Golf Strategy: 2-Man Scramble Pt2

September 21, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Warming Up in the Rain!

Our strategy for the 2-man scramble worked! Two posts ago, I put up a strategy on how to play the 2-man scramble at my home course Roundel Glen. It started out very wet with rain coming down like there was no tomorrow. Scheduled to tee off at 1030 am, our tee time was pushed until 1115 am to give the storm cell a chance to clear the area. As the rain started to wane, we teed off on the short par 3 first hole.

The weather was a factor for about 30 minutes. After the storm cell blew through, it was windy, but warm. After the third hole all the rain gear was put away. After the sixth hole all the outer clothing was stuffed back into our bags. And by the 10th hole we were looking for sunscreen. Overall, the weather was fantastic for this fun tournament.

The First Tee – Playing in the Rain!

Our group had three teams because of the odd number players in the tournament. Each team I played with today was completely different. The first team was Dave and Dale. These two gentlemen are in their mid-sixties and were up for the challenge right from the start. Dale did not hit the ball farther than 150-yards and could not see distances very well. However, his drive was always in play on the fairway and he could putt like Jack Nicklaus! Dave hit the ball a long way, was very accurate with the second shot and was a chipping demon. They ended up shooting par with a net score of 69. It was very nice to watch.

The second group was Steve and Paul. These were younger guys in their late 30s. Both could hit the ball a long way, chip well and putt fairly decent. Unfortunately, both players were in sync today. When one hit their ball into the woods, so did the other. When one had a poor chip, usually the other player did as well. So, they had a tough round and did not score as well as Dave and Dale.

Number 9 Green. The Sun is Shining so Brightly!

Jean and I started strong. I hit the ball to six feet off the tee on the first hole. Our positive start quickly turned to disappointment quickly as Jean’s putt veered off to the right with about one inch to go. Under close inspection of the hole, the edges were pushed up and made it very difficult to sink any putt. Forgetting our bad luck, Jean and I focused on each shot at hand with very good success. When one person hit a poor shot, the other was there to pick up the pieces. Overall, we played very well and shot a net 66. Good enough for second place!

A couple of other highlights from our round are worth mentioning. On hole number 10, I made a mental error that I had never made before. There is a rule in match play that if you putt your ball out, that is the score that will count, regardless if the rest of your teammates have putted or not. Makes perfect sense to me. However, in other scramble tournaments to speed up play, if a player putts his ball and leaves it within a couple of inches, that player would normally walk up and tap their ball in the hole. The next player would putt from the original spot and if they sink their putt, that is the score that would count. Well, I was the first to putt a 12 foot putt. I left the ball two inches from the hole, so I walked up to my ball and tapped it in for a bogey. Then the light went on about my mental error! Our playing partners said not to worry about it, but fair is fair and Jean did not take his putt. This cost a stroke because I was not paying attention…did I mention we came second, losing by only one stroke!

17th hole. 135 yards long. Hit to two feet for a tap in birdie!

The second highlight was on the 18th hole. It is a long par 5 and the wind was blowing stiffly from right to left. Jean hit a monster of a drive to about 215 yards from the green. He confidently pulled out his 3-wood and hit his ball 35 feet from the pin on the right. His second shot was perfectly played considering his ball fought the wind the entire way. He was first to putt and lipped out for his natural eagle! After watching his putt, I aimed a bit more to the right and stroked a solid putt. To our amazement, it hit the back of the hole and dropped in for eagle! This shot capped off a very strong finish of birdie, birdie, eagle! To make it more exciting, we cut someone off for a skin!

At the end of the day we had 1 eagle, six birdies, 8 pars and 3 bogies. It was a pretty solid round for a 2-man scramble. The important part is we followed our strategy most of the time. We mixed up who teed off first, chipped first and putted first to match our strengths. This worked very well. But more importantly, we focused on having fun and enjoying a great round of golf with our four new friends.

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

The Grateful Golfer!

August 24, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

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

After a week off from golf, I had time to reflect about my season and my golf experiences. I have to say, that I am a grateful golfer! For the past 10 years my game has improved both in score and experience. However, since starting The Grateful Golfer Blog in May 2012, all aspects of my golf game have improved! A year ago, I wrote a blog titled “What is Important in Golf” and that list has not changed. But I have a few new things to be grateful for:

The continued support from my beautiful wife! She keeps me grounded and focused on what is important in life and golf.
The new friends I have met at the Roundel Glen Golf Course. Their positive attitude keeps me motivated!
The awesome golf tips I receive from White Dragon Golf, All About Golf, the Crunchy Golfer, and MindBodyGolf. Also, their continued support for the past two years; they make it fun to talk about golf!
Connecting with hundreds of people from around the world who share the same passion I have for golf!
The support from strangers when things are not going well. The always extend words of encouragement!
Learning how to control my ego – this resulted in fewer errors in course management and lower scores!
How golf continues to teach me things about myself and others! It is a gentlemen’s game and by keeping that philosophy, it has helped shape some of the positive aspects of my life!
For my best scoring season ever! The conversations, tips, hits, drills and positive support from everyone has helped lower my handicap to 2.8. The lowest ever!
The laughs, joys, jokes, and camaraderie I have with my regular golfing group. I look forward to our weekend games and appreciate their company every time!

As you can see, my being grateful is not completely tied to how I score on the golf course. This year, I did play well, but I attribute much of my success to those around me. The have all helped reshape how I approach my golf game and as a result, I have experienced many great things on and off the course. There is no question that Norman Vincent Peale was correct when he said “Change your thoughts and you change your world!”

Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, supports, advises, and passes on my ramblings! Golf is a fantastic sport, but the real treasure is in the connections we make with other golfing fanatics!

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

Lucky Bounces in Golf!

August 4, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 14 Comments

Golf is a game of lucky and not so lucky bounces. The movement of the ball one-inch in any direction can be the difference between a birdie or a double bogey. Anyone who plays golf regularly calls this the ‘rub of the green’. We have all experienced it and today was one of those days.

After my tee shot on the par 5, 9th hole, I was sitting about 240 yards from the pin. My second shot was wide open, so I decided to go for the green with my 3-wood. That was when the fun began.

Roundel Glen 9th Hole – 240 yards from the green.

From where I stood, the pin was just left of the 100-yard marker and the sand trap. Playing out of the rough, I was lucky to have a fluffy lie and was able to make solid contact. As the ball flew towards the green, left of the pin, something strange happened!

Roundel Glen 9th hole from 75 yards.

All of a sudden my ball took a hard right kick towards the pin. As we walked towards the hole, I noticed the five brown posts used to direct cart traffic away from the green. Walking forward, my playing partners said it the top of the far left post!

The uneven top of the far left post used to direct cart traffic from the green.

I continued to walk in disbelief, but there seemed to be no other explanation. Upon examination, I realized my ball hit top of the post on the surface closest to the bottom of the picture! I found it difficult to comprehend that my ball could hit a two-inch surface from 215 yards (the post was 25 yards off the front of the green) and then bounced towards the pin.

Roundel Glen 9th green. My ball is directly behind the pin!

But, that is exactly what happened! My ball bounced off the post and rolled directly behind the pin. You can see the ball sticking out just above the bottom of the pin! The above picture was taken from the far left post described above. I kid you not; now I am putting for eagle to go 1 under for the front nine!

Roundel Glen 9th green – my ball 25 feet past the pin.

As I continue to walk towards my ball, I am grateful for the lucky bounce and started to focus on my next shot. Getting to our balls, my friend Mike looks right at me and says with a straight face, “What, you could not judge the distance any better than that! Your 25 feet past the hole!” As all three of us started to chuckle, I just shrugged my shoulders; for once I was speechless!

I wish I could say that I made the eagle putt to really cap off this amazing story, but I will never begrudge a tap in birdie! As we walked to the 10th hole, I was even par and looking forward to a great back nine! I finished the round by shooting a 2-over par 74. What a great day on the links!

Today, the one-inch was in my favour; tomorrow, who knows! Lucky bounces are part of golf and make the game interesting. It is one of the reasons I love and sometimes hate this game!

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

Trillium Wood Golf Club – Review

July 14, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

Trillium Wood Golf Club is nestled in the heart of Hastings County. This gem of a course lives up to its hype as one of the top courses in Southern Ontario, Canada. It has all the amenities to meet every golfers needs, with a course layout that will suit the challenge requirements of all golfers.

Trillium Wood is part of a three course affiliation with Roundel Glen Golf Course and The Frankford Golf Course. All within a 30-minute drive of each other, this trifecta of courses provides the perfect balance for anyone wanting a weekend getaway.

Driving up to the club house, I noticed an extra-large and well maintained driving range. Capable of holding at least 30 players, the tee area was slightly higher than the range itself. This unique feature helps players watch their ball flight and make any adjustments to any errant swing. Specifically, I liked how flat the tee box; it ensured a solid and level stance on every practice swing. Adjacent to the practice range was a large chipping green with a sand trap. This green was tilted slightly which helped players practice both up and downward chips towards a pin. This is a great feature because of the challenging greens on the course. The putting area is a bit small, but located conveniently beside the first tee. This is another great feature as players wait for their turn to challenge the course.

The course has an exceptional layout. The multitude of dog legs, length of the holes, the elevated greens and bunker location blends perfectly together; making Trillium Wood a must play course. The course has many elevation changes that will challenge everyone’s course management skills.

Trillium Wood Golf Course caters to every skill level. The distance of the tees make this course perfect for everyone. The shorter distance of the White tees allows the weekend player an opportunity to score well and still be challenged. The intermediate Blue tees are for the mid-handicapper who wants to test their game. The Gold tees are for the single digit handicappers who are not afraid of the potential to score big numbers. The varying distances is a great feature of Trillium Wood as it provides an appropriate challenge to every skill level.

The condition of the course was outstanding. The fairways were plush and well manicured. There was an opportunity for extra roll on your long shots, but not so long as to make the ball uncontrollable. The rolling fairways were expertly cut making course management important. This is not the typical ‘bash and chase’ fairways seen on most public courses; time and energy went into ensuring that every shot counted.

The greens were very receptive. Hunting for the pin on most approach shots had its risk and reward. Make no mistake, if you hit the green you were rewarded; miss the green and the difficulty of an up and down increased exponentially. The greens were large and well guarded by a multitude of sand traps (which had spectacular sand in every bunker). The greens rolled true and had many subtle bends and curves that tested the mettle of every player. Most of the greens were elevated and this feature added to the complexity of an approach shot – making club selection very important.

Trillium Wood had GPS devices in every cart. These devices measured the distance to the front, back and middle of the green. It also showed the exact distance to bunkers and hazards. I particularly appreciated a feature of this device that explained the best way to play the hole! For someone playing the course for the first time, this assistance was invaluable!

The clubhouse and Pro Shop were not exceedingly large. They were very functional and easily met the needs of any customer. They have an event tent that easily sat 150 people and serves as their function area. The facilities are very well maintained and provide a nice flow which adds to the positive ambiance of the course.

The staff was outstanding. Their positive, can-do approach to customer service was refreshing. The general manager, Greg Seemungal, delivers an atmosphere which draws golfers to Trillium Wood. The service in all areas of the course are first-rate and definitely a draw. The staff at Trillium Wood know that customer service is critical to the success of a golf course and they definitely deliver.

Overall, I would rate Trillium Wood Golf Club a 4.5 out of 5. It is an outstanding course that meets the needs of all golfers. At $55 a round at peak times, it has unquestionable value. If you have not played Trillium Wood yet, I would recommend you do!

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

Canadian Military Golfing Competition

June 10, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

As in previous years, tomorrow I am entering a stroke-play tournament to represent my military Wing at the Ontario Regional Golf Championship in July. This tournament is a three-day combined stroke event where the top five male and top two female players will move on to the next level. The Wing golf tournament will be played at the Roundel Glen Golf Course in Astra, Ontario.

This is my first attempt at my new Wing. The format is a bit different, but it works. After three days of competition, the top four male players are guaranteed a spot on the Wing team heading to the Ontario Golf Regionals. The fifth place player has to play one more time in an all or nothing 18 hole playoff with all the players who could not make the original tournament due to work commitments. The winner of this one day event is the fifth member of the Wing team. The results should be very interesting and I will keep you posted!

The Ontario Golf Regionals, played at the Garrison Golf and Curling Club in Kingston, Ontario, is a three-day stroke-play event with several competitions in one. First, there is the overall team competition. Each day, the lowest four scores of the seven players are used to determine the total score for the Wing on that day. (For those who think that the female scores do not count, think again; they are usually used a couple of times during the tournament) After three days of competition, your total team score will be use and lowest team score wins the event. That Wing is crown Ontario Regional Team Champions. They receive a pennant which is proudly displayed at their home Unit.

Another event inside of the team competition is the singles competition. The person with the lowest score after three days is crowned the Ontario Region individual champion (men and women). Additionally, the lowest five male and two female scores make up the Ontario Regional team that represents their region at the Canadian Forces National Golf Competition.

The National Competition, played at the same course as the Ontario Regional Competition, is the same format as the Regional Competition except the players are significantly better. It is an exciting time of military golfers and believe me, bragging rights are as important as the hardware.

I am excited to start the tournament tomorrow and my GAF (Golf Attitude Factor) is extremely high!

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