Written on 5-13-22.
It helped that we chose to play from the whites, because the wind was so bad. I know I got a par on #9, but it was easier, because the course we played was shorter.
On the back, they really made a charge. I hit the green on the par three #12, but so did Bruce and C.J. I three-putted, and they didn’t, so they gained a hole there. On the next hole, Bruce got a par again while the rest of us struggled. That was my worst hole, by far. They gained another hole there, and I remember them being only two down with plenty of holes to play.
I got the only par on the next hole, so we turned it back to three up. We won the next hole with our pars, so it was over at that point. We won four up with three left.
I shot a 40/45 for an 85 in the wind, so I was very happy with that result. What has helped is the Tom Saguto and Genevieve Ling videos on YouTube. Tom helps me take “crispy, KFC” divots, so my ball goes far and straight, and Genevieve shows me how to navigate a course, be calm, and be successful. I see make most of her putts, so that is my expectation as well. I remember not being able to break 90 the past two years after the stroke, so I am overjoyed.
Eric and I played in Page, AZ again at the Lake Powell National Golf Course two days ago. That was fun, too, but this round was gusty, too. We teed off close to 8:00 AM, and I thought we would avoid the wind. Nope. When we were leaving, however, the gusts were really picking up, and it was difficult for Eric to hook up the Tracker behind their RV. We did enjoy a lunch together with the girls and Misty on the patio, and the server even brought out some water for Misty. We thought she had done that before, since many people travel with their dogs through Page.
If the first two holes were any indication of how the rest of the round was going to go, I would have had a very rough day. Eric got seven points on those two holes. He had the long drive on a par five, the G.I.R., and he won the hole on the first, and he got the closest to the pin on the next hole for three more. Thankfully, he cooled off after that.
I had only bogeys and pars on the front, and I managed to hit the greens on #7 and #8 to slowly catch up to him. By the end of the front nine, I had 10 points to his nine. It wasn’t until hole #6 that I earned my first par, but we were playing from the blues in the wind, so the conditions were challenging.
On the back, we took turns winning the first four holes. On the 13th and the 14th, he won two in a row, though, to tie everything for the round at 12 points each. On the signature hole par three #15, I managed a par with my 7-iron approach, a nifty chip, and a four footer. Then I managed the fairway, the G.I.R. and the win on the long par four #16.
Eric always makes it interesting, and he played hole #17 beautifully. If he had hit the fairway with his tee shot, he would have won the game that day, but he missed it to the right.
All he had to do on the last hole was hit the green to win or win the hole to tie. All I had to do was tie him or hit the green to put it out of reach. I did a bit better than that by getting a six to his seven, and I won the game by two points this time. Not pretty, but it was a win. His tee shot got him in trouble again, and he ended up in the creek that runs between #17 and #18. Phew. The final score was 17 to 15.
Until next time…
