Golf ⛳️ 2020 Edition

-

Let me introduce the 4-some:

Pops:

The long ball hitter of the group. He spent a lot of years hitting drives that went from line-to-line. One of the original Grape Apes 🦍 he often chipped and putted with the same strength of his drives.

J.C.:

His ball would often start right and end up at the car path on the left side. His control with woods is amazing. He can tailor the swing to hit it 200 yards or 120. The king of par 3’s.

Scotty:

The best looking swing of the group and the best putter by far - he can actually read greens. But he’s often pretty beat up and has to battle through pain.

Me:

I hit it straight. Almost always. I also have Chippy and he saves me a lot of strokes per round.

In 2020, we had no idea what the season would be. We golfed with just one guy per cart a few times. Then we got in a groove.

25 rounds.

It’s time for the awards:

Most Improved:

Pops! 

He slowed everything down this year and those errant shots were a lot less common. He owned the 10th hole - a monster of a hole - and his 3-wood for the second shot in covered a ton of ground. Hammered that shot every week. He birdied the hole a couple of times and that’s truly impressive.

Best Fairway Woods:

J.C.:

 No doubt - he sometimes got into trouble with short tee shots but he’d stay calm and stroke a fairway wood. Far and straight.

Comeback Player of the Year:

Scotty. 

He struggled mightily for a few weeks. We all root for one another and when one guy is in the barrel...we all stay quiet...and hope.

There was a lot of concern...and then bam...he started hitting the ball. Turned the year around!

And he can putt it!

Strength Award:

Me! 

No idea why I started hitting the ball further this year, but it was a year of consistent, power hitting! It changes the game.

I think of soaking our gators in the ice chest and putting it on our heads before the 16th hole.

I’ll miss the chat before the round and the laughs at each tee box.

We didn’t talk politics, or family, or even much about other sports.

We golfed.

Best holes:

Pops birdie on 10.

My birdies on 2.

John’s 75-foot putt for Birdie on 5.

Scott making about 7 putts in a row one week...

...and then the round we played just 3 weeks ago (without Scotty).

23 pars!

It was bitterly cold when we teed-off yesterday. 

It took me a long while to get into some sort of a groove and I was struggling with the thought that it was the final round.

We lined up for the last hole.

John’s shot started right and ended up on the left side.

I hit a straight one...further than in previous years.

Scotty with a low liner that ended up on the short grass...

...and Pops passed all of us.

We covered up our drivers.

Finished up the hole.

Fist bumps all around.

Damn!

One more week?

Or how many weeks until May 1st?

24?

Twenty-four weeks???

I may cry now!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suits

-
Like a lot of other people we got pulled into the series, ‘Suits’ on Netflix. I’ve never had much fun hanging around lawyers who have questioned me as a construction safety officer. I once testified in a case where the opposing lawyer started questioning me by going through my educational background. “So,” he said, racing to a crescendo, “You graduated from college with a degree in Communications-Journalism and suddenly, 30 years later, you’re a ‘safety expert.’” He actually made the quotation marks with his fingers. I just looked at him. “How does that happen?” He bellowed, sure that he was going to discredit me. “Well,” I said. “I knew I was overqualified to become a lawyer.” The courtroom erupted in laughter. Even the judge chuckled. The rest of his questions landed flat. So, I wasn’t all that keen on a show about lawyers, but ‘Suits’ is great. Meghan Markle became a princess because of the show, and she is very good in it (and a beautiful woman). Yet, there is so much more. The wri
Read more

My Buddy, Dave

-
Way back in 1997, I started working with a steel erection company out of Syracuse. I was coming straight from a long stint with a steel erector here in Buffalo so I knew my stuff when it came to steel erection safety rules. On day one, I met with the safety director and he was just getting started as a safety guy, but man, he certainly cared about the guys he worked with. Dave was a good man from the start. He’d say things like: “You’re so full of beans.” Just a down to earth, hardworking guy who became a fast friend. We drove all around New York State setting up jobs. I always let Dave drive so that I could rest. One fine day, way up North of Syracuse, we passed a state trooper.  I glanced at the speedometer. “You’re screwed,” I said, and seconds later, the lights came on. Dave was beside himself.  The cop stopped by the window, grabbed the license and registration and headed back to his vehicle. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You’re pissed, but you’re such a good guy that I bet you tha
Read more

Mom & Ollie

-
Image
 Ollie Stadium is a mess. The heavy rains rendered the backyard a mud pit and even though we threw in the side yard, the Big O was looking for more, and we were both covered in mud. I had to take some steam out of him somehow so I suggested we go visit Grandma. Ollie hates the car, but he laid quietly as we made the trip. We even brought the football because there is plenty of room to play at Grandma’s. Mom opened the door and started laughing. I thought about the love she had for every single dog we ever had. Oliver was quick to give my Mom a kiss, and then he stood beside her. The love between Mom and Dogs is a mutual bond. Through the years, Mom would make breakfast for the dogs.  Fried eggs, toast, bacon… She would wrap Christmas gifts for them. “To Jeter, Love Santa,” she would write on the cards. They played with the big chicken that made a lot of noise. Mom tossed the football and Ollie brought it back to her. As the visit drew to a close I headed for the door.  “C’mon, Oliver,”
Read more