Now where was I, oh yeah, I want to tell you how friggin awesome golfing on Vancouver Island is. There is an amazing selection of hotels and fine dining establishments to keep the palate satisfied, and the golf around here is top drawer, but most of all it’s the memorable people. During said recent road trip, we covered the Island from North to South (isn’t that how it always goes…) and everywhere we went, the people were so friendly, funny and accommodating. (Side note: Check out some of the pics on Classic Rock 101′s Instagram page – they’re awesome.) It’s one of the best thing about golfing on Vancouver Island. It must be something in the air.

But I digress. I’m pretty jacked about this summer, I mean the weather on Vancouver Island is always pretty mild, but when the summer roles around… that’s when it gets smokin! There are some crazy fun golf tournaments I’m planning on playing in, some casual rounds during the many feature nights at the various courses and of course, sampling the fine beverages that originate here. If you don’t know what I’m talking about – read up on the Victoria Ale Trail or the killer Island Wineries.

I’ll try and be a little more frequent on this posting thing. It doesn’t appear to be my strong suit but I’m stoked about sharing more about this great place I get to call home. If you want some insider information, drop me a line, ask me on Twitter or Facebook and of course, make sure to check out my Golf Trail adventures on YouTube. I’ll give you a sample right here.

So that’s me Mr. B, signing off for now. Remember, keep you eye on the ball, and your balls on the fairway.

The post Ballhead’s Blog – Golf on Vancouver Island is Incredible appeared first on Golf Vancouver Island.

The first hole is a straight away par-4 with the green beckoning in the distance. A high draw onto the 9^th fairway didn’t help and neither did a slightly fat 6-iron or a complete failure to get it close from 20 yards short, but a solid bogey won the hole quite easily against my playing partners who both took mulligans on the first tee.

The course starts off with five par-4’s ranging in length from 320+ to over 400 yards and so they are all fairly solid two-shotters. It is early December and so we’re not getting much run off the tee, but the fairways are in good condition, so you don’t get a bad lie there either. The course is sort of pastoral, countrified if you like. It’s lush and green and you can see across the course rather than playing individual holes. There are trees present, but you can hit over them and be on the next fairway still leaving a shot in. Admittedly, sometimes you have to be really wide to do that, but it is possible. I speak from experience.

Not playing too badly after those first 5 though. Hitting it a bit wild, but OK. Just missing the greens with the second and not getting up and down so I’m 4-over.

The 6th and 8th are the two par-3’s on this side and managing to hit the greens both times helps with a couple of threes. The 6th was a far more inviting shot to a bowl shaped green with the 8th being to a more elevated target. Sandwiched in between was the longest par-4 on the course that played its full length today.

The 9^th is the only par-5 on the front and its straight back towards the clubhouse. It looks reachable in two and after a solid drive I think I can make it, but yank the approach with the 5-wood left into and under the group of trees near the green. I manage to manufacture a low runner onto the putting surface and two-putt for par so I’m out in 40, 5-over.

I’m a number of shots ahead of the two 16 year-olds who are finding that hitting the ball off grass, and out of the rough, is a very different proposition than hitting it off a tee and a mat. Sure, they hit some solid shots occasionally and have all the exuberance and long swings of youth to get it a fair distance with a good whack, but all too often they are still standing too close to the ball after they have hit it.

The course was fairly flat on the front side, but the 10^th presents us with an inviting downhill tee shot and second to a green sitting in a hollow before arriving at the signature 11^th. It’s a long par-4 trending slightly left with a second shot carry over water. It was into the breeze today and I pushed it right onto the tree line from where I had to chip out and still hit a very solid 6-iron that just reached the front. My partners lost a couple of balls each in the water which really has to be carried unless you are way to the right.

Whether the boys were getting tired or frustrated, I’m not sure, but their golf started to deteriorate over the first few holes of the back nine. All I know is that it can’t be because they were hungry, because in the manner of all teenage boys they are constantly eating and had just had to fill up at the clubhouse after nine.

The second nine does have more elevation changes than the front, but it’s still not too bad and an easily walkable course.  The same pastoral aura permeates throughout the back nine.

The par-3’s on this side are the 13^th and 15^th and I managed to hit greens there as well and so ended up with four threes on my card, which normally helps when adding up the score at the end. However, still having trouble with the longer shots and just being generally wild. In fact, on the 16^th I hit my closest shot to the pin all day when I got it to about 8 feet. The only problem was that it was my tee shot on this par-5 and I actually hit it so far right I was on the 14^th green, so instead of putting out, I had to drop off the green. Then I clipped a tree on the way back to the correct fairway, ended up at the bottom of that, chipped onto the fairway and took another 4 to get down for my first double bogey of the day.

The 18^th is another interesting tee shot with the practise area fence to the right that you either go over or around. I tried the latter and tried to fade it left to right, but hit a bullet dead straight that went straight out of bounds over the bushes on the other far side of the fairway en route to a second double bogey. Finished with an 83, which was OK, I guess, but a bit disappointing for dropping four shots in the last three holes.

Liked the course. The first ball I lost was that one on the 18^th that left the grounds. The rough was not long and was always playable. Tree trouble does exist just off the fairways and sometimes it helped to be a lot wild rather than a little bit. The boys, they took a lot of shots, but they would be back anywhere in a heartbeat, and I’m sure in a few years they’ll be beating me, so I’ll enjoy it while I can and try not to rub it in – at least not too much.

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View from the clubhouse over the 18th green

We walk into the clubhouse perched on top of a hill and sit down for a tasty breakfast in front of the huge windows overlooking the 18^th green and beyond to the ocean and the islands. A relaxing start to the day.

Standing on the first tee, it’s all downhill to the green, but pull it too much and you’re in someone’s back yard and push it a bit and you’re over the fence and gone and out of bounds. It’s a good idea to have hit a couple of practice balls first just to loosen up because this could be quite intimidating as the first shot of the day. Anyway, feeling pretty good and full of bacon and egg sandwich I manage to hit it down the middle and have a short shot in to the green and a solid two-putt for a par. Always nice to start like that.

The second and third are pretty open tee shots, with the third being particularly inviting as mounds on either side give it a funnel shape, and the fourth is a short three to a large green. With two more pars and a dropped shot due to a poor second, I’m enjoying this course after 4.

The tee shot on the fifth over the first water of the day is OK and as I watch my second fly dead straight towards the flag I’m thinking this is going to be my day until it thunks down 20 feet short in a bunker – serious misjudgement. Splash out and three putts later brings me back to reality.

Another couple of pars and another couple of bogeys and I’m out in 5-over 40. That’s OK. The course is playing quite short. It is November and the tees are pushed to the front of the boxes in many cases, but that’s often negated by the fact that it is November and we’re getting virtually no run at all. The fairways are damp due to the thawing of the morning frost, but I’m not getting a bad lie and they’re easy to play off. The rough can be dark and heavy in places, but it’s always still playable. The trees come into play on a few of the holes, but they are never intrusive. I’ve been under a couple, but that was due to wayward tee shots not dubious tree placements.

Oh, and this is an out and back course. Don’t think that if you’ve left something in your car you’re going to pick it up after 9 holes. The 9^th green is as far from the clubhouse as you get and once you leave the building at the first tee you don’t see it again until you approach the 18^th.

Looking back from the 11th green

The hopes of a 39 on the back side and breaking 80 are gone with my tee shot off the 10^th where I watch it sail right over the fence and gone. Played solidly poorly with my second ball and it’s a triple bogey 8. Good stuff. The 11^th is a tough hole, a long dog-leg to an elevated green which – as I discovered when I thought I’d hit my 5-wood approach over – has one of the largest greens I’ve ever seen. It’s massive. I was at the back left and the pin was front right and luckily it was a downhill putt. I hit it to about 15 feet and my partner said “good shot”, and I was quite happy with it. Missed the return putt though.

Not so happy after taking another double at the 12^th – hit it in the water short and left, but that’s OK. I’d been told there were a lot of houses bordering this course, but I’m not getting that at all. Sure. They are there in places, but they’re not intrusive and I got the feeling of openness more than anything else. The trees are there, but they are set back. The scenery is great – who doesn’t like playing golf looking out at the ocean? – and the day is crisp but bright.

I manage 3 pars and a drop on the 14^th over the next four holes. The dropped shot was due to playing safe and pushing the “safe” iron tee shot to within a foot of a tree where I had to chip out sideways – don’t you hate it when that happens? Would have been safer to take the driver.

The 17th green

Anyway, here we are at the 17^th. I’ve read about this one – “knee-rattling 214 yard carry to an island green”. OK, so it’s playing a bit shorter from our tees, maybe 160 yds, but the water’s still there. We both hit solid shots to about 20 feet and I manage to sink mine for a birdie – way to tame the signature hole.

Didn’t tame the last though. This was all uphill from the tee with a large lake up to the left of the green. A tough hole where a par is very good and I wasn’t up to it and took a solid 5 for an 82. OK, not too bad.

Enjoyed the course. It’s open and fair with a few tougher tee shots and approaches thrown in just to test you. The greens were hard, but still held the ball well if hit in solidly. Picturesque and not daunting – well worth another round. Maybe I’ll finish off the day with a glass of wine – wine in golf country.

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After the usual faultless and friendly signing in, I head off to the driving range. It wasn’t incredibly successful, alternating fat and thin with some solid shots, but a definite lack of consistency. A few practice putts were OK though, greens not too fast and you were able to give it a good tap. Not sure that was usual though as they showed signs of having been tined recently and any Jack Nicklaus courses I have played before have always had speedy and undulating greens.

I consult with my playing partners and we’re going to play from the blacks, coming in at just shy of 6000 yards – that’s more than a kilometre shorter than the back tees that the pro’s played off in 2010 when Mike Weir won the Telus Skins here (oh, and $270,000 as well, just a bit more than I’ll be playing for).

The first is a par-5, slightly downhill. I draw it left, but find it OK and play my second out safely just off the fairway to the right. Tough approach over a hazard, which I get over, but miss the green to the right, chip on and 2-putt. OK, long way to go.

That was the only par-5 on the front nine and one of my better played holes. Ended up with four more sixes on the card and a solid 11-over 46. Hitting the ball OK from the tee and mostly finding the fairways, which are reasonably generous from the blacks, but just can’t get the irons going towards the greens.

From behind the 10th island green

As praised in all the write-ups, the scenery is spectacular with city views of Victoria and the surrounding ocean and that’s the part that makes you forget about the bad golf. Had a couple of 3-putts because the greens are large and you can end up a fair distance away even if on the green. The fairways are excellent and I can’t comment on the bunkers because I haven’t been in one yet – that would mean I was hitting it close to the green. Those irons…..tried to hit an easy five wood in once because I had lost confidence completely in the irons, hit it perfectly and flew the green – lost ball.

It always feels like you’re starting again when you begin a new nine, so I’m hopeful that I can recover at least a bit. The 10^th is a short par-3 to an island green. It’s a big green, but that’s all it is. You’re either on the green or in the water, there is no safe route. It’s only a wedge, but still a bit intimidating. Managed to get it on and two-putt for a par.

From the 14th tee

We’re climbing up to the top of the course over the next few holes culminating in the short 14^th. This used to be the 19^th hole – just an extra one thrown in by Jack for a little fun and wagering in the middle of the round, but it didn’t count. Now it has been incorporated into the course and one of the earlier holes is lost. Again, it’s a very short hole, but all carry over a ditch filled with bushes and brambles and there are a couple of pot bunkers on either side of the green. It looks a simple shot, but it’s either hit the green or reload. Having just had a couple of double bogeys, I’m happy to hit the green there and get a much needed par. In fact, I played the last five holes with 3 pars and two bogeys for a 42 and a final 18-over 88. Not what I’d hoped for, but still enjoyed the day.

The 16th green backed by Mt Finlayson

The mountain course is an experience. The views are spectacular, looking up to Mount Finlayson, down to Victoria and the surrounding ocean and just away to Mount Baker and other snow- capped peaks.

The rough wasn’t too bad when we played, but it was fall and summer had dried it out and I could imagine that it could be fierce at its worst. Water is plentiful and often in play, but the landing areas are large enough to avoid it and Jack forces you to think about your placement of shots. Rolling fairways, natural rock formations and arbutus trees – love those – have been incorporated into the course layout and all add to the scenic beauty.

Normally, you remember a course that you play well. This doesn’t have to be the case with the Mountain Course, you will still remember it.

Postscript – The Joy of Competition: My two playing partners arrived at the par-5 18^th having had a tight game and there was only one shot between them. They both hooked it into the water off the tee and agreed on mulligans. One nailed it down the middle and the other pushed it right into the rough where he got a bad lie, hit it three feet and then chipped out and then hooked it left. Mr Down the Middle hit another scorcher down over the meandering ditch to the second part of the fairway. He was the guy who was one up, so you think he’s got it in the bag. However, he proceed to dig about a foot behind the ball with his approach shot and hit the ball about 10 feet, which he then did again before hitting it in the front bunker, going from there into the back bunker, getting it out and three putting for a 10. The other guy managed a 10 as well, so it was still a one shot victory. And that was after the mulligans. Exciting, nail-biting stuff. That’s the thing about golf – that could happen to anybody.

The post Back to the Bear appeared first on Golf Vancouver Island.

We’re playing off the white tees at 5700 yards. The first is a par-4 dog-leg to the left and I asked the marshal if it was reachable if you cut the corner and he said it was but you were in deep trouble in the forest if you didn’t make it and not many people tried. So I played safe and hit a four iron into the fairway bunker. It was a fairly short wedge from there to the green though and I managed to save par.

I looked around while standing on the first green waiting for my partners and the grass was the deep dark healthy green with a couple of ponds and a couple of creeks, the ninth hole coming down the hill and the 3^rd leading away and I thought to myself this was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday morning.

After firing a dead straight 7-iron to about 3 feet on the downhill par-3 second, possibly my best struck shot of the weekend, and making the putt for birdie, I was feeling like this could be the time I cracked it.

5th green from the trees

On the long third I nailed the drive down the middle of the narrow fairway and actually waited for the green to clear before completely fluffing a 3-iron, thinning the next shot and then hitting a wedge into the greenside bunker and ending up with a solid 7. Back to reality.

The 4^th was stroke 1 and a monster into the breeze and had a soft lush fairway that gave me 6 inches of run as I only just jumped out of the pitchmark. I had a 5-wood to the green over water, which I managed to clear, but pulled it left into the bunker – another bogey.

There were some elevation changes on the next few holes and the trees encroached on the 5^th and 7^th, but that wasn’t my problem. Hitting the green with a wedge or a sand wedge was. I was actually driving the ball well, though just missing the fairway in most cases, but could not play the next shot. I had a wedge in on 5, 6 8 and 9 and missed the green on 5, 6 and 8 and was a combined 4 over for those three holes. I finished with a 6-over 41 on the front , but it could have been much better. Greens good, fairways good, putting actually reasonable thank goodness, beautiful day, well-manicured course; striking of golf ball with iron clubs graded at a solid D-.

Short 10th over the water

And it didn’t improve much on the second nine. I sunk a fair number of 5-footers for par or bogey after missing the green with a short iron approach shot. The fairways were excellent when I was on them and I can certainly testify as to the uniform consistency of the bunkers as I was in many, many of those – mainly greenside bunkers. I did avoid the creeks and the lakes though, probably because they were more in play off the tee shot that the approach.

The 14^th is an interesting uphill par-3 with a huge slope from right to left and I hit a full four iron in there and managed a par. If I’d have been hitting a four iron for my approach more frequently, perhaps I would have scored better. Bogeys and single putt pars were mainly the order of the day on the second nine and I came in with a 6-over 42. 83 doesn’t sound that bad, but it was disappointing.

16th green

Fairwinds is for the most part a fairly friendly and short course off the white tees. Even the back, blue, tees only
have a total length of 6200 yards. It’s in immaculate condition and I did enjoy walking the fairways. There were deer walking around the 18^th green again like yesterday (Those deer must know more about golf than we give them credit for – always by the 18^th watching the finish) and I played the par-5 18^th in a way that just summed up the round. There is water all the way along the right hand side from tee to green and I hit my tee shot down the middle, hit a good safe second shot and missed the green right into the bunker with a sand wedge. Down in 3 from there for a bogey 6 – oh, well.

I’d like to play Fairwinds again because I don’t think I did it justice and I think I can do better – but maybe it’s one of those sneaky deceptively difficult courses that doesn’t look too bad. Only playing it again will tell.

Shout out to the kitchen staff. As we finished our buddies weekend we were perusing the menu deciding what to have for lunch and the chef said he could come up with a couple of big plates of mixed appies for 5 bucks each. Very tasty and good customer service. Thanks.

The post Fairwinds – beautiful but deceptive? appeared first on Golf Vancouver Island.

After a bucket of balls, and hitting the ball quite well, I proceed to the first tee feeling quite confident. We decide to play off the white tees at 5880 yards. I wanted to play the blue at 6250 but got voted down. First hole is a slight dog-leg left and a drive, 9-iron, chip and two putts later I’m +1. Played the second in a similar manner. The third is a straight forward par-3 belied by a 6-iron, chip and three putts. Not happy now. I’m definitely discontented after another double on the par 5 4^th hole and time for a deep breath – 6-over after 4.

Storey Creek

The course has been fairly flat so far and as long as you nit it straight you should be OK. The fairways are uniformly excellent. The greens show marked signs of being hollow-tined a few weeks ago, but they’ve made a good recovery and run true even if you do have to give the ball a good solid tap. The grass is longer under the trees flanking every hole, but the lack of rain is evident and it is brown and bent over and you can still find your ball in there if you’re lucky – whether you can see a gap to hit it out again is another matter.

The first two holes on the front nine are par 4’s and the ninth is a 4, but in the six holes in between it alternates between 3’s and 5’s. Here I am on the short 5^th tee trying to salvage a bad start.

Sit back and relax. Fired an 8-iron in to about 10 feet and missed the putt, but did make par. Par 5 on the next and a wedge to about 20 feet again on the short seventh leads to another par. Played the long 8^th as a 3-shotter to stay away from the water on the right and chipped and putted for a par on the 9^th after a poor approach steering the ball over the water on the left and so managed to come back with a 42 on the front nine.

It’s still a beautiful day and there’s no-one pushing us so we sit back and have a beer after nine. I will say this for Storey Creek – they have the friendliest staff I have come across so far from the pro-shop to the girl behind the bar who is positively radiating amiability as she dishes out the beer.

Abundant water

The second nine starts with a straight ahead par 4 which I played straight up apart from the 3 putts. The 11^th is a short dog-leg 4 with accuracy required off the tee to leave a short approach past the large trees, which is what I did before 3-putting again. Oh-oh.  The 12^th has water down the right off the tee which is what I tried to avoid with a strange looped swing that consequently hit it straight in. Managed to escape with a bogey, but still 3-over after 3 and those good last 5 holes of the front nine are slipping away. However, the par-3 13^th was good to me and after hitting it to about 20 feet I drained the putt.

Back on track and I played fairly well for the rest of the round. Kept the ball straight on the fairway most of the time and was on or close to the green in regulation and managed to get home with 4 more pars and one bogey when I found the forest on the 15^th and had to chip out. Luckily avoided the water running down the left hand side of the 14^th when I took more of a tiger-line on the dog-leg than intended.

is a short par-3 fronted by a ditch with a wall and a huge green behind it. However, on this day, the flag was only a few feet on the front and so I flirted with the wall and only just cleared it and again came unintentionally awfully close to the water on the right side of the 18^th as well, but stopped a few feet short and then wedged it over the deer that were ambling about by the green and took a two-putt par. 39 on the back and an 81 – quite happy after that start.

Looking back, I realize how often I only just missed the water, so there was some luck involved, but I also realized how much I enjoyed Storey Creek. The holes are isolated from one another and the only sounds are those of the forest and the oaths of your paying partners as they find the forest or the water – both in abundance.

Good golf course – very serene. And that staff – really, really friendly.

The post In and Amongst the Nature at Storey Creek appeared first on Golf Vancouver Island.

The course was fairly flat and wide open, though not so much that you could hit it onto the next fairway – to do so would involve hitting over some fairly large trees in most cases. I wish I could discuss the condition of the fairways more, and they did look good as I was walking down them, I just never got to play off them, generally just being a few feet off in the semi-rough though.

not far enough to reach the trees. Don’t let that make you think the course is narrow, it was just me that was slightly wayward.

On the par-5 ninth I hit it solidly down the middle, surprisingly enough, and was left with a 210 yard carry over water to a slightly elevated green and promptly chickened out and laid up. I did manage to pitch on and get a 5, but I really should have gone for it. It was into the breeze, but a good shot would have been so much more exciting.

I managed to get around the front nine in a five-over 41 with a mixture of 4’s and 5’s. Not too bad, I normally seem to improve on the second nine. However, not his time.

From behind the 12th

The second nine has a couple of really interesting holes, chiefly the 12^th which demands accuracy off the tee to a fairway sloping away to the left. The approach shot then has water on the left leading to a huge bunker fronted by railway sleepers that is so steep it has steps down into it. Luckily I managed to avoid both the water and the bunker, and the green with three successive approach shots, hitting them all fat and about 30 yards each, before chipping on and two putting for a 7. Good stuff. Well, the tee shot was good.

The nine didn’t improve for me much after that either. Still a beautiful course playing between old growth trees, while still giving the impression that there’s lots of room, but I just couldn’t hit the fairways and/or ended up on the wrong side of the flag on the green with one of those treacherous downhill putts. There are a lot of hills and humps around and on the greens and so you rarely end up with a simple chip from off the green.

The 14th green

After my disaster on the 12^th I played solid drop a shot on every hole golf until the 17^th where it’s a mid-length par-3 with water down the right and fronting the right side of the green. Not too bad, I thought, just keep it left. Thinned it straight right into the middle of the lake. Another triple later and it’s off to the 18^th for another solid 1-over, consistent. 47 blows and a 16-over 88.

There are some long walks at Morningstar between the greens and the next tees, but the course is fairly level, particularly on the front side. There are some beautiful alleyway holes between towering trees, and the ball stopped when pitched into the greens with a full shot. However, those greens could be frightening and even the uphill putts appeared fast at times, but they ran true, so just keep the stroke smooth and slow – and the ball on the low side of the pin position.

Disappointing beginning to the weekend after a good start on the first few holes, but there’s still a couple of courses to go to get it back.

The post Sliding by at Morningstar appeared first on Golf Vancouver Island.

However, the weekend was as unhealthy as imagined. Way too much beer and junk food (though I did have a fantastic rib eye steak on Saturday night) and not enough sleep. Won a bit of money at golf and then lost it again in the evening at poker. At least the golf came first so I was playing poker with someone else’s money, it doesn’t feel so bad then.

All the golf courses were well worth a round, though my feet were dragging a bit by hole number 54, and I’m sure we’ll be going back next year to try again. Morningstar, Storey Creek and Fairwinds coming up soon.

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Hopefully, the liver and the golf swing can stand it, because there’s sure to be a few beers, which affect the swing positively until a certain point is reached and after that it’s all downhill. The trick is to reach that happy midpoint and try and stay there. There’s poker as well at night, so also have to keep my wits about me there too. It must be my sheltered life, because I’ve never actually played Texas hold ‘em before, so I was talking to it with my fifteen year-old the other day and he was giving me a few pointers. We used to play other card games for money back when I was in school.

Golf, beer, steak, poker – sounds like a good time a-coming. Let the trash talking begin.

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From halfway down the 3rd fairway

We decided to play off the white tees – there are only two for the men – black tees at 6600yds and white at 6165yds. The wind was quite strong on the day we played, unusual for Vancouver Island, and that certainly made a difference. Playing 540yds straight into a headwind as we did on the 3^rd makes it quite a long hole. I was hitting a full 6-iron in for my third. Actually hit a good shot as well onto the green, but proceeded to three-putt, oh dear.

The front side is fairly flat, but the trees come into play and there is water lurking on several holes, particularly from the tee. Often we’d seem to be teeing off with trees on the one side and water or bunker on the other. That first hole was not a sign of things to come. The course was in great condition and being late summer, the grass in the rough had started to go brown, particularly under the trees, so hitting it in there didn’t necessarily mean a lost ball, but definitely it meant trouble trying to thread a way out again. I was in there a couple of times.

The two par threes on the front were both straight into the wind and I managed to avoid par on either one. Actually, the 6^th would be a tough hole on a still day, but we had a 190 yard carry into the wind over a pond to a flag at the front. I have a lot of loft on the driver, so I decided to hit that and probably hit my best shot of the day to pin-high and about 15 feet away. Hit the first putt 5 foot past and missed the return. It was just me though, the greens were medium fast and true – there was nothing wrong with them – the problem was all with me.

The 8^th is a beautiful hole, another dog leg to the left to a raised green across another pond that also comes into play off the tee, stroke 1 and the hardest hole on the course. Got a solid 6 there – again, too many putts. In fact, on the ninth, I avoided putting and actually chipped in for a birdie from off the back of the green. The chip-in was a good thing – I still took 45 strokes to get around the front, a solid 9-over par.

The 10^th hole is similar to the first with a wide open downhill tee shot, but not quite as far to the end of the dog leg, so don’t take driver. Or you can take an iron for safety like I did and accidentally hit it way right onto the 16^th hole. I wouldn’t recommend that though, because it makes the second shot much longer. Another dropped shot.

The second nine is hillier with perhaps a little less water, but it’s still present. In fact the 12^th requires an iron to an island fairway followed by another carry over the same water that was on the right off the tee to an elevated green. Accuracy is much in demand here, though the hole is short, and it would take a longer hitter and braver man than I to take driver and try to carry all the water. I did manage to par this one though.

There are still some narrow tee shots on the second nine, but sometimes the slope of the ground off the banks of trees and rocky outcrops is feeding  your ball back to the fairway rather than away from it, which did prove useful on a couple of occasions. However, I did lose one ball that I thought went down the middle on the 14^th. We got there and it was just gone, don’t know if an animal took it or if it just went down a hole or we couldn’t see it for looking, but I took six on that hole while only hitting the ball four times.

The greens stayed the same on the second nine and my putting improved slightly, but my ball striking ability dropped to compensate and I hit many more bad shots to be scoring about the same. The course remained a solid challenge with interesting holes. It is not too heavily bunkered, but I managed to hit sand in a couple of strategically placed ones near the greens.

The 17th green

The 17^th is the signature hole on the course, driving downhill between two large mounds followed by a short approach to a large green with a waterfall cascading down the rocks behind the green. There’s a hundred yard difference between the white and black tees here and so what was for us only a drive and a short-iron would be a more daunting prospect from the back. The 18^th is a par-5 with an elevated green right in front of the clubhouse balcony and there was an enthusiastic crowd who appeared to have been there a while cheering on the approach shots as we came in. I wish I could have given them a better show, but a steady two-putt bogey was all I had to close out my 44 for the nine and a round of 89.

So, on this particular day, the golf course may have medalled, but I certainly didn’t. I’d like to come back and give it another go sometime.

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