Written on 3-9-13.
We are on our way to Las Cruces to visit James for our first weekend of spring break. James and I might play at the NMSU Golf Course tomorrow. We’ll see if he wants to join me or not.
When I last wrote about Bruce’s 32, I mentioned that I smelled a skunk and that it was coming from me. Thankfully, I did not get skunked. After Bruce embarrassed the course and left, C.J. and I continued on to fight over the rest of the money. He had already won the bonus of 30k on hole #14 for the longest drive and then another 50k for the longest drive on #18, so he had the lead. We all tied on #18 with pars, so that money was pushed to the next hole. Hole #1 was busy, so we walked over to #4 to start. This hole was worth 100k since it was the 10th hole. It also had the bonus worth 60k for closest to the pin.
C.J. hit the green, but his putt was going to be...
a long one. The hole was up at the top. I had a chance to get closer and steal the bonus, but my ball moved left immediately off my clubface, so I missed left. He had won another bonus right away, and it was not looking good for me. If we tied, I would have wanted to play on, but if he would have won this hole, I don’t know what I would have done; I might have called it good and gone home with my tail between my legs.
But, golf doesn’t always turn out the way I think it will. My little pitch from above the hole and off to the left got some great bounces, rolled onto the green and stopped less than a foot from the hole. C.J. let me finish first and I had my par. I thought for sure he would use only two putts and push the money again, but his first putt stopped shorter than he wanted, and his remaining putt missed, albeit just barely. Finally, I had earned some money and it was a decent paycheck, two holes worth, a total of 190k. Rejuvenated, I was ready to play some more.
He had 140k, all from bonuses, but we decided to play holes #2 through #4 to see who could win the most money.
On #1, he made an incredible blind third shot (about 60 yards uphill) from just behind the cart path to a pin that was on the top right side. He was less than four feet away after that, and he made that putt for a birdie. It was as if he was saying, “Take that! I can get up and down from off the green if you’re on the green, too.”
I was on in three shots, but I triple-putted for a bogey. C.J. had just doubled his money and added some more. He was at 250k now, and I was losing again.
On the next hole, my short game came through again, though. I putted out of the bunker to just outside a foot this time. It was risky to putt out of there this time because the sand/dirt had footprints and fissures to go through and over, but it worked out. C.J. made an amazing putt for a bogey, and I almost missed my par putt, but I had won the first of the last two holes. My par putt lipped out of the hole on the left side, thought about staying out, but fell back in with the help of gravity. We both gasped and laughed in disbelief.
On the last hole, I mistakenly thought I had won a ton of more money than I really had, but looking back on the scorecard I see I was way off. I thought we had pushed the money from hole #17 too, but Bruce had won that hole with a par, so I really had less money than I had told C.J. I offered to add money to the last hole to give him a chance, but we didn’t have to do that at all. He had a chance without adding any money. Before we teed off on the last hole, the score was really his 250k to my 310k.
For the past few months, I have been cockily attempting to drive this hole with my added length due to the new golf balls and the better swings with my Nike driver. Most of the time it hasn’t worked out at all. Actually, I only earned one par with C.J. one cold night compared to numerous bogeys and a few doubles sprinkled in. It is really not a good hole for going for it, at least not for me. I can get past the ditch no problem, but the pitches from the awkward lies and strange positions is where I run into trouble.
C.J. jokingly wanted me to try and drive it again, of course. I thought better of it, though, and used my Wishon utility club to tee off. It put me in a great position, just past the fairway with a great look at the hole that was on the top tier. C.J. chunked a pitch from below the green, but I also pulled my approach and ended up on the bottom tier of the green on the left side, not an easy two-putt.
He had a chance for a bogey with a long putt, but he missed. Phew! I made my par putt from five feet, so I won the last of the money. The final score ended up being C.J.: 250k to my 440k. If he had won the last hole, it would have been C.J.: 380k, to my 310k. Those bonuses had really kept him in the running, so I called him the Bonus Man when we were all done.
I went back later that night alone to play the rest of the 18 holes we had started. I ended up playing #10 and #11 again when I was all done. I took the better score when I played #10 the second time, so I adjusted my score. I shot an 84.
We are on our way to Las Cruces to visit James for our first weekend of spring break. James and I might play at the NMSU Golf Course tomorrow. We’ll see if he wants to join me or not.
When I last wrote about Bruce’s 32, I mentioned that I smelled a skunk and that it was coming from me. Thankfully, I did not get skunked. After Bruce embarrassed the course and left, C.J. and I continued on to fight over the rest of the money. He had already won the bonus of 30k on hole #14 for the longest drive and then another 50k for the longest drive on #18, so he had the lead. We all tied on #18 with pars, so that money was pushed to the next hole. Hole #1 was busy, so we walked over to #4 to start. This hole was worth 100k since it was the 10th hole. It also had the bonus worth 60k for closest to the pin.
C.J. hit the green, but his putt was going to be...
a long one. The hole was up at the top. I had a chance to get closer and steal the bonus, but my ball moved left immediately off my clubface, so I missed left. He had won another bonus right away, and it was not looking good for me. If we tied, I would have wanted to play on, but if he would have won this hole, I don’t know what I would have done; I might have called it good and gone home with my tail between my legs.
But, golf doesn’t always turn out the way I think it will. My little pitch from above the hole and off to the left got some great bounces, rolled onto the green and stopped less than a foot from the hole. C.J. let me finish first and I had my par. I thought for sure he would use only two putts and push the money again, but his first putt stopped shorter than he wanted, and his remaining putt missed, albeit just barely. Finally, I had earned some money and it was a decent paycheck, two holes worth, a total of 190k. Rejuvenated, I was ready to play some more.
He had 140k, all from bonuses, but we decided to play holes #2 through #4 to see who could win the most money.
On #1, he made an incredible blind third shot (about 60 yards uphill) from just behind the cart path to a pin that was on the top right side. He was less than four feet away after that, and he made that putt for a birdie. It was as if he was saying, “Take that! I can get up and down from off the green if you’re on the green, too.”
I was on in three shots, but I triple-putted for a bogey. C.J. had just doubled his money and added some more. He was at 250k now, and I was losing again.
On the next hole, my short game came through again, though. I putted out of the bunker to just outside a foot this time. It was risky to putt out of there this time because the sand/dirt had footprints and fissures to go through and over, but it worked out. C.J. made an amazing putt for a bogey, and I almost missed my par putt, but I had won the first of the last two holes. My par putt lipped out of the hole on the left side, thought about staying out, but fell back in with the help of gravity. We both gasped and laughed in disbelief.
On the last hole, I mistakenly thought I had won a ton of more money than I really had, but looking back on the scorecard I see I was way off. I thought we had pushed the money from hole #17 too, but Bruce had won that hole with a par, so I really had less money than I had told C.J. I offered to add money to the last hole to give him a chance, but we didn’t have to do that at all. He had a chance without adding any money. Before we teed off on the last hole, the score was really his 250k to my 310k.
For the past few months, I have been cockily attempting to drive this hole with my added length due to the new golf balls and the better swings with my Nike driver. Most of the time it hasn’t worked out at all. Actually, I only earned one par with C.J. one cold night compared to numerous bogeys and a few doubles sprinkled in. It is really not a good hole for going for it, at least not for me. I can get past the ditch no problem, but the pitches from the awkward lies and strange positions is where I run into trouble.
C.J. jokingly wanted me to try and drive it again, of course. I thought better of it, though, and used my Wishon utility club to tee off. It put me in a great position, just past the fairway with a great look at the hole that was on the top tier. C.J. chunked a pitch from below the green, but I also pulled my approach and ended up on the bottom tier of the green on the left side, not an easy two-putt.
He had a chance for a bogey with a long putt, but he missed. Phew! I made my par putt from five feet, so I won the last of the money. The final score ended up being C.J.: 250k to my 440k. If he had won the last hole, it would have been C.J.: 380k, to my 310k. Those bonuses had really kept him in the running, so I called him the Bonus Man when we were all done.
I went back later that night alone to play the rest of the 18 holes we had started. I ended up playing #10 and #11 again when I was all done. I took the better score when I played #10 the second time, so I adjusted my score. I shot an 84.
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