I Play With Kyle, Birdie #12, and Tiger Wins Again

6-4-12
    

    We are having a lunch break here at the MC2 CCSS Workshop.  It’s a week long session all about implementing the new common core state standards as related to math. 
    I played golf with Kyle yesterday for the first time since...I don’t know when.  It was definitely the first time we played together alone.  We might have played at Civitan years ago.  Back then Kyle was small, but now he is taller than I am.  I can still see in my mind the little Kyle taking swings at San Juan Country Club when he first took lessons. 
    It was a great nine holes together.  He has a powerful swing, but...

he was rusty and it showed.  He would say my name out loud and apologize if he made a bad swing, but I didn’t care; I was happy to have him come play with me. 
    I told him on the first tee that we would play N.A.T.O. (Not Attached to Outcome), but I know he wanted to do better.  He made a great pitch on #12 because he had very little time to think about it.  A group was teeing off on #11, so he did it quickly.  He had another really nice swing off the tee on hole #14.  It ended up near a tree, but it sure looked smooth, and his ball flew far. 
    We were planning on playing with Bruce and Riley, but Bruce chose to spend time with Diane instead since she was about to attend this very conference.  That was the reason I chose to play golf, though; I knew I would not get to play the rest of this week, and this weekend we will be taking James to Albuquerque to register for college.  I might play on Saturday night or Sunday when we return.  It was probably good we did not play with Bruce and Riley, though.  I think it would have made Kyle even more self-conscious.  He says he wants to play some more.  We left smiling.  We had a good time.
    Part of the reason I was smiling was my birdie finish on #18 with a new club I bought from Bruce.

Hidden Valley-Hole #18-Birdie #12 of 2012 

    I did not see where my drive went.  It felt fine, and it felt like it faded or maybe even sliced, but my eyes searched the clouds and saw nothing.  Good thing Kyle was watching.  He had an idea of where it went.
    After we found Kyle’s ball, we saw mine on the right side of the fairway.  I had a great lie and about 200 yards to go.  I thought about my 4-iron, but remembered that I had left it at home making the 4-iron/hybrid club I bought from Bruce the best choice.  I told Kyle all about the purchase and then I took my swing.  It was amazing!  My ball took off high and long, and then it landed softly on the green, albeit on the wrong side.  The hole was in a new spot, the top back right side.
    After Kyle putted out, I asked him to tend the flag for me.  I had a long uphill putt of about forty to fifty feet.  I gave it a good swing, and my ball ended up a little over a foot away on the left side.  I made sure to finish.  I had my birdie and another good score, a 40 on the back nine again, just five over.

    After our round we went back into the pro shop to get some water.  It was hot and dry out there, and we were thirsty.  Fred, a former high school golfer, was back from college to work at the course, and he was watching Tiger playing in Jack’s tournament.  Fred told us how excited he was since Tiger was making a charge.  When I got home, I learned that he had won and that he had tied Jack’s number of victories at 73.  Good for you, Tiger.  I saw his shot on #16 and was dumbfounded.  Wow, what an incredible shot!