Golf Is Life...But So Is Moving and Getting Married

     As I get older, life and golf have a tendency to collide. When they hit, there is a massive crash that can be heard the world over.  Things have a tendency to order themselves into priorities in ways we don't always want them to align.  Sometimes we have to just "suck it up" and be mature about life.
     To be honest, I would rather be out playing golf, especially with my wife. That is not going to happen.  I am going to take the mature road and stay home to do the chores that need to be done here around the house.  We just moved into a house and there is unpacking to do.  The yard beckons.  Oh well, choices and priorities.
     Hey wait a minute.  Something just dawned on me.  I am a golf writer.  That is my job.  Playing golf is part of what I do for a living and work is a very mature thing to do.  It is a great day, the weather is beautiful and I think I am going to go to work.  Where are my sticks?
     What's that dear?  I need to hang the pictures in the living room.  We have to cut the grass and weed the flower beds.  All the moving boxes need to be broken down and placed in the recycle bin.  OK, I'm coming.   Can we play golf tomorrow? We'll see?  O.K.

Here's the first tee and starter.  Haven't seen one of these in a long time.

Merion: What An Open

     I was a bit skeptical.  The decision to return to Merion Country Club was a good one and I was excited. However, I thought that the course was too short to host a U. S. Open and I was not the only one with that line of thinking. To that, I want to share this story.
     About three years ago I played in a tournament that was played in Monterey, California at  a course called Monterey Pines.  The course is one of my favorites and was celebrating the Grand Opening of the course after several years of renovation.  Owned by the Navy and referred to as the Navy Course, it is located on the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey close to the Monterey Airport and Monterey County Fairgrounds.  I am not going to say much about the course other than it is short and a fantastic test of golf.  I got to the course and was eager to play in the tournament.  I wondered who was going to be on my team as it was a four-person scramble event.
     The three other players on my team were an interesting mix.  First there was Al, who was the director of the Naval Postgraduate School.  Next, there was Jim, who was the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Lemoore.  We became good friends, by the way, and played golf together in Fresno many times.  The third and last member of our group was Ron Read, who is the starter for the U.S.G.A.. Ron rode with me and we chatted about many things golf and otherwise.
     Just a short time before we played the Monterey tournament, the U.S. Open rotation was announced and Merion was on the list.  I was curious about this, but very happy.  Lee Trevino's victory and the wicker baskets were very clear in my mind.  So, I started to talk about the 2013 open and Merion with Ron.
     "So Ron, I saw the courses slated in the U.S. Open pool and was very excited.  I also noticed that The Open is going to return to Merion.  That is great that The U.S.G. A. is going to return to such a great classic course.  I am kind of wondering what the winning score is going to be on such a short course.  What is your prediction?  Would you say about ten to twelve under?  The long hitter of today should tear up such a short course."
     A wry smile came over his face. It was as if he knew something I didn't.  I get that smile from a lot of people.  Maybe I don't know as much as I think I know, but that is another story. He very calmly and simply said to me in a very authoritative voice, "They are going to be lucky to break even par. We're ready for them."
     That was the end of our conversation about Merion.  It wasn't that we wanted to continue the conversation about Merion, its just that the tournament was progressing and we had shots to hit. We proceeded to talk about many other golf related topics, but never returned to the subject of the open at Merion.
      What was Justin Rose's winning score at Merion?  Oh yes, it was +1. I guess Ron was right. The great lady of Merion withstood the onslaught and won.  Sometimes, bigger is not better.  
   
   
   
     

I Feel For Phil

     I know how you feel, Phil.  I have been there before, maybe not with the U.S. Open on the line but I have been there and feel your pain. I am with you, and you are my brother.
     I couldn't watch the final round of the U.S. Open this year as I was at a Father's day gathering with family.  I was curious as to what was happening, but didn't want to know because my wife was recording the tourney so that we could watch it later when we got home.  I was pulling for "Lefty".  There had to be a first Open for him. But alas, this was not to be this day.  Also, we wound up not watching the tourney because we found out the results while we were eating hamburgers at Red Robin and the basketball game was on.  Unfortunately, as Ricky Bobby would say, second place is first looser. Second place hurts, especially when you are so close.  That is part of the game, I suppose but it still hurts.
     As many of my friends know, I play tournament golf.  It is not at the caliber of  "Lefty" as my challenges are of the local club variety, but they are tournaments nevertheless. When I play these tourneys I am subject to the same emotions and pressures as a professional, maybe not as intense but still the same. Lee Trevino said it best when he said, "Pressure is when you are playing for five dollars and you only have three dollars in your pocket."
     I have won many times, as has Phil. I have also felt the hurt of coming in second or of finishing "out of the money" as well. If you look at it though, that is the beauty of the game.  There is always a "next time" and we always come back. Tomorrow is another day. We play because we enjoy the game and competition.  Winning is great and we play to win but don't always.  The bottom line is that we play a fun game,sometimes a strange and funny game but we don't give up because it is so much fun.
     In a tournament, I blew an eleven stroke lead with four holes to play.  Another tournament saw my partner and I needing a three putt to win and wound up six putting to finish out of the money.  I have been beaten 6-5 in match play, but I still keep coming back to play. One tournament saw me playing with a pulled hamstring which was healthy at the beginning of the round and hurting badly on the last seven holes.  I finished the tournament and my team was only one stroke out of the money. Yes, it is only a game, but a game that is addictive and I will be back for more.
     Happy 43rd birthday Phil!  I am with you and you will get your Open.

We just keep soldiering on.

     
             

I've Been Away From My Post For Far Too Long

     I thought it was time to get back to my golf blog.  I have been away for far too long.  I have to apologize for that as I am in the middle of writing a book under a contract and really haven't had a lot of extra time.  Well, I am going to get back to this as I love to write and I love to write about golf. At any rate, I want to thank all of you who have been reading and laughing with me.  I assure you that there will be more to come.
     The book I am writing is about another sport, baseball. I will have more information about that later.  The other day, my collaborator and I were at a baseball game and he introduced me to a lot of people as he is my writer. I was proud of this and proud that he was working with me.  But, I did realize after the subject of golf came up that I am most at home when I am writing about golf. So, it is time to get back to writing about it.  It is time to come home.

 

It's Not Rain, It's Liquid Sunshine

     What do you do if it rains?  How about if it looks like it is going to rain but isn't raining yet? What about if you are going to go out of town and the forecast is for rain, but it isn't raining?  What do you do? Are you going to play golf?  Go for it!
     I must admit that I am getting older and my thoughts about this have changed and are becoming a bit more conservative.  I will not play in a tornado or a hurricane.  If it is super cold and it looks like snow, no way. I draw the line at wind, hard rain and cold. I will play though if it is raining, provided it is a light rain and not too windy. It just depends.
    Where I am playing also has a role in the decision.  If I am playing at my local club and I know that I will be back and it is raining like cats and dogs, forget it.  However, if I am playing Spanish Bay in Monterey I am going to finish the round no matter how miserable the conditions.  In fact, I have finished a round there in a driving rainstorm.  It took me a week to defrost and to dry up, but it was well worth the trouble. Have you ever been to Monterey to play golf?  If you have, you know what I mean and the suspension of sanity to finish the round.

The day at Bayonet. Forecast called for heavy rain. We took a chance.

     I am pretty good at watching what the weather will do.  Most of the time I am fairly accurate, but I have been fooled. Many times I have played on a day where my companions have bailed out on me because of the weather forecast.  The day turned out quite nice and the weather turned from wicked to delightful. This has happened many times, the weather going from bad to good. It has also happened the other way as well and what looked like a day where the rain will hold off turns into a torrential rain . You just have to know the signs. If you can get it in, do it!
     Recently, I was invited to play Bayonet Golf course in Monterey with two friends. Of course, rain was in the forecast and of of the two friends bowed out because of the forecast and the fact that it was raining where we live.  Yes, it was iffy to go over and take the three hour drive to go over and play.  We went over and it did rain on us on the way over.  I did check the weather map and it showed clearing in the Monterey area.  It was cloudy most of the day, but the sun did poke out and the clouds broke with the sun shining for most of the rain.  It was chilly, but pleasant and we got the round in. We had a ball.  So much for chickening out. The course was in fantastic shape and we enjoyed the trip.
     The game was invented in Scotland.  I will leave this thought today with a story that actually happened to a friend of mine.  He was on vacation in Scotland and wanted to play golf at St. Andrews Old Course, and was fortunate to get on and hired a caddy to get him around the course. The weather was threatening when they teed off and it rained for most of the round. When my friend expressed his doubts about the round and how it may be rained out his caddy responded by saying, "Aye, Laddie.  "Tis a wonderful day to play golf.  This is the way the game is meant to be played."
           

Play Together

     There is more to golf than just a game.  We all know what takes place during the round as far as relating to good friends.  The fellowship that happens on the course continues long after the round in the nineteenth hole, as the round is hashed over and stories are told. That is the greatness of the game, it's not just a game but a social experience that allows good friends to come together.
     Many times I have gone out to the course by myself.  Usually, I will hook up with three other golfer that are for the most part strangers.  Of those golfers I have met up with this way, many have become good friends. By the end of the round we have gotten to know one another and have related stories of families and other life experiences, not to mention the the golf stories that all golfers tell each other. That is the wonderful nature of golf, not only as a sport but as a social event.

Friends.  You can imagine the conversations.

     I hope to see you out on the course soon.  Maybe we can play together so that I can get to know you better.  I know one thing, as I golfer we can call each other friends and we can enjoy the round together.  

Hmmm...What to do today?

     I'll tell you what I am going to do today.  I'm going to play golf.  In fact, I don't have time for a lengthy post because we will miss our ten o'clock tee time.  I really am back in the saddle again, with apologies to Gene Autry.  I don't have to pay his estate a royalty, do I.  If there are any attorneys out there, please let me know.  I don't have anything to defend myself in a lawsuit, let alone pay out a settlement. Oh wait, I did pay out a settlement, and that is why I can't suffer through another one.

     I am so glad that Denise, my fiancee, plays golf.  We enjoy playing the game together. She is playing with me today. Life is so good.  Let's take a look at the day on the course. The weather will be sunny and warm with temps in the 70's.  The course is green and the greens are fast. I will be playing with a great friend and my fiancee with high expectations of some great fellowship time. What I shoot is not important, the experience is what matters.  I am playing golf today.