Golf on the Island - Cedar Valley Golf Club

 Doug gets out of a trap... eventually 

We had plenty of time to discuss many topics during our two weeks before the mast, including comparing notes on our golf games. Having determined that we were compatible bad golfers, Doug suggested we try to get in a round on Antigua. Kim took advantage of some local connections and we scheduled a tee-time at Cedar Valley Golf Club.

Jim planned to play with us, but when it was time to depart decided he would rather spend the day relaxing on the boat and cleaning up Morpheus (cough... hangover... cough). Doug and I hired a driver and pressed on. 

Cedar Valley Golf Club is an unpretentious public course situated in the highlands of Antigua offering some spectacular vistas. It's not Country Club level of maintenance, but still as good or better than some of the muni tracks I play in San Francisco. The Clubhouse is a little rough around the edges, but the staff was friendly, the rental clubs were good, and it was a fun track to play. 

Our tee time was at 10:00, which means we were playing the heat of the Caribbean day. I was reminded of the Noel Coward song that  "Only Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun". OTOH, Doug and I pretty much had the course to ourselves for most of the round.

Some pics from the day...

Doug on the 1st hole fairway.
I am pointing to my tee shot in the far distance.

At the turn... I was kicking Doug's ass

A local resident of the course

A fun day. The final score is not important, but it should be noted that Doug has now joined the very exclusive, very small set of golfers to share the distinction of losing to me over a round of 18 holes of golf. 

Mayor Ed Lee Legacy Golf Tournament

 Jason of State Apparel on the 18th Tee

Last year I participated in the SF Mayor's Cup Charity Golf Tournament. It was favorite event of Mayor Ed Lee and supported a variety of great charities and causes.

We lost Mayor Ed Lee but, out of respect for his memory and all the good that he did, the tradition continues with the Mayor Ed Lee Legacy Golf Tournament:

"The Mayor Ed Lee Legacy Golf Tournament is a golf and fundraising event to benefit the Asian Law Caucus, the San Francisco Mayor's Women's Golf Council and other nonprofit organizations and causes that were important to the late Mayor Ed Lee. Ed had chosen October 13th at Harding Park as the date and site of what would have been the 2018 SF Mayor’s Cup. While we are still saddened by his passing, it seemed fitting that we hold a tournament in his memory as a chance to gather together and celebrate his legacy of supporting nonprofits that he had demonstrated through the SF Mayor’s Cup charity golf tournaments." 

I was privileged to again participate and represent the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance as a sponsor. I was, of course, showing our colors:

It's a scramble format, our foursome had a clean card with no bogeys and 7 birdies.

 Not enough to medal, but playing with Jason, Rich and Fred was great fun and enough for me to get a sense of what it's like to not be a bad golfer. Highly motivational.

No minimum drive requirement, so our ringers Fred and Jason provided the power

Rich's precision approach shots got us out of jail

Lisa, my playing partner last year, was in the group in front of us with the Sharp Park Women's Golf Club.

Lisa on 17th Tee

Without my dead weight on her team, she coasted to an easy victory.

Women's team winners.

Men's winners. I don't know these guys.

Great event and great fun - Mayor Lee would've loved it. I hope they keep it going. 

The Answer is 42 - A Long Day in Monterey

Playing 36 holes at the Bayonet / Black Horse Golf Courses is an annual tradition for the Oracle Golf Club. I can barely deal with the emotional trauma of 18 holes of my usual bad golf, but this year, agreed to attempt it.

I was up at 4:00 AM to get my act together and make the 8:20 tee-time in Monterey. We started the day in sunshine, but the warm inland air alternated with cold swirling fog from the marine layer blowing in the from the ocean throughout the day.

The first round was at Black Horse. Bob, Jeff and I played in a threesome, which means we alternated playing a second ball on each hole to complete the foursome in the team competition. For those keeping count - Yes - we actually played 42 holes each over the course of the day - coincidentally, 42 is the same as the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. But I digress.

The extra holes didn't help. We were the only team to finish the first round with a net score over par.

After lunch, Paul joined us for the second round at Bayonet. He was back for the 20 year anniversary of the last time he played with OGC (plus or minus a few years - no one can actually remember that far back).  I decided that Paul has the best reactions after his follow through.

As a team we did a lot better on the back, but still came up short - finishing 2 strokes behind the winners.

Wedding party in the background

Probably the highlight of the very long day was coming up 18 on Bayonet, the last hole. A wedding party was perched on a vista near the clubhouse and just getting started as we approached. Jeff was on the tee. You can see the wedding party in the upper right of the picture - in the same general direction that Jeff is looking after his tee shot. I should point out that Jeff is an excellent driver and hits the ball a long way.

He didn't actually get all that close, but he was close enough that the wedding party acted as a gallery and gave him an appreciative round of applause after his recovery shot back to the green.

My net scores were 83 and 77. You figure it out. After the long day, Paul took pity on me and let me stay at his place in Pebble Beach and save me the drive back to EssEff.

We talked about old times, ate fajitas, and drank single malt scotch. It was a long day, but a good day.

Credits: My phone was acting up (meaning I didn't have it adequately charged) so most of the pics on this page are stolen from my playing partners. Blame them. 

EssEff Muni Triple Crown

 18th Tee at Harding Park 

After a month-long hiatus, I'm going to have to go some to keep pace with my 2018 Golfing Resolution of playing at least half as many rounds as the President of the United States. For the Independence Day Holiday Week I decided to play three EssEff muni's in five days (I need a day off in between).

First up - Lincoln Park on June 29.

Played with Captain Jim, "Pops" and a random single (John?) who caught us mid round.

Jim throws one in the ocean. Maybe. 

Jeff on 17th tee

It was a good start. I broke 100, which is always my goal - a 97 vs Jim's 100* (with an asterik - he knows why), and Jeff wasn't keeping score.

Next up - Sharp Park on July 1.

 Four groups on the 4th hole at Sharp - Welcome to Sunday Muni Golf  

Smoke from fires in the North Bay blew south and mixed with the marine layer to create an odd lighting effect, even as far South as Pacifica.

OB1 and OB2 on the 4th Tee

Played with Original Bob (OB1), Other Bob (OB2), and Joe. I didn't break 100 on gross score, but on net scores:

1.  MW - 76
2. OB2 - 76
3. OB1 - 80

So, there's that. Onward.

The final Jewel in our Triple Crown was TPC Harding Park on July 3.

 18th Tee at Harding Park 

Played with OB1, OB2, and Stuart. Cubs were playing Detroit while we were on the course, so OB2 and I were showing our colors. Cubs won. As it turns out, that was my highlight of the round.

I spent a lot of time in the sand, but then so did Stuart:

And OB2 spent some time with a 2nd shot [arguably] behind the Women's Red Tees:

OB1 just looked good out there:

The most drama occurred on 16, where OB2 and I had birdie putts in a duel that was reminiscent of the Tiger Woods / John Daly playoff at the 2005 AMEX Championship:

Conditions were tough, but the "Perfect Manhattan" served up by Bartender Mike at the 19th Hole was, well - perfect.

Final Net Scores:

1. OB2 - 74
2. SJ - 75
3. MW - 83
4. OB1 - 86

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Blogger Notes: I apparently forgot how to blog over the previous month. Putting this long post out there with the hope I will blog forward and backward in time from here, eventually filling in the missing month. A lot happened last June. We can only hope.

Mid-week Presidio

In my continuing quest to play half as many rounds as the President of the United States in 2018, we scheduled a mid-week round at the historic Presidio course. This course always kicks my ass and today was no exception.

Played with Stuart and Other Bob (OB2). "T" joined us as a single, but I did not catch the accurate spelling of his multi-syllabic name. He said to call him ""T". I'm good with that. It was a beautiful day on a beautiful course.

We're on the 3rd hole, but for some reason Bob is on the 2nd fairway. 

I don't remember which hole this is. 

Some pics from the day...

Bob off the tee and into the trees on the right

On my way to a par on 13

Stuart tees off on 12 and 13

 We had a discussion on which hole we would consider to be the "Signature Hole" at Presidio. My choice is 18, as the imposing row of mature eucalyptus standing at attention on the left side of the fairway invokes the military history of the course. Well - in my mind anyway.

MW on 18th Tee

Stuart on 18th Tee

Bob's 4th and 5th shots after hitting his tee shot into the right side,
taking a unplayable drop then hitting across the fairway behind this tree.
We lost count of his score on this hole. 

 Like I said:

SJ - 88
BF - 96
MW - 109