Canyonlands, HideOut Golf Course, and a Rare Birdie

Written on 11-14-21.

        I am sitting outside our Baker Street, and this is what I am seeing.  A juniper is blocking the sun for me, hulking rocks are enclosing our Wooden Shoe group site, and Kody is napping in a spot he recently tore up in the peach-colored dirt.

We are enjoying our last afternoon here in Canyonlands, and it was around five years ago when we were here last for a Valentine’s Day trip with the Edgertons.  On that trip, we stayed in hotels, Marriot for the Egertons and Hilton for the Swopes.  Before that, it was 27 years ago with Char, Ed, and Dale when we camped at Elephant Hills Campground.  

We just drove through it fifteen minutes ago before this “quiet time,” and I recalled staying there at the end of Loop B.  We took a hike at the Squaw Flat and Big Spring Canyon Trail, and I remembered James in a “womb with a view” (a light blue wrap you could wear around your shoulders to hold a baby) strapped around Dale, and it looked like James’s neck was breaking as he slept in his little cocoon.  Babies are made of rubber, right?  Later in the hike, it looked as if Dale was having a heart attack.  His face was sooooo red, and he was sweating sooooo much, we asked if he was okay.  He bellowed that he was fine, so we kept going.  Thankfully, he made it back that day.  

It’s been a marvelous and mellow trip this time, although Eric didn’t come.  He and Kyle are learning how to para-motor in Phoenix.  They’ve sent numerous videos of take-offs and landings, and we are all impressed with their courage.  I understand that it saps their energy quickly and tremendously, too, with all that running.  Kudos to them both for trying something new.

I have set up my little table outside our Alto (I picked it as an extra option for just such an occasion), and I just used it by writing postcards to my family.  We took a short hike this morning around Cowboy Camp with...

Nan, Greg, and Janice, a friend who Greg and Nan invited.  She’s a tough cookie, because she slept in a tent, and the temp has been below freezing at night.  She only said she has slept in a tent when it’s been colder.  She eats healthy, too.  She shared some organic blueberries with me this morning.  I only ate eight.

On to golf…

Greg and I played the HideOut Golf Course yesterday, and it was spectacular!  That’s the course in Monticello, and I chose that course for this trip over Moab for two reasons.  First, I had never played there before, and Greg said he hadn’t played that course in over fifteen years.  Second, it was closer to our campground by about a half-hour.  It was either Monticello yesterday or Moab today, and I made the right choice.  I also chose to ride, because we are on vacation.  As we drove around on the back nine, we were happy we weren’t walking.  It had many elevated teeing grounds, so it would have been taxing.  Another good choice.

It happened to be the day before they were shutting down for winter, so we felt fortunate to grab 18 holes before that happened, also.  The weather was fine for mid-November, and we had a pleasant mix of sunshine to warm us up…and then clouds to help us cool off again.  After each hole, except for one or two, I would find myself saying, “That was a fun hole.”

We both played really well (I recommended we play from the whites), and Greg had his best round of the season, he said.  He shot an 82, and he was only four over after the front nine.  I had my best score on the back nine, just six over.

The only problem was the quality of the greens.  All were sanded, and some heavily.  All were aerated, but some less so.  We couldn’t figure out a rhyme or a reason for the lack of consistency in the greens.  I recommended we only take two putts for each hole, and Greg agreed.  The pro told us he could putt them before we started, but I am betting he knew all of the greens really well.  We didn’t.  My score ranged from 80 to 87.  I will explain that later, too.

First, however, I must write that I had a birdie!  It happened right off the bat, and it was legal.

HideOut Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #3 of 2021

It’s pretty pathetic that I only have three birdies so far this year, and it’s November.  This may be the last one of the year (I hope not).  Must have been a year of recovery from a stroke.  Must have been a swing change year.  I don’t believe it’s from a year of not playing much, or without great effort, that’s for sure.  I’ve really been working hard on my game…for a recreational golfer.  

I used my Warrior 3-wood, and I hit a smooth drive up the right side where it landed just off the fairway on a hill.  I chose my gap wedge and took aim for a pin that was at the front of the green.  I aimed a bit to the right to compensate for the slope.  My golf ball was sitting above my feet a little bit.  This was a divot-producing swing, and my ball landed to the right of the hole five to six feet away.  I used my “stand-alone” putter and rolled it right into the hole for a birdie.  Hooray!  I could have stopped there, I was so happy to get a birdie again, but we continued, of course.