Golf Etiquette and the Big Break

So long, Christina Lecuyer. From what I saw, she got a bum deal. There might have been a lot of off camera drama, so I can only base my opinion on what I saw. (Also, my wife thinks I'm jaded on the subject because Christina is so hot.)

The incident that set it all off was when she was hoping that another competitor would choke. Christina said it quietly and I don't think it was intended for anyone's ears except her and her partner's. It was all downhill from there. Large groups confronting her over breakfast, scolding her like a child.

So Christina had a breach of golf etiquette, but I submit that the rest of the cast had a breach of life etiquette:

1. Keep your trap shut and don't gossip. How did everyone find out about that comment? Did cute, innocent, little Susan tell everyone on the side and stir the pot?

2. A quiet side discussion is a better way to go than publicly confronting someone. Lori Atsedes, who is much more mature could have taken her roommate aside and let her know what the deal was. Give Christina an honorable way to see what she did and apologize. Instead of playing the mentor, she decided to be the pack leader and lead the attack. Then she feels cornered and has to defend herself against the mob. Nice.

3. Two wrongs don't make a right. Most of us heard this from our mothers, but I guess Sophie Sandolo missed that lesson. She decided the best way to deal with it was to act even worse. There is a difference of sin of omission and a sin of commission.

So, instead of resolving the situation in a positive manner, it went down just like it does in a 3rd grade schoolyard. Nice.
 

18 Rounds and Counting

Last fall, I had a little streak where I couldn't break 100. Six out of seven rounds were in the 3-digit range. I went to the library and read a book about breaking 100. Yeah, right. Just read a book and everything will be all right. That is so me.

Today, I was looking at my scores in Yahoo! Golf and I realized that I had 18 straight rounds of less than 100. In fact, three of them were in the high 80's. What changed? If I knew, I would write a book about it...
 

Sycamore Creek Redemption

Went home, took the dogs for a walk, ate some lunch and was ready for a nap. Instead I had a beer and realized that it was time for Twilight golf at Sycamore Creek. What the heck, let's see what happens. Best decision of my life. It was the first day I had ever felt like a golfer for 18 holes. I have had rounds where I felt brilliant for a few holes, but today I felt competent for the whole round. Not a single triple bogey. Recovered from bad tee shots. Hit 15-foot putts.

Today's Round:

Front 9: 43
Back 9: 46

I can hardly wait to try again next weekend.
 

Belmont Fiasco

Lisa, my wife, went on a scrapbook retreat this weekend so I was free to golf all day Saturday. Spent the morning at Belmont Golf Course and shot a 97. Just couldn't seem to get it together. Had some 3-putts and was hitting my approach shots fat.
Not a pretty picture:

Today's Round:

Front 9: 50
Back 9: 47
 

Highland Springs

Walk into this little podunk course out by the Richmond Airport. Plop down $22 (including cart) and figure I'll take a quick lap around this little goat path. I feel pretty good about my game, etc. Oh yeah...I hate water and there is water on every one of these stinking holes.

The holes are relatively short. Most are in the 350-375 range, but the fairways are at a premium with all of the water. Time to put away the driver and look to a fairway wood or even a hybrid. I found the fairways and then couldn't hit an approach shot. At least my chipping and putting is working. The fairways were a little dry, but the greens were in great shape. Overall, this is a great bargain and worth trying for a little change of pace.

Today's Round:

Front 9: 46
Back 9: 53
 

Belmont Golf Course

If you're ever in Richmond, VA and want to play golf, then my first recommendation is the Belmont Golf Course. It was the Hermitage Country Club, but Henrico County took it over and it is now a public course. It is the course where Sam Snead won the the 1949 P.G.A. Championship.

Green fees are $22 with a $3 discount for Henrico County residents. (Another $3 for twilight.) I love to play after 2:00 for only $16. The signature hole is the 5th hole. It is a 438-yard dogleg right. (470 yards for you blue-tee maniacs).

You can take a risk and try to cut the corner over some cottonwood trees, but if you miss, it is dead and probably destined for the lateral water hazard. The more cautious tee shot is straight down the fairway leaving most people about 200 yards to the hole. The second half of the fairway is slightly downhill to a creek and then uphill to the green. The overall effect is slightly uphill.

So the recommended way to play the hole is to hit 3-wood or driver to the safe part of the fairway, take a hybrid to the hole, and then use your short game to get par. A bogey is respectable. Take it and run like hell to the next tee.

Let's take a look at how I played it today:

1. Sliced it into the lateral water hazard.
2. Dropped.
3. Still no shot to the green, so punched it back into the fairway just short of the creek.
4. Played an easy 7 iron to the back of the green, 60 feet from the hole..
5. I love a good 3 putt!

A nice, smooth 7. Take that Sam Snead!

Today's Round:

51 on the front 9.
41 on the back 9.
 

Golf Only

My life has been missing direction now that the kids are out of the house. I've decided to put all my focus on golf. This is my journey from high handicapper to...who knows?

Anyway, here is a quick introduction. The first time I swung a club, I was 21 years old. I had hacked away for about 15 years. That meant only playing a few times a year. It wasn't very pretty and breaking 100 was a challenge.

I then started to play regularly a few years ago. Through repetition and luck I was able to break into the 90's occasionally. I finally took a lesson last year and found out I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I am now starting to hit the 90's regularly and have moments where I actually feel like a golfer.

Let's see where this goes.