Playing at Pagosa Springs

Written on 9-28-22.

        Today is Casey’s birthday.  It’s on the 28th, so she was already a member of the “28 Club” that I became a part of when I had my brain surgery.  

I am at home today, and I am relaxing.  I got a lot of cleaning done yesterday and a lot of stuff off of my “To Do” list, too.  I am tired today (I’ve only walked Kody and gone shopping), so it’s nice to have a bit of a reprieve.  I still have many items on my list, but I feel I can relax a bit today.

I go to my physical therapy appointment for my shoulder at 9:00 tomorrow, too.  Hopefully, it will be resolved, but it has been feeling better lately.  I can go to sleep on it now, so that’s a change.  At least I could still play golf this whole time, because it has taken a while to get some physical therapy set up.

On to golf…

I played with Grant and Eric this past Saturday at Pagosa Springs.  It was fantastic!  All of us camped at the West Fork Campground the night before, and the (their last name) ended up in the spot right across from Amanda and Eric.  B and I were set up just around the loop, just a short walk away.  It was beautiful there, and we all hope to go there again.

The golf was okay.  We started on the blue tees thanks to silly Eric’s suggestion, but we learned on hole #7 of Ponderosa that those were the farthest tees.  Boy, did we struggle, and Grant...

had the worst of it.  He was all over the place, and he scored many sevens, eights, and nines.  When Rachel asked him how it went, he said, “I suck.”

Amazingly, he said he had a good time, though.  It’s really a gorgeous setting to play golf, and it was his first time.  I know he usually plays from the whites at Riverview.  

Eric wanted to play the 1, 2, 3 game, so that is what we did.  I barely won.  He had 11 points on the front nine, and then I caught up on the back, which was the Pinon nine holes that run along the highway.  I got most of my points on the first six holes.  I think Eric got a buzz from his beer at the turn, because he kind of disappeared for those holes.  I got a birdie on the downhill par four #5!

Pagosa Springs Golf Pinon Course—Hole #5-Birdie #11 of 2022

I had just made a par on the previous hole, and I was feeling confident with my driver.  I chose to use it on this hole, too.  Eric was talking about playing it smart and laying up, but I said, “I didn’t come here to lay up.”

I was joking, because Grant said something like that when we had played before.  After I teed off, I thought I would be past the fairway near the bunker on the left side, but my ball made the fairway.  Just barely!  I had about an inch left before my ball would have been in the longer rough.  Eric hit the fairway, too.  I was a little surprised that using driver wasn’t too much club.  I was also surprised to see Grant and Eric with their drivers in hand after I teed off.  I guess I challenged their manhood.  Grant went right, but his ball landed on grass.

I was just 100 yards out, and we were playing from the whites now, so that means my drive only went 225 yards…downhill.  Not exactly bombed, but it was into the wind a bit.  I chose my pitching wedge to make sure it made it, and it did.  This was the only green in regulation I hit on that day.

I had an uphill putt, and it had some left to right break.  I remember seeing another hole cut on my line, and that helped.  I really thought it wouldn’t make it, but it did.  It crept up to the hole, though, and then it fell in.  Eric had to make his shorter putt to match me, but his fell below the hole, so I gained every possible point on that hole.  

I ended up winning by just one point.  It was Pat: 30, Eric: 29, and Grant: 9.  I more than doubled my points from the front nine.  I shot a 97, Eric shot a 103, and Grant…well, I won’t say what his score was, but he’ll do better next time.

Next up, we play at Hillcrest for free!  Greg has a deal for 18 holes with carts.  We play this Sunday.  I asked Bruce, but he has plans.  I have asked C.J., and I am waiting for his reply.

Until next time…