Golf is Like Water Skiing

Written on 5-10-24.

      Belinda and I have a date tonight!  We are going to Chili’s and a movie: The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.  It is going to be fun!  The school year for her is winding down, and we are getting a tiny taste of summer tonight.  

I worked on window cleaning today, and I hope to get all of our spring projects done before school gets out.  I fertilized our lawn yesterday, too.  I could have played golf, but I was a little burned out and tired from the tournament.  I just set a tee time for Tuesday at 11:00 next week, though.

Back to golf…

On Sunday, we started on the back nine at Hillcrest, and that was the only alternate shot part, but Yost made a modification that I am sure helped everyone.  We would choose the best tee shot first, and then alternate shots in from there.  We played with...

Michael and Dave, and they were older more experienced and pleasant to play with.  We got a bogey on the first hole, and then we followed that up with a birdie!  I drove it to a spot just forty yards away, Greg pitched it on, and I made the putt.  That was cool!

On the par three #12, Greg uncharacteristically put his tee shot in the water.  I felt the pressure after that, but I focused on my routine and made a decent swing.  I got it on the green, and I will add all of those feelings to my repertoire.

It was the next hole, where we had a disaster.

I will write about that and the rest of the round later.  It’s time to get ready for my date.  She’s really a beautiful girl, and I want to make a good impression.

Until later… 

I drove it really well that day, and this was an example of that.  I put Greg in a super position 102 yards just off the fairway on the right side.  Unfortunately, his approach landed in the bunker.  Not only did I not get out on the first shot, but I put the ball up under a little roof of grass that hangs over the bunker just a bit.  Greg couldn’t get out from there either, even aiming left of where the hole was.  I tried again, and I had another blunder.  Thankfully, Greg got out on the next shot, and we finished with two more shots for an eight.

This makes me think of water skiing.  Golf is similar to water skiing, because once you get up above the water, it’s easier.  Once you fall down, it’s difficult to get back up on top again.  Greg and I were coasting along the surface at even par after three holes, and then we got tripped up and fell down.

We did get back on the surface with another par on the next hole, however.  Greg’s tee shot sailed over the fence into someone’s backyard, and I felt that pressure again.  I changed from my driver to my 3-wood, and swung a smooth one to the center of the fairway.  Phew!  This was another situation for me to build confidence.  I wasn’t happy for Greg, poor guy, struggling with his play, but I gained the advantage of making pressure-filled shots afterwards. 

I hit my best drive of the tournament on hole #17.  I got it around the corner of the dogleg on that par five, so Greg could have a chance of going for the green.