The Hungry Hungry Writer

3:45 PM traffic was what I was dealing with. I was going from bumper to bumper on my grueling trek home. I had almost been sideswiped, slammed in the rear, and cut off all within a couple of minutes and less than a mile of travel.

I was looking forward to hitting some golf balls at the range. I was looking forward to having a great birthday dinner for my wife. I was looking forward to kicking back on my recliner with the Golf Channel on. Things like that get me to and from work and home with sanity.

I wasn’t loosing it, but I was on the verge of road rage when the phone rang. It was a restricted number. This meant a few things to me: It was the dentist trying to get me to the office, it was Dale forgetting to unblock his call or it was someone at my sister’s house.

I don’t like the dentist. So I hate answering the phone when it is a ‘restricted’ number. Dale is required to unblock his phone or I ignore the call because, well, it might be the dentist office… or my boss… so I won’t answer it. It was the high possibility that it was my sister’s house with dinner suggestions from my wife.

“Hello?” I answered reluctantly.

There was silence on the other end. And just when I was about to say it again I heard the sweetest, softest, most pleasing voice say, “Papa?” as if unsure of whom she was speaking to. It was Isabella.

I answered, “Yes?”

Her tiny, sweet, four year old voice sang three words that melted my heart despite the boiling point I was reaching, “I love you.”

Tell me: can life get any better than this? A bad shot at golf, a horrible day at work, bumper to bumper traffic, the Dodgers screwing up the 2007 year season all these weights on your shoulder that just bring you down, lower and lower to the ‘depths of nothingness’ (Gidget Lawrence 1965).

Then you get a call from your baby with, “I love you,” and a ton of bricks on your back feels like white feathers from an angel.

It made my trip home so much more urgent, but so much more pleasant because thoughts of her voice over the phone repeated themselves as I inched mile to mile.

My cousin James wants kids but doesn’t want kids. Yes, he is a walking contradiction. He wants them because he loves children so much and will be a great dad. He doesn’t want kids because he’s scared, unprepared, and maybe financially insecure at the moment: home, parenting skills, fear of the questions kids may ask are all probably a big concern.

But honestly, all you need is to have your baby grab your finger for the first time, or have your toddler wrap their arms around you because they’re scared, or see your son jump for joy because he just sank a 40 foot putt for par, or to hear your child say, “I love you” while you’re stuck in traffic, and you’ll know you’ve made the right choice.

Do you ever find yourself bored and you don’t know what to do about it? I mean, there are so many things to do: responsibilities as an adult, household chores, kids, but none of that feels satisfying enough at the time?

I’ve found that boredom can lead to unhealthy choices. I believe that. I also believe, sometimes you just have to sit there and be bored and choose that unhealthy choice.

I’m all for exercise, leading a productive and healthy lifestyle, but I’m also one who believes you just have to kick back on a Sunday afternoon to watch the Dodgers and maybe nap to the soothing voice of Vin Skully calling the game. Another Sunday afternoon thing to do is to watch as many football games with chips, dip and a couple of cold beers. It works when nobody bothers you and you can just stare at the television all day long.

Yeah, I’m completely selling this idea now. Once, every couple of months, during the heat of summer especially, schedule some ‘boring time’. Let your wife know. Send the kids to your sister’s house. Open up the door so a breeze comes in, open the windows so the sun shines through, grab a couple of beers, some chips and dip and watch baseball or a couple of football double headers.

Enjoy it without feeling guilty. That’s the key. Normally these days will take place and you feel guilty because you should be doing something ‘responsible’. Like cleaning the house, taking your kids out to the park, or following your wife around the mall. But just once in a while it’s good to cleanse yourself of so-called ‘responsible - adult things’. Be a vegetable - a couch potato. I mean, you have to go to work the next day anyway and things just get piled up and you are the responsible adult.

My goal here is to teach you that breaking the routine is good for your health. Drinking beer and deep fried chips might not be the best, but once in a while indulge, get lost in the whole event, and enjoy it guilt free.

Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is the day you get back to the grind. Tomorrow you won’t be bored because you’ll be forced to do what you have to do.

I usually have this ‘to myself sports day’ on Super Bowl Sunday. Usually I can squeeze in one or two hours watching baseball, football or golf but it’s go-go-go in between or after a game. Our lives are so rushed and hectic every day I believe there needs to be those days where it slows down. Where, despite the ton of work to do ‘tomorrow’, you can relax and let it all go.

Okay, this does not mean giving up all ‘adult responsibility’. Getting drunk, passing out on the couch, and not letting the day sink in is not what this is all about. Count the minutes of the day and make them count! Make sure you enjoy by remembering it – recalling that awesome play at the plate, that touchdown pass, or that Eagle from Tiger to win the game!

Then, when it’s all said and done, clean up your sloppy mess, get the running shoes back on and work away that fat you just put on!

Being bored could actually be a productive part of your sanity. Do anything above and I’m sure you’ll be a better person at the end of the day. Or do what I’m doing now. I’m bored. So I wrote about it.

That’s how it felt on Tuesday night. On Sunday I had an awesome day at golf. One of the best. Then… on Tuesday night I played a pitch and putt and had a bad day. Horrible as far as I’m concerned. I couldn’t get good contact on the ball off the tee box but pitching and chipping and putting were okay – which helped, but my psychology at the tee box was way off. Lack of concentration. I wasn’t relaxed. I was trying to adjust everything… it was bad.

Well, it’s hard to remember shot by shot on a par 3 pitch and putt course because it’s mostly Pitching Wedges and Sand Wedges but guess what… I remember…

Here’s a summary – but not as detailed because it wasn’t that big of a deal except for some holes.

Arroyo Seco Hole by Hole stats 9-11-2007

HOLE 1
I didn’t take any practice at the range and came in cold. Hit the ball solid but waaay left! Had a good SW night though and this was the start. Pitched to green and 2-putted.

Score: 4, Total: 4 (+1)
Putts: 2
Clubs: GW SW

HOLE 2
I thought I was on track but hit it left of green but had the right distance. Chipped with the 7i and 1-putted for par.

Score: 3, Total: 7 (+1)
Putts: 1
Clubs: GW, 7i

HOLE 3
Another mediocre hole. Had to pitch it up again.

Score: 4, Total: 11 (+2)
Putts: 2
Clubs: PW, SW

HOLE 4
Shanked this one with a 9i. But recovered really well with a low shot under and through the trees with 7i. Then screwed up with the putts!

Score: 5, Total: 16 (+4)
Putts: 3
Clubs: 9i,7i

HOLE 5
Another pull and a pitch up.

Score: 4, Total: 20 (+5)
Putts: 2
Clubs: 9i, SW

HOLE 6
My only GIR. Yes, my only one. Last time I played here I hit the green almost 60% of the time! I used a 5i, back in stance, and hit it low under the tree and onto the green. Great shot!

Score: 3, Total: 23 (+5)
Putts: 1
Clubs: 5i

HOLE 7
And then another bad hole.

Score: 5, Total 28 (+7)
Putts: 3
Clubs: 9i,SW

HOLE 8
And then another bad hole. Used the Putter off the fringe.

Score: 5, Total 33 (+9)
Putts: 2
Clubs: 9i,SW, Putter

HOLE 9
AND ANOTHER BAD HOLE!
Score: 5, Total 38 (+11)
Putts: 3
Clubs: 8i,SW

FRONT 9: SCORE 38 (+11)

HOLE 10
AND SHOULD I SAY IT AGAIN? ANOTHER BAD HOLE!!!

Score: 5, Total 43 (+13)
Putts: 3
Clubs: PW,SW,SW

HOLE 11
HORRIBLE! Had to mulligan this hole!

Score: 4, Total 47 (+14)
Putts: 2
Clubs: PW,SW

HOLE 12
This was the 2nd best hole I played because I used a LW to get it to the green in 2 then 1-putted a LONG one for par.

Score: 3, Total 50 (+14)
Putts: 1
Clubs: PW,LW

HOLE 13
UGH!!! Pulled it again.

Score: 4, Total 54 (+15)
Putts: 2
Clubs: 8i,SW

HOLE 14
Almost to the green. LOL

Score: 4, Total 58 (+16)
Putts: 2
Clubs: GW,SW

HOLE 15
Tried the 5i here on the longest hole of the course but was so mentally messed up and pulled it away from the water. It was horrible. Took a provisional ball thinking it was left in the hill but found it and played from there.

Score: 4, Total 62 (+17)
Putts: 2
Clubs: 5i, SW

HOLE 16
I can’t remember.

Score: 4, Total 66 (+18)
Putts: 2
Clubs: 8i, LW

HOLE 17
Finally. The one hole I hit it straight but missed the green by an inch or so!

Score: 3, Total 69 (+18)
Putts: 1
Clubs: 7i, Putter

HOLE 18
And the one hole with a great SW shot from the hill. Ball way below my feet for a 20 yard shot.

Score: 4, Total 72 (+19)
Putts: 2
Clubs: 9i, SW

I only hit like 1 green! Ugh. And I had 38 putts which is waaay too many on this course. I’m expecting more consistent play and then I go out and pull and shank every single tee shot!

Pars: 4, Bogey: 9, Dbl Bogey 5 – wow, that’s horrible. lol

The question is posed every year on the anniversary of the tragic events we all know as 9-11.We have come a long way since then. Six years ago our world, the whole word in fact, was shaken by the tragic events that took place the morning of September 11th, 2001.

Since then we’ve gone to war, we’ve tried to tighten security at airports, we are more cautious and aware, and for those who ‘get it’, we accept the slow lines at the airport and have accepted it as part of the routine. Those who complain, bitch and moan, just don’t have a grasp of the overall reasoning. And if there is a better way to handle the situation, don’t bitch and moan to me… do something about it!

Okay, six years ago I had a 10 year old in elementary and a 1 ½ year old at my beck and call. On the morning of 9-11 I turned on the television to check the news. It had been just moments after the 1st plane struck. I watched in awe as the next plane flew into the other building and at that point knew, without being told, something bad was happening to our world. It was no accident, as the 1st one seemed, it was planned. I didn’t know, as we all didn’t, much about terrorism. The word rarely entered any conversation. It didn’t even come out of my mouth as I saw it happened but in the back of my mind I knew it was something like that.

I gathered up the two kids and headed out the door. Jake was going to the babysitters and Jessica was going to school. I had to tell someone about what I just saw. Donna was at school so I couldn’t call her… so I called Dale and my sister.

Both were fixed to the television set throughout the day. Everytime 9-11 is brought up Dale reminds me, “you were the first to call.” He saw the building fall as he related the news to me on my drive to my new job at St Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank.

The hospital was locked down. It was a surreal morning. Emails were sent regarding security and possible evacuation and/or emergency medical staffing. Disney studios across the street was locked to non-card holding workers. Security was beefed up. The streets quieted down and the presence of the police were abound. It was an odd, fearful day.

I sat at my desk. The electricity was off as only generators were being tested or something. I read my book as I had nothing to do but wait till people came to work. I maintained contact with my friends and family throughout the day. We were all on nerves, denial, fear for the future and safety of the new ones in the family. Jake was a baby and my sister just had a baby. I remember her telling me about how horrible she felt from bringing ‘Colbs’ to the world the way it is. She felt overwhelmed with guilt. I felt fearful of my son’s future.

It put our world to a stand still. Baseball games, football games, special events were all cancelled. The television set was on all day and all night. We prayed for the families who lost loved ones and held on to the hope that more survivors would be found.

Together the world and America we bonded as one. Together we had the same initiative. Together we were going to fight terrorism.

We were one.

It felt good.

Here we are six years later. We are all separated once again. We are again, thinking about our own political and personal agenda. We are who we were before it happened. Things haven’t changed. We haven’t changed. We’re just a little bit scared from time to time… but that too seems to have subsided.

Is it good? Is it bad? Is it irresponsible? Is it better?

Only time will tell. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another terrorist attack to bond us together once again.

‘nuff said.

I was watching interviews of Tiger Woods before he won the PGA Championships last month. They were asking about club selection and specific holes from a year ago and he was able to recall the club, the hole and the result of the shot.

I was baffled. How do you remember a hole from a tournament a year ago and know what club you used and remember the result?

Well, I guess if you do it enough times I’m sure you’ll eventually remember. It’s part of knowing your game I guess.

When I run, from 3 miles to 26 miles, I can go back and tell you how I felt on each mile from 1 to 26! When I first started running there would be no way for me to remember this. My goal would be to finish the run and that would be that. At first this would be hard, but when you’re assessing your performance from mile to mile, you remember your heart rate, your exertion level (RPE) and your overall feel for that specific mile and overall run.

Yesterday, I played 18 holes at Scholl Canyon. It was one of my best golf outings thus far. I was contacting the ball consistently throughout and had some great holes. The score doesn’t reflect how I felt when I was hitting the ball though – but overall, I hit the ball well.

I had thought I 3-putted several holes but when it came down to it, I had birdie opportunities that I turned into par and up-and-down par opportunities that I bogied because of missed putts. Then I thought about each hole and realized I could remember every single club I used on every single hole!

I wrote the shots down hole for hole and compared it to the scorecard and sure enough, I remember every tee shot, every chip, every indecisive club selection and every sand bunker shot! I baffled my own self with this knowledge and I just started working it out – GIR, fairways hit, putts per hole and the clubs I used for all 18 holes!

It’s kinda long and boring but I got on a roll and wrote down all the details of my 18 holes I played with Jake.

My goal: Break 80! Jake’s and my goal: Play every shot officially in order to post a score we could play to every time. Bad shot, good shot… we played it and worked our way out of it.

What I realized was sometimes a bad shot isn’t as bad as you think.

Here are the specifics.
Birdie = 0
Par = 7
Bogey = 8
Dbl Bogey = 0
Triple Bogey = 3

GIR: 10/18
Fairways hit: 2/6
Puts = 42

Front 9: 41
Back 9: 36
Total: 77

After posting two triple bogies on the front 9 I thought there was no way to break 80. The pars helped but I’d have to step it up on the back 9. It’s a place where you can make up your score or blow it on the challenging but ‘make-able’ par 3s.

I also realized I had a ton of birdie chances on the front 9 with 5 of 9 Greens in Regulation. But I two-putted some very easy birdie putts for par! That was what was frustrating.

So here it is… hole for hole in detail with club selection.

SCHOLL CANYON - SHOT FOR SHOT

THE FRONT NINE
Hole 1
I decided to take my driver out on every opportunity. I haven’t had the perfect drive on this hole but have come close or very way off! I’ve had great success with a 3-wood though and it would probably give me a nice easy short iron to the hole, but I wanted to try the driver as much as possible and be aggressive. My goal was to break 80 on this par 60 course and my thought process at first was to be conservative with the par 4s and take my chances with irons instead of wedges. Instead, I decided to take my chances with the driver and play my wedges - which I have been playing well.

Jake and I decided to really play from where the ball lay – no mulligan, rack up a score we can try and beat on another day and work our way out of trouble if the case may be.

Here’s my shot: I teed up higher than normal to give me a fighting chance off this down sloping tee box where I tend flub. I took an easy swing but left the face open and I watched the ball fly far but right over the trees. Ugh! Not a good way to start the day. But I figured - no problem. It would just mean a short iron to the hole hopefully.

And it was a short iron. A sand wedge in fact. I was left with a 40 yard shot from the rough. That’s a half swing with my 52* SW. I hit it up and straight but caught a flyer which landed 10 feet past the green on the rough - down the back side of the green.

Same SW chip shot from the rough but I got under it and the ball landed on the fringe, inches from the green and 20+ feet from the hole.

All I wanted was to get the speed down and get it close to the hole. I decided to bump and run with the SW. I hit the line I wanted but the speed was too much and it went from this edge of the green to the other edge of the green - which left me with a 15 foot putt up to the hole.

I three-putted from there and wrote the first hole up as a breaking in hole with a triple bogey! Ugh. It felt like a 4-putt because I used the SW to run it to the hole.

Score: 7, Total: 7 (+3)
GIR: 0/1
Fairways hit: 0/1
Putts: 4
Clubs: Driver, 52*SW, 52*SW, 52*SW

Jake’s game: Great hole for him from driver to hybrid to SW pitch and putts!

Hole 2
My wedges have been giving me so much confidence (PW, GW, 52*, 56*). So I was confident of landing this tee shot close to the hole. I also knew anything long off the tee would get me on the green but would be a long putt which I didn’t want. So I took a little off my PW – so I thought. I actually got too much and it landed about 20+ feet past the hole. I had the right idea, committed to the shot, but didn’t follow through with my back swing and I just nailed it. It was about 10 yards longer than my average PW shot, but was on target to the flag and way past the hole!

I wanted to give myself a par chance but blew the lag putt horribly! My putter dragged as I took a wider stance and left the putt 15 feet from the hole! 2nd-putt I got the ball within 5 feet from the hole. I lined my putt up nicely for the 3rd putt but missed the hole and had a one footer. 4th putt I missed by an inch! Ouch. Triple bogey on a par 3 hole!

I felt like going home. First a 3-putt hole that felt like a 4 and a 5 putt hole that made me feel all that putting practice didn’t pay off. Was it going to get any better? I was at +6 after two!

Score: 6, Total: 13 (+6)
GIR: 1/2
Fairways hit: 0/1
Putts: 5
Clubs: PW

Jake’s game: GIR but horrible putting hole for him!

Hole 3
This 324 yard Par 4 hole has always left me far right with a long iron or a hybrid which I’ve never been able to pull off. I’ve never gotten this shot down the fairway and was tempted to use my 3-wood but took out the SuperQuad. I was committed to using the driver all day on the par 4 holes anyway so why not.

I lined up straight down over the ‘small tree’ that I always line up to, and although I was a little off, it went really far and just a bit right of the fairway. I realized I was over anxious about this shot and I actually hit it too far. And because it went right of the fairway it went up the hill but didn’t disappear behind it – which normally happens.

The drive was about 220 yards which left me an easy 9-iron shot which placed nicely on the green with a soft bounce!

I had a six foot birdie opportunity! All I could think about was the birdie… but two-putts later I finally walked away from this hole with my first par of the day and my first par on this hole!

Again, it was a birdie chance that I blew but 2-putted for par!

Score: 4, Total 17 (+6)
GIR: 2 / 3
Fairways hit: 0/2
Putts: 2
Clubs: Driver, 9i

Jake’s game: Worked his way straight down the fairway for a good score on this long hole!

Hole 4
Another par 3 and an 8i that I nailed near perfection. It was an easy six footer for another birdie chance! I had a birdie on this hole a couple of weeks ago and I was going to get it again! I was also 3 for 4 on GIR thus far!

I missed the putt long by 3 feet! I lined it up, and thought a par for sure but missed it by fractions of an inch! I holed it for very disappointing bogey. Yeah, from birdie to bogey in just three strokes! I wanted that birdie but blew it!

Score 4, Total 21 (+7)
GIR: 3/4
Fairways hit: 0/2
Putts: 3
Clubs: 8i

Jake’s game: Chipping was not his strong suit on this hole for some reason!

Hole 5
I’ve had success with this hole lately. It’s an uphill par 3 from 167ish yards away. Before, I was hitting the ball to the right, which left the ball way above my feet and a really tough shot to the green. The past three times I played here I was on the green. Today, I just focused on getting it down (actually up) the fairway with a 5-iron.

Immediately, as I hit the ball, I thought uh-oh. I was off balance but got it straight. I knew it still had a chance but it just didn’t have the distance. I hoped for more of a roll but it came short of the green. An easy bump and run with my favorite club (7i) and 1 putt for my second par for the day!

Score 3, Total 24 (+7)
GIR: 3/5
Fairways hit: 0/2
Putts: 1
Clubs: 5i, 7i

Jake’s game: Bad tee shot which led to bad approach and a couple bad chip shots. He was using the wrong club – 7 iron. He was trying the 7 iron when he should have been sticking to his wedges.

Hole 6
I remember using a 9-iron for this hole the last time I played it. It was a tee shot going down which would give me more than enough with a solid 9 iron. I got the distance but I landed in the sand last time so I figured a perfect shot would get me real close to the hole.

I took the 9-iron out again and instead of hitting sand on the left side bunker, I hit the sand on the right side bunker! I was actually aiming right due to the little wind but it went too far right and I was in the sand trap with the flag about 15 yards away.

56* SW and a perfect out with a soft landing left me with a 6 foot put which I nailed. So I 1-putted for par!

Maybe I can be the master of the up-and-down 1-put par! LOL

Score 3, Total 27 (+7)
GIR: 3/6
Fairways hit: 0/2
Putts: 1
Clubs: 9i, 56*SW

Jake’s game: GIR but horrible putting.

Hole 7
Normally I shoot this ball past the hole but I’ve been nailing 75-80 yard shots perfectly with a half swing from my GW. This hole is tricky as it’s a huge slope down from back to front. If you are past the flag you are in trouble. If you are under it you have a good chance to birdie.

I nailed the tee shot but was right of the flag with a tough putt that would break big from right to left. I wanted something short off the tee but I got it pin high for a very tough five footer.

It was a great line I had a foot above the hole. I missed the hole just inches on the pro side. I ended up 2-putting for another par and walked away feeling confident. Whew.

Score 3, Total 30 (+7)
GIR: 4/7
Fairways hit: 0/2
Putts: 2
Clubs: GW

Jake’s game: Decent chip shot and several horrible putts.

Hole 8
Another GIR! That’s 5 for 8!

The good thing about playing courses over and over is that you know where you don’t want the ball to land on the green and where you want it to land. Normally I over club this hole and it passes the flag on a large green. It rolls and rolls which leaves me with a 40+ footer on a hole that should be birdied or pared. So I went shorter and got what I wanted but didn’t putt like I wanted!

3-putts later it was in the hole. Ugh! Another blown par and horrible putting!

Score 4, Total 34 (+8)
GIR: 5/8
Fairways hit: 0/2
Putts: 3
Clubs: 8i

Jake’s game: Finally an excellent hole he worked out of. Bad tee shot that he saved with a nice chip and a couple of putts!

Hole 9
I’ve never played well on this hole. But I’m trying to forget that. Seriously. It weighs in my head.

So I try to blank it out and never think I’ve played this hole bad. Ever. Until Jake reminded me of how bad I played this hole. He kept saying, “Remember when (you played so bad)…” I was like, “Yeah okay but I don’t want to remember so NO I don’t remember”. “But you do remember right?” he kept going on and on about it and all I could say was: “I don’t want to remember so NO I don’t remember.”

I’ve hit some awesome drives here and some horrible drives that ended up on the other fairway. I didn’t shy away and stuck to my aggressiveness. I brought out the SuperQuad but this time I did something different - I took the 3-wood out first and swung it a couple of times for some good practice swings. I took the practice swings as if there was a ball on the tee and I imagined the ball flying straight. This club, as far as my long clubs go, is the most accurate club in the bag. It flies straight and far more often than not – and I use it off the ground when I do use it.

I tossed it to the side, walked up to the ball with my driver and gave it a swing like I swing the 3-wood and bang: straight – no fade, no draw, just a straight shot to the green. I thought I had enough distance. It was an uphill shot that went 220 yards.

It was by far the best tee shot on this hole that I’ve ever had, and the best driver shot out of three for the day! The task now was playing the hole from there and that’s where I always run into problems!

I was an easy 40 yards away – an easy 52* SW to the green. On hole 1 I had a 40 yarder that went 60 (a flyer from the rough). If I hit the shot I should, it would leave me with an easy uphill putt!

Well, as I was telling Chip the other day, it seems that after I hit a great drive, I get very excited and blow the approach. Blowing the approach would mean I shank the ball, top it, or skull it past the green. I don’t mind missing the hole if I make great contact, but I hate missing the hole with a bad hit period. I knew all this going in to this shot so I gave it a few practice swings. I felt good about it but, at the last second, I changed my pitch into a chip.

Why I did that I don’t know. But what it did was give the ball a lower trajectory that landed past the hole and bounced into the rough behind the green. A pitch or flop would have been ideal due to the downward sloping green. I knew what I should have done but changed my mind at the last moment. And it’s what I’ve heard before about golf. Be decisive.

It was a tough chip. It reminded me of Tiger’s chip shot in the rough the other day for a double bogey. I remember the commentators say to keep your shoulders parallel with the slope so I did. And I did what he did – got under the ball and it landed just inches from the green for a two foot chip! UGH!

I decided to use my putter from the fringe because of the steepness of the green. I didn’t want a wedge or iron for a bump and run to really run so I putted out of the fringe.

It was the perfect line. And what do I tell Jake every time? Distance is more important than line! And the line was perfect but the distance was a failure. The ball hit the flag, popped to the right and rolled ever so slowly past the hole to the front side of the green where the fringe stopped it.

I was frustrated at that point. The horrors of hole 9 came dancing in my head. I didn’t line up my ball and figured I’d just putt it close then sink it. But I killed the putt past the hole, which left me with a tough 5 footer going down again. I knew the line, I had the line, but I missed the hole by centimeters and where did it go? Down 10 feet past the hole again. Distance is better than line right? Well, I think I forgot about it on this hole.

It took me three shots really (one with a putter) to get onto the green and 3 putts (+1 from the fringe) to get it into the hole.

Score: 7, Total 41 (+11)
GIR: 5/9
Fairways hit: 1/3
Putts: 3
Clubs: Driver, 52*SW, 52*SW, Putter off fringe

Jake’s game: Good approach then onto the sand bunker. Bad putting.

Front nine score: 41. Despite the two triple bogies I was still in decent shape to keep it under 90. I’m used to seeing more double bogies but pared and bogied holes instead which kept my score down from the normal mid 40s to the low 40s!

THE BACK NINE

I love the back nine. There are two good driver holes, and a 190 yard tee shot and some challenging par 3s!

Hole 10
I had success with using the 3-wood for practice swings before hitting the driver. I proved it on hole 9 and on the driving range. So if I hit this drive straight my only worries would be the sand trap protecting the hole. I’ve hit it close before and have had a lot of success with this tee shot. And sure enough, I hit it straight. I watched the ball disappear down the little slope where the sand bunker was and hoped it stopped short.

It did! It went about 230 yards which left me a 56*SW 20 yard ‘chip’ shot to the hole.

I was close enough that I knew a 2-putt would get me a par but missed the putt short. I didn’t even give the putt a chance. Then I missed the short put and tapped it in for bogey.

I was decisive about this chip that’s for sure! But I felt like my putting failed me once again!

I was beginning to realize how important it is to get a GIR!!! It makes life so much easier to 2-putt when you have hit the GIR but it doesn’t matter if you blow your putts!

Score 5, Total 46 (+12)
GIR: 6/10
Fairways hit: 2/4
Putts: 3
Clubs: Driver, 52*SW

Jake’s game: Excellent hole!

Hole 11
The last time I played this hole I landed high on the green. A straight easy GW would get me to the flag with a perfect hit. It was a downhill par 3 so I took a little off my shot and nailed the green for another birdie chance!

Again, another GIR but a blown birdie opportunity and two puts later I had another par for the day. But a par is better than my normal bogies on these par 3s!

Score: 3, Total 49 (+12)
GIR: 7/11
Fairways hit: 2/4
Putts: 2
Clubs: GW

Jake’s game: Another good hole!

Hole 12
You can’t see the green from the tee-box. The tip of the extended flag is all you can see but it’s a 6-iron for me for this uphill par 3. There is a bunker protecting the green and I’ve normally played this hole well. I clubbed down to the 6 because I’ve usually hit a solid 5 that rolled past the flag on the lengthy green.

Thinking back on it I should play a 7, get some good height and land it short of the flag. But I was concerned about the bunker.

So all that thinking that was going on I wasn’t concentrating on good contact with the ball. I knew my backswing was off, I fought to correct it on the downswing, I hit the toe of the club and rolled my arms hard and I actually fought to get the ball straight. Hmmm…. It’s amazing how I know that now when I hit the ball. I can feel the toe or the heel or what happened on the swing… My head moved big time on the back swing and I should have stopped there.

But the ball went straight and low. As I saw it fly off the all my weight was on my back foot and I kept thinking – make it to the bunker at least! LOL.

Needless to say, I was way short of the bunker and the green. It was about a 100 yard tee shot with a 6 iron with a forgiving roll to get me to that 100 yards! LOL.

Okay, I’m good from 75 yards out. This was about 50 or so. I hit a beautiful lob that went right on target. It landed softly on the green but I hit it too far. Two putts later I walked away with a bogey. Whew. I would have liked the sand bunker better to be honest.

Score: 4, Total: 53 (+13)
GIR: 7/12
Fairways hit: 2/4
Putts: 2
Clubs: 6i, 52*SW

Jake’s game: Three great holes in a row for Jake!

Hole 13
This is a tough hole. You hit down to the fairway then way up to the green to the right. I’ve played the tee shot well using a 3-wood – hitting it easy. A 5-wood or a 3hybrid would be ideal but I love my 3-wood. I just need to hit it easy, get it 180ish yards and pitch up to the green with a GW. No problems right? Sounds easy.

Here’s the problem. I forgot that it was an easy 3-wood and, although I didn’t hit it at 100%, I didn’t hit it easy.

It went about 210 and landed in the sand bunker.

This left me with a tough out from about 75 yards away, uphill, from a fairway bunker.

If I hit it clean with my PW I would be on the green. But I didn’t hit it clean. I didn’t even hit it heavy! I topped it – it nailed the lip – bounced up and I thought it’d be another sand shot but it got out. Whew.

When you fall apart on a hole you fall apart.

I got it to the hole with the GW. And finally the putter held up for the first time. I took the 20 footer to about 3 feet and sank a straight 3-footer for a two-putt bogey! LOL Whew.

Score 5: Total: 58 (+14)
GIR: 7/13
Fairways hit: 2/5
Putts: 2
Clubs: 3 wood, PW, GW

Jake’s game: Matched me shot for shot it seemed. Got into the bunker from the fairway and did what I did. Bad hole for the both of us!

Hole 14
The dreaded ‘canyon’ hole. A lot of balls have been lost on this hole on what should be a very easy par 3. A short SW on to the green, a putt or two and move on. Unfortunately, the canyon is what you hit over, there’s wind, and the whole psychology of the hole plays into the shot more than you know.

Sometimes it’s GIR and sometimes it’s mulligan city (if you play mulligan).

Today… GIR, two putts and on to the next hole like this was a pitch and putt with no canyon!

Score 3: Total: 61 (+14)
GIR: 8/14
Fairways hit: 2/5
Putts: 2
Clubs: 52*SW

Jake’s game: Using his driver teed up high gets him on the green every time!

Hole 15
Another 252 yard driver hole for me. Chip hit this green with a 3 wood. It’s about 250 yards that flies over the fairway down below the tee box. If you hit the fairway you have a challenging uphill shot. The trick is playing the wind that usually forces your ball to the right. The last time I played this hole I aimed way left of the hole and the wind didn’t take the ball. It landed in the trees between fairways but rolled back down to my fairway which left me a 20 yarder to the hole. If I could replicate that I would be absolutely happy.

This time I decided to aim for the hole. A few practice swings from the 3-wood first then I swung it hard. I watched the ball go straight off my driver towards the green! But this time the wind took it to the right and Jake and I were yelling, “Stay left! Stay left!”

It stayed left, I lost sight but Jake saw it land in the bunker to the right of the green.

Whew.

I had just hit a 240 yarder! Here’s the problem. I had to get the ball out of this bunker and over another bunker in order to get it onto the green that was about 15 yards away! How the heck do I do that?

I went back to get my 52* SW (instead of the 56*), opened up the face, aimed to the left of the flag, dug my feet in and played the ball forward in the sand that was wet and firm. All I wanted to do was hit behind the ball with a smooth stroke, keep my legs quiet and pray for the best. I gave it a good swing. The club bounced through the sand and I watched the ball pop up and over the other bunker and flop softly on the green with a spatter of sand!

Yeah baby!

Two putts later I recorded another par and a GIR!

I could have quit there. That was the shot of the day to save par. It was also another GIR!

Score 4: Total 65 (+14)
GIR: 9/14
Fairways hit: 2/6
Putts: 2
Clubs: Driver, 52*SW

Jake’s game: He likes this hole because his tee shot flies far as the fairway is down hill. His approach was solid and he played the hole well!

Hole 16
Here’s a tricky par 3. Another downhill tee shot that if you hit to the left of the green will hit the hill and roll across the green and down the other side. The flag was way back of the green (which was different) and a short tee shot would mean a long putt.

I was indecisive on the club selection and committed to a 52* SW.

It was a perfect shot as far as line. But just a shy bit too long (90 yards). It landed in the rough on a steep downhill past the hole. It shouldn’t have played that long to be honest. It never has. But it carried and landed off the green.

The ball was in deep rough, my front foot was at least a foot lower than my back foot and I didn’t have any angle on the ball at all. I kept my shoulders parallel to the slope, came down on a steep angle and got a three foot shot that landed on the edge of the green. It was horrible.

I putted from the fringe, got it oh so very close to the hole which left me a 1 inch gimme’ which I tapped in. Ugh. I felt that one because it was a bad tee shot, a horrible chip and a putt from the fringe that could have saved par. It was officially a 1-putt I believe but I used the putter twice to bogey the hole. Wow.

Score: 4: Total 69 (+15)
GIR: 9/16
Fairways hit: 2/6
Putts: 1 + 1 off fringe
Clubs: 52*SW, 52*SW, Putter

Jake’s game: GIR, two putts for par and he beat me on this hole!

Hole 17
The back 9 has a bunch of downhill tee shot. You can barely make out the extended flag on the green down below on this one. I figured an easy 9 iron would do, as the flag was about 110 yards away on the downhill. I decided to go ‘shorter’ because of the downhill.

Well, I don’t know if it was because I was starving or because it was hole 17 and I was tired, but I hit the ball about 20 yards past the green! Again – indecisive club selection resulted in a bad shot!

What was going on in my head? How is it I compensated for the downhill and completely missed the green? I was thinking shorter and hit it twice as long?

Well, instead of going ‘shorter’ as far as club selection I went to the bag and went ‘shorter’ in iron number and pulled out the 8-iron instead of my PW! My 8 iron is my 125ish yarder normally, and I hit the ball about 130+ yards with the downhill.

What was I thinking is what I was thinking! LOL

Pitched it on. 2-putted and walked away shaking my head.

Score: 4, Total 73 (+16)
GIR 9/17
Fairways hit: 2/6
Putts: 2
Clubs: 8i, 52*SW

Jake’s game: Tee shot carried past the green like mine. He used a driver which was the right club – it just took off.

Hole 18
Why is it on finishing holes, whether it’s the front 9 or back 9, I tend to screw up? Seriously. Is it in the head? Yeah – probably.

Again I was thinking about how bad this hole is for me then tried to forget it. I hit it long. I hit it into the sand. I hit it short. But mostly I end my day poorly.

This was no exception.

I went with a PW and guess what, it landed where I wanted it to land! A perfect shot, on the green, and a 2 putt for par at the most right?

Uh… again, not today!

3-putts later I was shaking my head and wondering how inconsistent my putts have been for the day.

Score: 4, Total final score 77 (+17).
GIR 10/18
Fairways hit: 2/6
Putts: 2
Clubs: PW

Jake’s game: GIR right next to mine. He putted like me for a 4.

And what I discovered… I broke 80! I was shocked. But there were a bunch of 3s on the score card and a bunch of 4s that included a par 4! I had thought with the bad holes on the score card there was no way to break 80 but I ended up with a great score!

I hit 10 GIR out of 18 but that stat doesn’t matter when you don’t convert your putts!

So there you have it… a day at the golf course with Jake.

Jake’s game: An awesome back 9 produced a 90 for Jake!

I had felt my putting was horrible because of the scores I posted. But it was horrible because I was missing some par and birdie chances by two-putting some that I should have been sinking. The 3 and 4 putts I had with putts off the fringe were also pretty bad holes but all in all, it was an okay putting day.

I had 42 total putts for the day. That’s 6 more than I should have if I 2-putted the 18 holes.

I shivered uncontrollably. It was 10:30 at night and I just couldn’t control the shiver. I thought I was sick so I struggled to the bathroom for some Advil. My hand shook as I tried to get the bottle open and I finally popped three pills into my mouth and downed a glass of cold water.

I struggled to get back under the sheets and I pulled a comforter over me. I tried desperately to stop shivering. But I couldn’t. Something was wrong.

The air conditioner was set at 78 degrees. I turned it off. The ceiling fan was on high. I turned that off. The weather outside… 90 plus degrees! So why was I shivering? I wasn’t running a fever. I had to figure it out or go to the Emergency Room.

So what happened in the past 12 hours to cause this?

It was Labor Day and I had to go to work. The building was supposed to provide air-conditioning for the holiday workers but it was not on at 7AM when I arrived. I walked into a sauna! Immediately I started to sweat. Immediately I knew this wasn’t going to be a good day. And immediately I decided to take a break and get an Iced Coffee at Starbucks. I had a lot of work to do and needed some relief from the heat.

Outside it was in the high 90s already. The Associate CFO called for an early lunch with hopes the air conditioning issue would be solved by the time we got back. It was 11:00 AM and we walked to CPK in triple digit heat!

After lunch there was no relief in sight as my office was still as hot as it was before lunch. Even my phone, my mouse and my chair were hot! It was absolutely poor working conditions but you know what… I was able to finish the one analysis I wanted to finish by 1:00 PM. I sent it off to my boss with the note: “As I sit here dripping in sweat… attached is the spreadsheet.” And I was - dripping in sweat!

When I got home I sat on the couch and watched Tiger come inches from catching Phil Mickelson at the Deutsche Bank Championships. It was a tough loss but he wasn’t putting well. Phil deserved it. After the game I took Isa with me to get her school supplies, then we went to Roger Dunn where she watched me hit a couple of balls as I searched for a used 5 wood. I didn’t find one.

The rest of the evening went fine. We had dinner. Jake practiced his putting in the living room and finally the kids got to bed by 7PM. I asked Donna if I could head out to the driving range to let out some work stress.

Scholl Canyon is normally jam-packed at 7PM but with the unbearable heat, there was just a mediocre turnout. I took two buckets of balls and had a great practice. The only problem: I was drenched in sweat and I didn’t have any water.

By 8:30 PM I was at the grocery store doing some shopping. I bought a large Gatorade and downed it before I even got to pay for it. The store was nice and cool and I was finally able to quench my thirst.

At home I took a shower – with some new shampoo I found that had a very nice mint freshness to it I might add… I prepared an awesome Apple Martini and I kicked back in bed with Donna.

Fifteen minutes after I had my last sip my hands and feet felt numb. I had an uneasy feeling sweep over my body. And then I started to shiver uncontrollably.

I took some Advil and lay in bed trying desperately to relax. I couldn’t get warm. I couldn’t get comfortable. And I couldn’t stop the shakes!

At midnight I woke up in a sweat but I wasn’t feverish. I felt nauseous so I rushed to the bathroom. I tried to throw up thinking it would help me feel better but it didn’t happen and I still felt sick.

I wandered into the kitchen for some salted crackers because I thought I may have water intoxication. But it couldn’t be water intoxication because I had a bottle of Gatorade which prevents it.

Immediately after I ate a cracker I felt a lot better! It was amazing! I sat in the living room and watched Die Hard on HBO. Fifteen minutes later I felt sick again but a couple of crackers later I was fine. This happened every fifteen minutes till the movie was over and by then I was dead tired but feeling a lot better!

So what was it? I have yet to figure it out. Was it heat stroke from the office and the driving range? Was it water intoxication? Maybe I had some bad Gatorade? Could it be all of the above combined with an Apple Martini? Or possibly – was it the new shampoo I used which caused an allergic reaction?

This morning there was no shampoo in the bathroom. Donna threw it away because she was scared it was my allergies and the reaction of the shampoo that caused the shivering.

Unless you’re a doctor and can assess my situation I guess I’ll never know.

Thanks for reading. Are you reading? Let me know!