Birdie Bonanza!

Written on 8-25-16.

     Today is Danielle’s 21st birthday!  Happy birthday, dear daughter.  We talked about driving down to Las Cruces to be with her for this big occasion, but changed our mind when we heard it would be more of a “party” weekend.  Her friend from the YCC, Devin, is making the trip, and we didn’t want to intrude.  We also got to celebrate her birthday when she was here before heading back just before school started, and we bought her her gift, a new car stereo with bluetooth and some new speakers.  She was thrilled with it, of course, and we were happy knowing she would be safer when talking hands-free on the phone while driving.  Happy birthday, Danielle!  Our baby is 21!  Wow!

     It’s time to get caught up with the birdie count again.  I had only one to catch up on before Bruce, C.J., and I played again on Wednesday, yesterday, and that’s when I earned FIVE more in one round!  

So, here I go…

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #35 of 2016

     This birdie came in the round where we were playing the points game.  I was in the lead after nine holes with 21 points to Bruce’s 17 and C.J.’s 14.  We all had a pretty lousy front nine, so I was happy to come away with the lead despite our high scores.  

On the back, I managed to...

continue to accrue more points than my buddies by hitting greens (including #12!), getting pars, and winning points that had been pushed.  Getting this birdie definitely expanded my lead even more.

     I used my driver, opting to go for the green like I always do now.  My drive came off lower than usual, and I wasn’t sure if it had cleared the wash.  Bruce’s tee shot was much higher and farther, but as we crossed the wash I wasn’t sure if the ball that was in the fairway just before the green was mine or his.  It was his.  Mine was still in the wash, and the lie wasn’t the best.  It was less than a yard from the grass, so I had what was a long bunker shot, and it was made a bit more difficult because it was sitting between two small ridges, like a tiny valley in the sand.  I took some practice swings exploding the sand a few times and gauging how big of a swing and how much sand to take.  

     This was the best shot/part of this birdie.  Using my scraped up pitching wedge, I bashed my ball out of that sand, and I was able to get my ball on the green and fairly close to the hole.  Looking back now, I’m not sure how I did that.  

     Bruce had a chance to birdie, too, but I was the one who made the putt.  The putt was unique, too.  The hole was on the right front side of the green, and my approach from the wash put my ball near the middle of the green, so I had a downhill putt, and it was on the fall line more than I thought it would be.  After the ball left my putter head, it went so straight that it looked like a Hot Wheels car on a plastic track.  Getting this birdie helped me keep ahead of my playing partners, and I ended up holding on for the win with a score of 59.5 to Bruce’s 47 and C.J.’s 25.5.  C.J. and I shared hole #18’s one point by tying with pars.

     I want to briefly describe the other five birdies before going to sleep here.  I have a tournament to play in tomorrow, and it’s getting late.

Hole #1-Drive up to right side of tree.  Approach to right side of left hill.  Pitch with ball well below my feet to a few feet.  Made the putt and won the first skin along with the long drive bonus.

Hole #4-9-iron from higher tees to bottom of the green.  Very high.  Bruce went first and his putt was long and left, so I went shorter and more to the right.  It was a very long uphill putt, and I aimed for a tuft of cut grass that was also short and right of the hole.

Hole #12-6-iron for the third time, but spun off the green on the front left side.  Still up on the hill, though.  Putt from the front of the green to the back left.  Aimed for a spot about eight feet to the right, another tuft of grass.  Bruce said my ball bumped something on the way into the hole.  My ball was a bit muddy, too, or it had a bit of mud smudged on it.

Hole #13-Drove my ball to the front right side of the green, but just off.  Putt from there to a pin on the back middle and not in an easy position.  Putt went left and stayed left, but it stopped about four feet away.  Bruce made a great up and down for par just before I made my birdie putt.

Hole #14-Won the long drive bonus again, for sure.  Bruce and C.J. missed the fairway.  8-iron long and right of the green.  Chipped back to the hole that was on the top right front side this time.  Chip went about four to five feet past the hole, and I made that putt after Bruce made a bomb from about forty feet for his birdie.

     There.  All in there, even if they are brief.  I need to go to sleep now.

Until next time…