Royal Ottawa Golf Club ready to challenge Canadian men's amateur competitors
Missing the fairway isn't an option. Former Ottawa Senators defenceman Jason York, a member at the Royal, told Lloyd and I before we teed off that if you missed the fairway, take your medicine — hit an eight-iron to get back to the middle and move on to try to make a par or bogey.
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As Dilawri noted when we started on the 407-yard, par-4 No. 2 hole, 'you have to be right over your ball' to find it in the rough because, in most cases, it's buried.
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York's sage advice came in handy after hitting left into the rough and then scrambling to make a double.
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That doesn't change around the greens, either. The competitors will find out quickly that the rough will grab your ball. Getting out of the grass can easily turn into a nightmare, even if you're only 15 feet away from the pin and just off the green.
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Dilawri, who shot an even-par 70 playing from the 6,100-yard white tees on Monday, was a wonderful host. He was quick to explain to McLaughlin, Lloyd and I where to try to be on each hole. As Dilawri noted, the best defence for the Royal Ottawa will be the difficult greens.
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The staff at the course will make sure they're running fast. Plus, they're small and tricky. If the competitors hit the ball too hard, there is a strong chance the ball runs by the hole and off the green.
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That didn't happen to Dilawri because he's a plus-five handicap, but his playing partners struggled at times.
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'The small greens, high green speed, and thick rough will demand accuracy off the tee to score well,' said Greg Richardson, general manager of the Royal Ottawa. 'As a Top 100 course in Canada, it will provide a great challenge for even the most highly skilled players.'
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Richardson said the organizers want the players 'to walk away with a memorable experience. We want them to score well and enjoy it.'
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We had a memorable day with Dilawri on Monday because his game was incredible to watch. If he made a mistake or missed a green, he didn't make a second one. He didn't have to make many long putts because his short game is something to behold.
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I'm not sure my colleague Tim Baines, who was playing in the group ahead of us, will be invited back after acing the 138-yard, No. 6 par-3. He didn't get too excited because it was the third of his career. Ho-hum, but golf is the great equalizer and he came back to earth on the next hole.
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By the way, I had four pars on my scorecard, including one on No. 18, which I've never done. The eight doubles didn't help and the score added up to 93.
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