A Different Easter Sunday

Written on 4-21-19, Easter Sunday.

     We just had a very pleasant Easter dinner here at our house, but it just wasn’t the same without Dale here.  I miss him.  We all do.  Life goes on…differently.

     It’s early evening now, and it’s quiet time.  We did a completely different meal, too, just to try and keep our minds off of his absence.  We miss his hams, too.  Wow!  That guy could prepare a ham.  Yummy.  We ate chicken enchiladas for a complete change, and we are relaxing and digesting now.  It was good, but once again, it just wasn’t the same.  

On to golf…

     The last time I wrote, I had recalled the front nine, but I ran out of time to get to the back, so here’s what happened after we made the turn.

     I started hot.  I won the first hole with a par and a pop, so I had a net birdie there.  Then I was the only one to get a birdie, a real/gross birdie on hole #11, my first birdie ever at that hole.

Pinon Hills-Hole #11-Birdie #4 of 2019

     We did have a group ahead of us, and because I had won the hole before, I had to wait a moment until they were farther up the fairway.  Once they made it past the point where the cart path angles back toward the hole, I asked Bruce and C.J. if they thought it was safe, and they thought it was.  I did, too.  Then I smashed the longest drive I’ve ever had on this hole.  It rolled up just behind them, and I think one of them turned to see what it was. 

     From the blue tees, this hole is 397 yards, according to the scorecard, and my ball stopped 90 yards from a pin that was in the middle of the green this time.  My ball was just ever so slightly in a divot, but nothing like the one that was on hole #6 in another recent round.  I chose my sand wedge for the approach, and it was the best choice.  My ball stopped left of the hole and settled just 20 feet from the hole that was on the right side.  I saw a lighter green mark that was on the line of my putt, and I started thinking I should roll it just to the right of that mark to get it to go in, but after further inspection, it was farther from the line of the putt I really needed, so I chose to focus on the hole more than anything else.  That worked.  I rolled it right in for a birdie and a win.  I had just earned the first two points on the back.

     It kept going, too.  I won the next hole with the only par, and on that one, I nearly chipped in from...

Low and Left

Written on 4-18-19.

    I am at Lincoln Elementary today, and I am on my lunch break.  I taught two lessons this morning, and I am going to observe two more this afternoon.  It’s a great and busy visit this time, but I have a short break, so I am writing in here for a few minutes.  

In golf, I played with Bruce and C.J. once more at Pinon Hills on Tax Day.  It was taxing. 

It took us five holes before Bruce came up with our game for that round.  He said that we would earn one point for winning a hole and that the points would push for any ties.  C.J. got five pops per side, and I chose to get three since C.J. was playing with us this time.  

    My front nine was lousy.  My first tee shot went low and left.  Never found it.  My provisional went low and farther left.  Never found that one either.  I dropped and took a handicap seven.  Ugh.  

Then I made a super par save on #2 after my tee shot went low and left AGAIN!  My utility club got my ball on the green from over 200 yards away, and I used just two putts to finish it off.  C.J. and Bruce made pars, too, so the point pushed to #3.  

    I blew up again on #3, but at least this fifth tee shot was better than the first four (two tee shots and two provisionals).  Bruce’s par won the points, so he was ahead by three after #3.

    Bruce and I were closer to the hole than C.J. on #4, but I was able to get a par, so I won that hole, the first point of the day for me.  We pushed points on the next three holes, and my play steadied, except on #5 where I got a double with some less than average short game skills, but Bruce’s par on #8 burst the bubble.  He won four points there.

    On #9, my crazy bogey with a pop won that hole, so I ended the front nine with only two of the points.  My 5-wood tee shot was fine and just a bit left and on the fairway.  My next shot, however, hooked crazily over to #18’s fairway, landing just behind a group that was playing over there.  Once they were safely out of the way, I blasted my turf buster hoping to go over some dead tree branches on a tree that was in my path.  I thought I could clear it, but one of the larger branches disagreed.  My ball ended up in some taller grass, but at least I was on the correct hole now.  If the branch had not been there, I might have been just short of the green in three shots.

    My next shot did get on the green in four shots, though.  I used my utility club, and it landed and rolled all the way to the back.  The flag was in the bowl that is on the back third of the green, so it was a fast putt, and my ball didn’t stop rolling until it was eight feet away.  Before I putted, I told Bruce that if I made this putt I could win the hole, and then I made the putt and won the hole.  Cool.

    I need to shut down now and get packed up to go home.  I will continue this later.

Until next time…

Tiger Wins His 5th Masters While I Recount a Pinon Hills Round

Written on 4-14-19-Palm Sunday and Sunday at the Masters.

     They have an earlier start time at The Masters this year due to a batch of poor weather that is predicted to come through at around 3:00, and they are playing in groups of three instead of pairs to keep things moving along, also.  In the final group today, it’s Frances, Tiger, and Tony.  

     They are at Amen Corner now, and Frances and Tony have just put it in the water on #12.  I wish I was there again, but I am also quite happy in our computer room, watching the tournament on the large monitor while typing away on my laptop.  Molinari just double-bogeyed #12, so now three players are tied at 11 under, including Shauffele who is on #13.

     I chose to go to church yesterday evening when I heard that The Masters would be starting earlier.  God comes first, and this time He came first by a day.  I didn’t want to be watching the silly tournament and getting totally hooked on the action, and then have to leave.  If I hadn’t gone last night, I would be leaving now (it’s 10:52 AM) instead of continuing to watch the action.  I’m glad I get to stay, because Koepka just eagled #13 and Cantlay just eagled #15 to take the lead by himself at 12 under.  This tournament means more to me than all of the other pro tourneys, because Guy and I got to go on that Saturday in 2012, the year Bubba won.

     Bruce and I played alone at Pinon Hills on Friday afternoon.  He had reserved a tee time at 1:10, but he cancelled it on Thursday because we were supposed to get some poor weather here ourselves.  After my morning meetings, though, the weather looked great for golf, so I headed...

New and Different Membership This Year

Written on 4-6-19.

     Well, I did it. I finally played again, and it’s because the weather has been fabulous with highs in the low 60’s.  With all the moisture we’ve received, everything is greening up incredibly, including the weeds.  I played 18 holes at Pinon Hills yesterday, and I played nine holes the day before at Hidden Valley.  I played okay.  Not much to report.  I didn’t keep score when I played the front nine at Hidden Valley, but I did get legitimate pars on holes #2 and #8.  Like I said, not much to report.  I managed quite a few bogeys, too, and the last one kept me from continuing on and playing the back nine, because I said to myself that if I got a bogey or better on the last hole I would stop and go home.  I got...