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…