The Double Whammy

At the risk of sounding redundant, I’m going to revisit another great day of golf at Cypress Lakes Golf Club.  Remember, the course that Raymond Floyd grew up playing.  About 10 years before the passing of my father I had him come to town to play with me on Father’s Day. My dad was always a great player and taught me all I know about the game of golf. We decided that this day would be just a relaxing round with no pressure all the while looking forward to that 16 oz. ribeye we had waiting for us at home. It was very hot that day so we didn’t think it would be crowded. Boy were we wrong! Nevertheless, we got a cart and got in line at the first hole. A word of advice to everybody, when a course has two groups on every hole do not play a twosome… you’ll go crazy. Dad and I were on the prowl for a compatible twosome to join us and we found another father and son also doing that Father’s Day thing. Dad and I were in shorts and untucked golf shirts and the other father and son looked like tour players. On the first tee we made our introductions and the other guy’s dad said “How much are we playing for?”.  I told him that my dad and I always like to play for a little something and asked him if he wanted to play for a Coke or a beer. He said, in that cocky bully tone, “Screw that… that ain’t worth my time”. At this point dad and I would have played them for anything. I said to the asshole “Why don’t you let me know what you want to play for?” Anyway, we settled on $5 a hole and $10 a birdie.

I was up first and without hesitation hit a screaming hook that fortunately hit a tree to stay in bounds. Dad sprayed his 20 yards deep in the woods on the right. Next up was the son who popped it down the middle, as did the asshole. Long story short, dad and I made a bogey and we lost the hole to two pars. Now, asshole is really starting to strut. The next hole is a 550 yard par 5. Our opponents pop it down the middle again and walk back to their cart like they were golf’s gift. I was probably over reacting, but the guy rubbed me the wrong way immediately. Have you ever had this happen to you? Anyway, now it’s our turn and Dad rips it about 300+ down the middle and so did I. Both of us were about 35 yards ahead of their longest drive. Both of their 3 woods came up short of the green . Dad had a 5 iron in his hand and I had a 6. He hit a shot that never left the pin. You couldn’t see the bottom of the pin but we knew it was close. Then I followed suit with a little baby draw 6 iron that was right at it. When we get to the green we see a ball about 2 ft from the hole and we assumed the other  was over the green. When I walked up to see which of us knocked it 2 ft I realized that dad had knocked it into the hole for a double eagle and, to add insult to injury, I had a kick in for eagle. Get you some of that! Eagle and a double eagle! Talk about a right cross and an uppercut. Asshole and his son never recovered. We spanked them all the way around the course like a redheaded stepchild. It almost got to the point of feeling sorry for them (but not quite). We ended up winning $75-$80 when it was all said and done. They walked up with money in hand and my dad grabbed two Budweisers out of the cooler and handed it to them and said “Put your money back in your pocket, we told you on the first tee that we wanted to play for a beer.” Dad always was a class act.  Love ’em while you’ve got ’em!.

Long and Straight

Robert Rowe

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A Perfect Day

Before I tell you about my perfect day I would like to clarify one of the rules of golf that was a subject of dispute with one of my friends the other day. The incident took place at a little course in Fayetteville NC called Cypress Lakes, L.B. Floyd’s course. L.B. was the father of the one and only Raymond Floyd. My friend, Tim, and I were on the eighteenth hole. Tim had a twenty footer to keep from losing a friendly bet. He read that putt from every angle. Finally, it was time to hit the putt. From the second the ball left his putter we both thought it was going down but it stopped on the lip. Now, we’ve all had the ball hang on the lip before but this one was defying the laws of gravity. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t dropping. Tim stood right where he had hit the put for about five seconds before he proceeded to the hole…okay. He then walked very slowly to the hole…okay. After about 45 seconds the ball finally fell in…not okay. I explained to Tim that the rules of golf state that after hitting a putt you have a “reasonable” amount of time to get to the hole and then a ten second count. If the ball hasn’t fallen then it doesn’t count. Fortunately, Tim would almost intentionally lose the bet because whoever wins the bet buys the cocktails.

I don’t know why I feel obligated to share my perfect day with you but the urge came to me in the middle of my work day and I guess I was day dreaming. My perfect day starts with perfect weather and that would be sunny and 7o degrees. Myself and three of my closest friends meet at a breakfast joint for coffee and grub at about eight o’clock. We get to the club with plenty of time to hit a small bucket and casually knock around a few putts on the practice green before our tee time. Get the bet right on the first tee and begin. How well we play isn’t that important. What’s the most important is that there’s no place I’d rather be at that moment. Before you know it your coming down the home stretch on the back nine. Never am I sad that the round is coming to an end and those who know me the best know why. The last two phases of my perfect day are still yet to come…Drinks and Dinner. I’m convinced that it’s required to first have a couple of cold beverages of your choice and swap notes about the round and to then to have everyone (wives and girlfriends also) over to the house to throw a big slab of meat on the grill and enjoy a feast. I do love a cow. Shooting under par…great. Winning the bet….wonderful. A perfect day on the course with your buddies…Priceless!

Fairways and Greens

Robert Rowe

English: Asfordby Road Golf Course The green is in one corner of a 12-hole pitch and putt course operated by the Melton Mowbray Town Estate. See: http://www.meltonmowbraytownestate.co.uk/news/get-into-the-swing-at-new-course (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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When The Golf Gods Smile

Hi guys, this is Bill!  Rob is a little under the weather today, so I thought I would offer today’s post.

To me, golf is the best game in the world! I’ve never been a great golfer, but I improved enough so that I could consistently break 90. I was once told that only about 15% of the people who play golf can break 90 on a regular basis. So I felt pretty good about my game.

Golf can be the most frustrating experience of your life one minute and the most rewarding the next. I’m sure you have experienced this! You could be having the worst round of your life. Nothings goes right! You can’t hit a fairway or green. You spend all day dodging trees, ponds, creeks, sand-traps and other impediments that were placed there to ruin your golfing experience! When you finally traverse this myriad of obstacles and reach the safety of the green, you cannot buy a putt! The next thing you know, double-bogey is looking pretty good! You spend the entire round trying to avoid the dreaded “snowman”! An 8! That looks so ugly on a scorecard, I shutter to think about it!

Then, out of the blue, it happens! Usually around hole 17 or 18, the golf gods smile on you and reward your persistence (or stubbornness)! You take your spot on the tee hitting last, line up your shot, just wanting an end to this torture. You start your backswing and suddenly to hit the perfect drive! Just as you envisioned it! The ball flies straight and true, splitting the fairway! As you approach you ball, you start weighing your options for the second shot. Because of your stellar tee shot, you must wait for your playing partners to hit their approach shots. This gives you time to think of everything that could go wrong on your second shot. But, mysteriously, those thoughts never come. Your mind is focused and you patiently wait for your turn. You line up your approach and execute the shot. The ball flies straight for the pin and lands softly on the green. Wow! After all this hacking it around all day, you actually have a good chance at a birdie! You line up your putt and actually see the line from your ball to the hole. As you stand over your putt, a deathly silence surrounds you. It’s as if there no other living being on earth. You take your stroke and the ball travels along the line you see in your mind’s eye. It falls safely home into its hole.

After all the frustration and heartache, the round is finally over. Most reasonable people would probably sell their clubs and quit the game forever. But because of that moment of brilliance, you can’t wait to get out here and do it again! The golf bug has bitten you and you are addicted to the greatest game ever played!

Avoid the “Snowman”,

Bill

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