The Rest of the Round at King's Deer

Also written on 10-27-24.

     We made it to hole #17, and we knew this would be Paul’s final hole.  He had a meeting he said he couldn’t miss, which was a bummer.  I would have loved to play all 18 with him, and I know Guy and Carter would agree.  

After Carter and I won hole #14 we were on our way to victory, and if not, I was certain we won the match after hole 17.  If it turns out we didn’t (I lost track of our match a bit), we won by default when he had to leave (wink, wink).

The par three #17 has two tiers.  The upper tier is on the right and the lower is on the left.  An ideal tee shot could hit the top part and roll down the hole down below.  Either that, or a direct shot to the lower tier, but that runs the risk of falling off into a junk area.  

I played it...

safe, and my tee shot made it to the top tier.  I then had a downhill putt that was difficult to stop on the green, nonetheless get it close to the hole.  My third putt ended up being uphill from thirty feet away, but it did manage to stay on the green.  I got it close enough to manage my bogey, and I was relieved to get that.  I was the only one to even finish the hole.  The hole was cut in a nearly impossible spot.  All three of them picked up after giving up.

I earned one final par on the short, uphill par four #18, and my lowest nine hole score was done.  We said goodbye to Paul before we teed off, though, and Guy drove him back to the parking lot.  With three of us left, we played the game we used before when we have three players, the one I always call the King of the Beach Game.

We stopped at the turn, and I called James and Casey with FaceTime.  We had planned it in advance for them to be able to tell Guy about their baby.  Guy was suspicious, but after they told him, it all made sense.  Of course, he and Carter were thrilled for them/us.

Oh, it was so fun to play with Paul, like I knew it would be!  I wanted to mention that he made fun of Carter and me when I was showing Carter some stretches from my Hinge Health app to help his back, too.  This was right after hole #14 where I got my birdie, and so did Carter.  He thought we were so competitive that we were stretching to stay loose, but that was not what was happening.  We were just killing time while we waited on the tee for the group ahead of us.  I tried to tell him that, but I don’t think he heard or believed me.

Paul is tired of working, he said.  He wants to finish the Orion Project before he retires.  He said he is working 24/7.  I bet he will retire in the next few years.  Maybe then he will be able to play all 18 holes?

Back to the match with Carter and Guy.  Guy and I took on Carter for the first three holes, and he got no points.  I started hot with a bogey, a par, and one more bogey to skunk Carter.  Guy tied one of his three holes, so that gave him the advantage.  I had five points after Guy’s turn alone, Carter had two, and Guy had had five, also.  If I didn’t get any points during the last three holes, I would lose to Guy.  

It didn’t start well.  I blew up on the first hole.  I blew up even more on the second one by not getting off the tee box and then hitting the next shot out of bounds.  I conceded that hole.

I had to win or tie the last hole, the uphill par three #9, in order to win or tie the game.  If the player who is playing by himself wins a hole, he gets two points.  That’s the way Carter plays it, and that is what we decided at the start.

I didn’t swing a great shot.  I skulled it low, but it did go straight.  My ball was just short of the green.  Carter went waaaaaay left.  Guy went left, too, but he ended up on a hill with a tough lie.

I chipped on, but it went well past the hole.  Carter went way right to the hole after over-compensating.  Guy hit behind his to barely get it out to the grass.

I putted it gently to a spot about four feet away, but even with the hole.  Carter pitched on.  Guy also pitched on, but they were farther from the hole for their bogey putts than mine was.     

I went first when they were figuring things out for their third shots, and I made my bogey.  Carter went next and missed, so he ended with a double.  Carter wanted to leave the stage for Guy, because he could either tie or lose the game with his putt now.  It was from about twelve feet, but he missed.  Phew!  I got away with one on the final hole.  The scores were Pat: 7, Guy: 5, and Carter: 4.  Once again, phew!

Until next time…