Monday, August 4, 2008

Call me Kung Pow (Intro)...

To give credit where credit is due, props to the Geek Prospectus, specifically E and LD, and the two other writers who I don't personally know, for inspiring me to blog again. I also credit my day-j.o.b., where the absence of focus and priorities has led me into an abyss of boredom. Based on the "buzz-word bingo" word, "mood elevator", one would say that mine is in the basement and inoperative.

This is a blog that will consist mostly of my two cents on sports, sports-media, video games, my terrible golf game, occasionally politics & newsworthy news (Lindsey Lohan doesn't count), as well as infrequent travel/vacation. Expect more of the former and less of the latter.

That being said, hopefully this will be semi-entertaining and possibly insightful at times.

Without further ado, my first entry will be about... Golf; because I broke 100 (on 18 holes!) on Friday for the first time in my life.
I'm no Tiger Woods... but I might be able to take him if he's on crutches.

This is my first summer of actually learning and playing the most frustrating game in the world. I took eight weeks of lessons, spent over $1,000 to update and upgrade my golf bag, attire, and other golf equipment. Since mid March, I've managed to play about 19 rounds. I'll start by saying that I probably should have taken lessons years ago (like when I lived by a driving range in Cincinnati) because it's the best thing I could have ever done to make my game tolerable. Shooting 125-130 with your future father-in-law probably isn't a good first impression. But thanks to lessons, I redeemed myself by shooting 101 on his home course six months later.

We played a local course in Dublin that's renowned for a need for, but not actual, wearing hard hats and less for the beauty or condition of the course. This course has a high "fore" to tee-shot ratio. It also has a high "fore" to second-shot ratio as well. I must have been drinking some special water all morning because I proceeded to shoot a 44 on the back 9 (started on the 10th) to lead our group of three. ("Three-some" just doesn't sound right in context of golfing with two other men)...

On the front 9, I was drinking David Duval beer and my self-implosion and specifically my struggle to hit a straight-tee shot with my driver; compounded by a '7' on a par-3 and two lost balls in water hazards, I managed to shoot a 54, lagging desperately behind the 42 and 43 that Golfers 2 and 3 put up, respectively. As Golfer 2 indicated, I shot a 38 on the first 8 holes I played, and 60 on the last 10. That was disheartening. That is still disheartening.

All that added up to a score of 98. The 44 was the lowest score on any 9 that I've played this summer, and the 54 matched the highest score I've shot on an 9 over the past month. Breaking 100 was a long time coming... and I'm happy to have finally cleared the hurdle. I'll probably post something golf-related if/when I break 90. The guys I usually golf with all shoot in the 80s and 90s... If I keep this up, I'll be able to join that fraternity of decent golfers. Furthermore, if I'm lucky, I'll peak at the right time, just in time for the to-be-scheduled department golf outing.

Needless to say, I'm a golf-addict. Round #20 for 2008 is scheduled for Friday afternoon already.

No comments: