Bruce and the Promised Land

10-29-11
    Bruce, C.J., and I played again today.  My seasonal membership ends on Halloween, so this is the last weekend I can play for “free," but the weather is getting colder, too.  We got in eighteen holes, and the weather was decent.  It got cooler and brrreezier as the round came to an end, but it was nice.  The leaves are falling off the trees more and more now.  Some are halfway done, some are nearly done, and a few are only beginning to change and start dropping their leaves.  While walking along the fairway on hole #14 looking for C.J.’s putter cover, I saw a fun sight.  We were playing #15, but we detoured to go look for it, and C.J. did find it.  The fun sight was...

that many smaller brown leaves were rolling along in the wind.  They weren’t round of course, but they would roll along in bunches like tiny brown bouncing tires.  The rest of the leaves were still flat on the grass, and they appeared jealous.  The rolling leaves looked as if they were saying, "Whee!  This is fun!  We are bouncing and rolling along while the rest of you are stuck there.  Nanny nanna boo boo." 
    I chose the game today, and I was a bit cocky with my choice after what happened the last time.  We destroyed and embarrassed the Bogey Man a couple of weekends ago.  We said we could shoot +4 and beat him, but we ended up at -4, and Bruce shot his now legendary 71 with four birdies!  I said we would get -3 this time.  We didn’t come close today, though.
    When Bruce broke par for eighteen holes for the first time ever, C.J. and I were there to witness the whole thing. 
    Here is how he did it:  On the front, he had two birdies on holes #3 and #4.  He had only one bogey on hole #8.  On the back, he had bogeys on holes #11 and #12.  He had birdies on holes #15 and #17.  I remember the one on #17.  He attempted to drive the green (something he does if his swing is working), and we couldn’t find his ball.  We were misinformed by one of the guys who was playing in the group behind us.  He said he saw Bruce’s ball ricochet left off a branch, so we were looking left of the green over the pond.  We all saw a ball that was on the green, but we thought it was C.J.’s.  Turns out it wasn’t C.J.’s; it was Bruce’s.  So, two putts later and Bruce had a fourth birdie in his best round ever. 
    This is what we play for.  I know it’s what I play for.  I have all these birdies, and I have tons of pars, but I want one round where everything goes well.  I want under par.  Actually, I would be really happy with just an even round to get started. 
    We celebrated tonight with an appetizer and some drinks at Rubio’s.  We clinked our glasses together for Bruce’s 71, a successful season, my recovery, and beating the Bogey Man.  Congratulations, Bruce.  You have made it to Golf’s Promised Land.