"Stop criticizing President Obama for playing golf."

So says David Kopel over at the Volokh Conspiracy.  David points out that another President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, spent a lot of time out on the course during his presidency.  It has been estimated that President Eisenhower golfed upwards of two times a week.  He concludes that,

 "President Eisenhower demonstrated beyond any doubt that there is no inherent contradiction between being a good President and being an avid golfer. Indeed, golf helps clear the mind, and hardly any sport is better at fostering humility in participants.  So unless President Obama’s critics are willing to state that President Eisenhower golfed too much, they should stop carping about President Obama’s golfing."

I completely agree with David's analysis.  I have absolutely zero problem with any President decompressing on the course once or twice a week.  I may never agree with President Obama's ideology or politics, but I will never begrudge him playing a round of golf, or shooting hoops with his staff, or even lighting up a cigarette.  Life (and the presidency) is hard.  Might as well find a few avenues to work off some stem or decompress.  And that goes for the low hanging fruit of political pundits in mocking a Presidential vacation, whether it's a trip to a Texas ranch or a week in Martha's Vineyard.

So the guy likes to golf.  Big whoop.  I can think of worse ways for a sitting President to spend his time (chasing intern tail springs to mind). 

Which brings me to my weekly question from my wife.

This week, My Wife Asks...what would you do if you had no money constraints?

This hypothetical exercise reminds me of how my junior college golf teammates and I would pass the time on our long bus trips.  We spent one 6+ hour bus trip dreaming up scenarios of how we would spend vast amounts of money (fortresses, fantastic vehicles, dream houses, etc.).  I was really fun hearing different people's ideas of pure fun.  It was also great to add features to another person's fantasy, as well as debating the merits of some ideas (example:  what is the best way to fortify your dream home from intruders?).

So, what would I do if money with no concern for the cost?  I would buy a great luxury RV, pack up the wife and dog, and travel the US playing every golf course we stumbled upon until the money ran out.

This idea would combine my love for golf with my enjoyment of visiting new towns across this great land of ours.  In my mind, there is no greater way to spend a road trip.

The beauty of the roadtrip golf tour in an RV is multifaceted.  First, my wife hates flying.  And if I'm going to get her onboard with this plan, my best bet is by land. 

Second, I love road trips.  I have since I was a kid.  I love the slowness of road trips, and yet I hate the slowness of the hurry up and wait attitude of air travel.  I love the little things that a road trip brings.  We would stop at every diner, drive-in, and dive we stumble upon for our meals.  On the road we can take detours, shop antique shops, visit popular destinations, see historic and notable sites, and just take it easy.

Third, an RV road trip would make over nights so much easier because finding a pet friendly hotel is a pain in the neck.  An RV also would give my wife and the dog more room to be comfortable while we travel mile after mile.  We would also save a bundle sleeping in our RV, because even though money would not be an issue, I still love a bit of frugality. 

Fourth, and foremost, there are so many great golf courses that I've never (and may never) played because they are out of the way and/or are not within our current budget.  Take for instance The Prairie Club in Valentine, NE.  This beautiful links style course was recently ranked the number one course in Nebraska, and I may never get to play it because Valentine is in the middle of nowhere.   There is basically no reason to go to Valentine, except to visit this course.  And there are hundreds of courses like it.  My mind is racing just thinking about the possibilities.

So, there you have it.  The day after we hit the big payday, we're hitting the road.

Omaha Metro Golf Championship -- Day Two

Yesterday I was bumming after shooting an uninspiring 92 on a golf course that is, all things considered, not very tough.  Of all the courses I've played in Omaha, I would say this course is one of the easiest. 

Because I posted such a lousy score yesterday, I was basically out of contention for prize money, as only the top eight places get paid (more on that in a moment).  I entered day two of the tournament tied for 19th place (out of 26 players).  So, I entered day two with two main goals -- post a lower score than yesterday and win day money.  "Day money" is paid to the lowest three scores of the day of the people that are 9th place and lower.

DAY TWO GOAL 1)  Post a lower score than yesterday.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!  Today I shot an 80.  That's right, I improved by 12 strokes.  Today I played golf.  Today I kept the ball in play (except for one errant tee shot that found the water).  Today I putted well.  Today I played to my handicap.  Today I posted the lowest score in my flight.  Today was great.

I started the day on the back nine holes.  I had 5 bogeys, 3 pars, and 1 birdie on the back nine holes for a score of 40.  I followed my game plan.  This nine holes was how I typically play golf.  The front nine holes was similar, with 5 pars, 3 bogeys, and one double bogey when I hit my tee shot into a water hazard.  That one hole was my only "blow up" hole of the round and, relatively speaking, it wasn't too bad.  I shot a 40 on the front nine holes for a total score of 80.  Not too shabby.

DAY TWO GOAL 2)  Earn day money. 

My total score for the two days was 172, which moved me from a tie for 19th place to 11th place, which was not enough to earn prize money, but did earn me day money.  Which brings me to a point of contention with the way this tournament was structured, in that the prize money was pretty lousy.

Last year I was annoyed with the way they flighted the lower flights.  Last year there were too many low handicapped players in the bottom flight.  It didn't seem fair too me.  This year, they did a better job of placing players in our flight, as most everyone shot in the mid-80s.

With that said, I was quite disappointed in the prizes.  The players who finished in the first four spots received Callaway golf gift cards instead of cash (1st place received $250, 2nd received $150, 3rd $100, and 4th $50), while places five through eight (and the three day money winners) each received a certificate for a complimentary round of golf at the course for two people.  Now I'm not certain what a round of golf for two people costs at the Council Bluffs Country Club, but it couldn't be more than $60, which puts the prize money for our flight (and the three middle flights) around $900.  Yet each flight brought in over $3000 in entry fees.  Only the first and second place finishers received their entry fee back.  The math just doesn't seem right to me.

So, after two days of golf, only two players (out of 26) in my flight are home tonight with a profit.  That's not a very good way to run a tourney in my opinion.

But I am happy with how I performed today.  So I have that going for me.

2010 Omaha Metro Golf Championship -- Day One

Day one of the Omaha Metro Golf Championship has come and gone and I find myself sitting in the middle of my flight with TONS of ground to make up if I want to be in the money tomorrow.

I am not very happy with my performance today.  The other day I mentioned that I had five goals for myself for this tournament.  Lets see how I did.

GOAL 1)  No 3 putts.

• This was one of my weaknesses today.  I did not putt very well.  I could not get a read on the greens.  I believe I three putted two holes on the front and one hole on the back.  I also 4-putted the final hole of the day.  I was super pissed about that one.  By the time I lined up the first of four putts, I was already mentally checked out.  I wasn't in the moment and my score paid the price for my lapse in concentration.  No more of that tomorrow.

GOAL 2)  Shoot between 82 and 86 each day.  

• Well, I shot a 92 today.  I did not strike the ball particularly well today and I believe my score could have been 5-7 strokes better, but for two poor swings and some poor putting.
  

GOAL 3)  To help me keep my composure during play, I am going into each day "knowing" that I'll probably have one blowup hole, and if/when it happens, I will not lose my temper. 

• You know, the thing about this goal was that I was not expecting my blowup hole to happen on the second hole of the day.  After a par on the first hole, I shanked my tee-shot on the second hole (a simple par-3) out of bounds.  The fact that I shanked it caught me so much by surprise, I immediately was fuming.  It happened so quickly that I didn't have time to remember that I was expecting this to happen and that I needed to keep my cool.  So, a quad-bogie later, my day was pretty much shot.  Two holes later, I slice another tee-shot out of bounds and chalk up a triple bogie.  I ended up shooting a 47 on the front side.  My back nine holes actually went a bit better, with a string of bogies and my getting to the final hole with the opportunity to shoot under 90 (which at that point would have been a victory for me).  Four putts later, I closed with a 45.  I sulked to the clubhouse, knowing my shot at winning money was gone.

GOAL 4)  I will go into each round with a game plan and will not "press" myself if things do not go as planned.

• When my round went flying off the tracks, I was happy that I didn't start pressing.  I played probably 13 quality holes in a row, but was not striking the ball well enough to make up for the two early bad holes.  And I lost my concentration on the final hole, which was not good.

GOAL 5)  No matter what my Saturday score, I will attempt to shoot a lower score on Sunday (even if it is only a one stroke improvement). 

• I believe I can definitely improve my score tomorrow.  Last year I shot a 94-88, so hopefully I can do it again.  The nice thing about tomorrow is that I have no pressure.  I am pretty much out of contention for the money, so I don't need to worry about my score.  I can just go out, swing the club, be the ball, and hopefully quality scores will follow.

In the Mail

I've received a few cards via email over the past few weeks that I'd like to showoff. 

The top left card is a 2008 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor which is serial numbered 38/150.  This card is the seventh parallel card of the 2008 Bowman set that I have, which is notable because it is the first set of cards that I have that fills up more than one row of my card display.

The bottom card is a 2006 TriStar Farm Hands autographed card.  This is the earliest autograph card I have so far.  This card has a "book value" of $50.00 and I bought it for just $0.50.  I almost felt bad getting it for so cheap.  Almost.

The top right card is a 2010 Allen & Ginter Blank Back 1/1 card.  As you can see from the picture below, this card has nothing but a Topps halogram and a 1/1 label on the back.  This is a unique card that the Topps Vault was selling in their eBay store.  Every day the Topps Vault puts out dozens of 1/1 cards that have "blank backs".  They also dig into the archives and put up for sale old photos (which were used to make their cards), "proof" cards which were used early in each card's production, and original pieces of art that were commissioned from various artists to be used to make cards.  It is my favorite eBay store to look through.

My card collecting has slowed down quite a bit since most of the cards that I now need for my collection are the more expensive autograph cards and the harder to find lower numbered serial numbered cards.  But, the chase continues.

However, I have come upon a novel idea.  One of my favorite card collecting blogs is Hey, That's Mine!  The interesting (to me) aspect of this blog is that its author has a side hobby of creating his own, home-made cards.  The ones that I've seen are fabulous.  So, I contacted him earlier this week and asked him if he'd make me a custom Hochevar card using a picture that I personally took.  He said he would.  (You can see some of his other creations HERE.)  I can barely contain my excitement at the prospect of owning a card that was created from one of my pictures.

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SONG:  "Spanish Flea" by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass  --  Who knew a trumpet could be so fun? 

LOOKING FORWARD TO:  playing in the two-day, stroke-play Omaha Metro Golf Championship this weekend.  While my goal is to win my flight, I could live with a top three finish.  I also have some smaller goals this tournament which I hope will contribute to my winning my flight. 
1)  No 3 putts.
2)  Shoot between 82 and 86 each day.  With my 12 handicap, I should shoot an 84 (so I'll +/- 2 strokes).  Last year, I went into the tournament not worrying about shooting the course par, but instead focused on shooting my "handicap par", which allowed me to accept the inevitable bogies and (hopefully less inevitable) double bogies.  That mindset was very successful for me, so I'll do it again.
3)  To help me keep my composure during play, I am going into each day "knowing" that I'll probably have one blowup hole, and if/when it happens, I will not lose my temper. 
4)  I will go into each round with a game plan and will not "press" myself if things do not go as planned.
5)  No matter what my Saturday score, I will attempt to shoot a lower score on Sunday (even if it is only a one stroke improvement).

LOOKING FORWARD TO (part 2):  the 1-year anniversary of my blog.  It will be a great time to reflect on what has (to me) been worth writing about over the past year.

"An island unto himself, surrounded by water but dying of thirst."

This is the analogy that Pete Landry used in his "The Masters - A Tale of Contrasts" post to describe Tiger Woods, and it is by far the best description of Tiger's personality.  Mr. Landry is the author of the great golf blog "Golf Grooves" and he attended this year's Masters tournament.  While at the Masters, he encountered two of the main people of Tiger's entourage, his caddy and his mother.

As I meander behind the 14th green, looking up toward the clubhouse, I notice Steve Williams walking in my direction. In his trademark Valvoline blue tee-shirt, Tiger's caddie is checking on the course and taking notes in preparation for the final round of the Masters. We are, for a short moment, alone and in close proximity to each other.

When Williams is only a few feet away, I say "good luck to you and Tiger today Steve"...

With that, he brushes by me. He is obviously avoiding eye contact; close enough to shake my hand, but choosing instead to totally ignore me. Like a man raised in a barn, he did not acknowledge me or my words. A simple nod would have sufficed. Had it been someone else, I might have been insulted or surprised, but this is Steve Williams after all. What else would you expect? In my life, I've met heads of State, shared meals with Hall of Fame athletes, and had conversations with some of the top business people of our time. So, a snub from the guy who carries Tiger's golf clubs is certainly not a traumatic experience. I simply shrugged it off and chuckled at the ignorance of the man.

Hours later, on that same 14th hole, I would be standing against the ropes nearly half way down the fairway, at a spot where you can see the players hit their approach shot and also clearly see the green. We had all just cheered a great iron shot by Fred Couples and were waiting for Woods and Choi to arrive, when I noticed Tiger's mother walking behind us. She was surrounded by her usual entourage and clearly looking for a spot from where she could see Tiger play the hole. I signalled to her bodyguard that she was welcome to stand on the rope in front of me. She is a tiny woman and wouldn't block my view, but I knew she wouldn't possibly be able to see Tiger from behind the crowd. At our invitation, she slipped in front of my father and I.

Anyone who watched the Masters on Sunday will recall that Tiger had a rare brain cramp on that 14th green, three-putting from close range. When she saw that, Tiger's mother yelled "Oh! He is pissed off!" The moment was surreal.

My father and I looked at each other in shock and amusement. You just wouldn't expect that kind of language from a tiny older lady... Then, as if she had been entitled, she left without taking a second to thank us for making room for her up front. In fact, just like Steve Williams had done, she basically ignored me and the people around her.

All this to say that life has a way of repaying people for how they treat others. These are not major trespasses, but the way these people act shows a basic lack of upbringing and social grace. As the saying goes, money does not buy class.

Despite the fact that I am not a fan of Steve Williams, I was courteous enough to wish him luck when I came across him. Having been raised to respect people and to yield to a lady whenever appropriate, I was only happy to make room for Tiger's mother. Both Williams and Mrs Woods repaid me with ignorance and bad manners. Surrounded by the likes of these people, is there any wonder that Tiger Woods is such a miserable man who feels a sense of entitlement and that the rules of decency do not apply to him?

Mr. Landry then compares his encounter with the Tiger clan to how Phil Mickleson treated the fans as he worked his way to winning this year's Green Jacket.

Faced with a potentially devastating miss that could have cost him the lead, Mickleson was gracious with fans, politely asking for the gallery to make room, thanking everyone and acknowledging his fans when he successfully hit the shot. In similar fashion, his caddie "Bones" was polite, saying please and thank you repeatedly. How difficult is that? For most civilized people, it is second nature to be courteous.

While he has played inspired golf during this tough stretch of life, with his wife and mother both battling cancer, Phil Mickleson has taken the title of "Fan Favorite" on the PGA Tour.  It's a case of the underdog working his way into the hearts and minds of the average golf fan by pairing his great skill with a likable and pleasant attitude toward the fans.  For all the thanks and smiles that Phil gives to the galleries, they repay him double.  For being truly thankful for their support through his difficulties off the course, the fans double their support for him on the course. 

Tiger was always the cut-throat competitor, and while he was always cold toward the crowds that followed him around the courses, the fans greatly respected him because of his awe-inspiring skills on the course.  But that was before his private life became tabloid fodder.  Now, Tiger and the people closest to him, are going to need fans if he wants to cement his legacy as the greatest golfer to ever live (rather than just being the most successful golfer of all time), and they'll have an easier time if they are using honey rather than vinegar.
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SONG:  "On the Run" by Gangstagrass  (the theme song to the tv show "Justified")

TELEVISION:  "Justified" on FX (and Hulu).  Timothy Olyphant plays a U.S. Marshall who returns to his childhood hometown and is attempting to clean up the town with a "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality.  It is an old western set in modern times.  Great, great show.

LOOKING FORWARD TO:  Dinner and a show this weekend with The Wife to celebrate the end of her 4th (out of 6) semester of law school.  We are going to eat dinner at the Upstream Brewery and then are going to the Orpheum Theater to watch the off-Broadway production of "Legally Blonde: The Musical".  It should be a great night out with my pal.

What I learned yesterday.

So, yesterday, my friend Andy and I went out to Shoreline Golf Course to play the first round of 18 for the season.  It was the perfect day for golf -- sunny, breezy, and 60 degrees.

Last week I had put together a set of clubs from Golfsmith components.  His old irons were circa 1980 Wilsons which are not the most forgiving clubs ever made.  I threw together a set of XPC V9 irons, an XPC V9 hybrid, and an XPC V9 driver.  It turned out to be a great set of clubs, and only cost $200 for the entire set.

The front nine was quite uneventful.  I banged out a 46 and Andy shot a 53, but a 10 on the par-5 final hole made the score much higher than it should have been.  He was loving the irons and hybrid, but wasn't making good contact with the driver.  He couldn't get any lift on his tee shots and when he did catch a hold of one, it was snap hooking.  Odd, but not surprising since he'd never carried a driver in his bag.

On the 10th hole, a 470 yard par-5, I crushed a 300-yard drive with my new driver.  I had about 170 yards to the green, so I smoked a 7-iron to 15 feet.  I sank the putt (my one and only one-putt of the day) for my first eagle of the year.

We carried on and then got to the signature hole of Shoreline, a dogleg-left par 4 with water hugging the left hand side of the fairway (similar to the 18th at Pebble Beach, but without the $200 price tag).  As we were waiting for the threesome in front of us to clear the fairway, Andy pulled out a junk ball and aimed toward the lake.  Using his driver, he topped his ball into the lake.  I asked if I could give the club a swing, as I hadn't swung it yet.

I teed up the ball on the tee box, about 15 feet from the edge of the lake, reared back and gave a mighty swing.  The contact felt great, but the follow through was odd.  As I followed the flight of the ball, I noticed a large object following the path of the ball.

Sure enough, the glue used to keep the head attached to the shaft had loosened, and my friend's brand new club head was laying 30-yards deep in Carter Lake.  (If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all).  I stood there in disbelief.

So lesson number one:  Don't aim a golf shot into a lake without a large buffer of ground between me and the lake (to allow for easy collection of a club head should the glue fail its job).

So there the club bobbed in the water, the murky, polluted waters of Carter Lake, laughing at me and my failure as a club builder.  As there wasn't much chance that either of us would be swimming out to retrieve it, we decided to play on and hope that the current/waves would push it ashore.  We played on, but through out the rest of the round, all I thought about was how I was going to get that club out of it's watery grave.

And focusing on the dumbness of the situation actually allowed me to get out of the way of my game.  I pushed through the remainder of the round and ended up shooting a two-over-par 38 to give me a final tally of 84.  Not too bad for my first round of the year, but my celebration lasted long enough to walk to the clubhouse to see if they'd lend us a cart to ride out to the lake to see how our club head was doing.

We got out to the 2nd green and 13th tee box, which both bordered the lake and started looking around.  Nothing.  So, I decided to see if the wind and waves had pushed the head up the 2nd fairway.  Sure enough, about 500 yards away from it's inital entry point, the head was floating 30 yards away from shore.

I decided to come back to the course in a couple of hours, with the hopes that it continued it's current path and I'd find it sitting beside one of the hundred or so fish corpses that were on the water's edge (because Carter Lake is basically a chemical waste dump).  When I got back to the course a couple of hours later, it was nowhere to be seen.  I got back just before dusk and the reflection of the lake made it almost impossible to see out onto the lake, but after walking the shore a couple of times I could see that it had not made it.

I went out to the course today after work to see if it'd made it to shore, but the wind direction had changed today (and was much stronger) so I'm assuming if it hasn't sunk, it's made its way to the other side of the lake.  Bummer.  So, I guess I have a new story and it's only going to cost me $50.

Lesson number two:  Modern club heads float, but wave/current direction is tricky to determine on a chemical waste lake.

As Mastercard might say:
Round of golf:  $10
New golf club:  $50
Losing your friend's club in a lake:  Priceless

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SONG:  "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas  ("You're my boy, Blue!!!")

LOOKING FORWARD TO:  the delivery of my new golf shoes later this week.  I had to send the others back because they were too small.  Hopefully the next size up works because they don't carry any sizes bigger in that style.  I hate buying shoes online because it takes forever to ship them back and get another pair shipped out.

ENJOYED:  George Clooney in "Up in the Air".  The Wife and I also enjoyed seeing many places in Omaha in movie.  (Go here for the Omaha Montage).

My personal hell is about to come to a close...

...at least until next winter.  That's right, this week marks the start of GOLF SEASON!!!! for me.  I got an email today that Pacific Springs is open for play this Saturday (and it couldn't have come sooner.)

I mentioned it in a "Looking Forward To" section, but I'll elaborate a bit:  I will be playing Pacific Springs and Shoreline Golf Courses for only $10 this year.  The wife bought me a "Tee it for Ten" card for Valentine's Day this year.  The math works out that if I play these courses more than eight times it will be cheaper than paying normal price, so long as I don't use it more than 50 times (in which case, it would have been cheaper to buy a membership).  But a membership doesn't allow play at both courses, which is one of the better selling points for me.

Shoreline is the lesser of the two courses (barely), but it is close to my work, so I plan on stopping by the course after work occasionally throughout the summer and sneaking in 18 before dark.  On the other hand, Pacific Springs is the better course, and would take me over an hour to get to after work because of rush hour.  Therefore, I plan to play it once (or twice) a weekend.

The final selling point for me for the "Tee it for Ten" program was that the holder of the "TifT" card can play Arbor Links, The Player's Club, and Plattesmouth CC, once each this year for a discounted price.  Well, both Arbor Links and The Player's Club are on my Omaha Golfing Wish List, and since they are private courses, I had basically given up on playing them.  But, now, not only will I play them, I'll play them for a reasonable price.

I don't think I'm going to have a free moment over the next 8 months, with all the golf, baseball, and traveling I have planned.

Since I'll be walking (for exercise and to save money), I'll need plenty of time to ensure that I get a full 18 in to make it worth the purchase price.

Not only am I excited to play $10 golf all summer, I'm elated because I just received email confirmation of the shipment of my new golf shoes and my new driver head.

These are the shoes that are on their way.

They are adidas FitRX and it has taken me forever to find a new pair of golf shoes that meet my criteria: they should be reasonably priced, they shouldn't look like golf shoes, they should be stylish and appealing to my eye, and my wife has the final say on whether or not these criteria have been met.

My current shoes are a pair of adidas Bradys that my wife bought for me before we were married (about 7 years ago), so you can bet that they have sentimental value.  I am going to be sad about retiring the Bradys, as they have carried me through countless rounds and they are the perfect shoe.  Hopefully the new shoes will be around for the next 7 years of my golf life.

I spent the end of last golf season using two drivers.  I had my "big dog" driver that I can pound 300+ yards, but have no clue in which direction it will go on any particular swing.  So I usually kept it in the bag unless I had a wide open (like, middle of the course, no danger in ANY direction, wide open) par 4 or 5 and my score was solid enough to allow such recklessness.  The rest of the time, I used my "straight-and-narrow" driver that I couldn't hit a slice or hook with if my dog's life depended on it, but only goes about 270 yds.  So, when I saw this driver was on sale for over half its original price, I thought it might be a good time to try and find a "straight-and-narrow"/"big dog" combo and this club looked like a good candidate.  I will be putting this head on the same steel shaft my "big dog" driver is on and will keep the "trusty-rusty" driver in my bag until I'm comfortable with this new club (which shouldn't take too long since I plan on spending the next couple of months living on the golf course.)

Finally, I can't wait to enter my first score of 2010 into my handicap service.  I ended last season with a 12.9 handicap, which was the lowest I've had it since the year before I got married (and even then, I've never been below 12.0).

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SONG:  "Shadow Stabbing" by CAKE

LOOKING FORWARD TO:  the snow storm that is bound to arrive the day before my new shoes and club head arrive, because Mother Nature is a biotch like that.

GOAL:  to get my handicap in the single digits this year (9.9 and under).  I feel this is an achievable goal, and one that will motivate my time on the course this year.

THINKING BACK ON:  how, were it not for a purple Harley Davidson 3-wheeled golf cart (similar to the second and fourth pictures on the top row HERE but not nearly as pretty, which was part of its charm), I would not be the golf nut that I am.  My dad took up the game of golf later in life (when I was in junior high or early high school) and at that point I had no real interest in golf.  Then he and his friend John bought the Harley, and my interest was piqued.  The summer before my senior year of high school, I worked at the swimming pool.  I often had mid-mornings and a few afternoons during the week off from work, so I would head down to the golf course, mainly to drive the cart.  I would zoom around the course (it was basically vacant) whacking the ball around as an excuse to drive the Harley cart around.  By the end of the summer, I loved golfing more than the cart.

Thoughts on Tiger-gate

I am a golfer, but I'm not much of a golf fan.  I love playing golf.  I love practicing golf.  I love reading golf magazines and building golf clubs.  I plan on entering the golf industry in the future.  But, if I never watched another round of golf on TV, I wouldn't mind.  I don't have a favorite golfer.  I don't have a favorite PGA Tour stop.

I prefer my golf coverage to be very simple:  "So-and-so won the latest tournament on Sunday.  And now, here are the scores from last nights basketball/football/baseball games."  I want the biggest controversy in golf to be whether or not a players sand wedge grooves are within the regulated standards.  I don't want golfers to be celebrities because celebrity has a way of ruining almost everything.

So, after almost three months of silence, Tiger gave an apology last week.  And I was as indifferent to it as I was to the initial news of his car crash and affairs for three reasons:

1. I'm not a golf fan (and, besides,according to Joe Posnanski, fandom has changed); 
2. No matter how many commercials or events I saw Tiger in, I don't really know him, so I shouldn't be surprised one way or another by his actions off the course;
3. Even the world's richest athlete is still a human who is susceptible to temptation.

My favorite sports writer, Joe Posnanski, who writes "curiously long posts", addresses "the Tiger-burg Address" by linking it to recent athlete apologies:

You know what I miss? I miss those days when being a sports fan did not also require a deep and textured understanding of body language. I miss the time when you could follow the games people play without having a hyper-sensitive scent for sincerity. I miss the time when being a judgmental sports fan meant only that you made moral judgments about a manager’s decision to bunt or not bunt in the third inning or a golfer’s choice to go for the green in two from a balky lie.

This is what I was thinking about when watching Tiger Woods carefully read from his prepared statement on Friday. Within minutes of him finishing, sports fans and countless pundits around the country and the world would be engaged in a detailed breakdown of the speech: What did it mean? What did he want it to mean? Was he sincere? Was he sincere enough? Was he sorry? Was he truly sorry? What does it mean to be sorry? Why did his voice sound as flat as a dial tone? Why did he use those weird hand gestures? Why didn’t he speak from the heart? Was he speaking from the heart? What does any of that matter? Was he sorry? Was he truly sorry? When will he return to golf? When should he return to golf? Who was he hoping to win over? Why didn’t he take questions? Why should he take questions? Why should he be sorry to anyone but his wife? Was he trying to overpower the Accenture tournament? Was the timing unavoidable of his schedule? Didn’t Accenture drop him as a spokesman? Was he sorry? Was he truly sorry? Who wrote this little speech? Did he sound angry? Was he angry? Where was Elin? Was he sorry? Was he truly sorry?

On and on and on … a million questions and comments and judgments about a 13-minute statement made by a brilliant golfer who cheated repeatedly on his wife.

The absurdity here is that this isn’t absurd anymore.

Read the rest, it is spot on.  If I had an eighth of Joe's writing skills, I'd probably react to the speech in a similar fashion.

Another aspect of the Tiger-gate scandal that I think is often overlooked is the fact that, as Jim Rome often points out, we really don't know these people.

Sure, we know how players and celebrities perform in their professions, but we have no idea what they are like off the field or off the screen or off the campaign stump.  I think most people forget that these celebrities are just people, who, for the most part, want to be thought of positively, and will usually do what is necessary to keep up the facade of stability/sanity/honesty/caring with those around us. 

Take a player like Marvin Harrison, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts.  Marvin is one of the most prominent and prolific wide receivers in NFL history.  And, until today, I was under the impression he was a model citizen off the field because, until today, I had never heard a bad thing said about the man.  Ever.  I assumed he was of the Peyton Manning school of football:  do your business on the field and stay out of trouble off the field.

Yet, if this GQ article is to be believed, Marvin Harrison is human and, quite possibly, a thug of the worst order.

It was a scene* to make anybody stop and watch. Broad daylight in North Philadelphia. April 29, 2008—a Tuesday. The corner of 25th Street and Thompson, about seven blocks north of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the steps Rocky climbed. A block of brick row houses, a church with a rubbed-out sign, a Hispanic grocery, a vacant lot. In one sense, the presence of a future Hall of Famer at this seedy vortex of the city—Harrison, eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with the Indianapolis Colts, then at the tail end of a thirteen-season career and a $67 million contract—was incongruous. Especially given that Harrison, who is usually described as "quiet" and "humble," was noisily stomping the fat man in the face and gut.

To Nixon, the fat man looked semi-conscious.

After several minutes, Harrison and McCray walked away. The fat man slowly picked himself up. Shouting epithets, he staggered to his car. Nixon watched as Marvin Harrison got into his own car, parked to the west of the fat man's. The fat man put his car into reverse. Thompson Street is one-way going east. The fat man backed up the wrong way until he was smack in front of Chuckie's Garage, a car wash Harrison owns. The fat man was now blocking Harrison, who was trying to drive away.

Nixon saw Harrison get out of his car and exchange words with the fat man. He couldn't hear the words, but he could see the gestures of threat and counterthreat. The fat man stayed in his car. He called somebody on his cell. Harrison got back into his car and called somebody on his cell. After a minute or two, Harrison got out of his car for the second time.

Marvin Harrison is six feet tall and 185 pounds. He has a neatly trimmed mustache and the body-fat content of an Olympic swimmer. He became the dominant wide receiver of his era not by outleaping or outwrestling defenders but by exploiting an almost supernatural talent for getting open: for feints, fakes, jukes, dodges, bluffs, stutter steps, sudden bursts of sick speed. But at this moment, Nixon says, Marvin Harrison did not run. He stood on the sidewalk and calmly raised his wiry arms. In each hand, Nixon clearly saw, was a gun.

Nixon froze.

Nixon heard the fat man scream at Harrison. "YOU AIN'T GONNA SHOOT. YOU AIN'T GONNA SHOOT. DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO."

Nixon was across the street and thirty yards away when Harrison started shooting. Pop pop pop pop pop pop—a great staccato gust of bullets. Steadily, Nixon says, Harrison unloaded both guns into the fat man's car, stippling the red Toyota Tundra with bullet holes as the fat man ducked in his seat. Eventually, the fat man sat up and sped off, heading straight toward Nixon's position as Harrison darted into the street and continued to shoot.

So, you really never know a person.  I never would have guessed Marvin Harrison to be capable of (reportedly) gunning down another person.  I never would have guessed John Edwards would knock up another woman while his wife battled cancer.  I never would have guessed Tiger Woods to participate and (reportedly) actively seek out numerous affairs.

And, finally, this is as good a time as any to remind ourselves that money doesn't buy happiness.  Tiger Woods is the first billion-dollar athlete.  He was on top of the world.  He was married to an attractive wife, a father to adorable kids, had houses on both coasts, and was the greatest athlete the golf world had ever seen.  And yet, all of this wasn't enough for him.  He convinced himself he needed more, and in doing so, he alienated himself from his family, friends, and fans.

Friar Tuck's most recent sermon dealt with "The Barn Builder" and in the sermon, Friar Tuck points out that

The farmer tears down his barns and builds new ones the Bible says. And he seems pleased with himself. And then that night, God comes to this rich farmer. He calls him a fool. He tells him that that night his life will end, and he will go into eternity. “What good will your wealth be now?” Jesus says, “Who is going to inherit all your crops and enjoy all you have earned?”
Jesus goes on to say, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God”.
The farmer put all his security in his stuff. Jesus says he has chosen poorly.

It would seem to me that Tiger was raised from an early age to put all of his security in himself.  Golf is a lonely sport, with no one to rely upon but oneself.  Tiger is one of the most mentally tough athletes of my generation.  When on the golf course, he has extreme focus and drive.

And, when off the course, rather than focusing his legendary drive and effort into the people who we'd assume were most important in his life, his wife, children, neighbors, etc., he instead chose to chase after women.  Even the richest athlete of all time can "still struggle in putting our security in things and stuff instead of investing in relationships with those God has put in our path."

Ultimately, I wouldn't mind seeing Tiger take some time away from golf.  I would even understand him retiring until he's of Champion's Tour age (it's not like he needs the money from the PGA or Nike).  He should spend the next 18 years being the "Worlds Greatest Dad" to his two kids (and, maybe, along the way, he might mend his relationship with his wife), and I don't see how he can do that while chasing Jack Nicklaus' Majors record.

Just as baseball will always have the "Steroid Era", golf will now always have the "Tiger-gate Era" and the only person who can shorten this era is Tiger himself.  He attempted to begin the healing process last week with his apology, and only time will tell how deep of a scar he has left on the golf world, and more importantly, on his personal relationships.  

_____________________________________________________
SONG:  "Friends and Family" by Trik Turner

Looking forward to: taking full advantage of the "Tee it for Ten" card my wife got me for Valentine's Day.  With this card, I'll be able to play Shoreline Golf Course and Pacific Springs Golf Course for $10 a time.  I'll probably spend the same amount on golf this year, but this card will ensure that I play more often than last year.

Thinking back on:  the amazing time I had golfing back in Junior College.  Three of my JuCo golf teammates and I have been maintaining a Facebook email thread over the past month reliving the good times we had back in the day.

Golf in Omaha

This past weekend, I played in a 2-man scramble  at Pacific Springs Golf Course with one of my co-workers.  While the weather was chilly and overcast, it wasn't too terrible concidering we were golfing in Nebraska in the middle of November.

It was a shot-gun start tourney, with our first hole being a short par-4, hole number 7.  With the first swing of the day (the course doesn't have a driving range), I belted a good drive down the middle of the fairway.  Come to find out, I drove the green.  We had a nice, but long, eagle putt which both of us missed.  We kicked in the birdie putt and started out the day one under par.

We parred the next hole, a par three, and then birdied hole number 9, a par 5, when I stuck our approach shot to 15 feet and made the putt.  We were 2 under par after three holes.

We proceed to string together 11 pars and 2 bogies in the next 14 holes, putting us even par through 16 holes.  At the long par 3 5th hole, I struck a nice 7 iron to within 20 feet of the pin.  My playing partner sank the putt, putting us back under par.

Our finishing hole was a par-5.  I hit a nice drive just off the fairway.  We both duffed our 2nd shot, and we were 100 yards out on our approach.  I scooped my lob wedge short of the green and my partner pushed his approach left of the green.  After our fourth shot, we settled over a 20 foot par putt, which I sank to keep us under par.

Now this is where the golf gods showed us their evil, ironic sense of humor.  The winning group in the first flight shot 6 under par, with second and third place tying with scores of 5 under par.  The second flight winners tied for first, second, and third place with scores of even par (with the victor being decided by a scorecard playoff).  Had my partner missed the birdie putt, or had I missed the par save on the last two holes, we would have at worst been third place in the second flight.  Instead, our heroic putts on the last two holes made us good enough to be in the first flight, but in dead last place.  If we would have played a stroke worse, we would have won money.  Instead, we got to go home with the knowledge that we played the best we could have that day. 

Bummer.

But, I have to admit that this has been one of the greatest years in my golf life.  I played in three tournaments, two of which were scrambles, and the other was an individual stroke play format.  I worked my handicap down to a 12.8, which is the lowest its been for years.  I golfed at least once every week from April through November, and most of the rounds I played were free.  All in all, I couldn't be a happier golfer, and I can't wait to dust off the clubs next spring.

And here is a breakdown of the golf scene in and around Omaha (including the price I paid, to the best of my memory) which I started a few weeks ago, but never got around to finishing:

Quarry Oaks, Ashland, NE, Public ($55, twilight rate)
Ranked number 55 on the list of top 100 public courses in the U.S. (and number 7 on the most reasonably priced public courses) according to Golf Digest, this course does not disappoint.  While the back-nine was a bit blurry (thanks to my cousin Miah and a case of brewskies), this course is in the top 5 courses I've played.  This tree-lined course wanders along the Platte River.  It contains many elevation changes and every fairway and green is unique and challenging.
(5 STARS)

Champions Run, Omaha, NE, Private (free)
The home to the only professional golf tournament in Nebraska, the Cox Classic, this course is a classic risk/reward course.  There are a handful of reachable par 4's, and all of the par 5's are reachable in two, so long as you can find the fairway from the tee box.  The greens and fairways are impeccably cared for and it was almost a pleasure to play from the sandtraps.
What made this course even more amazing was the fact that I played it every Monday this spring and summer, FOR FREE!!!  One of my co-worker's cousins is on the grounds crew and every Monday, the grounds crew is allowed to play the course.  It was an amazing opportunity that I was more than happy to take advantage. 
(5 STARS)

Pacific Springs, Omaha, Public, ($35)
Excellent layout in central western Omaha.  When I first started my current job, one of my days off was Mondays, and I enjoyed getting to the course for the first tee time of the day and taking in this fine course before any of the other hackers got a chance.
(4 STARS)

Tregaron, Bellevue, NE, Public, ($25-30)
While the front side of this course is fairly benign (I played the front side twice in a row one evening this summer and was only 7 strokes over par), the back side of the course may be my favorite consecutive 9 holes in town.
(4 STARS)

Eagle Hills, Papillion, NE, Public, ($20)
This spring, I played this course at least once a week after they sent our office a booklet of "Buy One, Get One Free" coupons.  Similar to Tregaron, this course's front side meanders through a housing development and doesn't have much character.  The back side, however, is much more challenging and full of character.  I also love that this course has large GPS screens attached to the golf carts, which I believe helps with the speed of play (so long as they haven't over booked, which happens often here on weekends, but you take the good with the bad).
(4 STARS)


Dodge Riverside, Council Bluffs, IA, public ($30)
This course is beside Harrah's Casino in Council Bluffs, across the Missouri River from Omaha.  This course is fairly flat, but is a nice place to play.  It is a classic "city park" layout, with trees seperating the fairways from each other.
(3.5 STARS)

Shoreline, Carter Lake, IA, public ($25-30)
This course was the first course I played when we got out to Omaha, so it has a special place in my golf heart.  I also like this course a lot because it was the first course in which I shot par for 9-holes.  Even though this course isn't too difficult and is fairly short, the greens can be quite tricky.  However, it does appear to be the perfect course for a 3 or 4 person scramble, so hopefully I'll be able to wrangle up a team to take it on.
(3.5 STARS)

Stone Creek, Omaha, NE, public, ($30)
A nice 27-hole course that I played after they sent me a discount coupon.  It had well placed bunkers, which I found often on the front side of the 18-holes I played.  It is a very open course, with few trees, and receptive greens.  This is the type of course that I play well on, but not worth much more than the $30 I paid with an end of the season coupon.
(3.0 STARS)

Tiburon, Gretna, NE, public ($40)
This is a decent course.  It has 27-holes, which means allows for a different look each time it is played.  Each of the 9-holes has one or two tricky holes, but the rest of the holes are fairly plain.
(3.5 STARS)

Platteview, Bellevue, NE, Private ($110 for a two-day tournament)
This was the course I played a tournament at this summer.  The course was built in the 1960s, so it is fairly short compared to modern courses.  But what it lacks in length, it makes up in trees.  This course was challenging, and did not set up well for my game.
(3 STARS)
 

OTHERS:
Tara Hills-- The sister course to Eagle hills, this course is older and not nearly as difficult.  (2.5 STARS)

The Knolls-- An average course in the middle of a housing development.  Nothing too spectacular, but they usually have decent rates that keep me coming back.  (2.5 STARS)

Benson-- this course is near my house, but I've only played it once because they're a bit pricey.

Bonus points to anyone who has read this far.  You are a true golf fan, or really bored at work.  Either way, thanks.

Warren Swigart -- ($10 for 9-holes)  This par-3 course is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our house, and I've enjoyed taking the wife to this course, which she's enjoyed greatly.  It is a nice little executive course, with decent greens, and a nice price tag.

COURSES ON MY "PLAY BEFORE WE LEAVE" LIST
Bent Tree Golf Club, Council Bluffs IA, semi-public -- I've heard good things about this links-style course.

Shadow Valley Golf Course, Woodbine, IA, public, 9-hole. -- Looks like an interesting course in an hour away from Omaha.  

Shadow Ridge Country Club, Omaha, NE, private--just need to find someone who's a member.

Happy Hallow Club, Omaha, NE, private -- just need to find someone who's a member.

Ironwood Golf and Country Club, Omaha, NE, private -- just need to find someone who's a member.

Woodland Hills Golf Club, Eagle, NE -- apparently received high praise from "Golf Digest" in the late 1990s.  I'm going to have to play this one while they have cheep winter rates.

The Club at Indian Creek, Omaha, NE, public-- another of the 27-hole monsters in western Omaha.  I'm going to try to get out there while they have winter rates.

Arbor Links Golf Course, Nebraska City, NE, private -- An Arnold Palmer designed course that looks amazing.  

Wild Horse Golf Club, Gothenburg, NE, public -- This course was the host of the regional finals when I was in Junior College and it was love at first sight.  It was the first course I ever played that had no trees or water hazards, and it was one of the most challenging.  The fairways were wide, and the rough was really tough (hip high prairie grass).  Gothenburg is located on the plains of central Nebraska about 3 hours from Omaha, and I am going to play it again before we leave.

So if you know of anyone who is a member of these private courses, give them my name and let them know I'm always available to fill out a foursome.  And I'm begining to think that Omaha is the perfect place for future weekend golf escapes after we move back to Colorado, especially with the casinos across the river in Council Bluffs, IA, providing evening entertainment.

Omaha Metro Championship-- Day 2

Day two of the Omaha Metro Golf Championship started much the same as day one---a two hour rain delay. Which is good for me, as I am not a good morning golfer. I used the extra two hours to go grab a breakfast sandwich at Burger King and to find my swing.

I got to the first tee at 9:10 am and met my playing partners for the day, Cliff and Rob. I felt as though my swing was in tune, so I took out the driver and put it down the left hand side of the fairway. I topped my approach shot, which left me about 110 yards to the pin. I caught my third shot square and over shot the green. As I went looking for my ball, I realized that OB was only about 5 paces off the back of the green. I made my way back up the fairway, dropped my ball, put shot number 5 on the green and, in my frustration, three putted for a dreaded 8. (2 strokes lost -- penalty + distance, 1 extra putt =3)

Luckily, I was able to clear my mind of the amazingly poor quadruple bogey on the first hole and was able to strike a good drive down the right side of the fairway rough. I had about 210 into the par 5 green, so I put my second shot in front of the green, chipped on, and two putted for a par.

On hole number 3, I put my 5-wood in the fairway, and landed my approach onto the green. But, the pin was tucked in the back of the green and I three putted for a bogey 5. (1 extra putt)

The fourth hole was a 160 yard par 3. I missed the green on my tee shot, chipped on, and two putted for a bogey 4.

I was unable to play the par 4 fifth hole as well as the day before, where I scored a birdie, and took a bogey 5 after missing the green on my approach, chipping on, and 2 putting.

I did however clean up my front nine with four consecutive pars on holes 6, 7, 8, and 9, which gave me a total of 43.

My back nine was much less eventful as the front, with scores of bogey on holes 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17 and 18. I took a par on the par 3 14th and a double bogey on the par 5 16th, for a total of 45.

I carded a total of 88, which was about 4-6 strokes over what I could have potentially scored had I not had the out of bounds penalty on the first hole and had I not three putted two of the holes. I did, however, limit myself to one blowup this round and I had the personally impressive four hole stretch of pars.

After the round, I was proud of myself for improving my score by 6 strokes from the previous round and I would later find out that I was one of the few players in my flight to improve their score on the second day.

I hung around the clubhouse as the rest of my flight trickled in and was pleased to discover that I had tied for day money ($65), which, when combined with the skin from the previous day ($50), was enough money to win back my entry fee.

I was, however, unhappy with the way the tourney was structured, when I discovered that at least 4 of the players in my flight had handicaps under 10.0 and that had I played to my full potential, the best I could have placed in my flight was 5th. There were over 20 strokes difference between my score and the winner of my flight. Had the bottom three flights been structured similarly to the top two flights, with the flights being determined by the scores from the first day, I would have placed 2nd in my flight, with the top 4 players in my flight coming in as the 8-16th place finishers in the third flight. It is a little late to worry about it now, but it is something I may suggest to the tournament organizers for next year.

All in all, I felt very pleased with my performance that weekend. I struck the ball quite well. I also learned that my short game is in need of some practice, but considering how often I play and practice, I was able to hold my own. I ended the tournament in 10th place in my flight (out of 24 players) and in about 100th place out of the 156 competitors in the tournament. I'm not sure if I will play in the tournament next year, but I am sure glad that I got the opportunity to do so this year.

Omaha Metro Golf Championship--Day 1

This is a breakdown of my two rounds during the Omaha Metro Golf Championship. I will breakdown my successes and failures on the course for the two days, and in doing so, hope to learn more about myself and my golf game.

During the two weeks leading up to the tournament, I went to the driving range about a dozen times. At the range, I was able to hone in my ball striking with my irons and eliminate the snap-hook in my driver and fairway metals that had been plaguing me all summer. During this practice period, I carded my first sub-80 round of golf (at the Tregaron Golf Course), as well as two of my best rounds at Champions Run Golf Course, a 41 and a 42. These scores and the time at the practice range gave me confidence going into the tournament.

Through this time, I was also working on building up my mental confidence on the golf course. I have been applying pressure to myself on the golf course by betting on my score and playing a skins game against one of my weekly playing partners, who is a better golfer than I am. In doing so, I hoped to be able to be steadier and more consistent on important tee-shots, approach shots, chips, and putts. By having money on the line during my rounds, I was able to put myself into a competitive frame of mind, instead of just hacking my way around the course. I was more focused on each shot and developed the ability to not let bad shots or holes affect the rest of my round. In short, I felt like I had prepared myself for my first real test on the golf course in years.

The morning of August 15, 2009, I awoke much earlier than I usually do on a Saturday in anticipation of my afternoon round. Then I looked outside and discovered that Mother Nature had different plans for the day. It had rained quite heavily that night, and showed no signs of clearing. After watching the weather report, I knew that the sunny, cloud-free weather I had hoped for was not going to happen. I attempted to keep myself occupied that morning, and went out to the course at about 11:00, with a 12:50 tee-time ahead. Once at the course, I was informed that there had been a two hour delay for the morning rounds, and they were going to have a shot-gun start at 3:15. So I grabbed lunch, and set out to the driving range to loosen up. After hitting a pile of balls, I headed to the putting green to get a feel for the speed of the greens.

Finally, 3:00 rolled around and the morning golfers started to trickle in. At about 3:30, they sent us to our tee-boxes, and, as luck would have it, my tee-box was the furthest from the club house. I arrived at hole number 15 winded, but ready to compete. There I meet my playing partners, Doug and Dave. Doug was a 40-something wood floor installer and Dave was a 60-ish retiree.

I struck a 5-wood down the middle of the fairway of this par 4, leaving myself about 160 yards into a blind green. I missed the green with my approach, chipped on, and 3 putted for double bogey. (Unforced errors for the hole: 1 extra putt)

Hole number 16 was a lay-up par 5. I played a 7 iron off the tee, and pushed it left. I had a tree in the way of my layup, which caused me to punch out. I had about 230 into the green, over a lake, so I hit my hybrid short of the greenside bunker. I chipped on and two putted for a bogey 6.

Number 17 was a 210 yard par three. I pushed my tee shot right of the green, and it ended up underneath a pine tree. I opted to punch out, since an unplayable drop would still leave me no shot at the green. After punching out, I chipped onto the green and proceeded to 4 putt from 15 feet for a quadruple bogey. (Unforced errors: 2 extra putts. Unlucky break: 1 ball under a tree. Total = 3)

The finishing hole of number 18 was a dogleg right par 4. I struck a great drive that cut the corner of the dogleg, but missed the fairway. I struck a nice 9 iron, which landed on the green, for my first green-in-regulation of the day. I 2 putted for a nice par. I left that green happy that I did not allow the previous hole’s quad-bogey get me down. (Blow-up demon: 0, Eric: 1)

Hole number 1 was a straightforward par 4. I put my drive in the left hand rough. My approach came up short, so I chipped on, and 2 putted for a bogey.

On hole number 2, a 494 yard par 5, I hit a monster drive down the right hand side, which ended up in the rough. I left the approach short, chipped on, and 2 putted for a text book par.

I got my second straight par on the par-4 3^rd by hitting the fairway with my 5 wood, getting a green-in-regulation with my 9-iron approach shot, and 2 putting.

The par-3 fourth hole played 161 yards. I made the smart play by missing short right, but goofed up by 3 putting after chipping on. (Error: 1 extra putt)

My best hole of the day came on the 373 yard dogleg left par 4 5^th. I hit my 7-wood into the middle-right of the fairway, which left me with about 140 yards into an elevated green. I pured my 9-iron right at the pin. The ball landed about 8 feet in front of the pin and released toward the pin, just missing the cup, and stopped about 2 feet past the hole for a kick-in birdie. I would learn the next day that this birdie would earn me one of four skins for our flight, which earned me $50. (+1 stroke I was not expecting to get back)

Following that nice birdie, my next tee-shot would come to rest against a large tree. I punched out, into the fairway, missed the green with my approach, chipped on, and two putted for a double-bogey 6. (Unlucky break: 1 ball against a tree)

The last par-5 of the front side was the easiest at 453 yards. I unleashed a great drive down the left handed side of the fairway, which gave me about 200 yards into a bunker protected green. I laid up short of the bunker, left my chip well short of the pin, and took my second 3 putt, for an inexcusable bogey 6. (Unforced error: 1 extra putt)

I rebounded on the 8^th, a 151 yard par 3 with a forced carry over a large lake, by missing the green with my tee shot, chipping to about 4 feet, and tapping in for a par.

I finished the front side with a bogey after hitting the fairway, by landing my approach in the greenside bunker, splashing out, and two putting, giving me a 6-over par 42 (which was exactly what I wanted/expected to score).

I entered my remaining 5 holes with high hopes, only to run out of steam and a shoe full of blisters.

The 10^th hole is a dogleg left par 4. I landed my drive in the fairway, put my approach onto the green, and then took another 3 putts to get the ball in the hole. (Unforced errors: 1 extra putt).

I hit a poor 7-iron off the tee on the three shot par 5 11^th. I then got timid with my second shot, which came up well short of my target, which caused me to lay up short of the pond that guarded the green. My fourth shot carried the green. I then chipped on, and two putted for a double-bogey 7. (Unforced errors: .5 tee shot + .5 fourth shot = 1)

I used my building frustration on my tee shot on the 12^th hole by spanking a drive down the middle of the fairway, which left me about 130 yards into the green. I left the approach short, chipped on, and two putted for a bogey.

The par four 13^th was an extreme dogleg right, with some very large trees and a creek which guarded against big hitters attacking the green from the tee-box. The smart play is to hit a 200-220 yard club into the middle of the fairway, leaving a mid-iron into the green. I pushed my hybrid to the right, cutting the corner a bit tight, and, according to the spotter stationed there, hit a tree, which caused my ball to careen into the creek. I took a penalty drop and attempted to punch out through the trees, but caught it fat and my ball stopped short of the fairway. I then advanced my ball up the fairway. My approach carried the green long, which lead to my chipping on and two putting for my second quadruple bogey of the back nine and my first snowman of the day. (1 tree between my ball and fairway + 1 penalty stroke + 1 unforced error poor punch out = 3)

By the time I reached the 14^th tee-box and my last hole of the day, the wheels had come flying off the proverbial cart, and I was mentally and physically exhausted. I left my 9-iron tee shot well short of the green, but I made a nice chip and two putted for a bogey 4.

I carded a 52 for the back nine, which gave me a total of 94 strokes. I entered the day with the goal of shooting an 85, so I was 9 strokes past that mark. And after tallying up the extra putts and unlucky breaks from the round, I could have potentially shot an 82. But, alas, it was not to be. I exited day one of the two day tournament well away from the lead, but feeling fairly proud of myself for not allowing the early 4 putt to completely derail my round. I had one birdie and four pars about which I could be proud. And I had played the front nine exactly as planned. I went to bed that night, knowing I could and would improve my score, as long as I didn’t have to go to the hospital the next morning and amputate my blister-laden feet.