Up yours Mother Nature!

Today is the first day of summer vacation for students and teachers. We really have not had a summer-like day yet for Mens' Night.  On Wednesday, 26 golfers came out for another overcast, cool, and misty evening.  I write this after just checking the online weather forecast which shows a two-day rainfall warning. I suppose we can be optimistic for next week because it is always nice weather in July...isn't it?

While the intent of this blog is to write about Mens' Night, it increasingly seems like a weekly weather report...frequently bemoaning the less than ideal conditions for our Wednesdays. I guess the relevance is obvious because golf and the weather are obviously connected. It doesn't necessarily mean that good weather makes for good golf and bad weather for poor golf. However, better conditions definitely allow for more enjoyable evenings.  So far this year we have had seven Mens' Nights. We maybe had one in which you didn't need gloves or a touque or rain gear or a storm shelter.

I generally try to be fairly accepting of things. Typically, I am as optimistic as most people. But this has got to stop soon because it is starting to wear on me. I think my goal going forward is to stop acknowledging the weather in the blog for the rest of the year. To challenge myself to do this, I will say that there will be a prize for the first person to notice me slipping back into weather reports in future columns. If you catch me doing it again, Jason Gorrell will buy you a drink of your choosing. Thanks of course to Jay for sponsoring this important community service initiative.

This week, skins went on four holes. The big winners of the night were Hubey and Neuf who combined for $120 winning #7 and 8. Ryan Merasty and Stephen David won $65.50 for #4 while Dave Gill and Cubby cashed in for $20 on #5.

Ryan Merasty got his third closest to the pin of the year on #9 while Neuf was closest on the par 3 fifth hole. As was the case last week, neither they nor anyone else made a deuce. So if anyone gets a two on a hole next week it should be worth around $125.

There are two new links on the left of this page. One provides an overview of our Horse Race tournament which is scheduled for July 19th. The other has the list of people who have registered for the event to date. If you would like to get involved, call or text me at 847-0161 or send me an email at sdavid@mts.net

Stay dry and best of luck for a break in the weather at some point in the weekend. Remember bad weather always looks worse through a window.

Let's hear it for summer!

I can't believe it. Summer is finally here...both literally and figuratively. It is June 21st, which makes it official, and it is beautiful outside.

 

I heard it said that the perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. I might add a phrase about golf balls being hit.

 

Golf and summer are like peanut butter and jam, locks and keys, salt and pepper, nuts and bolts, and Milt and Robin. They are meant to be together.

 

While golf and summer can both bring joy, they both have the ability to make us suffer and like it. We spend too much time in the sun and we get red and burnt. We get too excited about golf and triple bogeys seem to follow.

 

Wednesday was summer-like, in that we wore shorts and their was some sun while we golfed. It also was one of the windiest Mens' Nights of the year. Thirty-three golfers battled the gale force winds with only one score recorded below 40. One unfortunate soul who shot a 38 last week didn't crack 50 this week.

 

When increased player numbers come, limited skins seem to follow.  This week only three holes went. Hubey and Tim Rogasky won $20 on #1, Dale Martin and Brett Griffin got $41.40 for #2, and Robin and Charlie cashed in for $87.50 on #5. That last one was the largest skin of the year to date.

 

Closest to the pin on #5 was Ryan Merasty while Joel Ostash put it tight on #9. Neither they, nor anyone else, made a two. As a result, next week's deuce pot will be close to $100.

 

Speaking of Ryan Merasty, it was reported that he cleared the bush on #7 despite a very strong headwind. He then took six more strokes to finish the hole. This suggests that the wind was more challenging for the last 180 yards than the first 270.

 

Well...I must get going. My lawnmower is not broken and I must have at it.

 

Remember...always swing hard...in case you hit your golf ball.

Golf Is Not Fair

I was listening to coverage of the US Open while driving on Friday. The commentator said something that will ring true for most of us. A golfer made what initially seemed to be a great shot but ended up in trouble. The announcer said “Golf isn’t fair…but it is not supposed to be”. The great Jack Nicklaus agreed. He said “Golf is not, and never has been, a fair game”.

Who hasn’t been like that unfortunate golfer and hit it straight and long off a tee only to roll into thick rough. Almost everyone has hit that almost perfect long putt for birdie that lips out and leaves you a tough four footer for par. Or you could be like me and drive the green on one and make the two on the last practice hole and followed it with a seven on the same hole ten minutes later.  Many of us have shot a solid 38 or 39 in the practice round before Mens’ Night then follow it up with a 46 when it counts.

What we need to remember is that it goes both ways. Think of the shots on nine that go long and right before hitting a tree and bouncing back onto the green. Who has not hit a putt and said “That’s long”  before watching the ball hit the cup on the fly, pop in the air, and then drop back in the hole.  Many of us have struggled to break fifty on Wednesday afternoon then came back with a sub 40 round for Mens’ Night.

Like life, golf is neither fair nor unfair. It just happens. There are good rounds and bad rounds, lucky shots and unlucky ones. In most cases, you get a little bit of both on the same round. Take this past Wednesday for example. Scott Maynes had three birdies and three sevens. Or consider this morning. It’s Father’s Day and most of us would have the green light to golf yet it’s rainy, wet, and cool.

Golf isn’t supposed to be fair. You can play well and win no skins. You can play poorly and win money. You can shoot a 36 and pair with a 55. Or you can struggle to break 50 but get randomly matched with the guy that birdied the only two holes that you parred.

Speaking of skins…only two were won this past Wednesday. Keith Martin and Wes Arnfinson won $25 on #1 and Jason Hunter and Neuf combined for $25 on #9. Closest to the pins were Keith on #5 and Ron Anderson on #9. Mr. Martin also had the good fortune to score a deuce and split the $108 pot with Scott Maynes.

Jason Gorrell and Maynes moved into a tie for first on the ringer board, matching the -3 already posted by Rob Kimpinski and Brad Benton.

I just realized I have yet to post a ringer board score and I have yet to win a skin. Man, that just doesn’t seem fair.

That was a storm!

Last night was an interesting Mens’ Night. Not so much for the golf, but the weather conditions. A few people asked me this morning if it rained in Shoal Lake while we were playing. I explained that we had an hour long Biblical rain delay.

The amateur meteorologists among us were amazingly accurate with their forecasts. Several suggested that the storm would roll in around 7 pm, which it did. Many predicted it would last 45-60 minutes, which was correct. Others said it would be sunny after 8 pm, which again was correct.

 

Less than an hour into our round, a low bank of ominous black clouds rolled in from the west. I started to get a bit worried when I saw some different clouds moving in different directions at the same time. Then it was as if the light went out. Within seconds, the sky changed from an early evening one into something that you might see at 10:30 pm on a cloudy summer day. I grew even more concerned when I saw poor Neuf begin to lift from the ground because of the wind.

 

Like most of the guys on the course, my foursome hit tee shots and were driving up to play our second. As we approached the second green, light drops of water started falling around us. That warm-up shower lasted about twenty seconds before the sky opened up and unleashed a torrent of rain. Quickly, golfers jumped on carts, abandoning balls on greens and fairways, and high tailed it for safety.

During the rain delay, golfers either waited it out in the Club House or in the maintenance shed. I was one of ten in the maintenance shed with six golf carts parked bumper to bumper. We did the best we could to wait it out but began to panic as our inventory dwindled. Fortunately, a few brave souls among us volunteered to risk personal injury on supply missions to the Club House.

 

Then the rain stopped almost as quickly as it started. Most groups that stayed at the course headed back to their holes to continue their rounds. It was still somewhat surreal in terms of weather. It was sunny out and sort of warm on the face…yet simultaneously cool enough that one could see their breath.

At the end of round, a decision was made to carry over all of the entry fees from this week to next week so as not to penalize anyone who chose to leave. If anyone cannot play next week we would be willing to return your $8 entry fee from last night.

 

On a positive note, the forecast for next week looks promising. The forecasted high of 17 C is close to where it was last night. It looks as if it will only be an 80% chance of rain compared to yesterday’s 90% probability. Even better, the 20-25 mm of rain for which they are calling would be like a mild shower compared to what we were hit with yesterday evening.

 

Have a good week…and maybe see some of you at the Lions Club tournament this Saturday. Anyone who is interested in getting involved in this four-person scramble should contact Trevor Haygard at 365-0371.

Is your golf cup half empty of half full?

I wasn't sure what to right about when I first sat down. No one is really giving me any Mens' Night news yet. Then I listened to the wind pounding the side of my house and became inspired.

This morning is the perfect day to write this blog entry. We have had a stretch of great weather from Monday through Mens' Night on Wednesday and up to yesterday. Today it is slightly cooler and windy and it is somewhat overcast.

There are those among us who will complain about how crappy it is outside. I am not referencing our farmer friends here because bad weather can seriously affect their livelihood. I am talking about those eternal pessimists who cannot enjoy a 30 degree day today without saying how it is going to change and be rainy in eleven days. These are the people who have already decided that next Saturday's Lions Club tournament will not be enjoyable because of a long range forecast.

Those same people tend to take their mindset and worldview to the golf course. They bemoan bad shots and higher scores and talk about how well they played a week ago, a month ago, or a year ago. They react to compliments for a birdie by saying "Wait until next hole...I'll probably screw it up again". Whether lamenting the weather or golf, there are people who make you wonder why they even step outside their houses in the morning.

I personally prefer to be more on the optimistic side...perhaps leaning toward being moderately delusional. On early Wednesday afternoons when it is rainy, I watch the weather maps online until I convince myself I see a sunny break somewhere over south eastern Saskatchewan that will hit Shoal Lake between 6:30 and 8:30 pm. I golf thinking that I am going to birdie every hole, that my next shot will be my best, and that I can beat Robin, Brad, and Scotty Maynes every time I play them. Of course I don't do these things as often as I would like, but it happens enough to keep encouraging me to stay calm and enjoy it. Also, while I might be prone to the occasional fleeting frustration on the golf course, I am fortunate that I move on quickly. I try to react to a bad shot by reminding myself that the only important shot is the next one. This is moderately challenging when I have to say it three times in a row on #4 but I quickly remind myself there is a par 3 next.

Life and golf are meant to be enjoyed, not endured. There are countless studies that show that a positive outlook on life reduces stress and anxiety and actually helps you to live longer.  Case in point would be Clayton Hunter. He usually seems to enjoy himself out there and I have yet to hear him curse or throw a club after a bad shot.

So to extend the phrase in the picture above...keep calm, and enjoy the weather and enjoy the golf. Take today for example. It is not hot outside, but it still going to be around 20 degrees. Remember the first of March when the windchill here was -53? That was three months ago. Today is tropical by comparison.

My soapbox sermon completed, I probably should make some reference to what actually happened on Mens' Night. Given my wordiness already, I will be brief.

There were 22 golfers with skins going on five holes. Winners included Bob Moffatt / Scott Maynes ($26 on #1), Ryan Merasty / Daryl McCharles ($20 on #2), Jason Hunter / Butch ($64 on #3), Brad Swereda / Greg Arnfinson ($20 on #7), and Jason Gorell / Neuf ($26 on #9). Ryan was closest to the pin on #5 and Greg hit it tightest on #9. Robin Kimpinski jumped into the ringer board lead with three posted birdies.

I can't wait until Mens' Night this week. The weather will be perfect, we will have fifty guys out, and I will win 5 or 6 skins. It is going to be great. However, if it is a bit rainy and there is only 25 players and I get shut out again...it will still be awesome.