Written on 6-16-18.
Danielle surprised me by coming home last night for Father’s Day weekend. I was so overjoyed to see her, because it was a big sacrifice for her to drive home after a long, exhausting week at work. She plans to head home again at around 1:00 today, so it’s a quick visit, but I’ll take it. I feel very fortunate to have her here at all. Thank you, Danielle! It means a lot, because I thought I might not get to see either of my children this weekend. I love you, sweet daughter of mine!
In some incredibly sad news, Reilly is in the hospital in Las Vegas, and it’s just been one horrible report after another. He flew there to participate in a Magic tournament, but he’s now in ICU instead. The last report sounded devastating to me. I feel I may be getting a phone call from C.J. soon, and it won’t be good news. Sigh.
On to golf…
I am watching the U.S. Open with my Chromecast. Belinda is making Fettuccine for lunch in celebration of Father’s Day. Danielle is taking her shower. It rained this morning, and it was glorious. We’ve needed rain, and I am hoping it helps with the 416 and the Burro Fires. Our lawn needs it. Our golf course needs it. Thank you, rain, for coming. You are always welcome.
I played alone yesterday after Belinda came and helped a second time with the Special Olympics group. C.J. had an appointment, and Bruce texted me to let me know he couldn’t play. So, I took off by myself.
I had high hopes. I played pretty well on Wednesday when all three of us played the new “Battle for the Box” game again. This time, C.J. and I reversed roles. He was struggling to get back into the game, and I was the one who ended up taking Bruce to the limit. It’s very hard if...
you’re in that third position. The box has to be wrestled away with a great score outright, and it helps to beat the person on any hole who is second in line for the box, so you are poised to take it over.
I did so much better this time. I took the box on the front nine on hole #3 when I was the only one to get a par with a long putt. I held on tightly through holes #4, #5, and #6. I even got a new birdie on #6 to hold on with a stranglehold.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #6-Birdie #9 of 2018
Owning and keeping the box is like riding a wave. You stand up precariously and do your best to keep your balance, and once you get going, it’s a fun ride. I wiped out completely on the next hole when I got a nine, though. Yes, a nine. This birdie, however, kept my buddies from taking the box from me for one more hole.
I chose my 9-iron, and the pin was at the top of the bowl that’s in the middle of the green. All of the greens are shrinking in a way, because Randy is leaving some of the rims of the greens with longer grass. What used to be considered the green is now a part of a fatter collar. My ball hit the green right of the hole and 20 feet away. My putt was from the top right rim of the bowl down into the bowl, but for this green, it might be better to call it a saucer. It’s not at all as deep as the toilet bowl on the new #8/old #14. I had worked on my putting at home, and I had a new attitude about rolling the ball past the hole, so I made a big stroke, and it felt like it was going to be too much, but the pace was perfect, and my ball rolled right into the hole.
I shot a 42 on the front, and that was with that monster of a nine on #7. Par is 36. I had earned ten points, and I was ahead of Bruce by two and C.J. by five. On the back, I stole the box back on #12 with a bogey, and I kept it for one more hole on #13, but that was the point where Bruce took over and did not look back.
On #14, my tee shot flew right at the flag, but it was also short; Bruce was farther away and on the right side. That’s when that stinker pitched it in for a birdie. I was getting my golf ball ready for play (it was muddy and we were all doing lift, clean, and place) when I heard the familiar sound of a golf ball lightly hitting a flagstick. Bruce said my head popped up when I heard it. I believe it. I was shocked that he had made it, but with Bruce I know I shouldn’t be surprised. I had to pitch my golf ball in now to keep the box for another hole, but it stopped short, and I ended up with a bogey. Bruce held on tenaciously for the remainder of the round, shooting a 74! He chipped in again on #17 (the only hole I had left with a chance to beat him), and he earned a birdie on #18 by getting up and down out of the front bunker, and not from a close position. That’s a 73 and a 74 for Bruce recently. Wow! Par is 70.
When I played alone yesterday I said I had high hopes, and my goal was to get eight GIR’s and to beat the Bogey Man by not giving him ten or more points. I blew that right away on the front nine by shooting a disgusting 50. Nothing was going really well except some excellent chips to keep my score from going even higher. I hit zero greens in regulation on the front nine. It was like my swing and I were wrestling with each other. I managed only two pars on holes #1 and #7.
On the back nine, after a light lunch of almonds, cashews, and an apple, I turned it around. I started with five fours in a row, but I should have had a three on the first hole and the second hole, because I was just off the green and pin high on the right side on #10 and the left side on #11. I blew up a bit on #15, but a great pitch and a putt kept that score to only a double when it could have been much, much worse. I got a five and a three on #16 and #17, so that averaged to another four. The trick was to get one last four on #18, and that’s what I did.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #10 of 2018
It felt so good to be playing closer to my potential on the back nine. The out of bounds stakes are gone on this hole, so we’ve been cutting the corner. This time was no different. My tee shot made it all the way, however, and would have been in play anyway. I ran into a traffic jam of people when I got up there, though. Randy and one of his workers were there, a couple was playing #13 and was on that fairway, and a twosome was just teeing off on #14, but none of them were there when I teed off.
I teased the lady about not having her partner beat her this time. The time before she said he was always beating her. When they were on the green, I played my second shot after a free drop, and my pitching wedge launched my ball to the top of a tree where it hit the higher branches and bounced my ball up and back between the trees. She yelled something like, “That’s not the way to do it.”
My third shot with my 5-iron punched my ball out low and to the right of the same tree that had stopped it before. It ended up on the fringe on the back right side of the green leaving me a long putt back to the hole that was on the front right side. Somehow, that putt went all the way across the green and tapped the flagstick before dropping into the hole. That’s my tenth birdie this year! Hooray!
I ended up shooting a 38, just four over on the back nine. That’s more like it. I ended up with six fours on that nine, and a five and a three to average another four on holes #16 and #17. I am really enjoying walking and playing golf again, and it has helped me to lose weight and have more stamina. I am keeping track of every round I play in Notes, so I can be certain I am going to get my money’s worth out of my membership this year.
Well, that’s it for now. We leave on Tuesday to go see Kyle launch his rocket in Alamogordo. I’ll bring my clubs, but I doubt I’ll have a chance to play. Oh, and I texted Don Greenwood to ask if he is still selling clubs by Wishon. He recently put new grips on my clubs, but now I’m curious about single length irons. Could they help me take my game to the next level?
Until next time…
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