Updated Official Birdie and Eagle Count-The Pandemic Years

2020 the Pandemic Year (No Eagles, 5 Birdies Total, 1 Par 5, 3 Par 4’s, 1 Par 3)

#523-PH-Hole #3-Par 4-Long Drive to 125 Out, Thinned PW, 11’ Putt with New S7K 

#524-PH-Hole #7-Par 4-Warrior Driver to 119, Approach Spun To Hole, Pandemic Birdie

#525-Riverview-Hole #11-Par 5-Drive Right, Lay-up Left, Approach on Front, Long Putt!

#526-Civitan-Hole #1-Par 3-36 Holes, Gap Wedge, Mower Witness, Chip-in w/ Gap

#527-PH-Hole #3-Par 4-Long Drive to 120, PW Not Thinned, Over Flag in Back, Sweet!  

This year started well, but it was entirely disrupted by the pandemic (in golf and life).  I chose to learn a new way to swing a golf club with the Moe Norman/Bryson DeChambeu type swing.  I learned most from the Graves Academy.  My goal is to learn this new swing before the pandemic ends, so I have something to show for it after it’s over.  I tweaked my back near the end of November, but I have fully decided to switch to this new swing.  

James moved home from NZ to live with us, and he got two new jobs during the pandemic, one at El Moro, a restaurant in Durango, and his main job will be at Fidelity.  He starts on December 14th, and he will move to Alburqueque to live with Rich Wilson.  Danielle finished her third season firefigthing.  She and Matt lived with us at the beginning of the pandemic, and they both moved to Prescott to live in Matt’s new house.  

2021 the 2nd Pandemic Year (No Eagles, 4 Birdies Total, 1 Par 5, 1 Par 4, 2 Par 3’s)

#528-PH-Hole #12-Par 3-5-iron Landed Right, Rolled to Left Side of the Hole, 6’ Putt

#529-Stevens Parks-Hole #6-Par 5-w/ Matt Frings, Scuffy Drive, Small Sign and Green 

#530-HideOut-Hole #1-Par 4-w/ Greg in Monticello, 3-wood, Gap to 6’, Great Start!

#531-PH-Hole #6, Par 4-3-wood High to Fairway, A+ Divot to 1’, Grateful to Get 4 Birds

This year, I bought another membership at Pinon, and I certainly got the use of it, playing over 30 rounds.  I just didn’t play well, especially from the blues, and I was still figuring out the single plane swing thing.  Towards the end of the year, I moved more toward the stack and tilt system and Tom Saguto’s free YouTube lessons.  It was making a difference by the end of the year, and I scored well at Monticello’s HideOut Golf Course.  James continued to work for Fidelity and moved into his girlfriend Casey’s house.  Danielle bought a home in Albuquerque, and she got a job at Cleveland Middle School teaching 8th grade English.  She broke up with Matt.  I get a new TGW (The Golf Warehouse) golf bag from B for Christmas and my birthday.  Another big news item of note is the pitching area and green installed at our house in April by the Southwest Putting Greens Company in Albuquerque.   

2022 (No Eagles, 12 Birdies Total, 2 Par 5’s, 7 Par 4’s, 3 Par 3’s)

#532-Riverview-Hole #12-Par 4-Ping Driver, Bruce Outdrove Me, PW to 12’, Sandy Putt

#533-Riverview-Hole #16-Par 4-3-Wood, 9-iron, Below Hole, Putt Fell Back, C.J. Darn It 

#534-Riverview-Hole #4-Par 5-Driver Push Draw, 5-iron Scuff, 126 Yard PW, 5’ Putt

#535-Riverview-Hole #2-Par 3-w/ Herman, Mine Closer, 6-iron, Free Read, He Liked It

#536-Riverview-Hole #10-Par 4-Windy, High Drive, 7-iron Approach to Just Over 1’

#537-Riverview-Hole #5-Par 4-Scuffy Wishon Drive, 6-iron to 30’, Kept Rolling & Rolling

#538-Conquistador-Hole #7, Par 3-140 Yard 7-iron, Windy, Cleaner in Armpit, 15’ Putt

#539-Riverview-Hole #5-Par 4-Driver, Under Tree, Delofted PW, Chip-In w/ Gap Wedge

#540-Riverview-Hole #14-Par 5-Driver, Utility Club to Grass Bowl, Bruce Birdied, Too

#541-Riverview-Hole #17-Par 3-Double Digits! PW From 100 Yards, 18’ Putt, w/ Melton

#542-Pagosa Pinon-Hole #5-Par 4-w/ Grant & Eric, Driver, PW, Highway Hole, Points!

#543-Hillcrest-Hole #14-Par 4-Driver, 7-iron, In & Out of Bunker, Putt From Off, 1st Bruce vs. Herman Match-Up (in my mind)

This year, we played elsewhere, because the renovation didn’t finish at Pinon Hills until December.  Mostly, we played at Riverview.  I was happy to make double-digits with birdies for the first time in a while (since the stroke actually).  Phew!  I play with Herman (not his real name) a lot, and he unknowingly pushes me to get better.  I continue with a stack and tilt swing, and I realize that is what Troy was trying to teach me at GolfTec.  Eric and I place 4th in the First Annual Spring Celebration at Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez.  We won back our entry fee, and I bought some blue shorts and a Conquistador pullover (also blue) that I just love.  We have John (who built our deck cover) build another smaller deck down by the putting green with the materials from the Edgerton’s old deck material.  I get the Precision Impact Trainer for Christmas.  James and Casey get engaged, and they plan to marry in October of 2023.  Danielle decides to nanny in the offseason, and Weston Robert Gerber and Taytum June Lambert are born, too.  Belinda starts working full-time as a Title 1 Reading Teacher, and I downshift to two schools, so I can help out at home and go help with my parents more.  I start my new membership at Pinon Hills right away in December, but Eric and I have only played twice so far.

What Are You Going to Do...

Written on 1-18-23.

        Belinda got a snow day today after having a virtual day yesterday.  She chose to drive Jess to Durango for two appointments this morning.  The roads weren’t too bad, she said, and she knew helping her mom was the right thing to do.  They had fun, too, so don’t get me wrong.  She wouldn’t have been able to live with herself if Jess had gone off the road and she had chosen to stay home.  Jess is 79 now.  

I have worked out three days in a row.  I was supposed to go to McCoy yesterday, but because of the virtual day, I stayed home, too.  Thank goodness Belinda gets paid when she stays home.  I am thinking I will make up the virtual day when I come home after the Disney Land trip, which is coming up soon.  I leave for Lakewood on Sunday.  I should be able to squeak in a visit on January 31st possibly.  

I am excited to go to California with Joe!  It’s been a long time coming.  I offered him this trip for when he turned 50, and he just turned 56, so I am glad he finally agreed to go on a trip somewhere.  I think I am more excited that I/we will accomplish this goal to go on another trip together.  With the pandemic and his foot-dragging, it took a lot longer than I had hoped.  He’s a very generous person, but he isn’t so good at receiving.  That’s one of the reasons I love him, though.  He has done so much for our family, so it will feel great to do something for him and force him to be the receiver this time.  He can be slippery and a little stubborn, that Joe.    

He and I just texted each other, and it looks like it will be Disney Land on Wednesday, the 25th, and Warner Bros./Universal on Thursday, the 26th.  Hooray! 

On to golf…

Not much to report here.  I am all caught up with the Official Birdie and Eagle Count for 2022.  That felt good to get that done, and I was happy to see the improvement.  I didn’t get any eagles, but I earned 12 birdies compared to only four in 2021.  Since I started playing golf, I have gotten 543 birdies.  I have kept track of every one of them, and I will continue to do so.  It’s funny to me that that was part of the reason for this journal, and I have managed to keep it going all this time.  I started in September of 1999, so this September it will be 24 years!

I wish I could play, but we did have a snow day today.  Darn it.  I am doing my best to stay in shape for when we go out again.  I haven’t even taken a full swing yet with my new Precision Impact trainer.  Bummer.

Okay, that was a bit more of an update than I expected.  I continue to watch Good Good, Rick Shiels, and some others on YouTube.  Those are fun, and I enjoy watching good (no pun intended) players playing golf.  Most of them are scratch or pros trying to play on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Eric's New Career

Also written on 12-29-22.

On to golf…

        Eric and I played on a rare good weather day at Pinon Hills after Christmas.  It was the day before Dad’s 87th birthday, and it was 55º, very conducive weather for golf.  Eric wanted to play the same game we played last time, but we would skip the putting portion since it was busy.  It was close again, and it ended in an unexpected way.

I won holes 6, 7, and 8 for $42,000.00.  I earned a $10,000.00 bonus for being closer to the pin on hole #6, too.  That gave me $52,000.00.  Eric won holes 2, 4, and 9.  He got the bonus for being closer to the pin on hole #4 for $5,000.00.  I was leading coming to hole #9 by $21,000.00.  All he had to do was win the last hole for $1.000.00 and get the longer drive to win $20,000.00 to tie me.  Well, he did just that.

His drive looked like it was heading far to the right, but it was long enough to make the second part of the fairway past the rough that splits the fairways.  Long drive accomplished, he just had to win the hole now.  Much respect for the long drive there.

I had a beautiful drive right up the middle.  Avery (not his real name), our playing partner for the day, said so.  I used one of my neon green Callaway golf balls, but we never found it, and we searched for a while.  Resigned to drop a second ball close to where I think my drive would have ended up, I finished with a bogey…if I hadn’t lost my ball, which would be an illegal score.

Eric gave me an eight, and he said I was lucky to get that, since I never found my drive.  Fair enough.  He scored an honest seven, so he won the hole, too. 

We tied on the game because of that, but how did we do with stroke play?  He scored a 46, and I scored a 45.  That’s with the eight he gave me, so I won in stroke play.  We both had decent scores until the last two holes.  We both had three pars and three bogeys, so it was a decent match for winter golf.  

A funny thing happened, too.  Eric complained about Avery (once again, not his real name) when we were out of his earshot.  He had many rough dealings with him as a customer for the his business.  Basically, Avery had complained a lot and expected extra privileges for no good reasons.  He asked me to not tell him that he owned the Big-O stores, so I said I would say that he was an architect.  I chose that, because of George Costanza.  George always wanted to be an architect, and I think that’s a hilarious bit, so we went with it just in case Avery asked. 

Well, he did ask on #8’s tee box.  I didn’t hesitate.  I told him that I was a retired teacher, and Eric was an architect.  He bought it, but he didn’t ask any follow-up questions for Eric. He did ask questions about my career instead.  

Eric told me later when we relayed this story to the girls that he was conjuring up some of the things he would have told Avery if he was curious about what he does as an 'architect.’  I got away with that one somehow.  Hopefully, Avery won't play with us again, because Eric might have to pull some of those lies out.  

Interestingly, I remember including and quoting Avery in my article in Four Corners Golf Magazine years ago on playing in the winter, and there we were, playing in the winter.

Until next time…

Transitioning Into the New Year

Written on 12-29-22.

        Now that the kids are gone, B and I had a relaxing day together.  We got two major things done: 1. I started the Prezi and 2. We bought a new stove and microwave combo at Quality Appliance.  We are super excited about those.  The stove will match the fridge (Frigidaire appliances with stainless steel), and it has convection, induction, and an air fryer.  It has lots of bells and whistles, and we are super satisfied.  Now, we just need an electrician to get a 220 in the kitchen (we are getting estimates).  We will have to buy new pots and pans that work with induction cooking, also.  The microwave oven has a rack in it, so two people can heat their meals at the same time.  It will definitely be an upgrade.  Our oven died on Christmas Day when we tried to cook the ham for Christmas dinner, and we had to go over to the Edgerton’s house early to finish it.  Bummer.

Tomorrow, it will be more of the same.  We plan to write ‘thank you’s,’ continue the Prezi production, and relax some more before B goes back to work on Monday.

I will continue this, too.  I want to write about Becca’s and Matt’s decision, the puppy update, and the last time Eric and I played two days ago.

Until next year…

Written on 1-1-23.

The Prezi is mostly done.  I worked on it until...