Wonderful at Willow Valley

Sometimes I wonder if bipolar disorder is more prevalent among golfers than non-golfers. I'm half kidding, but it's not a huge stretch of the imagination to link the ups and downs of the game to the mood swings of a manic-depressive. Golf can beat you up mentally. When things go badly, it chews you up, spits you out, and stomps on you just for good measure. Then, without warning, it can suddenly reverse course. When things go well, golf generates elevated focus and a rush of euphoria.

I've had my share of disappointing golf rounds this season. None was more upsetting than the fourth installment of the Deepwoods Golf Association championship. The debacle at Dragon's Fire cost me 126 strokes, but the toll taken on my ego was much heavier. In stark contrast, the fifth and final round of the Deepwoods season, which was contested at Willow Valley Golf Club, produced my best score of the season. In fact, it equalled my best score of the last three seasons and fell shy of my all-time personal best by just two strokes. That's good enough in my book for a hole-by-hole account, so here it goes:

Hole # 1 - Par 4, 345 yards

A straight tee shot of 200-210 yards is ideal on the opening hole. Anything left brings bunkers and a pond into play, while the right side is out of bounds. Long shots run out of fairway on this dog-leg to the left. I mis-hit a 3-iron, sending the ball straight, but only 135 yards. I could have gone for the green over the water, but opted to play a pitching wedge to the 100-yard stick. In retrospect, I should have played an 8-iron, as I just failed to clear a bunker that pinches the fairway. Beyond the bunker, the fairway widens considerably. With a high bunker lip in front of me, it was going to be very tough to reach the green. I hit one out to the fairway, leaving about 40 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, I duffed my next shot into a greenside bunker. Next, I hit the sand shot thin, sending the ball clear past the green. I finally pitched on and 2-putt for a quadruple-bogey.

Hole # 2 - Par 5, 480 yards

After a rough start, I needed something good to happen. I pulled my drive left, but distance was good and the ball ended up just two yards off the fairway. A large, nasty hazard crosses the fairway in front of this green, so the prudent play was to lay up to the 100-yard stick. The hazard and 100-yard marker were not actually visible from my position, but I nevertheless hit a pitching wedge directly at my target. Next, I hit a beautiful sand wedge over the bunkers fronting the green, which stopped about eight feet from the cup. I took my time reading the putt and drained it for birdie!

Hole # 3 - Par 4, 365 yards

Once again, I pulled my drive slightly to the left, but with decent distance. I missed the fairway by about four yards, but my lie in the rough was good. From 140 yards out, I pulled a pitching wedge flag-high, left of the green. With the ball below my feet, I pitched one onto the green and then 2-putt for bogey.

Hole # 4 - Par 3, 145 yards

The pin was at the back of this large green, so it was playing more like 160 yards. I hit a 7-iron which came out low. Nevertheless, the ball came to rest a little short of the flag, on the right fringe. A long putt from the fringe is never easy, and this one had a lot of break, but I read it well and cozied one up nicely. A tap-in gave me a satisfactory par.

Hole # 5 - Par 4, 350 yards

This is only the #9 handicap hole on the course, but I consider it one of the hardest. Featuring a near 90-degree dog-leg to the right, there is a large pond covering the inside corner and out-of-bounds protecting the other side from tee to green. Deep fescue and mounding adds to the danger. To avoid penalties, you need to be straight on every shot. I played 5-wood off the tee, clearing the corner of the pond and finding the right side of the fairway at the 100-yard marker. The pin was tucked in a small section of green at the back right. It was a bold shot to go right at it, as bunkers line the front, while water guards the right. I hit a perfect gap wedge, leaving just a five-footer for birdie. The putt looked straight, so I must have pulled it a hair, burning the left edge. This should have been birdie, but I had to settle for par.

Hole # 6 - Par 3, 105 yards

The hole is short to begin with, but the tees were playing up, making this an awkward 90-yard hole. The green is surrounded on three sides by water. I hit my 60-degree wedge well, probably twelve feet behind the hole. I looked at the putt carefully, but didn't take a peek from the other side of the cup. Had I done that, I would have seen that the putt was more downhill than I first thought. I hit the left edge, but too much speed sent the ball well past. Facing a knee-knocker coming the other way, I managed to drain the putt for par. Whew!

Hole # 7 - Par 5, 465 yards

Knowing I had pulled a couple of drives slightly, I cheated to the right side of this fairway. Sure enough, the ball went dead straight, coming to rest two or three yards right of the fairway. I was 215 yards away from the green with a decent lie, so I went for it with a 5-wood. I caught the ball very thin, sending it skipping through a bunker directly in front of me. I still had 190 yards to the green, but a huge mound topped with a cluster of small trees made it a blind shot. I hit a pure 4-iron high over the trees and deep. I thought my ball would be on the green, but it ended up in a greenside bunker. I made a nice out and 2-putt for bogey.

Hole # 8 - Par 3, 130 yards

This is a fun par-3, featuring an elevated tee, along with a carry over a large pond and bunker. The pin was tucked at the very back of the green, very near the edge of the property. Despite the scariness of the pin position, I went right after it. I hit a 9-iron, which drew a little more than I intended. The first bounce was on the green, but the ball trickled into the rough just behind. Next, I hit a chip shot with the 60-degree wedge. This was a mistake. I was on a bit of an upslope, so I didn't need nearly that much loft. I came up well short and 2-putt for a slightly disappointing bogey.

Hole # 9 - Par 5, 505 yards

I hit a low drive off the heel of the club, but the ball landed safely in the left fairway. The next shot was a blind one over the crest of a hill. I tried 3-iron, but didn't make good contact. The ball travelled a very short distance and nestled down in the left rough. I was too far from the green to go for it and the lie didn't help matters. I resolved to hit a 7-iron to the middle of the fairway and did exactly that. Next, I hit a loft wedge to the green, but I was well past the hole. I made a good long-bomb putt, but burned the edge of the cup. Once again, I had failed to look at the putt from below the hole, and didn't realize how much of a downhill putt it was. I burned the edge coming back the other way, leading to a 3-putt and double-bogey. I gave away a stroke, for sure.

Hole # 10 - Par 4, 340 yards

A tough stretch begins with this hole, which features a forced carry off the tee, a hazard lining the entire left side of the fairway, and a green pinched by water and woods. I hit a perfect drive to the centre of the fairway, leaving 110 yards to the green. Knowing the depth of the green, and seeing that the pin was tucked right at the back, I estimated the distance to the flag as 125 yards. A full pitching wedge would go over the back, so I took a little off it. It was absolute perfection. The ball hit the back of the green and spun back a couple of feet. I just missed the 8-footer for birdie, leaving with par.

Hole # 11 - Par 4, 370 yards

I've learned from experience that you don't want to go left on this tee shot. A slope on that side carries balls into a hazard with alarming regularity. My drive was to the right, about six or seven yards off the fiarway. This put me behind a small tree, eliminating the chance of challenging the green. Instead, I punched a 5-iron below the tree branches to the fairway, about 20 yards short of the green. From there, I pitched on and 2-putt for bogey.

Hole # 12 - Par 4, 360 yards

This is the #2 handicap hole and deservedly so. Wetlands pinch the fairway severely on the right side and continue right up to the side of the green. If you lay up with your tee shot in front of the wetlands, you face a scary second shot over the large expanse of bullrushes. If you drive the ball left of the wetlands, you're going after a narrow fairway and will be pinched out by trees left of the green on your approach. I opted to go left. The ball faded more than I had hoped for, but the result was perfect. The ball came to rest a foot into the right rough, but I had an unobstructed path to the flag. The trees on the left were not a factor. From 140 yards out, I hit pitching wedge to the front edge of the green. My birdie putt came up two feet short, but I made the par.

Hole # 13 - Par 5, 445 yards

Normally reachable from the white tee position, the hole was playing even shorter this time. I had visions of an eagle putt dancing through my head as I reached for the driver. My opening shot was not bad, but I pushed it slightly and a fade carried the ball well right of the fairway. Luckily, the ball stopped in the rough a few feet before the wetlands. The lie was good, so I decided to have a go at the hidden green from 215 yards out. I hit a great 5-wood, but ended up in the fairway, 20 yards short of target. My pitch shot was mediocre, failing to reach the pin at the back of the green. I burned the edge of the cup on the birdie putt, but had way too much speed. I went well past the hole, then missed the comebacker. A 3-putt produced a disappointing bogey. Gave one away here for sure!

Hole # 14 - Par 3, 185 yards

The hole was playing a little longer, but luckily there was no wind. I hit a weak slicing 4-iron short and right of the green. Standing with a severe side-hill lie, I choked down on the loft wedge and pitched one over a bunker and onto the green. I must have been very concerned about the bunker as I went way too far, leaving a monstrously long, breaking putt. I made an amazing lag and a two-foot finish to earn bogey. Whew!

Hole # 15 - Par 5, 515 yards

I opened with a lovely drive to the left side of the fairway. A valley pinches the fairway on that side, so I actually ended up a foot in the rough, but my lie was good. Next, I hit a useful 5-iron to the right side of the fairway, 80 yards from the green. Despite the fact I was comfortably in the fairway, the path to the pin was blocked by mounds low and an overhanging tree high. I figured the tree was the lesser of two evils and took aim with the loft wedge. The ball came out a little low, but got through the tree branches, settling just off the right edge of the green. I duffed a chip attempt next, which cost me a stroke. Finally, I 2-putt for bogey.

Hole # 16 - Par 4, 295 yards

A short one, but danger in the form of bunkers is all concentrated where those who challenge the green are likely to land. I took it easy, driving one a foot off the right edge of the fairway, leaving 70 yards to the flag. Unfortunately, the ball was well above my feet and I duffed my first approach. Facing the same shot, albeit a bit shorter now, I executed well to hit the green. After a careful analysis of the putting surface, I made a lovely 15-foot putt to salvage par!

Hole # 17 - Par 3, 105 yards

Last year I gave away the Deepwoods championship on this very hole. After sticking my tee shot to within 3 feet of the cup, I missed two putts and finished with bogey. With the memories of that episode running through my head, I hit a sand wedge to about 8-feet from the cup. This was actually a nicer approach than the one made the previous year, as the pin was tucked in a much more precarious position, guarded by bunkers and water. The putting was way better, as I calmly drained this one for birdie. Revenge is sweet!

Hole # 18 - Par 4, 310 yards

I hit one of my best drives of the day over the pond stretching out beyond the teeing ground and coming to rest in the fairway, 80 yards from the green. Next, I hit one with the loft wedge. The ball was all over the flag, coming to rest about eight feet in behind. The birdie putt was a downhill breaker that I just missed. I finished with a very satisfactory par.

When all was said and done, I shot 83, my best of the season. By comparison, my best last year was an 85 at Osprey Valley Heathlands. In 2009, my best was an 83 at Carlisle. I had an 82 at Granite Ridge Cobalt in 2008 and an 81 at Deer Creek South in 2007, which remain the only rounds I've had that were better than this one.

I may have to pop some champagne and enjoy the rush that accompanies this result. After all, it won't be long before this game punches me in the gut once again.

Score: 83
Putts: 37
Fairways: 8
Greens: 9
Penalties: 0