Golf

In the summer of '96, I really got in to playing three-par golf. I had never taken any lessons, but the holes were short so it didn't really matter. Instead of going to the movies or out to lunch Anne, Sarah or Mac and I used to go golfing. I wasn't any good, but it was just fun to be outside.

When Joel and Aimee were here we all went out to play golf at Edgefield. This was the first time I had played in nearly a decade and I had the additional handicap of Megan strapped to my chest the entire day, but it was still just as fun to be outside and whacking at a little white ball with a big metal stick. Heck, I even hit par on one hole!

So on Saturday when Mac wanted to play a round at the Lincoln Hills course, I reluctanly agreed. We left Megan with Grammy Barb and headed out. This was my first time on a regular course and I found it quite frustrating! It seemed like it was way more fun to suck on a three par course! But at the end of the day I finished with a score of 92 - not bad for a first timer! Of course, I used all the ladies' tees, which made the holes a little shorter. Oh, and did I mention we only played nine holes?? Yes, my goal for the day was double-par, something I hit on only two holes! I had a few good shots but way more bad ones!

Despite my lousy performance, I did have a few spectacular acheivements. The seventh hole was a par three with the golf cart path crossing the fairway about a quarter of the way out. By this point, I was mentally saying things like "Just hit the f-ing sh-t out of the ball (I told you I was frustrated!)." So on the 7th I did just that. Unfortunately, I have a problem getting lift and so my ball hit the golf cart curb and bounced past the men's tee, a good 30 yards behind where I had started!!

And this came after my feat at the third hole, a par four with a swampy water hazard between the tee and the fairway. The ladie's tee, however, was politely placed on an artificial platform directly above the pond, making it fairly easy for the suckiest of sucky players (like me) to clear the hazard. So I teed off and my ball sailed safely over the water, only to hit the split-rail fence on the opposite side, causing my ball to bounce back into the muck! What a stupid game! I did however, manage to stay out of the sand all day, which was my original strategy (next time, I will have to add "no backwards ricochets" to my game plan).

But despite my terrible performance and raging high blood pressure, I had a fairly good time and enjoyed being out with Mac on a nice day and an interesting course with lots of board walks, water, and even a tunnel.