Total Domination

Had a great golf weekend playing saturday and sunday for the first time in over a month. Felt great to wake up to days in a row and get a full 18 in. However, this one was a little better then most.

Saturday left a lot to be desired. Cal and I played just the 2 of us and both dragged our asses around the course with very poor results. I would shoot 43 on the front and 40 on the back for a 83. Just couldn't do anything right. This was concerning since I had my quarterfinal Langly match sunday morning. Oh well. I'd spend the rest of the day drinking wine and vodka with my wondreful wife and got pretty wasted. Had a few bottles with her sister and brother in law, and then went out later for the best lobster sandwich in the world with my cousin and his wife. Don't really remember walking home but apparently some funny shit went down that sarah filled me in on the next day. I thought I almost fell off this bridge downtown (wasn't even close), refused to wear shoes walking home.

Woke up sunday morning still a little fuzzy but ready to play none the less. I grabbed a cart so that I could make it the full 18 with out collapsing. I'll admit what happened next was a surprise to me in the condition I was in. One other thing to mention about my opponent is he is pretty much my golf nemesis. Used to play with the guy on a fairly reagular basis untill one year in the club championships he accused me of cheating and that pretty much ended it. Haven't played with the guy in 2 years, probably won't again. I really wanted to win this match.

Starting on the 10th hole I was up first and hit a crappy little drive just trying to stay in bounds after hitting the houses saturday morning. I'd end up getting to the green in 3 and draining a 12 footer for birdie to his par to start 1 Up.

Second hole I was a litte right about 10 feet off the fairway 110 yards out. Charlie was on the green in 2 about 20 feet away. I hit a perfect gap wedge that took a great hop towards the hole ringed off the stick and stopped about 3 feet away. Charlie would 3 putt and I missed my short birdie putt, but still 2 Up.

Third Hole Charlie and I both hit the green and 2 putted for par, 2 Up.

4th hole, #13 my worst hole, I would actually hit a good drive and find myself in the fairway. Hit a nice shot into the green. Charlie was short of the green for his third but made a great chip to about 2 feet. I would make a nice 2 putt and charlie drained his par putt, still 2 UP.

Then the clinic begun.

5th hole I hit a horrible 7 iron about 20 yards short of the green. However, Charlie blocked his left into a bunker. I chipped up to about 12 feet and drained the putt after charlie missed his. 3 Up.

6th hole Charlie was a little all over the place and was 50 yards short of the green hitting 4, I was alrady on about 25 feet away for birdie. He would over hit his chip, scuff one barely onto the green and looking at a long bogey putt. Didn't matter, I drained mine for birdie to go 4 UP and 2 under for the day.

7th hole we both hit decent drives. I came up short of the green on my third, charlie was on, i hit a poor chip and 2 putted, charlie 2 putted for par, 3 Up and 1 under.

8th hole we both came up a little short of the green chipping from same spot. Neither of us could make the up and down, still 3 Up and now Even for the day.

9th, 18th hole, I hit a great drive that found the fairway which is rare for me. Charlie would be a little shorter then me and then missed the green short and to the right. I hit a sweet 7 iron into the wind to about 15 feet. Charlie chipped up and was about 15 feet away for par and drained a great putt. What was even better was I came over top of him and drained my birdie putt to go 4 Up and 1 under for the first 9 holes.

At this point, I knew in my head it was over. I was blowing this lead on the usual front 9 that I find much easier then the back.

10th hole we both bogey to stay 4 Up.

11th hole I made an awful chip and made bogey to Charlies par to go down to 3 Up.

12 hole I hit an awful drive, over hit the green slightly with a 7 iron from 175 down wind. Charlie was in the exact same spot as me but on the fringe I was in rough about 50 feet from the cup. I'd go first. Caught a little to much of the ball on my chip and I'm watching it roll fast downhill, but right at the cup. It's either off the green or in the cup. Lucky for me, this was my day and it rolled right in the cup for a birdie. Charlie wouldn't come close, I'm 4 Up again.

13th hole I would pull some more horse shoes out of my ass. Hit a fade right at a tree about 20 yards off the tee box somehow the ball slips right through it without even touching a leaf curls around and I've got a 15 foot birdie putt. Charlie pulled his left and couldn't make the up and down, I 2 putted for par and I'm 5 Up with 5 to go.

It's over.

14th hole I hit an easy drive down the right hand side. Charlie was in a little trouble but no big deal. We both got up to the green, nothing exciting here. He missed his par putt giving me 2 strokes to make it from about 8 feet. I missed the par putt but left it an inch away and the match was over. 5&4.

Pure domination. Never even gave him a chance, I was playing to good and so determined to beat this guy I wasn't caving. As I said, I knew it once I made the turn. Felt awesome to stick it to this guy. He may not have played as well as he could have, but I honestly don't think it would have mattered. I wasn't losing this match.

So i'm back in the semi finals of the langly cup. Last time I was hear was against one of the best players in the club and I lost on the 18th hole. This time I'm playing a friendly guy we used to play with Brian B. He's a good player and beat me last year pretty easily, but I wasn't playing as well then as I am now. Looking forward to playing him and hopefully reaching the finals for my first time.

Next weekend is club championships and I like where my game is at. No crazy thoughts of winning it, but I plan on playing well and making a cut. Will be working on my short game this week and then going out and doing my best.

Great Vacation = Great results, sort of

I've just had 3 of the best weeks of my life. On June 28th I was lucky enough to marry the most amazing girl in the world. I then followed that up with 3 amazing weeks in Greece traveling around the mainland and islands. Everyone should find some time in their life to visit this country. The weather was amazing, didn't have a day under 32 degrees Celsius, and didn't see a cloud in the sky for 3 weeks. Amazing food, great beaches, crazy history, all around phenomenal vacation.

While a way I realized how much I missed golf. When the trip first started I emailed Matt to tell him I wasn't going to play in the niagara mens tour event the sunday after I returned. However, I changed my mind about a week before I came back and decided to play just so I could get back on the course.

After returning to St. Catharines around midnight on the saturday and a 7 hour time difference I was so tired I could hardly stand. Still wasn't going to stop me from enjoying a day on the course. I arrived at Twenty Valley, a course I've never played before, around 12:30 for the 4th leg of the tour. I would need a cart on this day, i just knew I wouldn't make the trek around the course.

Needless to say, my expectations were low for this day. I hit some balls before the round at my club and actually hit the ball really well, but you never know with this game. I'd start off on the first hole, a short par 5, getting to the green easily in 3 with a 10 foot birdie putt. I knocked it by a couple feet and walked up to tap it in. However the greens were really quick and I blasted it by the whole. Then I did it again, and then I barely got it in for a double bogey with a 4 putt. same bullshit I did on the first whole at St. Catharines. Maybe this would be a shit day. But then things clicked on the next whole. I would go on to hit some smooth shots every time I swung the club. Everything felt great. My tempo was perfect, I was steady over the ball, no fade in the flight, and the club selection was perfect. I'd go on to to par the next few holes, took 2 more bogies and then drained a 15 foot birdie putt on the 8th hole, but gave it back on the 9th after chunking a 6 iron off the tee. I got around the front 4 over for a 39. Pretty good.

The back wasn't much different. If it wasn't for the ridiculous 15th hole green I would have probably shot 1 or 2 over. The 15th green was just silly. I bombed a 2 iron rescue down the middle to about 150 yards. I was smoothing the rescue all day long on the short course. I was with the other guys in my groups drivers all day long. I would over hit the green slightly which I didn't think was a big deal, that was until I got up to the green. Picture a turtle shell with a pin right in the middle of it. I chipped up and it rolled down to the front of the green. Tried ot putt up to the whole and it rolled hard to the left, missed the next putt and finally got it in after that for a double bogey, to bad. The 16th long par 3 had me watching the first 3 guys go all over the place. Using 3 woods and rescue clubs they couldn't get the green. I decided to hit 4 iron. I hit a perfect laser at the pin but saw my ball bounce once short and get just caught up enough to stop about 3 feet from the green. Made the up and down and on to the 17th. The 17th was totally set up against my swing, as was most of the course. This is a course for a right handed player that hits a draw, I hit a fade, all the time. with trees lined tight up the left hand side I hit a perfect drive that just barely rises up over the trees and lands about 160 middle of the fairway. I'd come up a little short of the green trying to get tight to the pin. Couldn't make the birdie putt from just off the green but made a nice par. 18 is a weird hole. Guy in my group was explaining the dangers all around, Matt was telling me before the round how a guy hit 7 iron off the tee 2 years ago to be safe, so didn't really know what to do. After playing the hole, I should have just hit driver up the left and let my fade do the rest, but I opted for a safe rescue club I was hitting well all day. Got in good position from 250 out with a look at the green. Shot to the green was fly 250 with a false front green and the pin right at the front of the green. After a little internal debate I decided to go for it with a rescue. After swinging this club perfectly all day I eneded up over swinging and hitting a huge fade that ended up in a backyard beside the green and out of bounds. That's ok, I'm still pitching from about 50 yards to make an up and down for par. I would stroke a nice little gap wedge to about 10 feet behind the hole, thinking i'm in trouble with how fast this is gonna be. Luckly my putting was on today and I was able to roll it in for what I thought was an amazing par.

I'd finish the day with a 79 which was pretty remarkable considering the condition I was in. Left the course early in 6th place knowing it wasn't going to stand up. I'd end up with another 20th place finish. Not bad, still better then 95% of my results on the tour over the year, but could have been better. Oh well. I beat Matt, again, I think thats 2 out of 4 events I beat him. I beat Cal. And I managed to stay within my goal of the top 30 on tour for an exemption into next year. More importantly, I jumped back ahead of Cal in the standings and caught up to Matt with a chance to pass him in the next event.

Nice way to return to the course. Now this weekend I'm back to St. Cathairnes Club, got my second langly match of the year against and old foe, then club championships the following weekend. I like where my game is at right now. Swing feels great, chipping is good, and my putting has let me down to much. Still getting killed by the cup lips and inches here and there, but not letting it frustrate me out of a good round. Really want to win this sunday Langly, going to give it my all, be relaxed, and just keep the pressure on him. I think it's going to wet out there and that should give me a slight edge over the older short hitting man, but he's a proven veteran and I'm sure it won't be a cake walk or nothing for me.