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GOLF

For a change of pace, I played a round of golf with my son last night.
He managed to get off work early and we were on #1 tee box at 5:20.
It was extremely hot and very little wind but the course was ours. Nobody was playing in front of us or behind us. We played at our own pace and enjoyed the serenity of the course. That's pretty much the way of golf 55 years ago when I was playing. The game wasn't played at the pace everyone was playing, be it fast or slow. It was at whatever pace you wanted to play. We had a blast. I would have loved to have played better but maybe next time.
 
We had so much fun last week that we played again last night. Our tee time was 5:40. I've never seen a course so busy that time of day. Come to find out, it was a special event for people with special needs.
It was good on them to be playing the game and very good of the course to accommodate them. It was bad that they gave us a tee time when they knew they had the event scheduled. We finally managed to tee off just before six. We sat at the second tee box watching the group in front of us struggle. They were having a blast. We were not. We ended up jumping around the course, which you never do, and played holes that had nobody on them. We waited here and there but we never held anyone up. By the time the sun was setting we had played every hole, not in order, but we played them. I've never played such a crazy 18 holes of golf. The group we were supposed to be playing behind was just finishing #9 hole when we parked our cart. It was very evident that they had a very fun early evening of golf. We had a great time too. Both of us shot our best rounds ever at that course.
 
We worked in a round of golf tonight, my son and I. The course was near empty so we were able to play at our own pace. I had a lousy front nine but made up for it in the back nine. I ended up tieing my best round and my son shot a stroke better than his best at the course. It was a good night.. a bit windy but a lot cooler.
 
A few weeks ago my son and I played another round after he got off work. Thursday night is league play which we weren't aware of nor informed. Our tee time was in the middle of their tee times and pretty much ruined the night for us. We played a few holes then jumped to the back nine. Again, shame on the clubhouse for not informing us.
We did meet some of the league players and they invited us to join.
It's something we might do next year.

A bit over a week ago my son treated me to a round for my birthday.
Neither of us played all that great but it was a fun day out. We had an early morning tee time and it was almost chilly the first few holes. My son had a small window for the round so we played a bit faster than we liked. We didn't play that bad and each of us had a few great shots and some pars to hang our hats on.

After playing as much as I have, it has become obvious that I have a glaring gap in the distances I can hit the ball. I have to have an excellent shot for me to hit the ball 150-160 yards with the clubs I have. With that in mind, I ordered a 5 wood that matches my set to fill that gap. With the new club I hopefully won't have to have that perfect shot to cover that distance. I've not received the club yet but have used my son's and liked what it did for my game.

I'm always anxious to play and can't wait to get on the course again.
 
My 5 wood arrived today. I was busy helping my son remove the injured sod surrounding his outdoor living and replacing with new healthy sod. Without a chance to go play any golf I'm going to get out early AM tomorrow and hit a bucket or two of balls. I'm anxious to see just what my new 5 wood will do. The club was on sale with free shipping which greatly influenced my purchase. That and the thought it will help my game. I need all the help I can get. :)
I've got to get home before kick off. :)
 
It was pretty windy today and blowing directly in my face at the range.
I didn't get a fair assessment of my new 5 wood but it was fun to hit some balls with it. I managed to get home in time to see the Chiefs play some bad football.
 
I hit the range this morning. It was a bit cool but zero wind. I like my new 5 wood. It's a pretty consistent 150 yard club for me... and I needed just that. I'm anxious to play a round with it.
 
Topgolf! My son has enjoyed two outings with friends at a Topgolf facility in another state. It's not mini golf or traditional golf but an entirely different slant on the game. A party rents a bay and play assorted games hitting golf balls at targets. The bays are climate controlled, HDTV or music to entertain, servers bringing drinks and snacks, clubs to use, and tracking golf balls to track your shots and keep your score. It is designed to entertain everyone and not just weekend warriors. Today, Topgolf has come to my area. Today is their debut and the official grand opening is Monday. I'm excited to take in the Topgolf experience. With heated bays, it will expand the golf window if it's as fun as my son lets on. Here are pics of a Topgolf facility.
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Dannydet said:
Yes, my area has a Topgolf.
Nice with a group of friends or family.
Highly recommended.
Click to expand...
That's two positive votes. My son said it's not golf but a great way to spend time with friend or family. His wife has never played and had a great time at Topgolf. Drinks and snacks while doing something I love can't be bad. I see their prices are cheaper than a round of golf but the time per dollars spent is much less playing traditional golf. A shorter golf window would work well for my son that has family and job to absorb his time. Being retired, I can spend hours playing traditional golf without cutting into obligations. I can't imagine Topgolf trumping my enjoyment of a round of golf but should prove to be a great winter or short window alternative.
 
Unless plans run awry, my first Top Golf experience is planned for the 27th. My son is off work between the holidays and has invited me to try out the new facility. It is supposed to be in the mid forties and with the heated bays it should be warm enough to comfortably hit some golf balls. I'm pretty excited. My son and his wife tried the place out a week or so ago and had a blast. Rental for a bay for two hours during prime Saturday time and drinks and some eats cost just under $200. That seems a little steep but if you share the bay rental it becomes more desirable. Our planned trip is on a Tuesday when bays rent for half price which will make the outing quite reasonable.
 
I still haven't tried the Top Golf. Half priced Tuesday was completely booked up. We decided to wait until today, Thursday, and give it a go. Today, though very windy, was unusually warm for this time of year. We decided to play a round of golf instead of doing Top Golf. We had a great time and both of us played well. The course wasn't busy which always leads to a better time. It was a great day to be on the course. Though I still haven't had the Top Golf experience, I'm not a bit sorry I spent the day on a golf course.
 
The temps neared sixty today with very little wind. I went to the range and worked through a bucket of balls. Though it's been less than two weeks since I last played, I struggled to strike the ball well. I had some good shots but they were few and far between. The more I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong the worse my shots became. That's pretty much the nature of the beast for me. It was a fun morning though frustrating. I packed up my clubs and headed for home and grabbed my bike. I don't struggle to ride my bike. :)
 
Since my post above, the weather here as been crummy. If it warmed up enough to get outside it was just crazy windy. Today, was an exception and with a predicted high of mid sixties and no wind, my son and I tried to get on a course to play a round. All of the courses were booked up and a 3 PM was the best tee time we could book. Teeing off that late, we had little chance of completing a round so we called it off. We set up in my back yard and spent some time chipping at a target. It was just too nice to stay inside.
 
The weather forecast for Sunday is a doable golf day. I've got a tee time for the afternoon. It should prove interesting being as I haven't played since the last of December. :)
 
It was a bit chilly and the sky was overcast today but it was still fun to play a round of golf. I didn't play well at all but had a few good shots. I came closer than I ever have to hitting a hole in one. I left an eighteen inch putt after my ball lipped the cup on a par three. I made up for it a few holes later by hitting my ball into a creek. I wasn't expecting to shoot well being as I haven't played golf for two months. I was spot on with my expectations. :)
 
You asked for my story, so don't gripe about getting it! Here it is, sad as it is...

Back in the day I used to golf. And bowl. I was pretty good at both of them. I'd average about a 72 on the golf course and about a 230 in the bowling alley. Not bad at all.

Then I got married and, over time, a strange transition took place... my golf and bowling scores switched. I got to where I would bowl a 72 and golf a 230 (don't laugh... I got my money's worth out of the greens fees every time. I was out there all day!). I got so bad that by the time I finished 18 holes the course looked like the lunar landscape. I'm not sure which spent more time in the gutter: my bowling ball or my language. I finally got a letter from PGA, officially banning me from any course that didn't have a windmill on it. That pretty much signaled the end of both sports.

I can tell people, then, that when I got married I gave up my balls.
 
Another two months have passed since my last round of golf. Tomorrow my son and I have tee time on our favorite course. He's taking an extra day off before he leaves on a vacation. I might not play well but I'm looking forward to playing and spending some time with him. We are playing in the morning with temps in the low sixties to low seventies with a bit of SE wind. It will be a good time. I'm excited. I hope I can still swing a club.
 
I managed to play all 18 holes today and didn't hurt anyone. :) I had a great time but didn't play well. It felt all wrong and the more I tried to correct this or that it got worse. When the score was tallied I shot the same score as the last time I played... two month ago. It seemed worse. It still was a sorry round. I guess it's unrealistic to improve your game by watching it on TV. :)
I need to play a lot more often. The best part of playing today was I was playing.
 
My game when I played all the time was in the low to mid eighties. Playing on the high school golf team, we played at least 11 holes Monday through Wednesday, 9 holes to qualify on Thursday, and 18 holes in a tournament Friday. I often played on the weekends as well. Playing every day one can't help but improve. I wish one of my local buddies played golf. None of them did or do any sort of sports. Just how we became such close friends is a mystery. If I had another old fart to play a round or two a week with it would be so much fun and would have to improve my game.
 
When I was 16 I use to go to the golf course and sit in the caddy shack to make some money. When I carried somebodies clubs for 18 holes $5.00 was the usual payment. One day there was a Canadian tournament. I carried the guys clubs for 18 holes and he gave me $2.00. We had words and he reported me, but nothing happened. I'm sure the club thought he was a cheap skate

One other time when I was a caddy the guys partner was a crazy hot head. He would break one of his clubs or throw his club and swear for 2 minutes if he didn't make a shot, How relaxing is that?
 
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I had an uncle that was a crook. :) He made his fortune and lost it a few times cheating or setting someone up for a fall. He was very good at golf and pool. When he came to town I would caddy for him. I was to call him sir and never by name or make any reference to our relationship. He would play golf a dollar a hole with guys and lose and lose. Then he would double the money and win some lose some. Then the money would get BIG and bigger and he played like he invented the game. He could easily have been a pro golfer but he got his kicks out of cheating people instead. More than once it was extremely tense when he collected his money. It was obvious that he set them up. Though I liked my uncle, I didn't care for his game. He paid me well to caddy for him. He paid me more when he won big. I think in his crooked mind he was trying to teaching me that crime pays.
His golf and pool shark antics are the nicest stories I can tell of the man. He was a clever criminal but a very likeable sort. He was definitely the family topic before my mom's sister finally left the guy.
 
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