A Serendipitous Return to the South Forty

Written on 7-24-22.

We are back, and it was super fun to go camping again after Covid.  We just love our camper!  It’s the best!  James and Casey just arrived home after attending Cory (last name's) wedding up here in Aztec.  B and I went, too, of course, and it was a great event.  They held it outside near Flora Vista and Farmington, and it was officiated by a friend of Cory’s who coached football with him in Artesia.  Or, maybe they played together?  He did a respectable job, and it all went smoothly.  

It was hot.  Hot enough to feel a drip of sweat rolling down my back under my seersucker shirt.  It started at 6:30, so it steadily got cooler, especially after the sun went down.  They had Los Hermanito’s cater the reception, and B and I have always enjoyed their food, so that added great taste to the event.  We did some country dancing together at the reception, so it was like a date for us.  We had an opportunity to catch up with Craig and Tina (last name), because they sat at our table, too.  They both relayed some funny stories from their coaching and teaching careers.  All in all, a successful wedding for them and a super time for their guests.

On to golf…

I played at the South Forty Golf Course again, and it happened in a serendipitous way.  I had planned...

(all planning is really just guessing) to play at Conquistador again, and I would spend the rest of my earnings in the pro shop from the tournament Eric and I played in.  I had $30.00 left.  

When I arrived, though, the young man in the pro shop said I couldn’t play due to a women’s tournament that had just started.  I could wait for four hours, but I didn’t want to wait that long.  I could go to the range, but I was itching to play again.  I ended up buying a long-sleeved, royal blue pullover with the Conquistador name embroidered on the left side of the chest, and it was so comfortable and the fit was so good, I grabbed it.  I paid an extra $40.00 to get it, though, and then I left.

The pro told me that the South Forty was still open, so I went there instead.  I stopped at Taco Bell for breakfast, and made my way there.  A group of little kids were on the range from some Baptist church, but they left soon after I arrived.  One of the kids, a curly-haired boy, was obviously on the “spectrum,” and he was having a fit while heading to the bus.  A lady was bear-hugging him and coaxing him along the way.  I joked that that was the way I felt every time I had to leave a golf course, too.  He stopped for a few seconds to listen to what I had to say, but screeched again immediately when he learned I wasn’t speaking about getting him what he wanted.  What did he want?  Sticks.  I realized this when I offered him one of my golf balls.  He stopped to see what I was getting him, but it was right back to the wailing when I held it out for him, and he saw it wasn’t “sticks.”  Oh well, I tried.

I introduced myself to Nancy again, but she didn’t say her name.  I was embarrassed that I couldn’t think of it, but it had been a long time since we had been together.  I just checked, and it was the summer of ’09.  Just thirteen years, a brain tumor, and a stroke in between.  

After a little catch-up, I was ready to play.  One problem.  No cash.  I should have known better, but I thought they might have gotten a reader or an upgrade of some sort.  Nope.  I headed back to town to use my debit card and get some cash.  No big deal.  I grabbed an “Ice” drink and the cash, and I drove back.  

When I returned, Nancy said she ordered Bruce to stick around and say hello, too.  Here’s the deal.  They plan to close it down this year.  When I asked Bruce why, he said, “I’m getting old.” 

He and Nancy are close in age to my parents.  I did remember that their son, Tony, who died around the year 2000, was similar in age to me.  When I asked Nancy how old he would be if he were still alive, she said 55, and that’s my age, so I remembered correctly.

I got two tokens for a large bucket, and I set up shop on the range lined up with the manure spreader, hoping to get one in there.  If I hit one in there off the bounce, does that count for a free token?  I did, but I didn’t ask for a free token.  Nancy said I could get the second round for free before she drove away, but I paid the full $20.00 anyway.  This round aided in my recovery from Covid.  Besides, Bruce left some extra range balls out for me to gather up if I wanted them.  I hit half of the bucket, and then I played nine holes.  I hid them in the tall grasses near the pro shop for when I finished the first nine.

It was ugly again.  After playing hole #4, I wrote the word WHY? on the scorecard.  In my defense, I aimed for the flag on #6 accidentally, because I thought they had cut down the cottonwood that blocked the approach on #4, but they hadn’t.  It makes sense now; the flag looked so much farther away than 195 yards.

After that, though, I had a great stretch of four pars in a row.  Two of them were up and downs, and the other two were greens in regulation.  My favorite spot to stop and cool off was the green on #6.  It had trees along the fence that offered cool, shady spots, so I took advantage.  It was hot again, so I poured water over my head to bring my temperature down.  It worked wonders.  

Once again, I appreciated the views.  I took some pictures of my beautiful surroundings once more.  It was nifty nostalgia for me.

I was pretty wiped after the first nine, so I ate my snack and sat on the porch in front of the pro shop.  I was the only one there at that time.  I called B to let her know what I was doing, and then I hit the range again.  I worked on something that Tom Saguto taught about in a recent video.  He was emphasizing feeling the weight of the clubhead by using noodly arms.