a factor. Poor performances early in the season took me right out of contention. 2013 was particularly gruesome, as I finished near the bottom of the standings. For all of these reasons, it felt great to challenge for the championship once again in 2014. I finished in 8th place, which is still some distance from the leader, but just to be mathematically alive going into the final round was an accomplishment. I will take some confidence from this season and channel it into next year's competition.
And now, I have 6 months without golf to endure. Ugh!
November 01, 2014
Season Finale at Glen Eagle
My last round of the season was on October 29th at Glen Eagle Golf Club. They have 27 holes, but on this occasion, the Original 18 were in play. It was a little chilly and overcast, with an occasional light drizzle. I teed off on the first hole and played the entire round alone. Normally, that helps me focus, but it was hard to do so because of course conditions. Leaves were everywhere, even in fairway landing zones and on the greens. Speaking of greens, they had been aerated, which is to be expected at this time of year. However, there was an inordinate amount of top dressing on some greens, making it near impossible to get the speed correct.
Once again, I focused on the wrist roll during my swing. A few rounds ago, it was working wonders, but it got a little shaky at my last outing. This time, I'm sorry to say, it was a little worse still. With the driver in hand, it produced a few high pop-ups to the left side. Perhaps I wasn't rolling the wrists enough, leaving the club face open at impact. Combine this with my typical outside-in swing path, and the result is not good. I popped up drives on holes #1, #7, and #10. At other times, I caught the ball near the heel of the club, producing an even worse result. That happened on holes #4, #7, and #12. Hole #7 is listed twice because I hit my third from the tee after a particularly horrific attempt. I had some good drives, but they were few and far between.
With irons in hand, the results were better. I shanked a 7-iron off the tee on hole #3, but after taking a penalty and re-teeing, I hit a fabulous one to within 5 feet of the pin. It seems when I miss with this wrist roll, it's always because I fail to execute it fast enough, leaving the face open at impact. This was an extreme case, but when I adjusted, the result was fantastic. I also hit some great recovery shots with the irons. I had to punch a couple of low shots due to tree trouble on hole #2, a par-5. I managed to get near the green after three shots, then pitched and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #4, also a par-5, I hit another pair of punch shots to get to the green in four. The last of these was particularly impressive, threading through a thick strand of tree trunks to find the green edge.
I was shooting 55 at the turn, thanks to a pair of triple-bogeys and a massive blowup on hole #5, a short par-4. My tee shot found a fairway bunker on the right side, and I had trouble getting out and through some trees directly ahead. I took an ugly 9 on that hole. All of this meant I had a lot of work to do on the back nine to salvage a respectable score. Four pars and a birdie helped immensely, as I tallied 41 on the back nine to walk away with an overall score of 96.
I still had some issues with the driver, but I hit it well on holes #11, #13, and #16 – all of which produced pars. While the drives got me off to a good start, it was really the irons that earned those pars. Even when I made bogey, I displayed some nice control with the irons. There were multiple occasions where I had to shape a shot in a particular way, and I managed to do so nicely. On hole #10, I was well left of the fairway, with massive trees blocking out the green. I aimed the 9-iron well left of the green to get over the treetops, looking for a cut to bring the ball back near the putting surface. It worked just as I envisioned. On hole #13, I needed a low hook on my second shot to get around and under some trees and keep the ball in the fairway. I did exactly that. On hole #15, I was right of the fairway, with tall trees blocking the green once again. This time, I hoisted an 8-iron over the treetops, drawing it back to just in front of the green. That one was most impressive of all.
Even when I didn't need to shape a shot, the irons were working well. I hit a nice pitching wedge to reach the green in regulation on hole #11. On hole #14, a par-3, it was a 6-iron off the tee that did the trick, finishing flag high. On hole #16, I hit a wonderful 5-iron that was all over the flag. I let out a yell of satisfaction after that one. I didn't even care about my score or round at that point – I just loved the shot. On hole #17, a short par-3, my pitching wedge was also perfect, setting up a 6-foot birdie putt that I drained with confidence.
In the end, I was happy that I managed to get on track over the back nine. I'm still committed to the wrist roll, even though it's been shaky, at times, over the last two rounds. I just have to remind myself to commit to it. That way, I won't leave the club face open when it strikes the ball.
The season is over. Soon, I'll have to reflect back and write my year-end review.
Score: 96
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
Once again, I focused on the wrist roll during my swing. A few rounds ago, it was working wonders, but it got a little shaky at my last outing. This time, I'm sorry to say, it was a little worse still. With the driver in hand, it produced a few high pop-ups to the left side. Perhaps I wasn't rolling the wrists enough, leaving the club face open at impact. Combine this with my typical outside-in swing path, and the result is not good. I popped up drives on holes #1, #7, and #10. At other times, I caught the ball near the heel of the club, producing an even worse result. That happened on holes #4, #7, and #12. Hole #7 is listed twice because I hit my third from the tee after a particularly horrific attempt. I had some good drives, but they were few and far between.
With irons in hand, the results were better. I shanked a 7-iron off the tee on hole #3, but after taking a penalty and re-teeing, I hit a fabulous one to within 5 feet of the pin. It seems when I miss with this wrist roll, it's always because I fail to execute it fast enough, leaving the face open at impact. This was an extreme case, but when I adjusted, the result was fantastic. I also hit some great recovery shots with the irons. I had to punch a couple of low shots due to tree trouble on hole #2, a par-5. I managed to get near the green after three shots, then pitched and 2-putt for bogey. On hole #4, also a par-5, I hit another pair of punch shots to get to the green in four. The last of these was particularly impressive, threading through a thick strand of tree trunks to find the green edge.
I was shooting 55 at the turn, thanks to a pair of triple-bogeys and a massive blowup on hole #5, a short par-4. My tee shot found a fairway bunker on the right side, and I had trouble getting out and through some trees directly ahead. I took an ugly 9 on that hole. All of this meant I had a lot of work to do on the back nine to salvage a respectable score. Four pars and a birdie helped immensely, as I tallied 41 on the back nine to walk away with an overall score of 96.
I still had some issues with the driver, but I hit it well on holes #11, #13, and #16 – all of which produced pars. While the drives got me off to a good start, it was really the irons that earned those pars. Even when I made bogey, I displayed some nice control with the irons. There were multiple occasions where I had to shape a shot in a particular way, and I managed to do so nicely. On hole #10, I was well left of the fairway, with massive trees blocking out the green. I aimed the 9-iron well left of the green to get over the treetops, looking for a cut to bring the ball back near the putting surface. It worked just as I envisioned. On hole #13, I needed a low hook on my second shot to get around and under some trees and keep the ball in the fairway. I did exactly that. On hole #15, I was right of the fairway, with tall trees blocking the green once again. This time, I hoisted an 8-iron over the treetops, drawing it back to just in front of the green. That one was most impressive of all.
Even when I didn't need to shape a shot, the irons were working well. I hit a nice pitching wedge to reach the green in regulation on hole #11. On hole #14, a par-3, it was a 6-iron off the tee that did the trick, finishing flag high. On hole #16, I hit a wonderful 5-iron that was all over the flag. I let out a yell of satisfaction after that one. I didn't even care about my score or round at that point – I just loved the shot. On hole #17, a short par-3, my pitching wedge was also perfect, setting up a 6-foot birdie putt that I drained with confidence.
In the end, I was happy that I managed to get on track over the back nine. I'm still committed to the wrist roll, even though it's been shaky, at times, over the last two rounds. I just have to remind myself to commit to it. That way, I won't leave the club face open when it strikes the ball.
The season is over. Soon, I'll have to reflect back and write my year-end review.
Score: 96
Putts: 34
Fairways: 1
Greens: 5
Penalties: 2
October 31, 2014
Streak Ends at Bradford Highlands
With scores of 94, 95, 91 and 85 over my last four rounds, I was looking to keep the momentum going. The “wrist roll” adjustment that I made a few rounds back had me hitting very decent drives and pure iron shots. There was no reason it shouldn't continue, right? I headed to Bradford Highlands to see if that line of reasoning would hold up.
Playing the back nine first, I popped my first drive way up in the air and slightly left. I've driven the ball to the end of that fairway before, so this was a little disappointing. With a tree in my way, I was forced to chip back to the fairway. No problem though, as I hit one of those pure 8-irons from 150 yards to within five feet of the pin, then drained the putt to save par. “It's still working,” I thought.
On hole #11, a par-5, I hit my drive straight, but it once again popped straight up in the air. I was so far back that I had to lay up before a creek that crosses the fairway. That left me with a long third shot into the green, and I came up well short. A pitch and 2-putt would have been fine for bogey, but I blasted my first putt well past the hole, en route to a double bogey. What the hell? Why were the greens lightning fast at Bradford Highlands?
My drive on hole #12 was truly disgusting. I caught the ball low on the club face and it sliced into a pond on the right side of the fairway. My irons on the remainder of the hole were no better, as I found some deep fescue and had a heck of a time getting out. I finished with a triple-bogey, and began wondering what on earth was going on.
My scores were better for the rest of the back nine, as I registered a par and five bogeys. Despite the results, I wasn't feeling confident. I had a couple of good drives, particularly on holes #14, #17, and #18. However, I hit a huge push slice off the tee on hole #15, a short par-4. Only a spectacular 7-iron from the opposite fairway enabled me to save par on that hole. My irons continued to be pretty good overall, but my chip shots were running right across the speedy greens. I've never seen the greens that fast at Bradford.
I made the turn with a score of 46, so you could say I was right on track for a score in the low 90s. A 3-putt on hole #1 produced double-bogey, but it was my tee shot on hole #2 that started a big, downward spiral. The group ahead let mine play through, so they had a front row seat for my atrocious 5-iron off the tee on this par-5 hole. The ball came out low and to the right, diving into thick fescue just 60 yards ahead of the teeing ground. I found the ball, but it was all I could do to hack it back to the primary rough. Double-bogey was the final result.
The next five holes included three bogeys, along with a pair of massive blowups. I took a score of 10 on hole #3, a par-4 of modest length. There is out of bounds along the entire left side, and a pond protects the front right of the green, but I've never struggled on this hole as I did this time. I hit a poor drive off the heel of the club, then shanked a 6-iron. I flared a wedge into the pond and found the water again after taking a penalty and drop. Ugh!
The other hole that killed me was #6. Unlike #3, this one HAS killed me in the past...OFTEN! I once sliced four consecutive tee balls out of bounds on the right side. That was a long time ago. In recent visits, I managed to find a tiny pond that sits short and to the left side. It's uncanny how frequently I managed to land in that pond. This time, I popped the ball straight in the air. Lo and behold, it went in the pond. After taking a penalty, I pushed a shot into a water hazard further afield. And so it continued, as I registered a score of 9 on this par-4. Ugh!
At this point, I was on track to finish above the century mark. Out of nowhere, I put together a birdie and par on the last two holes to save a final score of 99. The birdie came on a 140-yard par-3 from an elevated tee. I hit a 9-iron flush, but the ball was headed left of my target. Miraculously, it hit a mound near the left side of the green and kicked well right, settling just 5 feet from the hole. I took advantage and drained the putt.
On hole #18, a 505-yard par-5, I hit a pretty good drive that leaked ever so slightly to the right. A creek crosses the fairway, but I never reached it before, so I swung without hesitation. As I walked up to where I thought my ball was, I didn't see anything. The cart path cuts through the area, so I feared that I might have hit it and bounced into the creek. When I looked in that area, I spotted my ball 5 yards from the creek...on the other side! Woohoo! I was only 190 yards from the green, albeit in the rough and with a couple small trees to contend with. I hit a good 4-iron to just left of the green, then pitched on to give myself a birdie chance. I missed it, but tapped in for par.
Given the two disastrous holes that added 19 strokes to my card, I'm happy to walk away with 99.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
Playing the back nine first, I popped my first drive way up in the air and slightly left. I've driven the ball to the end of that fairway before, so this was a little disappointing. With a tree in my way, I was forced to chip back to the fairway. No problem though, as I hit one of those pure 8-irons from 150 yards to within five feet of the pin, then drained the putt to save par. “It's still working,” I thought.
On hole #11, a par-5, I hit my drive straight, but it once again popped straight up in the air. I was so far back that I had to lay up before a creek that crosses the fairway. That left me with a long third shot into the green, and I came up well short. A pitch and 2-putt would have been fine for bogey, but I blasted my first putt well past the hole, en route to a double bogey. What the hell? Why were the greens lightning fast at Bradford Highlands?
My drive on hole #12 was truly disgusting. I caught the ball low on the club face and it sliced into a pond on the right side of the fairway. My irons on the remainder of the hole were no better, as I found some deep fescue and had a heck of a time getting out. I finished with a triple-bogey, and began wondering what on earth was going on.
My scores were better for the rest of the back nine, as I registered a par and five bogeys. Despite the results, I wasn't feeling confident. I had a couple of good drives, particularly on holes #14, #17, and #18. However, I hit a huge push slice off the tee on hole #15, a short par-4. Only a spectacular 7-iron from the opposite fairway enabled me to save par on that hole. My irons continued to be pretty good overall, but my chip shots were running right across the speedy greens. I've never seen the greens that fast at Bradford.
I made the turn with a score of 46, so you could say I was right on track for a score in the low 90s. A 3-putt on hole #1 produced double-bogey, but it was my tee shot on hole #2 that started a big, downward spiral. The group ahead let mine play through, so they had a front row seat for my atrocious 5-iron off the tee on this par-5 hole. The ball came out low and to the right, diving into thick fescue just 60 yards ahead of the teeing ground. I found the ball, but it was all I could do to hack it back to the primary rough. Double-bogey was the final result.
The next five holes included three bogeys, along with a pair of massive blowups. I took a score of 10 on hole #3, a par-4 of modest length. There is out of bounds along the entire left side, and a pond protects the front right of the green, but I've never struggled on this hole as I did this time. I hit a poor drive off the heel of the club, then shanked a 6-iron. I flared a wedge into the pond and found the water again after taking a penalty and drop. Ugh!
The other hole that killed me was #6. Unlike #3, this one HAS killed me in the past...OFTEN! I once sliced four consecutive tee balls out of bounds on the right side. That was a long time ago. In recent visits, I managed to find a tiny pond that sits short and to the left side. It's uncanny how frequently I managed to land in that pond. This time, I popped the ball straight in the air. Lo and behold, it went in the pond. After taking a penalty, I pushed a shot into a water hazard further afield. And so it continued, as I registered a score of 9 on this par-4. Ugh!
At this point, I was on track to finish above the century mark. Out of nowhere, I put together a birdie and par on the last two holes to save a final score of 99. The birdie came on a 140-yard par-3 from an elevated tee. I hit a 9-iron flush, but the ball was headed left of my target. Miraculously, it hit a mound near the left side of the green and kicked well right, settling just 5 feet from the hole. I took advantage and drained the putt.
On hole #18, a 505-yard par-5, I hit a pretty good drive that leaked ever so slightly to the right. A creek crosses the fairway, but I never reached it before, so I swung without hesitation. As I walked up to where I thought my ball was, I didn't see anything. The cart path cuts through the area, so I feared that I might have hit it and bounced into the creek. When I looked in that area, I spotted my ball 5 yards from the creek...on the other side! Woohoo! I was only 190 yards from the green, albeit in the rough and with a couple small trees to contend with. I hit a good 4-iron to just left of the green, then pitched on to give myself a birdie chance. I missed it, but tapped in for par.
Given the two disastrous holes that added 19 strokes to my card, I'm happy to walk away with 99.
Score: 99
Putts: 35
Fairways: 6
Greens: 4
Penalties: 5
October 30, 2014
Smackdown at Scenic Woods
I was feeling good about my last couple of rounds and eager for my next outing at Scenic Woods. This was the first time I've played the course, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I wouldn't go out of my way to play there again, but overall, it wasn't a bad layout. The first three holes were wide and flat, leading me to believe it was going to be a bland experience. The greens, in particular, were rather featureless. The remainder of the front nine was comprised of some more interesting holes, including some short par-4 holes that require carefully placed tee shots to avoid water hazards. The back nine was much more interesting, with some solid par-5 holes and a couple of challenging par-3 tests. Meandering creeks feature a little more prominently, calling for well struck shots to avoid penalties.
Despite the fact it was cold and a little windy, I got off to an amazing start. I was paired up with a threesome, who quickly asked me what my handicap was. I told them, truthfully, that I was a 20. After going par, par, bogey, and par over the first four holes, they had good reason to believe I was feeding them a load of bull. It wasn't just the results that were great; it was the way I achieved them. On the opening par-5, I hit the left side of the fairway, then bombed a huge 5-wood down the pipe, leaving 60 yards to the green. I striped my drive on hole #2, leaving 120 yards to the green. On hole #4, I hit 5-iron off the tee, placing the ball exactly where my playing partners had recommended. On the greens, I made four great lag putts from distance, leaving easy finishing putts.
I had an errant second shot on hole #5, a dogleg left, that led to double-bogey. After that, I resumed my surgical attack against the course. On hole #6, I carried one creek and laid up just in front of another, using the 6-iron. It was the perfect location to place the ball. On holes #7 and #9, a pair of par-3 holes, I struck pure irons off the tee that were all over the flags. The birdie putts did not drop, but my ball striking was really looking good. I owe it all to the adjustment I made a few rounds back – the wrist roll that keeps the club face open during the backswing and closes it to square at impact. It was helping my drives, but it was making my iron play spectacular. At the turn, I was shooting 40, so I knew I had something special going.
After going bogey, par, par to start the back nine, I was just six over par through twelve holes. That put me right on pace to challenge my personal best score of 81, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. Hole #13 is a nice par-3, nestled perfectly into the surrounding landscape. The flag was 170 yards away, near the back left of the green. I hit a beautiful 6-iron, but it was just a fraction right of my intended target and managed to find some trees. It's a shame because I really didn't miss by much at all, but ended up with a double-bogey.
Solid play continued through hole #16, but I was making bogeys instead of pars. After recovering from a shaky drive on hole #15, I stuck a 90-yard shot right near the pin, for a chance at saving par. Unfortunately, I just burned the edge of the cup. On hole #16, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 3-iron off the tee. It was so good that it rolled through the back of the green. My chip was mediocre and a bogey ensued.
Perhaps the magic was wearing off, as I hit another bad drive on hole #17, a par-4 with a dogleg left. I was forced, not only to take my third and last penalty of the day, but also to lay up in front of a water hazard, as there were trees blocking me out from the green. Double bogey ensued. Thankfully, I played hole #18, a par-5, in textbook fashion. After hitting the fairway with a good drive, I was within range of the green, but wisely decided to play a baby 8-iron to the 100 yard stick, followed by a sand wedge into the green. A large pond right of the fairway and green was simply too risky to take on.
In the end, I shot an 85. This was my best result of the year and my best since September 2011, when I shot an 83 at Willow Valley. In fact, I've only had four rounds better than this one, ever. Besides that 83 at Willow Valley, I also have an 83 at Carlisle North/East, an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt, and an 81 at Deer Creek South. I have scored 85 on three other occasions (at Lochness Links, Osprey Valley Heathlands, and Kleinburg), but those were some time ago.
With this result, my handicap factor also dipped below 20 for the first time since 2011. Considering I started this season as a 25.8 handicap, it's nice to currently be at 19.8 and trending in the right direction.
Score: 85
Putts: 34
Fairways: 9
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
Despite the fact it was cold and a little windy, I got off to an amazing start. I was paired up with a threesome, who quickly asked me what my handicap was. I told them, truthfully, that I was a 20. After going par, par, bogey, and par over the first four holes, they had good reason to believe I was feeding them a load of bull. It wasn't just the results that were great; it was the way I achieved them. On the opening par-5, I hit the left side of the fairway, then bombed a huge 5-wood down the pipe, leaving 60 yards to the green. I striped my drive on hole #2, leaving 120 yards to the green. On hole #4, I hit 5-iron off the tee, placing the ball exactly where my playing partners had recommended. On the greens, I made four great lag putts from distance, leaving easy finishing putts.
I had an errant second shot on hole #5, a dogleg left, that led to double-bogey. After that, I resumed my surgical attack against the course. On hole #6, I carried one creek and laid up just in front of another, using the 6-iron. It was the perfect location to place the ball. On holes #7 and #9, a pair of par-3 holes, I struck pure irons off the tee that were all over the flags. The birdie putts did not drop, but my ball striking was really looking good. I owe it all to the adjustment I made a few rounds back – the wrist roll that keeps the club face open during the backswing and closes it to square at impact. It was helping my drives, but it was making my iron play spectacular. At the turn, I was shooting 40, so I knew I had something special going.
After going bogey, par, par to start the back nine, I was just six over par through twelve holes. That put me right on pace to challenge my personal best score of 81, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. Hole #13 is a nice par-3, nestled perfectly into the surrounding landscape. The flag was 170 yards away, near the back left of the green. I hit a beautiful 6-iron, but it was just a fraction right of my intended target and managed to find some trees. It's a shame because I really didn't miss by much at all, but ended up with a double-bogey.
Solid play continued through hole #16, but I was making bogeys instead of pars. After recovering from a shaky drive on hole #15, I stuck a 90-yard shot right near the pin, for a chance at saving par. Unfortunately, I just burned the edge of the cup. On hole #16, a 200-yard par-3, I hit a lovely 3-iron off the tee. It was so good that it rolled through the back of the green. My chip was mediocre and a bogey ensued.
Perhaps the magic was wearing off, as I hit another bad drive on hole #17, a par-4 with a dogleg left. I was forced, not only to take my third and last penalty of the day, but also to lay up in front of a water hazard, as there were trees blocking me out from the green. Double bogey ensued. Thankfully, I played hole #18, a par-5, in textbook fashion. After hitting the fairway with a good drive, I was within range of the green, but wisely decided to play a baby 8-iron to the 100 yard stick, followed by a sand wedge into the green. A large pond right of the fairway and green was simply too risky to take on.
In the end, I shot an 85. This was my best result of the year and my best since September 2011, when I shot an 83 at Willow Valley. In fact, I've only had four rounds better than this one, ever. Besides that 83 at Willow Valley, I also have an 83 at Carlisle North/East, an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt, and an 81 at Deer Creek South. I have scored 85 on three other occasions (at Lochness Links, Osprey Valley Heathlands, and Kleinburg), but those were some time ago.
With this result, my handicap factor also dipped below 20 for the first time since 2011. Considering I started this season as a 25.8 handicap, it's nice to currently be at 19.8 and trending in the right direction.
Score: 85
Putts: 34
Fairways: 9
Greens: 7
Penalties: 3
October 28, 2014
Rolling Along at Calerin
A day after playing Century Pines, I payed a visit to Calerin Golf Club. I played the front nine with an interesting threesome. These guys were good buddies and took extreme pleasure in giving each other the gears. Had I been playing poorly, it was the kind of thing that might get on my nerves. Fortunately, I was playing reasonably well, so it had no effect on me. I shot 49 on the front, with six bogeys, two doubles, and a triple.
That doesn't sound so great, but I was actually hitting some nice shots. My drives on holes #3 and #4 were among my best, travelling a healthy distance and dead straight. Ironically, those were the two holes that produced double-bogey. On #3, I followed up my drive with a 4-iron that flared right into a large pond. The wrist roll that I used at my last round worked well on the drive, but not so well on the next shot. I simply didn't execute the roll well enough, leaving the club face a little open at impact. On #4, the problem was not full shots, but the fact that I 3-putt. The triple-bogey came on hole #6 after a drive into the woods and a poor shot from a greenside bunker, with the ball below my feet.
Where the wrist roll really helped was with my iron shots. Before employing this move, I could make reasonable contact with the ball, advance a predictable distance based on the club used, and finish in relative safety. However, only one out of every ten shots had that feeling of pure contact. With the wrist roll, a much greater percentage of shots give me that feeling. Contact is more crisp, while the ball flight is higher and much prettier to watch. It also seems to cut down on the number of mis-hits due to hitting the ball fat or thin. My approach shots on holes #8 and #9 come to mind as great examples. The former was with a 7-iron, but I hit it so pure that I flew the green. An 8-iron would have been enough to reach the back pin location. The latter was with the 8-iron.
Calerin is a 9-hole course, which you play twice if you want to complete a full round. A substantially different set of tees are used the second time around, so there's enough variety to keep things interesting. My playing partners had already played nine before I joined them, so I was on my own for my back nine. I've had some good streaks playing alone, so I was looking forward to it. Sure enough, the added focus really helped me get hot. I shot 42 on the back nine, with a birdie, two pars, five bogeys, and a double. The double only came about as a result of a 3-putt.
The birdie was on hole #14, a par-3 measuring 142 yards. I hit one of those pure 9-irons to the front of the green, then drained a 10-footer that found the bottom of the cup. The birdie was sandwiched between a couple of pars. Hole #13 is a par-5 that I played in textbook style. My drive found the left side of the fairway. I hit an easy 5-iron to the fairway centre, leaving 130 yards to the pin. I played to the fat of the green with pitching wedge, then lagged a putt and tapped in. Hole #15 was a satisfying par, since that was the same hole I made triple-bogey on the first time around.
A final score of 91 tied my second best of the year, so this was a good result.
Score: 91
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
That doesn't sound so great, but I was actually hitting some nice shots. My drives on holes #3 and #4 were among my best, travelling a healthy distance and dead straight. Ironically, those were the two holes that produced double-bogey. On #3, I followed up my drive with a 4-iron that flared right into a large pond. The wrist roll that I used at my last round worked well on the drive, but not so well on the next shot. I simply didn't execute the roll well enough, leaving the club face a little open at impact. On #4, the problem was not full shots, but the fact that I 3-putt. The triple-bogey came on hole #6 after a drive into the woods and a poor shot from a greenside bunker, with the ball below my feet.
Where the wrist roll really helped was with my iron shots. Before employing this move, I could make reasonable contact with the ball, advance a predictable distance based on the club used, and finish in relative safety. However, only one out of every ten shots had that feeling of pure contact. With the wrist roll, a much greater percentage of shots give me that feeling. Contact is more crisp, while the ball flight is higher and much prettier to watch. It also seems to cut down on the number of mis-hits due to hitting the ball fat or thin. My approach shots on holes #8 and #9 come to mind as great examples. The former was with a 7-iron, but I hit it so pure that I flew the green. An 8-iron would have been enough to reach the back pin location. The latter was with the 8-iron.
Calerin is a 9-hole course, which you play twice if you want to complete a full round. A substantially different set of tees are used the second time around, so there's enough variety to keep things interesting. My playing partners had already played nine before I joined them, so I was on my own for my back nine. I've had some good streaks playing alone, so I was looking forward to it. Sure enough, the added focus really helped me get hot. I shot 42 on the back nine, with a birdie, two pars, five bogeys, and a double. The double only came about as a result of a 3-putt.
The birdie was on hole #14, a par-3 measuring 142 yards. I hit one of those pure 9-irons to the front of the green, then drained a 10-footer that found the bottom of the cup. The birdie was sandwiched between a couple of pars. Hole #13 is a par-5 that I played in textbook style. My drive found the left side of the fairway. I hit an easy 5-iron to the fairway centre, leaving 130 yards to the pin. I played to the fat of the green with pitching wedge, then lagged a putt and tapped in. Hole #15 was a satisfying par, since that was the same hole I made triple-bogey on the first time around.
A final score of 91 tied my second best of the year, so this was a good result.
Score: 91
Putts: 34
Fairways: 5
Greens: 3
Penalties: 2
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