As far as I know my mother is my sole loyal reader. Uncle Bill, are you still out there?
Mom wants to know what is happening with the golf. So, let me fill you in.
It's been a pretty good week for golf, though the course has been "bought" out by some union for all of tomorrow, which is Friday and normally a looked forward to golf day. (I asked if union toughs would be around as enforcers. I was told they would not. But they have not bought out the executive course, so Rich II and myself will journey forth tomorrow.)
But I'll be happy to talk about today. It's been hot this week and I usually wear some of the fancy new ultra athletic shirts. They wick and are great in hot weather as long as you have a breeze. If it's calm, they are hot.
It was overcast today. Had I been in Chicago, I would have expected rain. But not in northern California.
The front nine is crowded on Thursdays. The ladies have it from 8 to 10 and then the old guys are 10 to some thing. So Rich II and I went off the back.
While I always feel I owe the many gods thanks whenever I am on a golf course (that's all dad's and grandpa's fault), today was magic. There was no one in front of us and no one behind. We banged along at our usual pace and had a great time.
Rich II and don't have much in the way of preshot routines and like to get up there and hit it. So we hit and go and repeat.
We both walk and probably went around in an hour and something. We don't talk too little nor too much. "The company of like minded men," as my father has noted a time or two.
I played well and was just banging along and not thinking about much. This is the mode in which I play pretty well. My irons were hot, my driver was better than usual, but still a problem. A couple of birdies and some crud got me around in 38 -- two over.
We made the turn and lo and behold no one but Wayne on the tee. Wayne is part of the gang of 7 who play on Monday mornings. They have been kind enough to include me in their group and it's been a pleasure to play with them.
We join Wayne and off we go. Another magic nine, we play with no waiting until the 8th hole.
I manage another birdie on 6, getting it up and down from 150 yards. Mess up 9 when I try to fade a utility in from 185 and push then fade it. I tried to flop it over bunkers to a tight pin. That goes long and I chip long and two putt. There was only one other bogey to go with this and if you are keeping track, the front is done in 38 also for a grand total of 76. A good round and I was happy with my striking for the most part. The driver excepted of course...
The sun comes out and it gets steamy. I'm sweating through my shirt and feel a soggy mess. I would have done 27, but I'm still looking for shoes that won't hurt my feet.
Speaking of golf shoes. I usually wear running shoes, but if they are not water proof the goose leavings and reclaimed water make them a smelly mess after a while. The Men's club provides a nice station to clean shoes with compressed air. This is great and welcome, but the air tends to separate the layers off the bottom of the shoes, hastening their demise.
So I bought some Walter Hagen shoes. These are very inexpensive, about $40. The uppers are water proof and very soft. The bottoms a single piece of extruded rubber with modest spikes. That's good since I don't like to change shoes and I can wear these off the course after the rounds.
My only problem with them is the padding under foot is a bit thin. I've got a tendon or something that runs under the ball of my right foot and if it's not protected with some nice soft foam, it can be painful for long sloughs. A round is about 5 miles on soft terrain and that's about my limit.
I added some padding, but it's not the best. I think I'll try some new balance golf shoes next. They tend to fit me well and I see them on sale on occasion.
Then off to Costco for a Polish sausage. Some around the house stuff and now for a nice nap!
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