January Golf

Tuesday January 10th was beautiful, and thanks to Ceil scheduling appointments at noon and six pm, I was able to sneak in nine holes after giving my car a needed washing. Will had been itching to go, and I was still able to surprise him with the trip. The first tee was vacant, so we were able to get off quickly. Making good time was important because I couldn’t be late for the six o’clock, and traffic would be an issue.

I decided to focus on swinging easily, without tension or hitting it too hard. My first drive sailed near my clean car, so I eased up and put one in play. Then a nice five wood short of the bunker, followed by a chip just over the green with my eight-iron. Two putts for a bogey five…nice start.

Hit the five wood high and short on two. Will was proud that he out-drove me with a four iron. He had trouble with his woods on the first hole, and stuck with his irons the rest of the day. I tried out the new Lynx wedge…bad idea…three times. I was getting tense.

Will lost two tee shots right on three. His swing was all messed up…picking up his front foot, turning his hips way to quick. I hit two seven-irons short. The shortest one was the less dangerous route to the green, but I picked the tougher chip, and put it over the green into the brush. I hacked it up in the air back onto the green and two-putted for a five.

On four Will got hold of one and sent it over the green. My five-iron was nice and high, but faded right. I putted from far off the green halfway close, better than I could’ve chipped, then twice more for a bogey.

Five was twenty yards long, so my five-iron was short of the green. Will was shorter, but hit a low chip that rolled just past the hole. He missed the par putt. My long approach putt faded left, so again I finished bogey.

Hit a long, low driver into the creek on the left on six, though I wish I could hit more low ones like that. My second drive went right, into familiar territory. Then I hit a real nice five wood around a tree. Evidentially Will hit a nice long fairway shot. While walking to my next shot I found my first ball in the creek. I’m never in the left side of this fairway, and I was amazed to find three more balls in the creek. Two were identical new balls that someone had just lost. The grass was so short that my next shot, a worm-burner, rolled fifty yards to the green…and over and past. OK chip and another two putt for a six on the ‘long’ par four…I couldn’t complain.

Will hit another tee shot right. He seems to always hit them over into the eighth fairway. As usual, there were three balls over there, but this time Will was careful not to hit someone else’s ball. My drive was my best shot of the day, straight to the top of the hill. Hit a five-iron next. Felt real good, but it was short. Then I discovered I left my new best friend, my eight-iron, back at the sixth green, after using it to chip. So my nine-iron worked out well, and I two putted for a bogey five.

On eight Will nailed another four-iron just left of center, and it bounced down the hill about as good as you can hit one. I hit another nice straight drive, though again it was more high than I’d like. I hit a two nice nine irons exactly alike, though both were just a little long and left. Chipped onto the sandy green and two-putted again for another bogey five. While Will took both bags to the ninth green, I jogged back to six to retrieve my eight-iron. On the way back I found Will’s Nike ball near the creek, as well as another ball next to it.

I can never reach the uphill ninth green from the tee. Hit a nice high five-wood and chipped onto the green. Had a nice first putt up the hill and drained the second putt for a four…not bad at all. Except for the disaster on two, I had six bogeys and 2 doubles.

Will also carded a 46, with a par on eight, two bogeys, five doubles, and one triple. Found two balls on the street while we were driving off, and northbound traffic on the connector wasn’t bad at all.

We had time for a leisurely snack at Taco Bell before meeting up with Ceil at the Earharts. Made it to Dr. Pipe’s fifteen minutes early. Afterwards I scoped out four McDonalds looking for the Lucy Narnia toy before Anna said she could get one from her friend Molly. I was worn out by the time we made it home at 9:30. Anna and I also hit the library, Old Navy, Wendy’s, Publix, and the post office.