3rd Excerpt from My Golf Diary

7-22-10

     In this third excerpt, I noticed that I used the word "hit" most of the time.  Now, I use the word "swing" instead because of what I learned from Mike and Gary, the former head pros at San Juan Country Club and Hidden Valley respectively when I took lessons from them.  It took years and years to figure this out, but I do NOT "hit" the golf ball, I "swing" the golf club, and the ball gets in the way.  I also record my fourth and fifth birdies ever, although I had two "fourth" birdies, one on a life-size computer game at Dave and Busters's and one at Civitan, the par three course in Farmintgton.  I took James and Danielle with me to Civitan, and since it is dated the year 2000, they would have been seven and five years old respectively.  This August, they will be seventeen and fifteen. I end by writing about how I felt golf should be played.  

3-2-00

Whoa!  2000!  A new millennium of golf.  I’ve got a lot of catching up to do including two more birdies.

 

Dave and Buster’s Hole #?

This was almost like a real birdie.  At this bar, they have a Links life-size video game you could play indoors.  I was playing with Guy and AM (short for Annmarie, Guy's wife).  You hit your ball at a screen and the computer takes over from there.  I could even bring in my own clubs.  We couldn’t get in at first because someone else had signed up.  They didn’t show, though, so we got to play after all.  It was another par 3.  I hit my drive on the green, which was below the tee box.  We had the settings set to putt within nine feet to call it good, which was actually pretty hard to do.  I did and recorded my fourth birdie, even though it wasn’t a “real” golf birdie.

 

Civitan-Hole 1

   I took James and Danielle to play with me.  It was James’ second time and Danielle’s first.  It was hard to concentrate with two children, but we were all having fun.  Mostly, they just wanted to run up and down the hills.  I couldn’t blame them.  It looked like fun!  After struggling through nine, I let them just play and run around near the practice green.  I played hole #1 four golf balls at a time a few times.  Concentrating solely on golf helped a lot.  I hit my nine-iron.  The flag was very near center.  I hit one past the flag and to the right.  I had a slightly downhill return putt.  I nailed it for my fourth birdie.

 

Country Club-Hole 5

   A par worth writing about.  The fifth hole at Country Club is a long par five that doglegs left.  I hit my best drive for that hole finally, putting my ball in the fairway around the curve.  My second shot put me close to one hundred yards out.  I used my eight-iron on my third to get past the bunkers, which guard the front of the green.  I hit the green, but the ball rolled off on the backside, very far from the flag which was on the front of the green.  I chipped back pretty well, but I was left with an uphill putt which would break left quite a bit.  It was at least fifteen feet.  Miss on the pro side I’ve read, so I aimed well to the right.  I hit it too hard, or so I thought.  I even said so, but it slowed pretty quickly and it went in!

 

Civitan-Hole 9

   I forgot another birdie!  How could I? I hit a gentle five wood that took off straight, but landed right of the flag.  I remember walking all around this putt before hitting it in.  Once again, I thought I had hit it too hard, but the hole got in the way!  It was a very long putt, but not as long as the one at Jeff’s party.  So, that makes five real birdies.

3-4-00

   My sister’s birthday.  She is thirty-six now.  I watched and had fun with all four children today.  Amanda and Belinda are taking the RETA class.  Anyway, I got to go play when they were done with class.  I played with three others: Steve, Jimmy, and Richard.  Jimmy was Richard’s father.  Steve is a member at Pinon Hills.  I drove well.  On the second hole, everyone shanked before I went:  Steve-straight up, Jimmy-“right up with the rabbits” (his words), and Richard-left down the hill.  I hit mine, and it was straight and beautiful.  I also got par on the next hole.

 

Pinon Hills-Hole 3

   In my opinion, this is how golf should be played.  Straight on the fairway, on the green, run at a birdie, and make par.  That’s what I did to make par on this hole.  Of course, make those birdies if I can, whenever I can!

   Afterwards, I practiced putting until dark.  I had to two-putt twenty times before I left.  It was hard because the practice green has many slopes.  I hit in two long ones, so I counted those as two two-putts.  One time I hit a ball, which hit another ball in.  It was just like playing pool.  Ha 

   I forgot my hole-in-one!  Sort of.  Practicing little pitch shots from forty yards or so with Eric on the Pinon Hills driving range, I hit my longest shot ever into one of the holes on the practice green!

Before playing at Civitan, I also chipped one in on my very first shot.  I wish they weren’t practice shots, but they are still great fun!