Today was an awesome day on the golf course. My long time friend, Blair, and I played one of the few rounds of the year at his home course of Osprey Links Golf Course in Callander, Ontario, Canada. It is a unique course with a links style front nine and a ‘cut through the forest’ back nine. I was my home course for many years and now it is a gem I like to play a few times a year. Interestingly, and the reason for my blog, the conditions at Osprey Links is completely different than that of my home course; Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. What an adventure is all I have to say!

We played in the morning and the conditions could not have been better. Additionally, the course was in fantastic shape. The greens were fast and rolled true. I found the conditions up to the green quite manageable, but putting was a bit of a bugbear.

As Blair and I looped the course, we found that the conditions were perfect for shooting a low score. The fairways were manicured and the greens were tight and rolled out very well. Additionally, the greens held approach shots which allowed us to be a bit more aggressive on our approach shots. The course today was the most unique I played all years with my modern clubs and I look forward to playing in a 3 person scramble on Sunday with Blair and his friend Cameron.

I found that I was short on many of my approach shots. The strategy to play Osprey Links is completely different than Mattawa. At my home course, the bump and run is the key to success; whereas flying the ball onto the green is how we defeat Osprey Links. In years past, playing Osprey Links was always fun, but today it was more special because of my playing partner and the course conditions.

As I stated earlier, the greens were the major difference between Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort and Osprey Links. The greens at Osprey Links were fast and offered many subtle breaks where course knowledge was key. In my case, I did not 3 putt all day, but still had a tough time on the greens. I did make some great putts (Blairs wins this competition as he sunk a 75 footer for par) but left many around the hole. I lipped out 3 times and my ball was within a foot when it finished moving and I left two on the edge looking into the hole. Truthfully, I was not fussed. I considered it the rub of the green. With my putting woes, I was still able to grind out an 82 with only one double. Overall, it was a great day on the course.

One of the great benefits of playing different golf courses is the ability to adjust to different conditions. I am entering into my busy season for tournaments and hickory events. Thus I will play many different courses in August and September. It is my favourite time of my golfing season and I look forward to learning how to adjust to different course conditions. I am not guaranteed to score well, but I am confident I will bank some knowledge for future games.

On a side note, Blair and I played behind 3 seniors (all in their 70s). These guys were amazing as they sped around the course in just 3 hours and 10 minutes. That was quite a feat and we told them so at the end of the round. Sometimes it is important to acknowledge a cool thing and this was definitely one.

Playing golf at different golf courses is fun and challenging. Personally, I am sticking with the fun!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!