My First Time Playing After Covid

Written on 7-20-22.

        We are up at Mancos State Park, and we just came back from dinner at Chavolo’s.  Yummy.  Eric brought up the dogs, and they stayed in the bed of their truck while we ate.  It was hot, but the dogs were in the shade, and so were we.  We took a short walk at the park behind the restaurant before Eric drove back.  

Now, A and B are sitting with me in the shade of spot #16, digesting.  Full and happy.  Horses are in the field directly across the road that runs along our campground, too.  We are completely in shade now, and it’s getting cooler.  

On to golf…

I played with C.J. and Hart at Hillcrest this morning, and that was the perfect warm-up after having recovered from Covid.  I believe I am completely over it…for now.  I haven’t tested, but I would bet that I am negative.  

I played fairly awfully my first nine back, even though we played from the Golds, but then I played the other nine later with three other guys.  I made my first par on hole #7.  Hart and C.J. only played nine.  Hart invited us back again next week for another tee time, this time at 8:24.  We both said yes.

The back nine was better, but...

I dreaded it for the first few minutes.  I had played with Steve before, and I remember writing about him, too.  I used the word curmudgeon then.  

I thought Emerich sp? was somebody else.  I thought I had played with him before at Hidden Valley, but he said he remembered playing with me last fall.  He removed the uranium tailings pile from Durango in 1987, and I did remember him telling me about that.  Anyway, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, and he was very pleasant, although an obvious flirt with the cart girls.  A little bit creepy.  

  Larry was the third guy, and he walked with me.  He earned two pars right away, but after his tee shot hit a tree on the par five #3, he slammed his club with a thump into the teeing ground and let out a “f*%#!  I didn’t think it required such a strong reaction, and his playing partners paid no mind.  Must do it all the time, I thought.  He had some other cuss words and weird reactions to bad shots throughout the round, but when I spoke to him between the shots, he was fine and friendly.  

They didn’t do honors, which was fine, but they didn’t mark their golf balls on the greens.  I found that to be strange.  On #3, Emerich putted from above the hole.  Larry’s and Steve’s golf balls were below the hole.

*The most adorable chipmunk just skittered away from under the picnic table.  He is chirping now and raising his tail up and down while clinging to the trunk of a tree with no bark.  Now, he’s frozen.  I wonder what he is up to.  Does he expect a snack?  Did I startle him?

Emerich’s ball missed the hole left and drew a curvy line directly between their golf balls.  I was amazed it didn’t hit either one.

I played better on the my second nine, so I was happy to have the first nine to figure things out.  On both nines, I drove the ball well.  I only had one bad miss on hole #8.  I managed to hit 7 fairways, so driving was fine.  I used my Ping and not the White Knight this round.  Approaches not so much.  Short game not so much either.  Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow.

*The little chipmunk came as close as five feet away, but ran back as soon as I moved.  Oh, now I see another one.  I am betting they are expecting a handout.  Sorry, little fellas. 

I go play again at Conquistador tomorrow.  I am making up for lost time.  I still have $30.00 to spend from my winnings in the pro shop, so I will write about what I will choose.  I might choose to ride in a cart, because it’s supposed to be 97º.  I will decide when I get there.  

I am feeling pretty beat up from today, but I did hydrate well.  I used my umbrella, also.  My second nine was hot off and on, because we had some cloud cover.  We finished just in time due to some gusty winds coming in, and I managed a bogey on the tough final hole.  Larry said that final hole, a par three, was the toughest par five on the course.  That’s funny.  That green is just so difficult.

Okay, I am going to get ready for bed and enjoy the camping and the company.  

Until next time…