the road to 110

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date:  friday, 7/15

course played:  presidio

holes played:  1 through 9

balls lost: 2

balls found:  2

score:  60

--

date:  sunday, 7/17

course played:  san geronimo

holes played:  1 through 18

balls lost:  6

balls found:  7

score:  115

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i declare my first score-related golf goal*:  break 110.

one weekend and 1.5 rounds later, the goal remains far out of reach. 

will keep you posted.

* this is by no means my first golf-related goal.  past golf goals have included, but are not limited to 1) making contact, 2) getting air, and 3) losing less than 8 balls per round.

every man wins

known as the "evey man" of golf because of his off-the-course hobbies, darren clarke finally won a major this sunday.  besides sitting in the locker room with his clubs and new trophy, he partied:

"i had quite a few pints and quite a few beers and quite a few glasses of red wine, and it all continued until about 30 minutes ago. i did look at my watch before i said that, so it did take a while. but it's been a very good night."*

it was only a few weeks ago when his fellow irishman, rory mcilroy, also had quite the little shindig after his u.s. open win.

who did it better?


* espn.com:  for clarke, the win tastes sweeter, by bob haig

metro golf

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course played:  metropolitan golf links
holes played:  1 to 18
balls lost:  oh, i dunno - 7, 8, 9?
balls found:   6ish
score:  114 (again)
--

waving goodbye to a fog-covered san francisco, we crossed the bay bridge with with kyle, fran and our hopes in tow.  all of us were secretly wishing to repeat the hole-in-one that happened for elliot last week at metropolitan golf links.  

to me, the course felt more like an obstacle course than a golf paradise.

'environmental areas' sprawl all around the rough, lining many of the fairways.  'enviromental is good!' you might say.  yeah, while it's totally great for preserving the lush wildlife that oakland is known for, it is quite horrible for ball losers / ball hunters like myself.  because the areas are 'protected,' one is not allowed to retrieve one's ball upon hitting it into said 'protected' area.  what does that mean for me?  lots of lost balls and not so many found ones.  in other word - the joy of golf stripped away from my gloved hand.

see the tall grass?  i wonder how many lost balls are in there. 
oh wait, i wouldn't know because it is a protected area.

the course is conveniently located across the highway from a small airport.  every 5 minutes, an airplane roared low above our heads.  nothing like a plane flying over your back swing to break concentration.  i call interference. 

there's a blue sky!  and a plane 100ft above your head!

last but not least, a shooting range is located behind holes 12 through 14.  cognizant that i was in the hometown of tupac shakur, the rapid gun shots were a  little jarring to say the least.  is sound interference an automatic 2 stroke advantage?

highlight of the day:  discovering that the cart had gps!

fran hiding from the gun shots while checking out the the gps... 
and kyle's follow-through

america!

nothing screams 'america!' more than skiing, sunning, and watching a fireworks show.  that is precisely how i celebrated the 4th of july.

 

 

on a side note:  who knew that skiing in a mesh tank top would give you the worst sunburn of your life?

always practicing

--
course played:  squaw village mini golf links
holes played:  1 through 18
balls lost:  -
balls found:  -
--

this past saturday at squaw village, who went to the car and brought out their own putter and own golf balls after the official putt-putt stand was closed? 

let me answer your question with another question:

who has two thumbs and likes to play golf?

this guy.

(the above exchange works much better in real life.)

an announcement

ODDS OF A HOLE IN ONE:

1 in 12,750*

relax.   it wasn't me.  but, since this blog is just as much about celebrating others playing golf (cough-rory-cough-graeme) as it is about my personal golfing endeavors, i wanted to make an announcement:

today, while most of us were at work, elliot became 1 out of 12,750 and got his first hole in one on the fifth hole of the metropolitan golf links.

{clap}  {cheer}  {whistle}  {sing}  {dance}  {fist pump}  {clap}

*golf digest 1999 and national hole in one association