I'm a pretty bad golfer... but I love to play. Haven't played as much this summer as I had hoped, and as a result, my game has suffered. I'm not the type to go to the range 4 times a week to work on the little things that make a bad golfer, a mediocre golfer. On a good day, I'm in the high 90's. On a bad day, I fall in the 105 range.
Seems like there has been just enough going on over the last few weeks, that just didn't have time to squeeze in a round. However, last weekend was wide open, so my buddy Grant and I headed out for an early Saturday round at Minor Park. For those folks that don't know, Minor isn't exactly the toughest course in town. It's relatively short and for the most part, wide open... but it's well taken care of and for the most part, the folks in the pro shop are pretty nice. I've been having trouble with my driver all summer, so decided to keep it in the bag for as long as possible. The longest par 4 on the course (from the blues) is #18 at 355 yards. So I decided to just hit 4 irons off the tee on everything but the 2 longest par 5's.
The first hole was a little rocky, but it always is when it's been a while since you've swung a club. The next 3 holes are par 3, par 4 and par 3 again (this is where the bottleneck always seems to occur). Strangely enough, the 4 iron off the tee was working. If I had to guess, I'd say I was getting about 210-215 yards off the tee and either in the fairway or only a few yards off in the rough. That's a good thing, because even though Minor is pretty wide open, there are plenty of trees that come in to play if you get too deep in the rough. I was able to card 2 pars on the front at 6 and 7. For a front 9 score of 47. That's plenty good for a hack like me that hasn't played in a while.
Grant grabbed a six pack at the turn, and we were headed to the back 9. Dancing w/ the one that brung me, I stuck with the trusty 4 iron and we were off.
Put up pars on 10 and 11 and then a bogey on the par 3, 12th. Then came 13. It's a short par 4 (266 yards), but is a swift dogleg to the left. Most bad (right handed) golfers slice... meaning when they hit the ball it goes from left to right, and does so in a hurry. So, this hole is a deceptive challenge for the slicers in the group. Me included. Stepped up to the tee, plannnig to just drop it down the middle of the fairway, just far enough to get around the corner and see the flag. Talk about luck... Hammered the ball down the left hand side w/ enough right to left that it apparently caught the cart path and rolled up to the edge of the green. Not sure what was luckier, my tee shot or the 12 foot pitch that rolled in for an EAGLE!!!!! First eagle of my distinguished golfing career (saved the ball, in my display case).
The eagle went to my head, and I got a little sloppy on the next 3 holes, before a birdie on 17. Standing on the par 4, 18th tee w/ a 36 on the back/83 on the card. My best is a 91 at Painted Hills, so I can taste my best round ever... I'd avoided the 60 yard wedge shot that only goes 15 yards all day until now. It was an adventure getting on the green, and when I did get on, it was to the single furthest point on the green from the hole. Had about a 60 foot putt for bogey, and for once, rolled it past the hole by about a foot (instead of leaving it 6 feet short). Grant, knowing that I was having a good round was feeling generous and gave me the putt. I politely declined, saying something dumb about wanting to putt out on my best round.... I missed the putt. Carded a 7 and walked off in disgrace with a 90. Shit.
Not even going to bother with what happened. The picture pretty much sums it up. While he technically wasn't arrested, this picture and his meltdown at The British, should pretty much put an end to any chance of a legitimate return to professional golf. He'll probably hang around on the fringe because he's is so talented... but don't plan on seeing him play on a Saturday or Sunday anytime soon. Too bad. 
