Leagues.... Week 1

The anticipation is over.... Leagues have started!

Tonight as I drove up to the course, anxiously awaiting to get to the first tee box, I pondered what this year on the golf course would bring?

First things first..... Green fees..... I decided that this year I was going to buy a 10 round punch card for 290 bucks! This card gives me 10 rounds of 18 to use anytime during the season, I can also separate that into 20 rounds of 9 (leagues) No brainer purchase as that boils down to $14.40 a week compared to the 17 that I would pay if I didn't buy the card... Bottom line.... Tanners Brook buys me a free beer every time I play! See you have to put things into perspective! Might I also be more willing to run out and shoot 9 on a Sunday afternoon now, absolutely!!

OK Green Fees taken care of... Now If you know me, you know that I am EARLY for everything.... So we were supposed to tee off at 5:22PM tonight.. Yeah... I was in the clubhouse at 4:30! So I bellied up to the bar and ordered a Jack/Coke and waited for everybody to get there.

Time passes -

First tee Box... Excited is the word..... Ready is the feeling..... On the tee... First tee shot of the year in the states..... pulled down the left side of the fairway and in play in the 2nd cut just short of the fairway sand trap on #1. Not bad..... Approach is 163 yards away... I know this because of the best purchase ever... My range finder! I leave my approach about 5 yards short... Chip on and am putting for par.... Leave my Par putt short and settle for Bogey on the first hole... I am OK with that!!!

Fast forward to the 6Th hole.... I have made par through 5 including the par 5 #4 hole which I thought I lost my ball and took a drop and put my 3rd shot onto the green from 253 yards with a 3 wood only to find my original tee ball Farther up the hole in the rough... I ended up taking my drop as the lie was questionable at best from my tee ball and the rest of the group had already drove off... Remember, I am walking! So none the less, I had about a 65 foot putt for Birdie, left it about 15 feet short but however did save par with a double breaking putt that I had no business making!

6Th hole at Tanners has a green that slopes like the face of a cliff.... Hit 3 wood off the tee to about 93 yards from the pin, left my approach to the right of the green as there is a huge tree that blocks the green from the front, chipped my 3rd shot barely on the green as I was not trying to run the ball down the slope of the green into a swamp! left my par putt short, and rimmed my Bogey putt! Double Bogey!!

+3 through 6! Not bad.... Bogey 7.... Bogey 8... Putting is the main fault.....

+5 through 8 sitting on a 36 right now, need a birdie on the par 5, 9Th to shoot a 40 on my first round of the year! Playing like it's my 15Th round of the year, not the 1st!

Mind you, it's about 45 degrees so you need to add at least 1 club to all shots as the ball isn't traveling as far!

So I tee off of 18, Push my tee ball to the right and it comes to rest about 1 foot into the rough, Good thing, this time of the year there is no rough at Tanners Brook! I use my range finder and determine that I am sitting 283 yards from the pin! It is a slight dogleg right with a pond off the right side of the green! I decide to take 3 wood and go for as much yardage as possible! The ball is in a lofted lie on some dead 2008 rough grass and I undercut the ball and get about 50 yards of advancement! So Now I am roughly 230 yards out, I take my 7 iron and just put my ball into the fairway with a good angle to the pin. So I need a up and down to hold par and shoot a 41.
As I stood over my ball I checked my yardage, 123 yards to the pin... A normal pitching wedge for me! However with the temp dropping I decided to take a 9 iron, trusting my instinct and full swing it! I hit it flush and the ball took off with the pin in it's sights! According to the group in front of us and my ball marks on the green I was right on in my club selection! I ended up checking my ball about 5 feet from the pin and having it spin back about 2 yards!
Walking up to the ball, The group ahead asked how our team was playing, I of course had carried the team for the better part of the round and we were sitting at +3 for the round! We were tied with that group watching us for the lead! So no pressure, I just needed to hit about a 21 foot uphill putt to tie them at +3.
I HIT IT!!!!!!!!!!! we tied.... I shot a 41..... I am very happy with a score of 41 in about 41 degree weather...... My partner Ron ended up shooting a 51 and Jon didn't mention what he shot.... They were the other 2 in our group!

After golf, Jon, Ron and I went to Wiseguys and had some pizza a few beers and chatted about the season ahead! talked about what games we would play and what kinda anties we would put up each week.

The only thing I am a little on edge about is... It's a whole week till next Wednesday!