I Did It! Part 1

Written on 7-1-25.

      I’ve done it!  It took a while.  Okay, it took several years, but I am so glad to be able to write that I beat Herman (not his real name) straight up last Wednesday!

I played out of my mind, and I scored the best score for a long time, a 79.  Okay, it was really an 81 with a breakfast ball, but even with the 81 I was able to beat him by one stroke.  I made a lot of putts, and that really helped.  I remember him making putts from everywhere one round, but it was my turn this time.  I am going to write about this hole by hole, because it has been a goal of mine ever since I started playing with him.  I also scored a birdie!

Hole 1-Corrie (last name) drove up at the last minute to play with us.  He was on his lunch break from Hi-Country Kia, and he wanted to get in some golf.  He played only four holes, but it was great to see him again.

I pulled out a red Callaway ball I had found and cleaned up recently, and I promptly...

topped it.  I saw it bound over the forward tees and dive towards the rocky area past them, and it was gone.  That was the breakfast ball.  Herman allowed me to take another one for free, thus the 79, but it didn’t matter after the round was over, like I said.

I teed up another one, and this one was better.  It landed right of the fairway on a patch of sand, but I hit it from there anyway with my 6-iron.  I got it to the front of the green, but the hole was on the back left side.  I made a brilliant putt, and then I finished with an uphill putt from around six feet for my par…err…um, double bogey.  Herman got a double here as well, though.

Hole 2-I smashed my drive to just over 100 yards away.  I slightly pulled my approach with my gap iron, but my ball bounced right after flying over the bunker, so it ended up on the green.  I made it in with two putts for my first “official” par.

Hole 3-I smashed another drive to a spot on the right side of the fairway.  Usually, golf balls will roll out to the left, but it stayed on the right side somehow.  My approach was short of the green, but the flag was on the front for this hole.  I chipped it fairly close and made the putt for another par.

Pinon Hills-Hole #4-Birdie #4 of 2025

I used my 9-iron for my tee shot, and the hole was on the middle tier.  Once again, I pulled it a bit, but it bounced right and rolled past the flag to the other side of it, mostly even with the hole.  Herman hit a good one, too, and he was below the hole.  He left his putt short, so he got a par.  The greens were super fast, and I started my excellent run of putting with this birdie putt.  It rolled so smoothly and on the line, and then it dropped in with dying speed.  It felt like I was one under, but with my breakfast ball, I was really one over after this hole.  It just felt great to play so well and be “in the zone” after those four holes.

Hole 5-My drive gave me another low yardage approach.  My ball was on the fairway around 110 yards away from the pin that was tucked right.  Unfortunately, it was on a slope and a bit below my feet.  I yanked it over to the left side of the green and in the grass bunker.  I hit behind it, and it was heading to the canyon, but it suddenly popped off a rock and launched forward.  That was one of the many good bounces I had during this round.  I pitched on with my Sandy Andy club, and it rolled past the hole and just off the green.  I nearly made my par, but I had to settle for my first bogey.  Herman got a par.

Herman teased me after my approach about not filling in my divots.  Then he used the sand/seed mixture on his cart to fill it in.  I forgot to say that he chose to ride in a cart, because his brother-in-law, Jordan (not his real name either), who has Down’s Syndrome, came along for this round.  This was our first meeting.

Hole 6-I used my 5-iron/wood, and the wind was pushing our golf balls to the right.  Herman swung his shot way left, but it was so far left that the wind didn’t really help.  My ball bounced (another good bounce) to the left off the hill and onto the putting surface.  I got another par, and he got a bogey.

Hole 7-Herman got his only birdie on this hole.  I skulled my approach, but it turned out just fine.  The pin was in the valley, and my ball ended up long, so I had to judge a downhill right to left breaker.  I left it short, but I made the longer final putt for my par.

Hole 8-Herman struggled to a seven.  I was struggling, too.  My second shot didn’t go far at all, because it was even with my head when I addressed the ball.  I was in the grass bunker that was right of the fairway, and the ball settled on the farther hill.  I had to use a baseball swing, and I ended up hitting behind it.  It went about forty yards and landed under a tree, so I ended up getting on the green in five shots.  The fifth shot landed with enough momentum to stay at the top, back tier where the flag was, but then it trickled to a point where it ended up sliding down the hill to the middle of the green.  This is where I made the longest putt of the day.  It was between 50-70 feet away, and it was uphill. It fell in for a bogey!  So cool!  It was after that putt, that I thought God had a hand in what was going on here.

Hole 9-We both lost our tee shots here.  We took drops, but he gave himself a more favorable one.  This was one of the two double bogeys I had for this round.  Herman got one, too.

I shot a 39/41 for the front, and he shot a 42.  The front nine ended up being the difference in our match, because we tied on the back nine.  During the front nine, I was playing so well that he asked if I had taken lessons.  I laughed and said no.  I did tell him that I had only played a few times during my recent travels.  This was the first time we had played this summer, since B and I have been traveling so much.  I was just about to text him when he ended up texting me, and that was the reason we played that day.

Herman knew just what to do with Jordan on each hole.  He would drop him off with a club and a golf ball somewhere between 30-50 yards away from the greens and let him chip towards the greens.  He would whiff a lot, and we got a false sense of security as we finished each hole.  On the back nine, he got a hold of a few of them, but we were never in any danger and neither of us got hurt.  Herman said this was the best he had done ever, though.  

It was Jordan's 50-something birthday (Herman didn’t know which one, of course), so we agreed to go out after the round to celebrate.

Okay, I am going to write about the back nine later.  I am shutting my eyes before dinner.  It’s 4:05 PM, and I am worn out after my workout with Matt this morning. 

Until next time…