Ontario Regional Golf Tournament – Day 3

July 23, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

Approach shot to the 18th green!

My day did not start as expected. I bogeyed the first hole and doubled the third hole. After 5, I was 4 over and struggling to make a good swing. It seemed that no matter what I did, I could not find my normal smooth swing that I relied on over the years.

As I closed the front nine with a double bogey, I was a bit deflated as I walked to the 10th tee. Finishing the front with a 43, I was wondering if my current strategy of being patient was worth keeping for the back nine. After I bogeyed the 10th hole, I decided to change my focus and try to hit the ball closer to the hole on my approach shots! I know this sounds silly, but I no matter how hard I tried, I was short on most of my approach shots all week.

Suddenly, I birdied the 13th hole and the train was back on its tracks. I jockeyed back and for on the back nine and was 10 over standing on the 17the tee. It was toughest 16 holes of golf I played in a long, long time. But, now was not the time to give up! Our team was still vying for the Pennant and bragging rights for a year.

The 17th hole was a 150 yard par 3 with a strong wind blowing directly in our face. Additionally, the tee box was 40 feet lower in elevation than the green. Normally, I would hit an 8 iron from 150 yards, but given the wind and elevation change, I hit a 6-iron. I hit a laser that looked like it was going in from the moment it left my club. My ball flew right beside pin and stopped 6 feet directly behind the hole. After making the putt, I was now 9 over.

Teeing up first on the 18th tee, I hit the ball straight down the middle to 135 yards from the green. The 18th green is elevated and is 100 feet above the fairway. It is an extremely difficult closing hole. Normally, I would hit a 9-iron, but chose an 8 for my final approach shot of the tournament. My contact was pure and my line was dead on. As the ball flew towards the pin, all I could think was, “be enough”! As the ball came down, I lost sight of it over the ridge of the green. After struggling to climb the hill to the green, I notice my ball stopped 8 feet from the pin! As I stepped up with confidence, I putted it true for another birdie. My third on the back nine.

After all the smoke cleared, I shot another 79! My third straight. Unfortunately, it was not enough to get me in the top 5, but I was very happy with my final result. I finished in 7th place. Petawawa Golf Course was a very tough track because of the very slow greens and the windy conditions. There is a slight possibility I can attend nationals, but two of the top 6 players have to withdraw because of work or other reasons.

Another aspect of the tournament was the team play. The top 5 scores from each team are counted each day. This aspect of the event is where the Pennant is won. The Pennant is a covenant trophy that military organizations proudly display in their trophy case for all visitors to see. This year, my team won by 5 strokes! After three days of competition, my team won by just 5 strokes. After calculation 15 rounds of golf, Trenton shot 1201 and Petawawa shot 1206! The funny thing about our win this year is that none of the Trenton players made the top 5!

Thanks to my team mates for a great tournament and wish you all the best for the rest of the season.

This years Ontario Regional Golf tournament was outstanding. I had a great time and look forward to next year.

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

Ontario Regional Golf Tournament – Day 2

July 22, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

The second day is complete. The course conditions and weather did not change, but the scores were different from the previous day. Many players shot a higher score, which was a bit surprising. However, that is the nature of golf tournaments and Day 3 will likely be different again.

As I stated yesterday, I was tied for 6th heading into today. My goal was to shoot a couple of strokes lower and to stay focused for the entire 18 holes. I had a good strategy to be patient and not to force shots in the attempts to make a lower score. The fact that it was moving day did not change my strategy because I felt that if shot the same or slightly lower score, the movers would be behind me. Well, as it turns out, that was a pretty good strategy.

I shot another 79 today. I am still tied for 6th spot; only two strokes out of 5th place. This is a very close competition and any mistakes could be very costly. I followed my game plan to the letter for most of my round.

After shooting par on the first two holes, I striped my drive to the centre of the fairway on a reachable par 5. Instead of following my game plan of hitting the ball to about 120 yards because of the hazards surrounding the green, I decided to go for it. Well, this mental error resulted in the dreaded ‘snowman’! Yup a smooth 8! After I gave myself a mental beating, I routinely birdied the 4th hole. This did take some of the sting out of the previous hole, but reinforced my need to follow my strategy.

I played very steady for the rest of the nine and ended with a 41. One better than yesterday. So with a triple on one hole, I was feeling fairly confident heading into the back nine. After hitting my ball in play on the 10th hole, I smoothly duffed two chips and walked away with a double! I never realized that it was possible to have steam come out of your ears, but it is possible. After laughing at myself, and yes I actually laughed out loud, I played the last 8 holes only 1 over par. I hit some good shots played steady most of the time.

The highlight of the back nine was the 45 foot putt I sank on the 15 hole for par! I gave a little whoop and a fist pump! I felt like I stole a stroke there. Carding a 38 on the back nine, I shot a 79 overall for the day.

The biggest challenge we have for this tournament is the length of each round. We are averaging 5 hours and 45 minutes per round. It feels like a battle of attrition out there; but I will have to parse my words by stating that the level of play ranges from 72 to 120 strokes per round. The course is difficult to play for the low handicappers and the more inexperienced players are finding it even more difficult. However, we all knew this; so we are prepared with lots of water and towels to sit on while we wait.

The team competition was much closer today. We actually lost ground to our main competition, Petawawa. We are still 4 strokes up, but Petawawa is looking to raise the pennant tomorrow. As we tell every player, it is important to grind out the lowest score you can, no matter how you are playing! The pennant means bragging rights and hardware for our home unit!

My golfing is pretty solid for the most part. I have left a few shots on the course, but tomorrow, I plan to not leave anything out there. I will stay focused and play my game. I might have to pick selected times to press the issue, but overall I must make sure it is the right time and in the right location.

Thanks to everyone for all the positive support. It is great to hear from you and it does help me stay focused!

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

Military Golf Competition

June 8, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 18 Comments

On Wednesday, I am entering a stroke-play tournament to hopefully make the team 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 my home course of Roundel Glen Golf Course in Astra, Ontario.

The Ontario Golf Regionals, played at the Petawawa, Ontario, is a three-day stroke-play event with several competitions in one. First, there is the overall team competition. Each day, the lowest 4 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 used and the lowest team score wins the event and crowned 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 gross score after three days is crowned the Ontario Region individual champion (men and women). Additionally, the lowest five male and two female gross scores make up the Ontario Regional team that represents their region at the Canadian Forces National Golf Competition.

The National Competition, played at Shilo, Manitoba, 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 for the upcoming competition and my GAF (Golf Attitude Factor) is extremely high!

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!

The Road to the Final Four!

March 21, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

Is the road to the final four paved through golf? No, really!

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is truly exciting. The top 68 teams play in a loose and go home tournament that lives up to its hype. The games are exciting, the coverage is fantastic and the bragging rights are out of this world. I love this time of year!

This year is a convergence of excitement for sports fans. The Final Four ends on Monday April 8; the Masters practice rounds start Monday, April 8. It is hard to believe that this coincidence was not planned….or was it?

Golf has a similar tournament; ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP. For most golfers it is as exciting as the NCAA Final Four. I love the format. It is a tournament where streaky golfers have an opportunity to rise to the top and beat top rank players; as evident when Charles Howell III beat Tiger Woods and Shane Lowery beat Rory McIlroy. I realize the media hype is not as great as the Final Four, but, hey, for golfers it is really exciting. Congrats to Matt Kuchar for winning this year.

A match play (an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal) competition is very different from stroke play. Match Play is very much a mental competition. You still have to play well, but you also have to opportunity to forget mistakes and take your lumps. Additionally, one bad hole does not eliminate you from competition (as John Daly has learned on many occasions in stroke play). Personally, I try to play at least one match play tournament a year. It is difficult, but most courses offer a match play competition to members.

Golf Match Play dates back to the 1500s. I would suggest that the Road to the Final Four is paved through golf. The structure and results of the basketball tournament can find its roots in our awesome game. Regardless, both events are exciting.

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