Golf, the Universe, and Everything

After Waverly Woods, me and Gene Huie, another golfer who stunk it up in Marriottsville, decided the best way to get a bad round out of your system was to play again.  We searched GolfNow and decided to play at Laurel Hill.  If you've never played Laurel Hill, I would highly recommend it to anyone (just find a good price online before you go!).  The course is always well kept, the greens roll beautifully and quickly, and the fairways are firm and fast.  The course is friendly to the driver but challenging to the iron.  A great test of golf in a beautiful setting.  To say the course is somewhat penal is an understatement, it is built on the former grounds of the D.C. Correctional Complex at Lorton, aka the Lorton Reformatory.  The Prison grounds (now the Workouse Prison Museum) is still visible from the course. Date:  Monday 5/19/2014 Location: Laurel Hill Golf Course , Lorton, VA Score:  85  Excuses:  Trying to "k...

Back on tour!  This week's contest featured me and the rest of B-Flight against Waverly Woods to see who would prevail.  And not unlike Bobby Fulton (who fought the law and the law won), I fought the course and the course won.  Date:  Sunday 5/18/2014  Location: Waverly Woods Golf Course , Marriottsville, MD Score:  87  Excuses:  Not enough range time, too many rounds over the course of the weekend Course Conditions:  Excellent.  Greens rolled faster than any course I've played this year.  Fairways were in great shape and the rough was thick and penal.  The wind was blowing hard enough to effect my typical high shots...          The Good:  31 Putts, no 3-putts, 50% (5/10) in par saves          The Bad:  Missing a green from "Position A" on the fairway from 140 yards on hole #3     ...

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!"  Words from another famous Harry (Henry V).  Three times this year I've been to Virginia Oaks.  The strange thing is, it has never been my favorite course, but somehow, I play it more than any other.  Maybe it's because of the specials, maybe it's because of the breathtaking views of RTJ, or maybe, just maybe, I'm a fan of punishment.  But I was invited by my good friend Joe Flatstick and Virginia Oaks is only a scant 4 miles from Prince William where I was just playing. Date:  Saturday 5/17/2014 (Round #2) Location: Virginia Oaks Golf Course , Gainesville, VA Score:  86  Excuses:  Not "rewarming" up the full game Course Conditions:  Not terrible.  Greens rolled well, but I can never tell if the greens are rolling true due to how tricky they are.  Fairways were in good shape and the rough was thick and penal.  Bunkers and other h...

Back to the links for another 36 hole Saturday, this time at different courses.  My first stop was to the Jewel of Nokesville, Prince William Golf Course for an astonishingly early 7:20AM tee time. Date:  Saturday 5/17/2014 Location: Prince William Golf Course , Nokesville, VA Score:  80  Excuses:  Other than it being early, none  Course Conditions:  Amazing.  Greens rolled extremely well and true, fairways were in great shape, rough was not very penal.  Bunkers and other hazards in good shape.          The Good:  Another solid birdie.          The Bad:  Three Jack from 10 feet on 9th hole          The Ugly : Inability to hit a consistent 7 iron I don't know why I keep knocking this course.  Maybe I inherited my previous scorn from the course snobs I used to hang out with....

Enough of scrambles, time to get back to pure golf.  This round was brought to you by all the mothers out there (Mother's Day).  Thanks to my mother and to some degree my father, I'm on this Earth taking chunks out of it one stroke at a time.   The fact that I managed to send my mom and my sister their cards and gifts on time is a miracle in itself.  And true to fashion, I dropped them in the mailbox on the way home from Top Golf :). Because it was Mother's Day, the course was very empty, even though I got there at 12:00 PM.  And after I finished my first round in record time, I had time for another!  A good 36 hole day.  And even had time to call my mother after I was done. Date:  Sunday 5/11/2014 (Mother's Day) Location: Reston National Golf Club , Reston, VA Score:  88 & 77 (36 Hole Day) Excuses:  Not being able to read a putt the first round Course Conditions:  Amazing.  Greens rolled extremely well and true (o...

Scramble #2 in as many days on the same course.  This time with me as Captain and Commander and I surrounded myself with a real ringer and two other guys with "a particular set of skills they have acquired over a long golf career." It was a beautiful day, we all got to the course early to practice (but not too much practice) and there was a certain energy in the air.  I'd like to call it confidence but it was probably the high tension wire that runs along the 18th hole.  Either way, there was something special about the day. Date:  Saturday 5/10/2014 Location: Pleasant Valley Golfers Club , Chantilly, VA Score:  60 (Scramble) Excuses:  Rained at the wrong time Course Conditions:  Very good.  Greens rolled extremely well and true, fairways were in excellent shape, rough not as penal as usual.  Pretty much the same as yesterday.          The Good:  Great teamwork, great shots, we a...

I generally regard scrambles as pretty dubious.  If golf truly is a game of gentlemen and honor I have no problem.  But when the stakes are high and winning is everything and there are no witnesses, the only wood that matters is the pencil...  But scrambles are fun when you don't really expect to win, just to hang out with your friends, drink copious amounts of pre-paid drinks, eat the post-round buffet lunch or dinner, and try to win the door prizes.  My goal with this scramble however was much more lofty...  Ironically I will also participate in a scramble with much higher stakes (free trip to Pinehurst for the winning team) the next day at the same course!  So I treated this first scramble as, "the training scramble."  Date:  Friday 5/09/2014 Location: Pleasant Valley Golfers Club , Chantilly, VA Score:  66 (Scramble) Excuses:  Not enough ringers Course Conditions:  Very good.  Greens rolled extremely well an...

The second major of the year for the GolfWeek Amateur Tour brought us over the Bay Bridge to Queenstown Harbor.  I'm no stranger to two day tournaments (Bay Creek Amateur) and I always follow the same mantra:  You can't win it on the first day, but you can lose it on the first day...  And ladies and gentlemen, I lost it something fierce on the first day.  Date:  Saturday and Sunday 5/03/2014 - 5/04/2014 Location:  Queenstown Harbor (Lakes Day 1, River Day 2), Queenstown, MD Scores: 99 & 86 Excuses:  Too much practice, not enough practice, lack of strategy. Course Conditions:  Lakes:  Okay, not as green or lush as it could have been.  Cart Path only, wet and mushy, overall terrible.  River:  Excellent.  Greens were rolling well, fairways were green and lush, the rough was penalizing but overall very satisfied.            The Good:  First tourn...