Today the real matches begin. We had three matches scheduled for today and two for tomorrow. Each of them are nine hole matches where you get one point for winning the hole or 1/2 point if you push. The team who wins the match gets an extra point (which is also split if the match is a push) for a total of 10 points per match. Add up your score over the 5 matches and you have your score within your flight of teams. The winner of each of 11 flights compete in another horse race to determine the overall winner of the tournament.
Our first match was on the back 9. We started out halving the first hole, then losing the next two holes. Not good, but it is early and there is a lot of golf to be played. In other tournaments, I noticed that momentum has a way of switching slowly. Rarely do you win one hole, then lose the next one. Usually there is a transition hole where the teams push. Today fit that rule with only one exception. On 13 we pushed and then we started winning the holes. On 15 Kevin and I both got across the junk on our tee shots while our opponents both dropped into it. We halved two more holes and won the other ones to win the match and the bonus point. Total points for this match: 6.5
The second match started about 30 minutes later, this time on the front 9. Kevin hit a great drive but I pushed my drive to the right and was in some trees and decided to try to punch it down the fairway. I pulled the shot, though, hit a tree dead in the middle and watched as the ball rolled 20 yards back up the fairway towards the tees. hah! Not much I could do but laugh about that. Kevin hit a great second shot though and was lying 3 about 6 feet from the hole. Then he three putted and we halved the hole. Ick. On then next hole, our opponent 4 putted to lose the hole. Not pretty golf by either team so far. It did get better though. On 7, I pulled my tee shot a bit, but it made it across safely, hit a great 9 iron bump shot to about 2 feet and sank it for par. Kevin nailed his drive on 8 to the bottom of the hill. On 9, we ended up with 3 net birdies (2 naturals) to push the hole. Nice putting that time from everyone. Total points for this match: 6.5
By the third match, I was getting pretty tired. Our opponents had been having a bad day and were drinking by this point. A lot. Let's just say that everyone's golf got pretty sloppy this time. My tee shot on 11 was left and it was right behind a tree. I mean touching it at the base. I it an interesting backwards shot to get it over towards the fairway but on my next shot I hit it right into the woods. Here is the interesting part. This was the first ball I lost all day. It wasn't until my 20th hole of the day. That has to be some sort of record for me at the Plateau Club :) We won several holes in a row though, most notably 15 (again) where I hit a great shot which landed 3 feet in front of the cup and rolled about 10 feet left. I two putted for par -- well, I would have except Kevin got his par and I didn't need to go any further :) We were up with 5 points heading to 18 when Kevin and I both blew up. I pulled my drive left into the trees. Then Kevin did the same -- twice. I took a drop and hit two more crappy shots and was lying 4 still sitting at the bunker. Kevin hit his next shot across the fairway into the trees. We ended up losing the last hole but still coming away with 6 points.
So now we have a total of 19 points after winning all three matches. There is one team ahead of us in our flight with 21 points after three wins. They are our second match tomorrow.
I am really happy with how we played today. I never thought we would win three matches overall, let alone all three on the first day. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. The odds are against us winning so I'm not going to worry about that. Having already exceeded my expectations, we'll just be out there to have fun.
Friday, July 30, 2004
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Plateau Member/Guest Tournament day 1
Kevin and I are playing in the Member/Guest tournament at the Plateau Club this week. This is really the thing that I have been working towards all summer. It started today with a practice round/skins game and then a horse race.
We checked in and got our great swag bag. New Footjoy shoes, a box of Pro V1s, a nice polo shirt, baseball cap, new glove -- even a shoe horn! Good stuff! Kevin and I headed out for our practice round. Practice round is a strange name for it though. Since this was also the skins game, they set the course up very differently from how it will play for the actual tournament. Some holes are playing from tees that are much farther back and the holes are cut in very difficult locations. Nice for a skins game, but it doesn't really let the guests practice for what the tournament will be like. The play was slow and after 4 hours, we had only gotten to hole 14 and the horse race was about to start so we bailed early. So much for practice :)
The horse race is great fun. For those who don't know, it works like this. The entire field is broken into 3 groups of 20 teams. Each of those groups heads to one of the holes. We started on 8. One person from each team tees off in order until there are 20 balls out in or near the fairway. Then we switch players for each subsequent shot until everyone is on the green. Then everyone putts from the inside out, again alternating players, until everyone has holed their putt. At the end of the first hole, they cut 1/2 of the teams with the highest score and we move to the next hole.
Kevin tee'd off on 8 and pulled it so it was sitting past the bunker on the left, but blocked out from a shot to the green. The lie looked worse than it really was but we got lots of sympathy from other players as they saw it on the way to their ball. I guess you could call it sympathy. Sometimes it sounded like laughing. I hit a good punch shot down the hill so the ball was sitting about 50 yards from the green. Kevin hit a great pitch onto the green to about 12 feet. We ended up two putting for a bogie. Not bad. Problem is that after all was said and done, six teams had better than bogie, and eight teams had worse, but only 10 teams could advance so we had a chip off to decide which four of the bogie teams would advance.
I elected to do the chip and had to stand off the right side of the green with my back to the green so I couldn't see how everyone elses chips went. More so that I couldn't see how it breaks than to not see where they ended up. From the right side of the green, a chip is very likely to roll all the way across to the rough on the other side and it sounded like a few people met this fate. I was the last one to chip and I was determined to not get caught too short or too long. I hit it pretty softly and let it roll, it rolled a bit more to the left than I wanted but it stopped short of the hole and did not roll past. They called the 3 closest chips (all short of the hole) and said they moved on and were ready to call one of the ones next to the rough when I stepped off my ball (13 feet from the hole) and then walked the same distance toward the rough and showed the judges that I was at least 2 feet closer than the ones at the fringe. They agreed and we moved on to the next hole. Yes!
On the next hole, we got a stroke since due to our team handicap. I tee'd off and was right of the fairway. Kevin hit a good second shot and I layed up to about 90 feet. Kevin then hit a great approach over the junk and we were about 8 feet from the hole lying 4. Yeah! The putting was not nearly as good though. I hit it a bit hard and it went about four feet past the hole (had I taken the time to look at it from the other side, I would have noticed it was much more downhill than I thought). Kevin missed the comeback by mere inches and I tapped in for a 7 net 6. 6 was the playoff line to get down from 10 teams to 5. Time for another chip off. This time Kevin did the chipping and he hit it pretty well. Of the five teams chipping, we were the third closest, but there was only room for two teams so that was the end of our horse race. I figure we came in 6th, but nothing lower than 3rd counts so there ya go :)
Tomorrow is the start of the match play rounds. Five rounds of nine holes each against different teams in our handicap range. Should be fun.
We checked in and got our great swag bag. New Footjoy shoes, a box of Pro V1s, a nice polo shirt, baseball cap, new glove -- even a shoe horn! Good stuff! Kevin and I headed out for our practice round. Practice round is a strange name for it though. Since this was also the skins game, they set the course up very differently from how it will play for the actual tournament. Some holes are playing from tees that are much farther back and the holes are cut in very difficult locations. Nice for a skins game, but it doesn't really let the guests practice for what the tournament will be like. The play was slow and after 4 hours, we had only gotten to hole 14 and the horse race was about to start so we bailed early. So much for practice :)
The horse race is great fun. For those who don't know, it works like this. The entire field is broken into 3 groups of 20 teams. Each of those groups heads to one of the holes. We started on 8. One person from each team tees off in order until there are 20 balls out in or near the fairway. Then we switch players for each subsequent shot until everyone is on the green. Then everyone putts from the inside out, again alternating players, until everyone has holed their putt. At the end of the first hole, they cut 1/2 of the teams with the highest score and we move to the next hole.
Kevin tee'd off on 8 and pulled it so it was sitting past the bunker on the left, but blocked out from a shot to the green. The lie looked worse than it really was but we got lots of sympathy from other players as they saw it on the way to their ball. I guess you could call it sympathy. Sometimes it sounded like laughing. I hit a good punch shot down the hill so the ball was sitting about 50 yards from the green. Kevin hit a great pitch onto the green to about 12 feet. We ended up two putting for a bogie. Not bad. Problem is that after all was said and done, six teams had better than bogie, and eight teams had worse, but only 10 teams could advance so we had a chip off to decide which four of the bogie teams would advance.
I elected to do the chip and had to stand off the right side of the green with my back to the green so I couldn't see how everyone elses chips went. More so that I couldn't see how it breaks than to not see where they ended up. From the right side of the green, a chip is very likely to roll all the way across to the rough on the other side and it sounded like a few people met this fate. I was the last one to chip and I was determined to not get caught too short or too long. I hit it pretty softly and let it roll, it rolled a bit more to the left than I wanted but it stopped short of the hole and did not roll past. They called the 3 closest chips (all short of the hole) and said they moved on and were ready to call one of the ones next to the rough when I stepped off my ball (13 feet from the hole) and then walked the same distance toward the rough and showed the judges that I was at least 2 feet closer than the ones at the fringe. They agreed and we moved on to the next hole. Yes!
On the next hole, we got a stroke since due to our team handicap. I tee'd off and was right of the fairway. Kevin hit a good second shot and I layed up to about 90 feet. Kevin then hit a great approach over the junk and we were about 8 feet from the hole lying 4. Yeah! The putting was not nearly as good though. I hit it a bit hard and it went about four feet past the hole (had I taken the time to look at it from the other side, I would have noticed it was much more downhill than I thought). Kevin missed the comeback by mere inches and I tapped in for a 7 net 6. 6 was the playoff line to get down from 10 teams to 5. Time for another chip off. This time Kevin did the chipping and he hit it pretty well. Of the five teams chipping, we were the third closest, but there was only room for two teams so that was the end of our horse race. I figure we came in 6th, but nothing lower than 3rd counts so there ya go :)
Tomorrow is the start of the match play rounds. Five rounds of nine holes each against different teams in our handicap range. Should be fun.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Navy Helicopter Airlifts Injured Divers From Cruise Ship
Navy Helicopter Airlifts Injured Divers From Cruise Ship
Coast Guard Investigating Diving Incident
A couple of stories about the rescue at sea mentioned below. Still no info on the people who were rescued.
Coast Guard Investigating Diving Incident
A couple of stories about the rescue at sea mentioned below. Still no info on the people who were rescued.
Snuba!
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Zach, Kate and I Snuba diving. Snuba is a blend between scuba and snorkeling. We are breathing using the same aparatus as in scuba but connected via a hose to the tank on a raft 20 feet above. It took a bit of time to get used to it, but it was really fun!
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Practice Rounds @ The Plateau Club
Back home. The Plateau Member/Guest tournament starts tomorrow and goes through Saturday so I wanted to practice some and get used to playing some non-resort golf again. I played 18 holes yesterday and the front 9 twice today (once with Zach, and once with Paul and his dad).
Here are my thoughts in preparation for this weekend:
Here are my thoughts in preparation for this weekend:
- Focus. Pick my targets and focus on hitting the ball to that target
- Relax and take the club back slowly. For the last couple of days, I was rushing my swing and all sorts of bad things were happening. I think the same thing happened at kuki'o. When I get excited or nervous, I speed up and get out of sync.
- Have fun. This game sucks when you are not enjoying it. Enjoy the good shots, laugh at the bad ones. I'll be playing with Kevin this weekend so that should make it more fun from the get go.
It is a best ball match play, one of my favorite formats since each hole is a new game and there are two of you to get the job done.
It should be fun!
Monday, July 26, 2004
Back home!
We are back home from Hawaii. Finally! It was a great trip but three weeks is a long time to be gone from home.
Lots more stories to tell. Leslie has a couple of them on her website too. More pictures to come too.
Lots more stories to tell. Leslie has a couple of them on her website too. More pictures to come too.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Do you know what is big?
Do you know what is really big? The Kilauea caldera. You know what else is really big? This picture. It is a 14136x1932 panorama. If you look closely (and you can) you can see sulphur deposits on the side of the caldera. Cool!
Friday, July 23, 2004
Family Affair - Golf @ Wailea Emerald Course
Kate and Zach joined me today for a round at the Wailea Emerald course. Since the course wouldn't let us put 3 people in a cart, Zach rode with one of the other members of our foursome from the ship and Kate rode with me.
Let me say this: I still love resort golf courses :) Wide fairways that even if you miss them, you still have a chance to save par. Sure, I'm supposed to be able to just hit it right down the middle of the fairway each time but it sure makes the game more enjoyable when I can miss it by a bit (or a bit more) and still have a chance to make a cool recovery shot rather than dropping near lava rocks.
Today, though, it didn't matter so much. I was hitting the ball really well both from the tee and in and near the fairway. I hit 9 greens in regulation and was only 4 over after nine holes. It was a great feeling to be able to pick out a target and have the ball actually fly straight towards that spot.
After a couple holes, Kate decided that she wanted to be my caddie for the rest of the round. She said she would get me the right club and keep an eye out for my ball. She did a great job! I told her that I hit my 6 iron about 160 yards and that each club was about a 10 yard offset from that. With that info, she started making good club recommendations and getting them ready for me. She would run ahead and "check for the swoosh" to identify my ball. She even started naming my clubs. My driver's name is now Melrose, my putter's name is Ben and my 9 iron's name is "The Guy". Kate has never shown an interest in golf before, so it was really great to have her participating in my round.
By the 16th hole, I hadn't had a par for about 5 holes. I was due. The 16th is a 147 yard par 3. As I walked up to the tee, I told Kate "This shot is going to be so close to the hole, that you are going to wonder how it didn't fall in". I hit my shot, it flew straight as an arrow, landed just short of the hole and rolled to about 12 inches. I turned and smiled. She was excited. It was a great moment :) I tapped it in for birdie and followed it with another par.
Zach had fun too riding with another player -- a young guy who hadn't played very much yet, but had some pretty good shots. After a few holes, Zach was giving him some pointers and I heard them laughing several times throughout the round.
I ended up shooting a 40 front and 43 back for a total of an 83. A great final round for this trip.
Let me say this: I still love resort golf courses :) Wide fairways that even if you miss them, you still have a chance to save par. Sure, I'm supposed to be able to just hit it right down the middle of the fairway each time but it sure makes the game more enjoyable when I can miss it by a bit (or a bit more) and still have a chance to make a cool recovery shot rather than dropping near lava rocks.
Today, though, it didn't matter so much. I was hitting the ball really well both from the tee and in and near the fairway. I hit 9 greens in regulation and was only 4 over after nine holes. It was a great feeling to be able to pick out a target and have the ball actually fly straight towards that spot.
After a couple holes, Kate decided that she wanted to be my caddie for the rest of the round. She said she would get me the right club and keep an eye out for my ball. She did a great job! I told her that I hit my 6 iron about 160 yards and that each club was about a 10 yard offset from that. With that info, she started making good club recommendations and getting them ready for me. She would run ahead and "check for the swoosh" to identify my ball. She even started naming my clubs. My driver's name is now Melrose, my putter's name is Ben and my 9 iron's name is "The Guy". Kate has never shown an interest in golf before, so it was really great to have her participating in my round.
By the 16th hole, I hadn't had a par for about 5 holes. I was due. The 16th is a 147 yard par 3. As I walked up to the tee, I told Kate "This shot is going to be so close to the hole, that you are going to wonder how it didn't fall in". I hit my shot, it flew straight as an arrow, landed just short of the hole and rolled to about 12 inches. I turned and smiled. She was excited. It was a great moment :) I tapped it in for birdie and followed it with another par.
Zach had fun too riding with another player -- a young guy who hadn't played very much yet, but had some pretty good shots. After a few holes, Zach was giving him some pointers and I heard them laughing several times throughout the round.
I ended up shooting a 40 front and 43 back for a total of an 83. A great final round for this trip.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
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