18 Holes of Golf With Pastor Tom
As I begin to pen the following journey I have three objectives.
The first objective is to tell the story of a round of golf without using the terms par, bogey, birdie ect. I am not writing about a score but a journey.
The second objective is to describe each shot taken from a preliminary view to an evaluated execution. I want to describe this journey, one shot at a time, so that you will hopefully be able to visualize the shot with me.
The third objective is for you to feel the emotion of the game of golf. I want you to experience the butterflies, the mental anguish, the elation of recovery, the thrill of conquest and the exhaustion upon completion of this journey.
What I am planning to do will be a journey in itself. I pray you will enjoy this journey.
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The following round of golf was really played. There will be a few alterations because my memory of every shot will be tainted by my personal view and unclear memory. What I felt or how I performed is a personal judgment. If you were watching the round instead of reading it you may have seen it differently than I explain it. That’s one of the wonders of the game of golf. What’s going on between the ears of a player while journeying a golf course can be a very strange experience.
It was a beautiful Thursday evening in June. Daylight savings time gives a golfer the opportunity to play 18 holes after work and still finish before dark.
My playing partners are a couple of old friends, one of which was a high school and junior college golf teammate and his son. This is not a story about my fellow players so there will be very little written about them
I arrived at the course about 40 minutes before my actual tee time. This allowed me to go to the driving range and hit about 70 balls before stroking some putts and heading for the first tee.
The course I am about to play is very difficult. It has been the sight of many major amateur and professional events. It is about 10 days before one of these major events and the set up is rugged, or should I say relentless. Recoverability from a bad shot will be almost impossible.
Due to a change in my professional life and a residential move it has been about 14 years since I last played this course. The layout has not changed. The distance, though, on many holes, has been extended. The greens are undulated and as difficult to read and putt as they have always been.
Past course knowledge and a new yardage book will be a major benefit as I am now ready to tee it up one the opening hole.
The first hole is 432 yards long. It doglegs to the left. You cannot see the green from the tee. You cannot see the preferred landing area from the tee either. The hole is beautiful and quite intimidating. Yes, the fairway is plenty wide, but the corner of the dogleg lures you to cut a bit more off on your drive than you should.
I lined my shot up knowing that the best aiming point was the cottonwoods about thirty yards up from the bunkers right of the fairway. This is it, I was thinking. I need to get this one out there and get off to a really good start.
I have always enjoyed this course. It is a true test of a players ability. Bad shots are penalized. Good shots are rewarded. And the greens don’t really allow the uninitiated to score low.
As usual, on the first tee, your expectations and self pressure begins to take hold. I went through my set up routine it’s called LASOD. (Line, Aim, Stance, Over, Down) I always stand behind the ball to pick my line. Then I aim the club face down the line. I then take my stance in relation to my clubface. I make sure that I feel as though I am up over the ball so I can swing down and through the ball to my intended target.
I stood over the ball trusting my line but in my mind I was really desiring to get off to a good start. I really wanted to my drive in good position.
I took the club away and didn’t quite allow the club to freely swing through the ball. I pulled it left. Not bad left but a little nervous left.
As I walked the fairway that had been prepared for the upcoming tournament, I was trusting that the ball would still be in the fairway. As I turned the corner of the dogleg I saw my ball in the three foot courtesy cut that edges the now narrowed fairway. It is truly a courtesy cut. If you stray more that three feet from the fairway the grass is 6-8 inches long laid over in every direction.
I mentioned to one of my partners, that plays the course regularly, “The fairways seem a bit narrower than usual”. His reply was, “This one is still pretty wide. There are a few that will amaze you.”
My second shot was nothing special. I had about 160 to the middle of the green and the pin was set on the back shelf. I chose a six iron lined it up and hit it right in the heart of the green about 20 feet from the hole.
Like every player, you want to start your round as good as you can. Getting this next putt down would have been a great start.
As I looked over the putt I knew it would be best to lag it up and take what the course would give. I have never putted well on this course. The greens are slick and you can’t really charge at the hole very often. And besides that, the first hole is not the time to three putt. I left the ball just short and tapped in for a four.
The second hole is an awesome sight. As you stand 161 yards from the green you get to see a double tiered green with two massive bunkers in the face of the hill in which the green is on.
The tee is on a hill also with a valley between you and the green. There is danger everywhere. You must get this shot on the green to have any chance of a good score.
I had just hit a very good six iron so I chose to hit it again.
The shot was a beauty. But it was just short of the upper tier. The ball backed back down the hill leaving myself a fifty foot, up hill putt.
As I stood over the putt I knew I had to get it to the top of the second tier. This was more important than even trying to get it close. If you don’t get the ball up on the top you could very easily be putting from fifty feet again except at a different angle.
I hit it hard enough to ascend the hill but I left myself about eight feet away and missed that one to finish the hole with a four.
As I said earlier I have never putted really well at this course. The greens are a great challenge and three putts are not all that uncommon for those who don‘t play here frequently.
The third hole is another awesome sight. You must climb a stairway made out of railroad ties to get to the upper tee. From this tee you have a view that is incredible. You can see most of the front nine. This is a great sight because the course is laid out in a way that each hole is pretty much self-enclosed due to all the natural dunes.
I love this type of course because you feel as though you and your partners are the only people on the course. There is a great peace and tranquility when walking a course like this.
Standing on the top of this hill gives you a chance to just look around and enjoy the beauty of a golf course. This course is magnificently cut out of a area of rolling sand dunes. The wild natural growth that surrounds every hole is about as treacherous as anything you can imagine. But from on top this hill you get to see the bright green fairways that invite a player to journey a golf trail in a place where nobody else would imaging touring.
Well, it’s time to tee it up.
Hole three is a 355 yard hole. The hole is downwind but it is not a hole to use a driver. I did use a driver on this hole about thirty years ago in a high school state championship playoff. It was the shot on that day but not today. The tee we’re standing on today was not here back then. I sure am glad someone’s imagination allowed this teeing area to be added.
The landing area on this hole is small and the best place to be is a full shot away from the green.
I chose my five wood and put it right where I wanted it. My partner said, “That might not have made the fairway.” “What!”, I said. He told me this is one of the fairways that will amaze you. He said it’s about half as wide as it usually is.
We walked down the path and turned toward the fairway. There was my ball just barely in the fairway. It was dead center in what used to be the fairway. I was amazed. This fairway couldn’t have been more than 20 yards wide with 6-8 inch tall grass surrounding it. I was delighted to be in the short grass.
I took out a nine iron from about 120. The pin was near the front on a bit of a rise. Getting this shot close will be difficult. I landed the ball right next to the hole but it released to about 15 feet past the cup.
The putt will be a little up hill with a turn to the right. I’m not real comfortable charging the hole with my putt so I play plenty of break and ease it up close for an easy tap in.
The fourth hole is 168 yards up hill and once again the green is very well guarded. This green is plenty wide but not very deep from front to back. This is not an easy green to land the ball on. The green sets in a manner that the left side is much easier to play to. It takes an awesome and very bold shot to go for the right side of this green.
I chose a five iron knowing I would need to hit it strong. The breeze was going to push the ball a bit to the right and the pin was set forward just over the bunkers that are on the uphill slope to the green. You do not want to come up short if you are shooting for the flag.
I lined my shot to the left side of the green so as to neutralize the trouble. I hit it right where I wanted to but just short of the green. The ball does not bounce forward so I’ll be chipping.
So far I am very pleased with my solid ball striking. I’m feeling comfortable and confident.
The chip is nothing more than a lofted putt. I will take out my eight iron and set it in an upright position. I will use my putting grip and stroke to just loft the ball nicely onto the green and get it as close as I can.
The stroke was true and the line was good it just curled to the right and stopped about three inches away. This was an easy three.
The fifth hole is the toughest hole on the front nine. It is 438 yards into the south wind with a highly elevated green.
The teeing area is also elevated. This is an outstanding golf hole. The appearance of the hole from the tee is threatening. You have to hit a good drive here or your score is going to escalate quickly.
I hit the ball pretty well off the tee. The ball drifted a bit right landing in the fairway but rolling down the slope to rest about one foot into the right rough.
Rough may not be the right term. Eight inch long, laid over and twisted bluegrass is not rough. It’s almost unplayable.
I have submitted to the fact that hitting this green in regulation is out of the picture. All I want is to be in the fairway with a chipping chance.
The fifth green is narrow but very deep. There is a steep drop off on the right with a very ugly bunker set in the hill. There is a bunker along the left side of the green and one left on the slope up to the green also.
I take out my eight iron with no chance of reaching the green. I close down the club face and hope to squirt the ball out and get it to run up the slope toward the green.
My execution was pretty good. The ball didn’t jump as much as I thought it might. I have left myself about fifty yards to the flag from the fairway.
My chip will be rather easy. It’s up hill and to the middle of the green. I hit a is respectable shot that travels about seven feet past the hole. Once again I can’t get my putt down and must settle for a five.
It’s now time to play, what I believe, is one of the most beautiful golf holes I have ever seen. The sixth hole is my favorite hole. It is only 387 yards long. The tee is fifty feet above the fairway and the view is breathtaking.
I could never, in words or even in a photo, justify the beauty of this hole. As you look out and down to the fairway you can see the entire golf hole. The fairway doglegs around a set of bunkers on the left. The bunkers are surrounded by yucca plants.
The drive should land on a slopping hill that will direct the ball right around the dogleg. The second shot should be a 9 iron or less to be hit into one of the most favorable greens on the course. There is a huge cottonwood tree behind the green that allows your approach shot to be visually defined from the fairway.
I always like to play this hole well. Sure it’s my favorite hole and It looks great but everything about it gives you the opportunity to play it well.
I am now standing over my drive prepared to swing the club directly at the right half of the fairway so the ball can turn off the hill and run up the fairway.
What a drive. Right where I wanted it. I now have a pitching wedge from about 105 yards.
I’m feeling anxious over this shot. I want to get this one close. The distance is very good for me, so all I have to do is trust the swing. I land just past the hole leaving myself a 12 foot down hill putt breaking to the right, Not my favorite.
As I line up this putt I really want to make this one. I know I shouldn’t get excited but this is my first real chance to grab a stroke from the course. I hit the putt right where I lined it just a bit firm and it rolls through the break and lips the hole. It’s an easy tap in for my four.
The seventh hole is the easiest hole on the front nine. It is 512 yards straight down a south wind. The driving area is plenty wide so here you can really let one fly.
I hit my drive right down the left side of the fairway just as I wanted leaving myself a 220 yard decision.
Do you go for the green or do you lay up short of the two bunkers that leave a very narrow opening to the green? It’s only 220 down a south breeze. The bunkers are pretty flat so I go for it.
Well, it looks like a sand shot from the left bunker but I’m fine with that, until I get there. It’s on the down slope very near the lip. This will not be an easy shot. I catch it real thin and the ball rolls across the green into the bunker on the right. What a stupid shot. An easy hole is starting to look like trouble.
The bunker shot from the right bunker is not a hard shot and the result is a ten footer with a little right break. At least that’s what I thought. The ball never turns and it rolls past the hole just nicking the left lip. This is a very disappointing six.
As I walk to the eighth tee I am discouraged because I have a sand bunker in my back yard to practice from. Why would I hit a bad shot out of a bunker? I should never hit bad bunker shots, right?
As I think back I realize that a lay up would have been a much better choice. It sure is hard to play this game when your ego and testosterone start messing with your decision making process.
I’m over my pity party and now it’s time to continue.
I walk over to the eight hole. The eighth hole was once listed as one of Sports Illustrated’s top eighteen holes in America. It’s 430 yards of rolling fairway. The green is once again elevated on a high hill. It is a treacherous golf hole. Good shots are a must and high numbers happen easily and frequently.
My drive is down the left side of the fairway and I’m feeling very satisfied.
I have left myself about 180 yards on a bit of a uphill lie that slopes off to the right. I have recently added a couple of hybrid irons to my bag and this is the time to use one here.
Oh no! Not that shot! The ball escapes off the slope to the right and it is headed for trouble. My only hope is for the ball to be short of the real deep stuff and hopefully I’ll have a shot.
This is the first time I have been nervous since the first tee. I wasn’t comfortable with my hybrid. I didn’t swing through the ball and now I am going to suffer the consequences.
Whoa, I can breathe. I can see my ball. I have a shot. I am relieved. And what a shot I hit. I pulled out my lob wedge and floated the ball up the hill on to the green where it stopped three feet from the hole. I stroked the putt into the hole and feel as though I have just stolen strokes from the course as I walk to the ninth tee.
I have always felt that number nine is as great a hole as number eight. It has the rolling fairway. It’s longer at 452 yards. But the green is quite a bit more accessible. A bad shot will still kill you but a miss hit may not.
I rip another drive right down the center of the fairway. The only bad thing about rolling fairways is where the drive lands. This one lands on an upslope and I get no added roll.
I now have about 200 yards to a flag that is on the back of the green. I decide to hit my hybrid again. How stupid am I. It floats off to the right again and now the panic is on. I couldn’t see it land. I’m hopeful as there is an opening to the right of the green if you miss the bunkers and don’t go into the plum thickets. Where will it be???
I hate walking 200 yards on a golf course not knowing where my ball is going to be. You’re anxious. You’re waiting on the other players to hit. You have a dozen thoughts running through your mind. If anyone ever asks you about panic attacks this must be what they feel like.
Sure, I’m hopeful, but I know this course penalizes bad shots and I just escaped one on the last hole and to escape two would be unheard of.
I arrive at the scene of my crash and find that the ball is thankfully sitting in the bunker. Hey, it was findable and it’s even hittable. What more can you ask for? I am thankful.
This will not be an easy shot as I am about 30 yards from the flag with the green sloping away from my shot.
I hit a fair shot but fifteen feet past the hole is not where I wanted to putt from. I missed again and settled for a five.
The front nine is now complete. I hit the ball really good early in the nine but a bad shot on each of the last three holes has raised my score above my expectation. This has effected my mental condition also.
As I walk to the tenth tee I convince myself that the score is not bad for a minister.
Oh yeah, I have failed to tell you what my previous profession was. I was a golf professional before entering the ministry. I have just played nine holes at a course that has been set up and prepared for a Senior U.S. Open. I am thrilled with the way I have played. No, I would not be able to compete with the tour players but my score is a reflection of the ability I have and I’m delighted.
We will not have time to stop at the turn as evening is starting to drift away and we really want to finish before dark.
The back nine is considered by some to be an easier nine holes of golf. It maybe a bit less intimidating to look at but you better not let your guard down as disaster is only one bad shot away.
The tenth is 185 yards over hip deep rough and a five foot tall lip on the bunker that sits in front of the green.
I have been in the face of this bunker before. It’s unplayable.
As I prepare for the shot I know I want to be on the green. The pin is near the front of the green just past the large faced bunkers. I chose to hit a four iron. I know that I will be putting back to the hole but it’ll be better than coming up short.
I placed the ball just past the middle of the green. I have about a 30 foot putt and I really want to get this one close. The putter explodes in my hands and the ball rolls 8 feet past the cup. Well, you guessed it, I three putted to start my back nine.
Fourteen years away from this course has not helped my putting touch at all. As I think back I can remember when my putter saved me strokes. That’s back when I played and practiced everyday. If I practice putting now it’s never more than a couple of times a month.
Eleven is another great par four. It’s a bit of a dogleg to the left with a wonderful landing area. I hit another good drive leaving myself 170 to the green with the flag at the back of the green.
The flag at the back is a blessing. See, there is a hump similar to a camel’s back right in front of the green. Balls that land on this hump can reflect off and go just about anywhere but close to the hole.
With the pin at the back I can fly over the hump with no problem. I elect to hit a four iron and it is looking perfect. It is! I have about ten feet left am I‘m excited.
As I line up the putt I feel very confident. It straight in all the way. I hit it firm and it dips in the left lip and swings back out to sit right behind the hole. Just another missed opportunity.
This is the first time I have been discouraged. I feel I have had some chances to really play well. I have to remind myself that I have also escaped tragedy a few times and now must keep doing what I’ve been doing.
I’m hitting the ball very well and the next few holes have to be played with good shots. So I head off to the twelfth.
The twelfth tee is about a three story climb up a railroad tie staircase. Once you get to the top and get your breath you have to make a club decision.
Twelve is not a long hole. But just because a hole is short does not mean that it is easy. It’s 390 yards down wind but the landing area for a driver is like threading a needle with rope.
I select my five wood and proceed to yank it left. Thankfully there are sand bunkers down the left side that catch balls that otherwise would be lost forever in plum tickets laced with poison ivy.
I’ve never been so happy to be in a bunker. I was glad to be in the bunker on nine but I am elated to be in this one. This was a really bad shot and I have escaped to be in a playable position.
The next shot will be very dangerous. The green is surrounded by bunkers and rough that is 12-14 inches deep. The rough is so deep that you may not get a ball out it if you get in it.
I elect to hit a seven Iron out of the bunker. I really want to get this ball through the narrow area between the huge cottonwood trees and hopefully on the green. I hit the shot catching a bit more sand than I desire which leaves the ball short of the green but in the fairway between the bunkers.
This is not a bad shot it’s just been hard for me to get up and down and this hole is no different. I write a five on the score card and walk toward the thirteenth tee.
Between the green and the next tee is the 12-14 inch rough. I decide to drop a ball in the grass to see if it is playable back to the green.
I grab my 58 degree wedge and take a full swing from 20 yards away. The ball lands on the fringe of the green and rolls to the middle. I guess it is playable, but I’d sure hate to have to.
The thirteenth hole is a great driving hole if you have the guts to hit it. The hole is 445 yards long. It doglegs around a bunker on the left. The bunker can be flown over by a really good drive. This allows you to have a much wider landing area but the risk is high. If you don’t make it over the bunker the hole will quickly become a nightmare. If you carry the bunker you should get a large bounce forward off the hillside and down the fairway.
I’m hitting the driver well so I bust one and it looks to be great.
Walking down the fairway I am positive that I cleared all the trouble. As I turn the corner there’s my ball sitting right in the middle of the fairway, 155 yards from the green.
As I access my situation I realize that I’m a bit pumped so I elect to hit my eight iron. There is nothing too difficult here just hit it in the heart of the green and go putt. I find the middle of the green and will have about a twenty foot putt. Two putts later and I have another four.
The fourteenth is another dogleg left. It is a shorter hole at 370 yards. The fairway really drops off at the dogleg so a well placed drive can really get a good kick up the fairway.
I line my shot up at the first tree on the right side of the fairway. All I need to do is swing through the ball and begin a very relaxing stroll down a beautiful fairway around the corner of the dogleg and prepare for my next shot.
I pull my drive a little more than I would like but I still hit it well. As the group walks down the fairway we see three of the four balls. After a quick survey mine is the one missing. Where could it be? I hit it good. Could it be in the rough, of course it is.
When you miss a fairway and the ball lands in 6-8 inch tall bluegrass rough, it does not bounce forward. I found the ball but the shot was going to be tough. I muscle up on a 9 iron and the ball gets to the green. I’m on the left side and the flag is in the middle front area.
The fourteenth green is quite a green. There is a valley in the middle of the green and the front of the green and the front of the green, where the flag is located, has a pretty healthy break coming in from the left side.
This time the two putt was very good and I enjoy my four.
As I journey to the fifteenth I see that we are not able to play the back tee. That’s fine. The chute you must navigate can be a bit testy from the back tee. The back tee provides a much prettier and more challenging shot, but the middle tee still makes for a good golf hole.
The middle tee is 170 yards up hill with a slight cross wind. The hole plays much easier from here. That is if you don’t hit it fat with a five iron like I just did.
I made the green but I’m a mile from the cup. Well, only about sixty feet. You guessed it. It takes three putts for me to get it in the hole and that makes for another four.
I head off to the next hole knowing I’ve hit the ball fairly well. My putter has not allowed me to take advantage of my good shots and it has not been my advocate when needing to make the important 5-10 footers either.
Although I am a bit depressed I haven’t had any monstrous numbers so I try to get my mind set to finish strong.
Sixteen is the second toughest hole on the course. It’s 415 yards into the south wind. The second shot is uphill to the green and the green is pretty narrow although it has good depth.
Once again I hit a good drive into the middle of the fairway. I am enjoying the driver today as I continue to find the short grass. This has made approach shots a lot less eventful.
Trust me when I say driving the ball into the fairway gives you opportunities here. When you miss a fairway on this course, especially right now, you just hope to get the ball back in play with some sort of shot to maintain a decent score.
I now have about 175 to the green It’s uphill into a slight breeze. I select a four iron. Half way through the swing I decide I don’t have enough club to clear the bunker in front. My mental crash leaves the ball way out to the right. Although I just hit my worst shot of the round this is really a good thing. See, I just missed one of the bunkers with the five foot high lips. I should have plenty of space to get the ball up and onto the green.
I was able to chip on and yes, I miss another putt. I walk to the seventeenth trying to tell myself that five is not bad considering how bad you hit the second shot. This thought is not very comforting when trying to gain strokes on this course. Shooting low scores here is all about making putts.
The seventeenth is a 519 yard hole that looks to be easy. That is until you have played it a few times. The green area is a disaster waiting to happen.
Once again the green is elevated well above the fairway. The green is very narrow and the right side of the green slopes off to the right where there is a rather large drop off. You do not want to be chipping from deep grass on this slope.
This hole is another great temptation. You can go for the green in two. The problem with this idea is the risk far out weighs the potential reward.
As I prepare to hit my drive I am feeling rather confident. I let it rip and drill it right down the center again. Now I will have a choice.
Should I take out the three wood and try to run it up the slope and on to the green or should I just lay it at the bottom of the slope with a five wood?
I’ve played here enough to know that large numbers come from greed. I hit the five and have a thirty yard wedge up the hill which should allow me a good opportunity to score.
I execute the shot flawlessly and have about twenty yards up the hill to the green.
The chip is not going to be easy as the pin is way back on the green. Instead of hitting my sand wedge or lob wedge I chose my pitching wedge so I can allow the ball to roll back to the hole.
The chip is not what I desired. I hit it a bit more firm than I needed and I’m now looking at a lag putt to get it close. My putt is no more than 12 feet long but it is on a steep slope that will turn left. I finish the hole with a five.
The eighteenth hole is a hard driving hole as the landing area narrows down to the width of what seems like a walking path. There is no sense hitting a driver when the widest part of the fairway will leave you 175 yards from the green.
I chose to hit my five wood off the 390 yard finishing hole. It’s dead center, 170 from the green.
As evening dusk is starting to fade into darkness we are going to finish just in time. As we walk down the path from the tee to the fairway we encounter a wonderful sight. Right at the end of the path is a doe and her offspring eating plumbs from the thickets.
They freeze and so do we. As we continue to walk they move slowly away. I guess they are figuring our golf clubs don‘t look like shotguns so they are in no hurry.
Well back to the shot at hand. I have chosen a five iron desiring to place the ball in the middle of the green to avoid the trouble right, left and behind the green. As the darkness begins to fall and the air becomes a bit cooler I make sure that I make good solid contact with the ball. The shot is struck cleanly and stops about twenty-five feet past the flag.
I don’t anticipate making the putt but two will give me another four and I’ll escape the course with a good solid round and a score that is very acceptable.
Well, the putt is missed but very close. It’s an easy four.
As I walk away from the course I am satisfied with the way I have played. I have hit the ball solid. I have executed my game plan very well. Putting is still my greatest problem at this course. I hit 37 putts on 18 holes. Some might believe this to be horrible, and for some it might be. Don’t judge my putting until you play the course. These greens are hard to putt without a lot of experience on them.
My total score, due to my putting, doesn’t reflect how well I actually played the course. This is one of the reasons I chose to write this round down. I struck the ball very well. I hit 11 of 18 greens and 11 of 14 fairways.
As I reflect over the round I can only remember 5 bad shots. Yes these shots cost me some strokes but none of my bad shots left me in unplayable positions. I should be very thankful.
As I reflect upon the good shots I realize that I never really capitalized upon them as I possibly could have. This leads me to take the round as a hole and know that it was a solid round although not as good as possible but not as bad either.
Sometimes in life and golf, your score doesn’t reflect your accomplishments. Sometimes you journey along doing the best you can and nothing special really happens. You don’t have any great happenings and you don’t seem to have any disasters either.
This is the way I like to live life. Shouldn’t my golf game reflect the desires of my life? Maybe the round was a bit boring but it was peaceful, calm, and under control. Yes, there were a few nervous and anxious moments and yes there are those in life also. There were a few disappointments and there were some moments to rejoice. I had a great time. I hope you have too.
Please don’t go back and try to count my shots to add up my score. The score really doesn’t matter because I was not posting it at the end of the round. This was not a competitive round of golf. This was an enjoyable journey. I had a great time. I enjoyed my partners and I played pretty well.
I want to leave you with this thought. Play the game of golf and life to the best of your ability. Take what the course gives you and don’t try to over play your ability. You will be happier. You will be satisfied. And those who journey with you will see how well you play the game. Those who are interested in what I shot only want to know if they can beat me.
Some of you could have and I commend you on your ability. Many of you couldn’t have and I will not condemn you for that. I just hope you enjoy the game and the company as much as I did today.
Wishing you good golfing,
Pastor Tom
