Black Canyon Golf Course

Written on 6-30-23.

        I am sitting outside our Alto, and Kody is asleep under the table right next to me.  I have my headphones in, and I am listening to music and catching up on some writing.  Belinda and I just drove back from Jemez Springs where we had brunch and caught up with our iPhone messages.  We are off the grid here at the Jemez Falls Campground in spot #25.  James and Casey travel here tonight with Ekko, and then we will take Ekko back with us for a week.  Heaven help Belinda, Kody, and me.  

I am enjoying some iced coffee in my new Black Canyon Golf Course “Ecovessel” thermos (triple insulated) I chose for myself for Father’s Day.  Danielle bought it for me, but I picked it out after our round in Montrose.  I wanted a new one that would keep my coffee colder than the old red one I’ve had for years.  It does do that, and it holds 24 oz., so it’s bit bigger, too.  Thanks, Danielle!  I am wearing my new shirt from James, also.  He found an Under Armor polo for me for his gift.  Thanks, James!  I am waiting on another polo shirt from Amazon, and I will say that is from Casey.  She gave me a hat that said something about golf and retirement, but I have plenty of hats, so I got a refund.  I spent it on a purple polo instead.  Thanks, Casey!  Hope it fits.

On to golf…

I haven’t written about Black Canyon Golf Course yet.  It was unique, and Eric and I really liked it.  It was a par 34 on the front, and a par 36 on the back.  The front had more established trees, and a few elevation changes.  Two of the tee shots were intimidating, because we were right next to the road, and a pull could have easily gone...

out into the traffic.  The back was obviously added on later, and it was more like the backyard of the course.  It had plenty of room to spread out, thus the par 36.  

I have lost the scorecard (ugh!), so I am doing this from memory, but there were only two par fives on the whole course, and they were both on the back nine.

The game was simple.  $10,000.00 a hole that could be pushed if there were any ties and $25,000.00 bonuses for closest to the pins on the par three’s and longest drives on the par fives.  Eric, of course, chose for us to play from the blues, but for most of the course, it wasn’t very different from playing from the whites.  For this one time, I didn’t mind because of that.  I still think we should play from the shorter tees unless our scores super improve.

Eric had one really good hole for him, and it was hole #8.  This was the most difficult hole on the front nine, and he played it beautifully.  Driver on the fairway.  Fairway wood or a 5-wood approach onto the green (most impressive).  Two putts for a par and he won all of the money on that one.

Mostly he struggled with short game stuff like chipping and putting.  The putting confounded him, and he his lack of playing really showed with this element.  He didn’t have the touch around or on the greens like he usually does after he has played for a while.

In the past, if he wanted to challenge me with extra challenges to try and come back, I would say no.  This time, I welcomed most of his off the cuff challenges.  For example, on the par three hole #9, after we had both come up short on our tee shots, he challenged me for an extra closest to the pin for our pitches.  I pitched mine to about ten feet, and he pitched his over the green.  Hooray!  

Another example was when he suggested we should have more longest drive competitions for the rest of the holes on the back starting on hole #13, because he realized there were only two par fives.  I took that one, too, and won another $25,000.00 right away.  I don’t know the final money totals, but I know it wasn’t close.  I think I beat him by 12 strokes, too, but both of our scores were fairly high.

Overall, it was super fun!  I am really liking this “go camping and play golf one of the days at a nearby course” idea like we’ve done before with Eric (in Page) and Greg (in Monticello) last year.

I just found the scorecard, but it only had the money amounts on it.  It was in my backpack where I keep my MacBook, so it must have fallen out in there.  We kept our score on the cart’s system, so I don’t have that.  According to the card, I won 200K, and Eric won 70K.  See, not really close.  I am glad I found it, because it was driving me a little crazy.