I coulda been a contender....

The Wheels fell off! Round 30 for the year was played at Shawnee GC today. It was O' so close to a good round. I shot a 38 - 44 = 84. The front side, I had one hole where I hit one out of bounds, then proceeded to par the hole, add two strokes for penalty, double bogey. End up with a 38, 4 over par. The back side, parred the first 4 holes, bogey, bogey, then double bogey the last 3 holes. On each of the last 3 holes I shanked a pitching wedge. I putted well to keep from triple bogeying each hole.

The weather was a little better today, but it was still hot. I walked the 18 holes, and my collapse on the final 3 holes might be due to fatigue. I don't think so, I think the wheels just fell of the wagon, but fatigue may have helped a little. It's possible that my 38 net 31 on the front side might win me some money. I'll find out Thursday when I play Iroquois GC.

My Father's Day Gift....Painting the back Dormer

The boys are always wanting to know what to get me for Father's Day or my Birthday. Thise year, for Father's Day, I was ready. "I want you to paint my back Dormer". That was my request. Kim suggested I put a 'deadline' on it, or it may be put off for awhile. So, by July 1st was the deadline. They're here and painting today. It's really a tough place to paint. Some of the places are very hard to get to. It requires a little creativity. By the way, the wires going to the house you see in the pictures are telephone and cable TV wires, not high voltage wires. So no worry there with the aluminum ladders.

Kearney Hills GL, Round 29 FTY

Not so good today. I think it was my fairway shots that did me in. I shot a 46 - 49 = 95. I 3 putted a couple of greens, but they were big greens and fast. I don't think my putting was to bad. I got off the tee very well, except for one par 3 that I drowned a ball. Yep, it was my fairway shots that killed me. This course plays very long for me, from the white tees, 6383 yards. By comparison, Iroquois from the yellow tees is 5226 yards. Pretty big difference for a short knocker like me. I would have to make up for it by being super good at chipping and putting, and I was just OK. I hit a lot of good shots today, always having to hit a wood to the green on par 4's makes for a lot of opportunities to screw up. And, I took advantage of those opportunities. Oh well, it was fun, and I got to see a couple of fellow workers from Toyota that I hadn't seen since I left.

* This is an addition to the original post. I forgot to tell you that Greg Lynn, who got the tee time and was the only reason I drove 75 miles to play, had to quit after 6 holes because of back problems.

How to enjoy a non-golf Day......

Wednesday was the day Mary Lynn, Kim, and Judy got together to paint Jill's room. I got to keep an eye on Erin and Jill while they painted. Pretty good deal!

I sat under an umbrella in the back yard for about an hour while they played in the pool. Then we went in and played a board game for awhile. After Erin and Jill got to 'help' paint for a little bit, we went on a little trip. I had to go to Walmart to exchange a CD player. While there, the girls saw a new Strawberry Shortcake DVD
that excited both of them. So, we had to get that! Then to the bookstore, where they love to look through the books and tell me about all the ones they have and don't have. Then, of course, a stop at Walgreens where they get to pick out a Hostess treat. Then, back to the house to see how the painters were doing.

I don't often get to spend that much time with the girls without having to 'share' them. It was fun!

Round 28 for the year

I played Weissinger Hills today. I shot a 44 - 40 = 84. Not good enough to win low man today, but we did win the team bet. I won $6. So, with my $3 I had to put up and my Hot Dog and Coke, I broke even. Pretty Good! I had two double bogeys on the front nine. I hate anything worse than bogey. I did hit the ball pretty good today, overall, and putted well. I'm satisified with the round, but I know it could have easily been 3 or 4 strokes lower. The one part of my game I was disappointed with today was my chipping. I've been chipping pretty good lately, and even though my chipping wasn't terrible today, it wasn't as good as it should have been. I'm playing Kearney Hills GC Saturday. I haven't played it for over a year. Hope my chipping improves for that round or I'll be in the 90's.

Another Sunday Night at Willow Park

Another fun Sunday night at Willow Park. Besides celebrating Father's Day, we also celebrated Kim's birthday. Mary Lynn made some muffins and Kim blew out the candles while we sang 'Happy Birthday'. I think the weather kept the crowd down a little. It's been so hot! But, you can't let that keep you from having fun. I think it did keep Erin from dancing so much this week. Jill even fell asleep about half-way through the concert. I hope she feels OK today. Mark and Kim even did some 'high stepping'.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

I was driving around Louisville today, when all of a sudden these two goggle-eyed aliens materialized inside my vehicle. They were quiet scary, but I managed to keep my wits about me. The taller of the the two said " T-a-k-e*** M-e ***t-o ***y-o-u-r ***l-e-a-d-e-r". So........I took them to Mimi. They allowed me to take their picture as proof of contact.

Golf at Iroquois Gc, Round 27 for the Year

Nope. Didn't run in to Bing, Bob or Frank today, but it was still a nice round. I shot a 40 - 38 = 78 today. Nice round, but not good enough to win any money. My 14 handicap netted me a 64, but I was beaten out by Jerry Norrenbrock's 77 net 62. Our team lost by 1 stroke, so no money there, either. It wasn't as hot or the humidity so bad as it has been, but I still rode a cart. It made the round so much more enjoyable. When I got finished, I still had a lot of energy left. The last few times I've played, with the heat so bad, when I get finished I'm completely worn out. We're supposed to play at Weissenger Hills next Thursday. If the weather stays this hot, I think I'll skip Tuesday at Shawnee and play Thursday. Greg Lynn as already called me and wants to play Kearney Hills in Lexington next Saturday. I think that will be enough golf for the week.

Another hot and humid round of golf

I played round 26 for the year today at Shawnee GC. I played better today than I did Sunday, but not good enough to win any money. I started off pretty good, only one over after 6 holes, but finished that nine 6 over. I finished double bogey, double bogey, bogey, for a 42. We played the back nine first today. I shot a 42 - 41 = 83.
Man was it hot! It really takes the joy out of the game when it's this hot and you walk 18. This Thursday I'm riding at Iroquois. I might just stop playing on Tuesdays if it stays this hot. I can't afford to play golf 2 or 3 times a week and ride. It costs me 3 times as much to play and ride as it does to walk. Why can't they have a senior rate for carts, too? Us old guys need carts more than the younger ones. We shouldn't have to pay the same price. (This was sarcasm, I'm not really whining)
This hot weather really does make it difficult to concentrate on your shot. Sweat streaming down your face and over your glasses on each shot makes for poor concentration. Oh well, only about 3 more months before cooler weather starts setting in.

Another Sunday Night at Willow Park

Another fun night at Willow Park. Those girls sure do love to dance. Jill danced a lot, but Erin danced all night.
When she wasn't dancing with Daddy, she danced by herself. Both of them have some good moves!This Sunday is Zydaco Bon, good ol' Cajun Music!

Round 25 for the Year was Hot and I Played Bad

It was very hot out there today! Walking 18, even at Shawnee GC was a tough chore. I can't believe how bad I played. I shot a 43 - 47 = 90. I should be in the low 80's every round at Shawnee this time of year. I played with Mark Wagner, Don Middleton and Donnie Dolson (Rughead). To show how bad my score was, Mark 35 - 40 = 75, Donnie 39 - 41 = 80, Rughead 39 - 44 = 83. And, Rughead played from the white tees and the rest of us played from the yellow tees. And it wasn't just a certain part of my game that stunk, it was everything. This was the kind of round that makes you wonder why you ever played the game.

Round 24 for the Year and Bob Plays Pretty Good

We played the Old Capitol GC today in Corydon, Indiana. This was the first time I'd ever played there. I shot a 37 - 42 = 79. Just one over on the front. Pretty good. I double bogeyed one hole on the back side, mainly due to not knowing the course. I won low round today with a net 65, and my team won. I won $9 for low man and $6 for being on the winning team. The greens were very fast, but I putted well. There was a lot of water hazards on this course. A creek, I think the name was Little Indian Creek, comes into play on a lot of the holes. Plus, many ponds. I lost one in the water, on the hole I doubled, and that was the only one lost all day. I was only in one bunker. That was a par 3 and I made a long putt to save par. A Sandie! It's a nice course and I wouldn't mind playing there again.

ADDENDUM: I forgot to mention that my 38 on the front side at Shawnee GC Tuesday won me $4. I tied with 2 other people.

Tuesday Golf at Shawnee GC

I played round 23 for the year today. I played a good front nine, and other than holes 11 and 12, played a pretty decent back nine. I had a double bogey on 11 and 12. I shot a 38 - 43 = 81. I holed out 6 or 8 12-15 foot putts today. I putted very good. I wish I could putt that good all the time. I felt good standing over a putt. I mention the other day how when I stand over a putt I don't have a clue how hard to hit it. It just kinda came back today. I hope it stays around awhile.

I'd say my weakness today was my iron play. Not the chipping, but the fairway irons to the green. I hit most of them off the toe of the club. And, when you do that it comes up short. If I could just get all of my game to come around at the same time. Isn't that always the case?

That was round 23 this year.

Now, these girls can pick some strawberries!

Here we are loaded on the wagon headed to the fields!

The vines were full of strawberries. You could hardly take a step
without stepping on one. But, every minute or two Jill would yell

"I found one!"

These two sisters picked a lot of berries!

Egyptian Coins

Matt Wagner brought these coins back from his tour of Egypt and gave them to me. I'll give them to Mark when I next see him. The two sets of coins on the right are the same denomination, front and back.

The coin on the left is a 1 pound coin, the middle coins are a 50 piastres, and the two coins on the right are 25 PT., which I would assume would be 25 piastres.

Cool looking coins.

Golf - Round 22 for the Year

I played round 22 for the year at Sun Valley GC today. I walked again, and it was hot! I shot a 43 - 43 = 86. Not very good, but my team won the money. I got a whole $6! Three of us got $20 for winning, and we flipped odd man to see who got $6 instead of $7, and of course, I won the odd man, which meant I got $6. I can win a flip of the coin win it means I lose.

I played like I've been playing this spring. I play some holes well, hit good shots, then have a terrible hole and throw in some bad shots just enough to keep my score inflated. On the 11th hole, a 115 yard par 3 from the senior tee, I hit a ball about 2 feet from the cup and birdied the hole. That was my highlite shot of the day.

Patient in Training?

OK, so we had a Birthday Party for my Mother at the Nursing Home she is in. We had it in a Party Room that is also used for storage. The Back part of the room had chairs stacked up all over the place. And, sitting in one of the chairs was this mannequin. Complete with hospital gown, but, blindfolded. Blindfolded? Hmmmm. Wonder Why. Do these caretakers do some training that requires their patients to where a blindfold? Somebody please give me an explanation why this mannequin is sitting around in a hospital gown blindfolded.

It was Hot! Africa Hot!

We played our Tuesday golf at Iroquois GC today instead of Shawnee GC. I think Shawnee had some type of tournament going on.

Well, you know, when you think you've got your game figured out, BANG! It shoots you in the foot, or there abouts. I just knew I'd be close to an 80 today, maybe even break 80. The first 3 holes, par, par, par, then it happened. Ball in the creek, ball hit off the toe of a 3 wood straight right OB, ball behind a tree. I kind of righted the ship on the back side, but overall, very disappointing. I shot a 47 - 40 = 87. I'm still not putting. I just don't feel comfortable over a putt. Standing there, I have no idea how hard to hit it, short putts just won't go in the hole. I make a fairly long putt every so often, but overall, I just don't feel comfortable over a putt. I guess it'll come around eventually.

I did walk today. It was very hot. I can't afford to rent a cart every time I play. I can play city courses during the week at the senior rate of $7.50. That's pretty cheap. If I rent a cart it jumps up to $21. Playing anywhere from 2 - 5 times a week, renting a cart jumps the price of golf WAY up there. So, I'll have to ration that out.