Now On The Tee
Could there be any bigger highlight than playing a round of golf with your child for the first time? And having that round take place at Pebble Beach's delightful nine-hole Peter Hay GC? Prior to turning 40 on April 1st of this year, I fulfilled my goal of losing 25 pounds, getting down to a trim 170 with the hope that less aches and pain would equate to better golf. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as planned, as I struggled with my golf game all year. That said, there is no doubt that 2013 was among the best years I've had both on and off the course. I did have one notable round early in the season, shooting a one under par 71 at my home club in May but I never challenged par again for the remainder of the year. I posted 59 scores in 2013 versus 58 in 2012 and had six other rounds where I couldn't post scores due to the format (scramble) or the fact the course didn't have a rating (Ballyneal GC).
Competitively, it was a year to forget, as I lost a bunch of money to buddies in weekly games and generally fared poorly in almost every event I entered. I flamed out in the first round of the Langley Cup match play competition at my home club in St. Catharines, a full handicap event between 0-7 handicaps. I was only slightly better in the Scratch match play event, losing in the second round after choking away a four-up front nine lead. I once again played in the three day member-guest tournament at my home club with my usual partner, my wife's uncle Henry. He played with a heavy heart this year, as his son (my wife's cousin) passed away well before his time only four weeks before the tournament. We didn't play well and finished in the middle of the pack but I think it was an important event for Henry to help with the healing process.
We'll do it again in 2014, as St. Catharines G&CC always does a great job putting this tournament together. A notable addition to my competitive calendar was organizing the "Premier League" season-long golf league at my home club. The league ran for 20 weekends during the summer months and the top 10 rounds out of the potential 20, utilizing a modified stableford scoring format, counted for the overall standings. We had two flights, with 15 guys competing from the back tees and 11 competing from one deck forward. 2600.00 prize pool, the event was a huge success and the guys who took part seemingly enjoyed having something to play for every Sunday. I hope we can build on it in our second year coming up. I finished 5th out of 15 playing in the "Back Tee" competition but only the top three were paid out. I did cash in my other organized event, the third annual "Turkey 2 Ball" at my home club. After two years with 24 players and 12 teams, this year we had a spectacular showing with 16 2-man teams.
For the first time, I was put in the "B Pool" due to my higher handicap and that allowed me to get paired with Will G, one of the better young players at our club. 50.00 or so in successful wagers. Not a bad haul! 4000.00 overall prize pool! That was my last round of the year and as always, it's a great way to finish things off! I did have one other significant event that I took part in outside of my home club but I'll get to that in the next section. 2013 was one of the most prolific years I've had with respect to seeing new courses, with an incredible (for me) 14 first-time visits. Overall, I played 19 different golf courses this year. I took a 12-day family trip to Northern California in late May, perhaps the best vacation I've ever had in my life. I traveled to San Francisco with my wife and son in late May, spending five days in that world-class city.
