Sunday, November 09, 2008
Skipping Stones
another story I cribbed from golfhub, who promised me free golf for my excellent story, but then they reneged, I say, because it is not possible that what I have written was not free-golf-worthy, if you see what I mean . . .
Ever'body's hit one of those topped shots that skips over the water a few times before sinking, like as if you was skipping stones . . .
Back in Texas at Walden on Lake Conroe, on #16, the forced carry from the tips is about 230 yds . . . my old partner, the Jaybird, as in Nekked-as-a-Jaybird, used to claim the only reason he carried a driver was cuz of that shot on that hole . . . all you can see from the tee is a tiny sliver of fairway above the water, between majestic pines that seem to choke the landing area, and the sky, reflected in the water . . . well, it'd be BOUND to make you clench-up just a little, wouldn't it, especially if you weren't quite up on your A game?
It used to be a game to us, counting the skips from a tee shot, when someone clenched up and topped their tee shot there: 1-2-3--4--5---6---7 . . . . the cool thing was that since the shore was zeroed against the water, if you could skip often enough . . . you could get back to dry land . . .. coupla times I wound up 50 or 60 yds past the water after skipping a coupla times.
So I was playing at Kokopelli with Ms Cactus, when I clenched up and topped a 5iron into the water on the par3 #3, but it skipped twice, back on to dry land, up past the sand trap handy to the green. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't played enough to have ever seen it before; I don't top a ball that often anymore, and she doesn't hit it hard enough to do it herself.
"Aghhh. That's nuthin'", I told her . . . oncet I hit 3 iron 3rd shot on #11 at Walden, a 600 yd double dog leg par 5 out onto a penninsula, where the green is elevated about 6 ft over the water -- and bulkheaded -- where my line-drive hit a wave just right and bounced up onto the green for a birdie attempt.
There's an old joke that never seemed so true as it did then: "musta hit a turtle back!"
Ever'body's hit one of those topped shots that skips over the water a few times before sinking, like as if you was skipping stones . . .
Back in Texas at Walden on Lake Conroe, on #16, the forced carry from the tips is about 230 yds . . . my old partner, the Jaybird, as in Nekked-as-a-Jaybird, used to claim the only reason he carried a driver was cuz of that shot on that hole . . . all you can see from the tee is a tiny sliver of fairway above the water, between majestic pines that seem to choke the landing area, and the sky, reflected in the water . . . well, it'd be BOUND to make you clench-up just a little, wouldn't it, especially if you weren't quite up on your A game?
It used to be a game to us, counting the skips from a tee shot, when someone clenched up and topped their tee shot there: 1-2-3--4--5---6---7 . . . . the cool thing was that since the shore was zeroed against the water, if you could skip often enough . . . you could get back to dry land . . .. coupla times I wound up 50 or 60 yds past the water after skipping a coupla times.
So I was playing at Kokopelli with Ms Cactus, when I clenched up and topped a 5iron into the water on the par3 #3, but it skipped twice, back on to dry land, up past the sand trap handy to the green. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't played enough to have ever seen it before; I don't top a ball that often anymore, and she doesn't hit it hard enough to do it herself.
"Aghhh. That's nuthin'", I told her . . . oncet I hit 3 iron 3rd shot on #11 at Walden, a 600 yd double dog leg par 5 out onto a penninsula, where the green is elevated about 6 ft over the water -- and bulkheaded -- where my line-drive hit a wave just right and bounced up onto the green for a birdie attempt.
There's an old joke that never seemed so true as it did then: "musta hit a turtle back!"
