Leave my Cubs hat alone!

dunk · #1 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 01:15 PM

this is also in my blog...
Ah, a good day yesterday! Weather was beauty—sunny and 63, so out I went. Been practicing putting, my confidence there has been shaky of late, but the pro at my club (it’s a muni, with memberships) took one look, and sorted that out. I’d been breaking my wrists in my pre-putt routine, and that was throwing my stroke off. And away we go!

I’ll get to the Cubs hat in a minute…

#1 par 4 370. Bango! Drive down the middle, with a hint of draw. 100 left to go—oops! Left turns out to be the operative word, pitching wedge into the sand front left of the green. Lessee…open stance, ball up front, just like the guys here’ve been saying…pop! Sailing out, bit of roll…6 foot putt, in! and a sandy, to boot! Good start puts a spring in my step!

#2 par 4 385. what a launch! Big, high and sadly, right down the tree line on the right. Now, all I gotta do is hit that where I’m aiming! Caught a branch, 190 over the trees…hmmm. Gave it a lash with the hybrid, got it over but off to the left of the green. Good pitch back, nailed the putt, up and down!

#3 short par 4, playing about 280. “Dunk’s been launching the ball off the tee, if he catches this one like those, he’s got a chance at the green” for once, the announcer in my head didn’t “miller” me, and that ball’s got a chance! Ooh, just short…but a nice chip and the birdie putt just rolled past, played too much break again. But, an easy par!

#4 par 4 405 mostly uphill. After waiting for the foursome in front of me (again), another lovely drive. “Dunk is wailing the ball off the tee today!” another patient wait for the second shot, the foursome are all older guys, regulars, one of which is 87, and I figure he’s earned the right to be a bit slow. They’re going as fast as they can. Yanked it to the right, chipped short, chipped better, short putt for bogey. Good score for me on this hole.

Yeah, yeah, the cubs hat, it’s coming, I promise.
#5 par 3, 190. gotta thread the tee shot between two big trees. Oops! Whacked the one on the right, but a lucky bounce plops me in the middle fairway, 50 out. I got this shot…half swing sand wedge, no problem. Read too much break on the par putt, got the comebacker for bogey. Going pretty good today!

A threesome of regulars behind me has been waiting on me while I wait on the four guys in front, and I’m in no hurry, so I offer to let them go through, that way, the four in front will be gone, they’re not waiting on me, and there’s nobody behind them to make me feel rushed. Instead, they insisted I join them, so…
Great. My old algebra teacher (he was also a basketball coach), a guy I didn’t know, and Mr. Board Member at the club. Gulp.
Oh, you want me to tee off first? Gulp. Ok…so, I’m playing with Mr. Board, Coach, and The Guy.

#6 par 4 375 dogleg 90 degrees right. Skied the hybrid! Good beginning for Dunk, right in front of Mr. Board. Ok, so I can pitch it to the fairway, I can still par this. whack! Got it right, smacked a tree, but it bounced back into the fairway…so, I still got a chance.
Oops! Into the sand on the right! Oops! Over the green! This is getting embarrassing…these guys have gotta be thinking I’m a total hack. Decent chip and a good putt to “save” a double bogey, and it’s on to the hardest hole on the course (and, the cubs hat, at long last).

#7 par 4 uphill and to the right 388. hardest hole on the course. Managed a good drive, outdrove Mr. Board, which was sweet, he was about ten yards back of me. I’m assessing my second shot, when he turns to me, and says, “Greg, I know how you can take 5 shots off your game, today!” Ol’ Dunk swallows the hook, “how?”
“burn that cubs hat!” oooh!! Two holes with Mr. Board, and already the needle!! “no chance, it’s my lucky hat!”
“really? You ever break a hundred wearing that thing?” ha ha. Coach and The Guy snicker away.
Second shot, just short of the green. Chip to 1 foot. Tap in par on the hardest hole. “Yes, sir, occasionally, I do break a hundred.”
Coach blew a snot bubble laughing, and Mr. Board cracked up, so, things are going good.

Played well the rest of the way, birdied a par 4 and a par 5 on the back, and wound up besting the three of ‘em, beat the best of the three by 7 strokes, by putting up an 82. Mr. Board is a good guy, he was just giving me the business, so to speak, to make me feel part of the group, and it worked. He tossed out several nice comments to me the rest of the way, and afterwards, said I could keep the hat, said I’d earned the right to wear it!

So, a great afternoon! Put up a good score, putted like a fiend (only 28 putts) and made a good impression not only on some staunch regulars, but one of ‘em a prominent board member! Maybe they’ll let me stick around…

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