Written on 4-23-15.
I am on United Airlines Flight 1701 to Dulles. Bev is sitting right next to me, and she is sandwiched between Belinda and me. She is also eating a sandwich from the Sara Lee Sandwich Shop, a late lunch she snagged just before getting on board. Mom and Dad are about a 30-yard pitch ahead of us in First Class. A little bit ago, I saw the stewardess handing out warm, moist wash cloths. Ah, the benefits of experience and age. We are all on our way to Virginia for ShyShay’s First Holy Communion.
Belinda and I will be flying this way again at the beginning of June. I have my first First Tee training in Baltimore, Maryland June 3rd through the 6th, but we will be staying at Guy and Annmarie’s through the 9th. Belinda is tagging along, and that will be the first of many adventures we will be enjoying in the future.
We had another match play competition the last time I played. C.J. and I took on Bruce and Reilly again, and it was...
closer (for the first part of the match), and then it wasn’t close at all. I earned three birdies, but Bruce topped that off with four, and he did it at the end of the match. Actually, it was his four birdies that ended the match.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #10 of 2015
My driver put my ball near the middle of the fairway, but it was right of the cottonwood, so I had a spot to shoot through with my 5-iron to make my approach. My approach, flew past the right side of the tree, but it headed left after that. I saw it heading over the hill up there, but it was right of the tree on the top of the hill, too, so I thought it would be okay. It was better than okay, ending up on the green, but I had a lengthy putt from the far back left side of the green to a pin that was in a new position. It was on the right side just past the ridge that goes through the middle of the green. I had to putt my ball up that ridge and then get it to stop quickly. If I put too much speed on it, it could easily go right past the hole and end up rolling down to the front right side.
Written on 4-26-15.
Belinda and I are heading home now on a different United flight headed for Denver. I didn’t get to write last time because Bev and I did a lot of catching up instead. She uses our house as the perfect halfway point for visiting Emily or taking Emily home, but those visits are brief, so it was wonderful to visit with her instead.
My ball did get up that ridge, but it stopped short. Now, I had a downhill putt of around twelve feet, and that one slowed down just before the hole, but it fell in without a doubt. We went one up right away, a real change from our past matches.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #4-Birdie #11 of 2015
A few holes later, I earned another one. I chose my 7-iron this time. My thought was that my 8-iron might put my ball on the green, but it would probably hit near the middle and when it lands there it has a tendency to roll off the green to the right where it’s no guarantee of getting up and down. This tee shot felt as great as it looked. It covered the flag for the majority of its flight, and it landed past the hole where I was psyched to have an uphill putt, a long one but uphill nonetheless.
I had to do some yard work first, though. The last tree that watches over and casts shade on this green had left a large collection of debris (leaves, small branches, and bits and pieces of other organic materials), especially where the hole was on the bottom on the right side. I started at the bottom and worked my way towards the hole. I squatted over the entire line of my putt, brushing the stuff off with my hands, walking forward with my knees bent in a deep squat. It went like this: squat, brush, brush, truffle forward, brush, brush, stand for some relief, squat, brush, brush, truffle again, brush, brush, etc.
After all that work, though, I was rewarded with a birdie putt that travelled right along the makeshift road I had just cleared. I had to smack it pretty hard to get it go up the hill and make it to the hole. That putt was around 30 feet.
After that putt, we were back to being one up. We went one up, one up, even, one up, one up, even, even, one down, and then two down to finish the front nine, still an improvement from earlier matches where we would end up four down after the front nine.
Against my better judgement, I chose to stay and play on. We had a great chance to make it past #14 today since we were only two down, and the weather was fabulous, and in truth, I was also procrastinating; I didn’t want to go do my schoolwork.
Bruce turned on his birdie machine, though, and things continued to get worse and worse for us and better and better for them. He birdied three of the last four holes, something I had never seen him do before. He birdied #6, #8 and #9. He was one under after that flurry of amazing golf, shooting a 36.
I tied him on #10 with a par after making a handy-dandy chip from the left side of the green. That was fun. The time before I had used a flop shot from that side to get within a foot. This time, it was better to take the low route, and I was just outside of a foot. I struggled to a bogey on #11, but Bruce tied that with an amazing putt after he cuffed his chip. C.J. and I both blew it on #12. We were three down after that hole. Then Bruce got his fourth birdie on #13 and were four down again. They only needed a par to end the match once more on hole #14. Sigh.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #16-Birdie #12 of 2015
One last birdie before C.J. and I drove away helped my mood considerably. Not that I was really upset. Sure, it was a bummer to not make it past hole #14 again, but when Bruce makes four birdies in eight holes, that’s not only incredibly tough to match, but it’s also fun to watch. And, I sure had some chances that I didn’t take advantage of. For example, I should have easily double-putted #5 for a par to win a hole. Also, my birdie putt on #9, a downhill putt, stopped mysteriously one inch above the hole. I believed there was no way that putt would have stopped above the hole like that, but it did.
We were talking about starting one last competition on #15, but play was atypically slow for a Sunday, so after #16, C.J. and I decided to call it quits and hope to come back and fight again some other day.
We drove back to the clubhouse after this hole, but before we left, I teed off with my 9-iron one last time. This tee shot also covered the flag for the majority of its flight. I think we all thought we were about to witness another ace, because after it landed it rolled towards the hole, but it stopped short, well short. I had twenty feet left, and it was mostly a long, straight putt. It might have moved right a bit. It rolled right in with good pace, and I stole away another birdie before heading back to reality.
Until next time…
I am on United Airlines Flight 1701 to Dulles. Bev is sitting right next to me, and she is sandwiched between Belinda and me. She is also eating a sandwich from the Sara Lee Sandwich Shop, a late lunch she snagged just before getting on board. Mom and Dad are about a 30-yard pitch ahead of us in First Class. A little bit ago, I saw the stewardess handing out warm, moist wash cloths. Ah, the benefits of experience and age. We are all on our way to Virginia for ShyShay’s First Holy Communion.
Belinda and I will be flying this way again at the beginning of June. I have my first First Tee training in Baltimore, Maryland June 3rd through the 6th, but we will be staying at Guy and Annmarie’s through the 9th. Belinda is tagging along, and that will be the first of many adventures we will be enjoying in the future.
We had another match play competition the last time I played. C.J. and I took on Bruce and Reilly again, and it was...
closer (for the first part of the match), and then it wasn’t close at all. I earned three birdies, but Bruce topped that off with four, and he did it at the end of the match. Actually, it was his four birdies that ended the match.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #10 of 2015
My driver put my ball near the middle of the fairway, but it was right of the cottonwood, so I had a spot to shoot through with my 5-iron to make my approach. My approach, flew past the right side of the tree, but it headed left after that. I saw it heading over the hill up there, but it was right of the tree on the top of the hill, too, so I thought it would be okay. It was better than okay, ending up on the green, but I had a lengthy putt from the far back left side of the green to a pin that was in a new position. It was on the right side just past the ridge that goes through the middle of the green. I had to putt my ball up that ridge and then get it to stop quickly. If I put too much speed on it, it could easily go right past the hole and end up rolling down to the front right side.
Written on 4-26-15.
Belinda and I are heading home now on a different United flight headed for Denver. I didn’t get to write last time because Bev and I did a lot of catching up instead. She uses our house as the perfect halfway point for visiting Emily or taking Emily home, but those visits are brief, so it was wonderful to visit with her instead.
My ball did get up that ridge, but it stopped short. Now, I had a downhill putt of around twelve feet, and that one slowed down just before the hole, but it fell in without a doubt. We went one up right away, a real change from our past matches.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #4-Birdie #11 of 2015
A few holes later, I earned another one. I chose my 7-iron this time. My thought was that my 8-iron might put my ball on the green, but it would probably hit near the middle and when it lands there it has a tendency to roll off the green to the right where it’s no guarantee of getting up and down. This tee shot felt as great as it looked. It covered the flag for the majority of its flight, and it landed past the hole where I was psyched to have an uphill putt, a long one but uphill nonetheless.
I had to do some yard work first, though. The last tree that watches over and casts shade on this green had left a large collection of debris (leaves, small branches, and bits and pieces of other organic materials), especially where the hole was on the bottom on the right side. I started at the bottom and worked my way towards the hole. I squatted over the entire line of my putt, brushing the stuff off with my hands, walking forward with my knees bent in a deep squat. It went like this: squat, brush, brush, truffle forward, brush, brush, stand for some relief, squat, brush, brush, truffle again, brush, brush, etc.
After all that work, though, I was rewarded with a birdie putt that travelled right along the makeshift road I had just cleared. I had to smack it pretty hard to get it go up the hill and make it to the hole. That putt was around 30 feet.
After that putt, we were back to being one up. We went one up, one up, even, one up, one up, even, even, one down, and then two down to finish the front nine, still an improvement from earlier matches where we would end up four down after the front nine.
Against my better judgement, I chose to stay and play on. We had a great chance to make it past #14 today since we were only two down, and the weather was fabulous, and in truth, I was also procrastinating; I didn’t want to go do my schoolwork.
Bruce turned on his birdie machine, though, and things continued to get worse and worse for us and better and better for them. He birdied three of the last four holes, something I had never seen him do before. He birdied #6, #8 and #9. He was one under after that flurry of amazing golf, shooting a 36.
I tied him on #10 with a par after making a handy-dandy chip from the left side of the green. That was fun. The time before I had used a flop shot from that side to get within a foot. This time, it was better to take the low route, and I was just outside of a foot. I struggled to a bogey on #11, but Bruce tied that with an amazing putt after he cuffed his chip. C.J. and I both blew it on #12. We were three down after that hole. Then Bruce got his fourth birdie on #13 and were four down again. They only needed a par to end the match once more on hole #14. Sigh.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #16-Birdie #12 of 2015
One last birdie before C.J. and I drove away helped my mood considerably. Not that I was really upset. Sure, it was a bummer to not make it past hole #14 again, but when Bruce makes four birdies in eight holes, that’s not only incredibly tough to match, but it’s also fun to watch. And, I sure had some chances that I didn’t take advantage of. For example, I should have easily double-putted #5 for a par to win a hole. Also, my birdie putt on #9, a downhill putt, stopped mysteriously one inch above the hole. I believed there was no way that putt would have stopped above the hole like that, but it did.
We were talking about starting one last competition on #15, but play was atypically slow for a Sunday, so after #16, C.J. and I decided to call it quits and hope to come back and fight again some other day.
We drove back to the clubhouse after this hole, but before we left, I teed off with my 9-iron one last time. This tee shot also covered the flag for the majority of its flight. I think we all thought we were about to witness another ace, because after it landed it rolled towards the hole, but it stopped short, well short. I had twenty feet left, and it was mostly a long, straight putt. It might have moved right a bit. It rolled right in with good pace, and I stole away another birdie before heading back to reality.
Until next time…
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