Club Championship

Me knows better than to say this... but I will. Golf is an easy sport when you don't have your hands gripping your throat while trying to putt. Yesterday all I saw were 4 and 5 footers for par and it was tough to keep breakfast down standing over these all day.

But fortunately they double cut and rolled the greens so they ran true. All that was needed was to get the ball rolling and hope the cup got in the way. Very fast - very difficult pin positions. The greens keeper must have wanted to humble us and remind us we were not that good. Luckily I was getting the ball rolling straight and most fell in. Not sure how that happened, but take them when you can. I'd better just take the 38 / 40 and run home.

On Sunday:
It could have been worse. One guy I played with took a 9 on a par 5. This even after he got there in 3. Yes... for those of you scoring at home that is 6 putts... Or in the common vernacular - a 6 jack. I've 4 jacked a few greens, but never 6 times. (He should've used the old Sevie Ballestros line after the announcer asked him what happened to him when he 5 putted a hole. Sevie's reply was, "Well, I miss, I miss, I miss, I miss, I make). After watching that 6 putt, it made me lose my cookies on the next hole as everyone in the group was a little more cautious. So I easily 2 putted from 2 feet.

On the bright side everyone had the same nerves as scores were not as low as expected and I shot 38 on the front and brought the clunker home with a smooth 43 on the back. I was burning oil, threw a piston and was running on two flats... the other two wheels just happened to fall off after watching the 6 jack and then the vehicle caught fire smouldering all the way home. I was surprised I could even bring the club back to swing it.

On the par five 18th hole, I drove it into the fairway bunker. Then I smoothed a safe six iron into the next fairway bunker, leaving 103 yards to a back pin directly over a deep pot bunker... oh by the way... also into the wind to help me out. I proceeded to hit the perfect pitching wedge pin high and with all the luck I had (and the sand and wind combination), spun it back 30 feet. Those are really fun to watch on TV and to impress your friends... but that wasn't the time on the last hole of the club championship. But two putts later (with a knee knocking 4 footer for par above the hole), I could finally breathe and find a little moisture in my mouth... just glad to have it over with and somehow never having seen any part of the 515 yard fairway.

But all in all, it turned out pretty good. Second place (behind by 1) in the first flight... not all that bad. It should have been much worse based on the way I played. Next year, I'll try to loosen the grip around my throat.