Thursday, July 29, 2010

July 29th Round

My 33rd round of the season - pretty good for late July! Not too bad of a round, a bit of a slower pace this morning, and hot, and those darn Mosquitoes! My spray says "good for 8 hours" but should say "Good for 2 holes" I was reapplying the stuff every 30 minutes! I should take a photo of them when they are really bad, it is unbelievable at times.

Anyhow, on with the stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 87 (42/45)
Net Score: 75

Stats:
Putts: 29
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 1
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 7
Doubles: 3
Others : 1 (a triple at the last)
Penalties: 2

Fairways hit: 5/14 (35%)
Greens in regulation: 4/18 (22%)

Not a bad round - Front nine marred by 3 doubles, but the one birdie helps. 18th hole was pretty disastrous. From the tee to the sand, then forward to the next sand, then long, up and 3 putts for triple. Otherwise, good consistent balls striking - long off the tee (although, not always straight, just 5 fairways hit). Back at it tomorrow AM!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Juy 27th Round(s)

Great day for Golf - so I played a lot of it. I was out on the course by 8 AM, and it was 5:30 PM by the time I finished, and 45 holes (2 full rounds, and then 9 more holes)

I'll only blog about the first round, because once you start playing the 30th hole, it's really hard to focus. So the rest of the day quickly went downhill.

The first round was a 3 hour round, +22 by the end of the round. Mosquitoes still very much a problem, but I'm armed with spray! No wind to speak of.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 81 (38/43)
Net Score: 66

Stats:
Putts: 27
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 1
Pars: 8
Bogeys: 8
Doubles: 1
Others : 0
Penalties: 1

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 6/18 (33%)

Highlights - going out in 38! I was actually sitting at -1 after 5 holes, before I went Bogey/double Bogey. No doubles on the back, just 2 pars and 7 boges. I missed a few puts on the back nine, but can't complain about 27 puts total.

Lowlights - none to speak of. Great round - career best. I can smell that 79!

The other rounds of the day weren't spectacular, but I was really starting to feel the fatigue - and the heat (ended up in the high 20s by the end of the day). So, on the nine hole round, I shot 45, and on the second 18, I shot 93 (46/47)

I'm trying to decide if I am going to play today - it is 7:10, and my tee time is 8:09. My feet are sore (I have plantar Fasciitis, which is controlled through orthotics, but no orthotic was going get through 45 holes of golf, so them dogs are barking!)

I told my wife there was only a 30% chance I'd play this morning, when realistically It is probably closer to 60% chance. Hmmm....

By the way - Index fell again, down to 11.9 and playing a 14 handicap now from the blues at Coloniale.

Monday, July 26, 2010

July 26th round

A great round today on another beautiful morning. The only problem about the conditions were that with all the rain, and then heat, and then rain - the mosquitoes were out to carry us off the course. They were unbelievable!

3 1/2 hour round, +22 by the end of the round - prevailing NW wind, not much of a problem, about a one club difference in either direction.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 84 (41/43)
Net Score: 69

Stats:
Putts: 26 (pretty proud of this stat)
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 2
Pars: 5
Bogeys: 8
Doubles: 3
Others : 0
Penalties: 2

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 5/18 (27%)

Highlights - putting great today - 11 one puts. Also, within half a foot of an ace on #8 eight today. Even the grounds grew cheered as it got close. Then went back to back with a birdie on #9 as well. Hitting the ball great off the tee - even found a nice comfortable draw with my driver, adding a pile of distance and reliability.

Lowlights - although I'm happy that I am now through two rounds without a triple, there were a few doubles I could have avoided today, including two penalties that are always unnecessary. My chipping was also a bit suspect today.

I really feel that 79 is close!

Playing 36 holes tomorrow, let's hope fatigue doesn't kill me.

Speaking of Mosquitoes:

Saturday, July 24, 2010

July 24th Round

A beautiful early morning round with my wife over at Legends. Unfortunately had to run from the car to the tee box so no warm-up, and the front nine was evident of that. But I did have the best back nine on the Champions ever, and the best nine of the year!

3 hours 45 minute round - great pace for a Saturday AM! Sunny, cool at the start, hot by the end. Light winds, occasional gusts from the south, but nothing to affect the game.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 85 (46/39)
Net Score: 70

Stats:
Putts: 35
3 putts: 4 (what could have been!)

Birdies: 1
Pars: 5
Bogeys: 10
Doubles: 2
Others : 0 (a first this year!)
Penalties: 0 (that always helps)

Fairways hit: 7/14 (50%)
Greens in regulation: 8/18 (44%)

Highlights - 3 over on the back nine. Just a steady round from #10 onwards. No complaints! Best round of the year really!

Lowlights - none really - except the tee shot and second on #1, which were week, and evident of no warm up. It always seems that good G.I.R. days are also high putting days. Dropping 6 puts today would have had me sub-80.

Index update - after the two low rounds this week, index is now at 12.8, putting me at a 15 handicap on most courses.

Friday, July 23, 2010

July 23rd Round

A nice morning for golf - soggy from the rain of the previous week, but course in nice shape.

4 hour round (with 5 people no less!) Sunny +15 at the start, +20 at the finish. Light winds


The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 88 (46/42)
Net Score: 72

Stats:
Putts: 30
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 2
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 3
Doubles: 6
Others : 1 (a triple)
Penalties: 2

Fairways hit: 9/14 (64%)
Greens in regulation: 3/18 (16%)

Highlights - all in all, a good round. Hitting the par 5 #13 in 2 was nice, within 10 feet too! Two putts for bird, can't complain. Back nine was actually great for the most part, from the 9th hole until the end of the 13th, I was 1 under par!

Lowlights, finishing the last 4 holes 6 over par, not a great finish!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Tough day at the office

Played this morning but I'm too distraught to blog about it. Friday will be another day!

On the fun side - we have a new car, and it will hold a lot of golf clubs!

A 2010 Hyundai Sante Fe. - it looks like this:

Monday, July 19, 2010

July 19th Round

A cool rainy morning - perfect for golf!

3 hours and 40 minutes, walking (mandatory for the wet conditions, although, I prefer to walk anyway). Light rain at the start - change to just cloudy later on. Light NW winds, occasional moderate gusts, but a chilly +13c, got up to +17 by the end of the round.

The stats:

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 89 (43/46)
Net Score: 73

Stats:
Putts: 31
3 putts: 1

Birdies: 1
Pars: 4
Bogeys: 9
Doubles: 3
Others : 1 (a triple)
Penalties: 1

Fairways hit: 4/14 (28%)
Greens in regulation: 4/18 (22%)

Highlights - overall, a good round! Consistent ball striking, good drives, and killer from 120-150 yards. Hit a monster tee shot on the 200 par 3 8th hole to within 5 feet. Sunk a 30 foot birdie but on #10. Played with the same ball, up to my second shot on the 18th (right after I said "I haven't lost a ball today" and immediately put it in the water). Best streak - +1 over six holes from #8 to #13 (one birdie, 3 pars, two bogeys)

Lowlights - #15 - ugly triple bogey. 16,17,18 were nothing to write home about either. Left a lot of putts on the greens that should have dropped. Worst streak +8 on the last 4 holes

Saturday, July 17, 2010

July 17th Round

After two weeks away from the game for a visit to Ottawa, I was back on the course yesterday night. A game with my wife and another couple over at Legends (Traditions/Champions rotation). I wasn't expecting anything great, and I lived up to my expectations. Although, there were moments of greatness, there were also moments of absolute tragedy. Just as a side note, I'm really starting to love this new Champions nine at Legends - creative hole lay-out, multiple tee boxes, big greens, and many challenges. The 9th hole is a bit of a strange one, and I just haven't figured out a good strategy on how to play it yet, but other than that - it's a fantastic nine.

5 hour round (late Saturday, can't expect better), +24C, 15 km/hr NW winds, swirling N and E at times, diminishing to 9 km/hr by the 12th hole. Sunny.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 94 (44/50)
Net Score: 79

Stats:
Putts: 31
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 1
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 5
Doubles: 3
Others : 3 (one of each - triple, quad and quint)
Penalties: 7 (this is tough stat today)

Fairways hit: 6/14 (42%)
Greens in regulation: 5/18 (27%)

Highlights - a "good" start (aside from a triple on the 1st - but I went from the car to the tee box, so I'll call it a warm-up triple) After that though, just 5 over on holes 2-9 with two doubles! A nice high par count throughout the round, and good solid putting and chipping for the most part. Driver was also OK - really, save for 3 really bad holes, it was a good round.

Lowlights - the quint on 18 - two penalties, a fluffed chip and 3 puts. Lost a lot of balls to water today - 7 in total.

Will be playing a fair bit now that we are home - weather permitting. Edmonton has be plagued by rain this July. We've gone from drought to drowning this year. We had to cancel our lessons due to rain before we left, so we are looking forward to getting those rescheduled.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

July 3rd Round

Somewhat better today - at least the front nine was. Driver was working very nicely on the front. A few unlucky moments on the back nine - which was in a bit of rough shape. 5 Penalties which I was able to convert most of the time into Bogey, but not always, especially on the last two holes. Wind was a bit tough to work through.

4 1/4 hour round, +19C, Prevailing winds, 25 km/hr gusting to 35 km/hr from the usual NW. Mostly cloudy.

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 93 (43/50)
Net Score: 78

Stats:
Putts: 36
3 putts: 3

Birdies: 1
Pars: 3
Bogeys: 8
Doubles: 4
Others : 2 (both triples)
Penalties: 5

Fairways hit: 5/14 (35%)
Greens in regulation: 4/18 (22%)

Highlight - great start to the round! A nice long downhill put for birdie on #6. The biggest highlight though was watching my wife make 2 pars on the back (including a par 5 against the wind, with a long 20 foot snaking put, and the tough finishing hole). She shot a 54 on the last nine, and was 4 over on the last 4.

Lowlight - my back nine, tripling 17 and 18. Missed A LOT of make-able one putts, and had two unnecessary 3 putts.

We are both having a golf lesson on Monday, followed by a round at Coloniale. Then we're off to Ottawa for 8 days. The verdict is still out if we are going to bring our clubs with us - I guess we'll decide after our lesson and following round.

Friday, July 2, 2010

July 2nd Round

Oh - it was a bad day. I left the house and said to my wife "I'm not going to have any triples, and I'm going to keep my doubles down to a low number today!" Then I opened the round with a quad. Not even sure if it is worth putting up the stats, but as this blog is supposed to be an honest representation of my summer's golfing - here they are, and they are grim.

a four hour round, +17c, steady moderate NW winds, and partly cloudy

Round Totals:
Gross Score: 98 (yes, 51/47)
Net Score: 83

Stats:
Putts: 33
3 putts: 2

Birdies: 0
Pars: 6
Bogeys: 4
Doubles: 3
Others : 5 (FIVE!! 1 quad, 4 trips)
Penalties: 5 (FIVE!! - that would explain the big score actually)

Fairways hit: 2/14
Greens in regulation: 5/18 - where my 6 pars came from

Highlights - hitting #4 (Par 5) in two

Lowlights - 3 putting #4 for par. That, and most of the rest of the round. I was so bad off the tee - I was hitting my third shot from the tee box at least three times, and I was in the sand more times than the fairway. on #7 I had THREE separate sand shots from all sides of the green, and on #17 I hit the fairway bunker, and then hit what was a pretty good shot, only to be left in the green side bunker.

Quite a few good shots actually (aside from the tee box) and a lot of really bad luck.

You might have wondered what happened to my round on Wednesday - well I forgot that I needed to be at a lunch meeting - so I had to cancel. Tomorrow morning I'm heading out with my wife, Kathleen, and another couple for a round at Legends, hopefully I won't be quite as erratic off the tee.