Just Me

Could it be I’m hitting up on the ball instead of swinging through? You betcha!!

We actually played today. The temp was 33 with a wind chill of 27 when I turned the computer off at 8:30 this morning. It was a tad chilly when we got out there, but it really wasn’t too bad. It did start getting ugly near the end, but definitely not unbearable.

I had way too many clothes on today…I never wear long sleeve shirts, but I had one on today plus a tee shirt and a sweatshirt. I also wore my down vest but that came off when we started playing.

I actually didn’t do too badly. My back was killing me and got worse as the game progressed. The cold didn’t help it, nor did the fact we moved furniture into a newly finished room last night….but it wasn’t good before that, so that’s no excuse.

The season is ending…after the 30th of the month, no more score recording until March…so if you can play in the winter, it’s the time to work out the kinks without having to enter your score for handicap. Having a decent score, in line with my handicap, certainly helped before things shut off for the winter.

I parred 2 of the 4 par 3s and bogeyed the last one, which for me, is OK. Given I was wearing all those clothes, I did OK. I would have loved to have broken 100…close but no kewpie doll.

We finished before the snow that’s supposed to come tonight…just flurries but snow is snow. It is, after all, almost winter here.

If you find you do not mind playing golf in the rain, the snow, even during a hurricane, here’s a valuable tip: your life is in trouble.

It was a tad chilly today…3 of us played…my friend’s husband joined us as there was only going to be the two of us.

It was supposed to be in the mid 50s but I don’t think it ever got that warm. The wind was cool until about the last 3-4 holes and it must have changed direction because it got downright cold. On some holes we were protected but on others…that wind cut right through us.

It was a bad arthritis day, even though I had a decent score. I even got a couple of pars and a birdie. I guess hurting makes me slow everthing down so I do somewhat better. I must say, with a few exceptions, my putting wasn’t too bad. If I can only learn to take my time all the time, I’m sure I’d do better more consistently.

I did have one ball that tried to climb a tree. I thought I was aiming for the tree and should have altered my position, but didn’t (of course, I wanted to go between the big one and the little ones, but my stupid ball went right at the tree. It climbed up about 3 feet before sliding off to the left and landing about 4 feet from the tree. SHEESH!!!

Anyway…I wasn’t unhappy with how I played except on the par 5s which I totally tanked. It’s wearing layers that makes it hard for me. I want my arms bare so I have a full, free, unencumbered swing. I only play in the winter to keep my hand in….

So another opportunity to excel may come Friday…but it’s possible it will rain…so we’ll see.

The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.

Today was a great golf day. We played on a course I’ve played before…not our course. It’s one of my favorite courses, but I don’t get to play it very often.

I took this little camera I bought specifically for carting around the golf course to take pictures. Of course, the cheap piece of crap didn’t work today. I can’t tell you how beautiful this course was with all the beautiful colors of fall everywhere. We were at the base of the mountains and it was glorious. I so wanted to share with you.

Didn’t play as well as I did the last time i played there…when I shot a 95, but my score was respectable. Could have been better…my putting was non-existent. Oh yeah….if there was a tree anywhere for me to hit, I did. I must have hit 5 of them…went through them and had several hit the 10% that wasn’t air. It was definitely a challenging day.

Temps were in the 50s so that made it worth being out there. The sun popped out several times diring the round. It was OK. I had a good time, trees and all.

You can hit a two acre fairway 10% of the time and a two inch branch 90% of the time.

What a bummer…the last day of league and it was so cold yesterday and ungodly windy, with predictions of ever colder weather today, they cancelled the Halloween festivities

Folks were going to dress up, each hole was to be decorated, some of the husbands were going to camp out on several holes and pass out goodies…but they figured (rightly so) that folks wouldn’t show up if it was cold, so they cancelled.

I just came in from the store and it is cold out there…low 40s with wind chills in the 30s. I think, since no one probably showed up, everything, including just going out to play, was cancelled. It’s a shame…I was so looking forward to the festivities. Each hole was to be a different or fun format….but now we have to wait until next year as no one followed up with the pro shop for a rain date (which would have been tomorrow when the temps will warm up) so there’s already a substantial tee sheet….so we wait until next year to try again.

I’m supposed to play in the last tournament of the year on Friday…but I’m still debating whether to do that. My back is really hurting and I’m just not swinging the club well….but it’s supposed to be in the 60s and since we quit Monday and didn’t play today, I need to take advantage of my opportunities as they are, as you can see, dwindling as we move into November. I suspect we have another 2 months of many good golf days (if past times are any indication) but once January rolls around, they will be few and far between until mid-March. So I’ll wait until tomorrow to see what’s predicted.

So no golf news today…just frustration at not being able to play

The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all of your many other errors.

We played 6 holes. It was cloudy, extremely windy and that wind was nasty cold, and it was awful playing. It seeemed that none of had our heads in the game as we were all playing abysmally. I even tore up the score card after 4 holes.

It was not a pretty day to be out there. Too many clothes hinders preformance and I’ve got too much going on in my head to really concentrate. And, even though my friends wussed out, I wasn’t unhappy and went along without hesitation.

We went across the street for coffe and good talk. Sat there for about an hour (but I spent about 20-30 minutes chatting with the pro who is just too cute) and chatted and enjoyed the warmth.

So Wednesday is our last league day. It’s the annual Halloween golfing event so it will be a lot of fun, even if it’s going to be frigid out there. It being the last day, I will be there.

Enjoy another sight of our beautiful community….

Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing.

It was cold out there today. Cloudy and no wind until about hole #8. Then a cold, north wind pulled in and it got ugly. The sun popped out for about 3 minutes, but that was it.

So why did i go out there? Well…my good frind, who I worked with before I reitred, came out to play. I asked another couple to join us and off we went like crazy people, playing in this cold weather.

I birdied the 3rd hole. It’s a long par 5 but if you keep it on the fairway, at least paring it is easy. I had four very nice shots and in she went. It was actually the highlight of the  round. I did have several bogeys, which isn’t bad. I didn’t break 100 but I was very, very close

It was a nice day…good folks to be playing with and I didn’t get angry when I got stupid, so I waws happy. All in all, a good day to be on the golf course….so I avoided all the work I left sitting for me to do

Another opportunity arises Monday. Tomorrow it will rain, if we get what they’ve promised. I’ll sit and watch it from the comfort of the house where it will be dry and warmer than it will be outside!

Golf is like marriage: If you take yourself too seriously it won’t work , and both are expensive.

Another image by our wonderful photographer:

That, my friends is another $64,000 question. It was very cold and with the wind chill (yes, the wind chill is definitely a factor now), it was in the 30s and 40s today. Winds gusted to 25mph. Saying playing was a challenge today would be an understatement.

Seems my scores are going back up. Shot 10 strokes higher today than I did last Wednesday. That’s a bummer!! I played with great folks though, so that makes up for the terrible conditions. I never broke a sweat…so I know it was cold.

As an afterthought this morning, I checked by bag to see if my winter golf gloves, winter cap and ear protectors were in my bag. They weren’t so I’m glad I checked. I needed the ear protection badly, especially when we first started out and I needed the winter gloves, just for the first hole. Then my hands were OK. Those gloves warm my hands nicely, but they makes it most difficult to to get anything out of your pocket (like tees and balls and repair tools).

I’m not particularly fond of playing in those conditions, but you do what you have to do to play. I do like it a bit warmer and the wind less blowy!

I took a couple of more pictures…not much has changed since Monday, but there was one very yellow tree on Hole #2 and the view up to the tee boxes from behind the green on 18 was pretty so I’m sharing them with you today.

Golf is the only sport where the most feared opponent is you.

Tree on Hole #2

Hole #18

I was clobbering my tees today. Decapitated all 5! Poor babies. Only lost 1 ball on a pretty second shot on the #1 handicap hole. I should have been on in 3…but I won’t go there because i wasn’t even close.

I had another good opportunity to break 100 but it wasn’t meant to be. I did come in First Low Net last week in the league’s tournament, so all is not lost. Ended up a with a 68 net. If only I could shot that gross!! I can dream can’t I??

Anyway…I ended up with a decent score…for my handicap. Of course, I always want to be under my handicap so I’m never happy. Oh well!

Fall is starting to show it’s colors. Below are some shots I took today on the course.

An interesting thing about golf is that no matter how badly you play; it is always possible to get worse.

Fall 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t play on Monday…my nsaid stopped working last week. Had to get an same day appointment to see a doc to get more meds. I needed a couple of days for it to get into my system. This stuff doesn’t work as well (but it’s better than nothing) so I was hoping I’d be pain free today. I wasn’t but since I hadn’t played in a week, the good Donna showed up.

I only 3 putted a couple of holes, one or two putted most and got a birdie chip-in putting just off the green. All in all, it was a good day.

I didn’t screw up too badly…my worst score was only a 7 and that was on par 5’s so I can’t complain. Now…why can’t that person show up every day to play? That is the $64,000 question (for those of you old enough to understand that reference!) 

Anyway…first time in a month I broke 100. It looks like I’m going to have to wait until next year to break 90, but I still have 2 1/2 months left to this year, so anything’s possible…hope springs eternal!!

I only got in one bunker today and had a great out! I really have nothing to complain about…oh I suppose I could find something, but I won’t. I’m actually a happy camper today.

Only thing that makes me sad is there are only 2 more weeks for league play. I do enjoy it….but now we can get tee times for any day since all the leagues end the last of October. And, the leaves are starting to change, so I’ll try to remember to bring my camera out and take some pictures. Some of the holes that are wooded are so pretty this time of year.

Below is a picture of our 17th hole at sunrise. We have an amazing photographer who lives here and takes the most glorious shots around the community. This is one of his…thank you Ed…

If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.

League Day!! Why would I think I would get on.

Today was the Susan G. Komen Rally for the Cure. Everyone was pretty much decked out in pink! We had a closest to the pin event on 18.  We were the 5th group to play 18. I was the only one (up to that point) who even drove the green and stayed on. I’m sure someone beat me….but that’s OK. It’s always fun to not only get on the green, but to play it well and par it!

Then I bogeyed the 1st hole, pared the second na dbogeyed the third!! Off to another good start…chance to pull out a decent score - NOT!! I played like crap. I did, at least, find some of my short game. It wasn’t a total bust like yesterday, but close enough for me.

These are not tournament rounds so after 20 rounds they’re gone anyway. sigh!

I’m not playing again until Monday…so maybe I can get some rest and regroup!! Let’s hope, anyway!!

It’s not a gimme if you’re still away.