10-1-12
Well, what a great weekend. Definitely not a great weekend for the United States Ryder Cup Team, but it was a fantastic weekend of golf for our team and me. Before I get to the fundraiser tournament results, though, I must catch up on the three birdies that came before. Here they are...
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #32 of 2012
I played with C.J. on Sunday last weekend. We played nine holes together, just the two of us. It was good to have just C.J. play with me; I can’t remember the last time we played alone. His mellow demeanor and drawling voice put me at ease every time.
We chose to...
beat the Bogey Man together, and we set the bar high at just +2 for nine holes. This birdie got us off to a great start.
I teed off with the driver, of course. It went to the left of the tree, and it was long enough to get past it again, but just barely. I chose my pitching wedge for my approach. The flag was on the top right side. My approach was “thinned,” and it came out low and to the right. I saw it hit the tall grass between the hills up there, and I hoped it would slow it down enough. I honestly didn’t know if it would be short of the green or past the green.
Actually, it was on the green. It was on the front, though, so I had an uphill putt. It went up the slope and stopped just past the hole about three feet away. I made that second putt to start us off at one under.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #7-Birdie #33 of 2012
I love getting birdies on this hole. They are so rare, and that makes this one even more special. I’ve been swinging my driver really well lately, and my new inappropriately titled, but wonderful golf balls are helping my drives go even farther. This was a long drive, and it went left (still avoiding out of bounds like a teenager avoids her parents in public). I laid up between the 100 yard markers and right on the fairway. C.J. and I discussed my next shot before I took it. I told him I was going to use my approach wedge and use an abbreviated swing. I remembered reading Phil Mickelson’s advice about making a more compact swing for these shorter kinds of distances, and then I did it.
My ball was on the green, but it was well to the left, about 30 feet. The putt was a left to righter that went uphill about a foot. I picked a spot past the hole on the left side, and it turned out really well. This birdie got us back to +1. At the end of the round, we met our goal of +2. Thanks, C.J. It was great to play with you.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #9-Birdie #34 of 2012
On the Friday before the fundraiser tournament, our team got together for a nine hole "practice" round. We did a different format. C.J. and I played against Bruce and Reilly in a scramble match play thing. He and I would both tee off and then we would “best ball” in from there.
C.J. and I had just beaten Bruce and Reilly 2 and 1 at the 8th hole, so we chose to do the format we would be playing on Saturday for the last hole. Before we teed off, I said that we should make a five and a four, if not better. We ended up doing better.
10-3-12
My drive was up at the corner and on the fairway. My approach (6-iron) put my ball on the back of the green on the right side.
Meanwhile, Reilly and Bruce were making a birdie of their own. Their drive was farther back, but Reilly's approach landed his ball just off the green, also on the right side where the flag was. They got up and down for their birdie.
For our putt, I went first, and we both saw a break from right to left, mostly at the very end. My putt went over and just past the hole, about two feet, and I made that to clean up. We had earned two birdies instead of a five and a four. I should not set such low expectations. We hoped we would do the same the next day.
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