Written on 8-29-16.
Well, the tournament was a blast! It was one of the best ever, and it might also be the last ever at Hidden Valley. I’ve been informed that the golf course is officially closing again, and I am feeling confident (and sad) that it will really shut down for good this time.
I have my first fall session for The First Tee tomorrow. Only a handful have signed up, so I am curious to see what the final number will be. Belinda and I have gone back and forth wondering if I should just can the whole thing this time for a number of reasons, two of those reasons being that the numbers are low and the golf course is likely to close. I could still choose to cancel once I see how many show up tomorrow. That way I will feel better knowing I gave it my best shot for any parents who might have waited to sign up on the first day. It would be weird to have so few participate, so it’s a tough decision for me.
Let’s get those five birdies in here officially.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #36 of 2016
We chose the escalating skins game for this round. My drive was long enough to be even with the cottonwood, and it was on the right side. The flagstick was visible on the right side of the green, and I chose my 8-iron to go for it. I pulled that approach a bit, so my ball ended up rolling and stopping on the right side of the left hill, and the remaining pitch was funky because my ball was so far below my feet. I bent my knees and took a few practice swishes before I took my shot while C.J. watched and waited. My ball came out low, bounced on the lower tier, steadied itself and rolled up onto the higher tier where the hole was, and I made the putt from there. I won that hole and earned the first bonus of the round, the longest drive on the fairway for a total of $20,000.00.
Before I write about this next birdie, I must record my amazing par on hole #3. The tees have been way back on this hole for many rounds now, so it’s...
much tougher than when the tees are forward, of course. According to C.J. when we arrived at this hole during the tournament, hole #3 is now the toughest hole on the golf course. I don’t think that’s true because #5, #7, #12, and #17 are still among the toughest, but #3 is definitely harder when the tees are back like they are now.
My tee shot headed toward the fairway, but it was drawing ever so slightly, and it looked like it might end up on the left side. When I walked down there, I was bummed to see that it was in the taller grass with no real shot at the green. The last time I tried to go for the green from close to that same spot, my ball ended up in the ditch and I ended up with a double bogey.
This time, though, I pitched out to the fairway to a decent yardage. The flag was on the top tier, and that’s a tougher position than the bottom; it’s just a smaller area and it also brings the lower bunker into play.
I was just past the 100 yard marker, so I chose my pitching wedge, and this was the best swing on this hole. My ball flew to the left of that tree, over the bunker, and then landed on the top tier near the hole on the right side. I still had four feet or so to save my par, but I was able to make the putt, too. This par helped me win the $30,000.00 this hole was worth, and then I got a birdie on the very next hole, too.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #4-Birdie #37 of 2016
The teeing area was back up on the higher tier, but I chose the 9-iron again anyway. Bruce’s ball was a bit farther away from mine, and we were both below the hole and a good 15 paces away. His putt went past the hole and missed left. I saw a tiny tuft of mowed grass that was short and right of the hole, so I aimed at that. My ball traveled the distance and fell in the hole. I won the bonus for this hole and the skin for a total of $70,000.00 this time. It’s great to earn money on the front nine, but this game is typically won or lost on the back, especially during the last few holes. Would I be able to extend my lead enough?
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #12-Birdie #38 of 2016
Yes, that is correct. I got a birdie on hole #12! Bruce was pretty much kicking our tails at this point. He had won all of the skins for holes #6 through #9, and he also won the skins for holes #10 and #11, both times because the money was pushed from hole to hole. This birdie, though, the first of three in a row really made things interesting.
I chose my 6-iron again. That has been the go-to club for this hole lately because the tee markers have been closer than they normally are. I aimed to the left of the green, and I think that helped to make my swing more upright. Or, I just aimed that way and pushed my ball towards the hole, but either way it worked. My ball landed just on the front of the green, and my mark was actually a foot inside the green. My ball, however, spun back and stopped on the fringe. The hole was cut just past the middle on the left side, so I had to putt across the majority of the green. I picked a spot that was six to eight feet right of the hole, and it was another tuft of cut grass that stood out to me. Sometimes, the targets I pick are just the first and only things I see that look like they will work. They are enticing me by saying, “Aim at me! Aim at me!”
So, I did. I did not think I would make it, but my ball arced slowly toward the hole and continued to get closer and closer until it dropped. Bruce, who was over there after playing his shot, told me that my ball jumped over something as it straightened out and got closer to the hole, so it might have hit a tuft of grass. Whatever it was, I am grateful if that’s what put my ball on a course to help it go in the hole. I won $120,000.00 for this skin, missing the green cost me $90,000.00.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #39 of 2016
I drove my ball to the front right side of the green, but a great drive is no guarantee of a birdie on this hole. We found that out the hard way at the tournament. After driving my ball to the left side of the green during the tournament, all four of us could not get up and down for a birdie to a pin that was located in the center of the green. We had three putts from off the green that went too far past the hole, and one that did not go far enough.
For this birdie, the hole was placed near the back of the green, so I once again had to putt across the majority of the green. My putt started out on the left side of the hole, and it just stayed there, but I got the distance right, so my ball stopped less than four feet away. It was not an easy putt, and it was made even more difficult when Bruce had a great up and down for his par from the hill on the right side of the green; his putt was especially good, because it barely caught the edge and fell in. I earned $130,000.00 after winning this hole.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #14-Birdie #40 of 2016
I was the obvious winner of the long drive on this hole, but that was because I was the only one to hit the fairway, but it was a long drive, and I was nearly even with the 150-yard marker and on the left side of the fairway. This time, the hole was on the front right side after being on the middle left side for quite a while.
My 8-iron got the call for the approach, but I pushed it enough to nearly go into the ditch since any shot that errors on the right side brings the ditch more into play. I used my sand wedge to pitch my ball, and I had the perfect amount of room (away from the ditch) to make the smaller swing necessary to get my ball to roll close to the hole.
It even went past the hole by five feet. Bruce made a bomb of a putt from around 40 feet. His ball was about as far away as it could be on that side and still be on the green. It was like our kids going to school in Las Cruces. They went to college about as far away from Aztec as they could and still be in-state. It was an amazing putt, and once again he put pressure on me to make my shorter putt. But, I did make it, and we pushed the money to hole #15 where he made another birdie himself to win $290,000.00, but I had won the $100,000.00 bonus for the long drive at least, and I had just made three birdies in a row. No small feat, considering my first birdie came on hole #12.
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