My New Good Luck Charm...

My hernia surgery has caused me to fall way behind on chores around the house. The past few days being rain-soaked doesn't help much either. If that isn't enough, my sliding patio door is threatening to fall apart and I need to replace it before I leave on the Wisconsin trip. So, yesterday at lunch, I had a couple friends help me get a new door from the local home improvement center. I now have it leaning against the house ready to be installed.

Yesterday after work I needed to put the new door in, but my daughter reminded me that I promised to take her golfing and she's been patiently waiting for the rain to stop. A promise is a promise so the door will have to wait. I threw our clubs into the truck and with my mind far away from golf, I drove us down to the local par three course.

We started behind a foursome and we were by ourselves. My daughter hit several tee shots while we would wait. Her shots would really only travel about twenty yards. She would pick them up and we would then go chip and putt at the green. I was really stinking up the place hitting fat shots, thin shots, and everything was going right. If I would force the release (to coax a draw), I would hook the shot. I was not trusting my swing at all. My only joy was coming from watching my daughter (and that's all I need).

Then on the fifth hole, I decided to steepen my swing and open the club face a bit to allow me to more freely release. I made back-to-back birdies. We played two more holes before she had to use the restroom. I made a par and a bogey on those holes but more importantly, my ball was coming off the club nice, straight, and solid.

We returned to the first hole and with renewed confidence, I decide to keep track of my score. We were again behind a foursome so I decided to play two balls since we would have to wait anyway. I hit a Precept and a Nike so I know which shot is which for scoring. I simply put "P" and "N" on the scorecard. After the first hole where I made two bogeys, I was playing out a match for my daughter between "P"almer and "N"icklaus. She was enjoying my commentary, and I was focusing more on using the match to keep her interested than keeping up with the score.

I dropped two more consecutive birdies on two and three with the "N"ike. My daughter would watch the pin and scream with delight when the ball would land nearby. After solid play, I found myself at even par with the "N"ike ball on the ninth tee. I hit a great tee shot with a 5W down the middle. I was about ten yards short of the green. Then I got caught up in the moment and chili-dipped my chip and left a twenty-foot putt. My putter was hot, having converted six up and downs so for, but it was not to be. I tapped in for bogey.

A record-shattering 28!!!

On the eighteen holes I made:

9 pars (6 up&downs)
2 birdies
6 bogeys
1 double
30 putts
5 GIRs

"P"almer shot a 32 which is one shot off of my previous record of 31.

How can this happen? I think much of it has to do with the silliness I was engaged in with my daughter. While I focused on the shots, the time in between was focused on good father-daughter time. I knew I was playing well, but didn't really think about the score till the ninth. I only noticed it then because I had made four consecutive pars and recognized I may have a new record.

I've got a new good luck charm, my little girl!!

-Greg