April 8, 2023: The Masters

The first time was at Marquette Park, a golf course on the south side of the city; my Dad, brother, and I played these nine holes to break our golf cherry, oh, probably 30+ years ago. I don’t remember what I shot; I do remember I hit the hell out of that little white ball, trying to launch it down the fairway as long as I can, finding out that I had to play that right hand turn on my drive. My driving has never been consistent; my irons have actually been my best clubs. The 3 iron when I was really far from the hole; my pitching wedge used to be money there for a while. My putting… well, I thought that would be the easiest thing, since I’ve done that many times on the mini-golf courses across the city, outside the city, and heck, across the country, as we’d always incorporate that into part of our family road trips. Well, not so easy… reading a green has never been my strong suit, although I have made a couple nice putts over the years… haha. Watching The Masters on Saturday morning, I wish I could play that course…

Although I do like playing the sport, the best part about it is everything else BUT hitting the ball. Sure, I love hitting a great shot as much as the next guy; I’ll sprinkle those in every time I play. The best part is hanging with the fam. Having a few beers, smoking that cigar, wandering around off the fairway looking for my ball, finding a lot of other balls in the process, enjoying being outdoors, trying to enjoy these 4-5 hours away from the hustle and bustle; when will we go out for the first time? Can the pros have a beer on the course? I believe you can. How about a cigar? I think so. It would be cool if they showed guys doing what us normal guys do on the golf course, although I don’t see any cart girls out there.

My mom told me that my grandmother used to love watching golf; I don’t remember that. She lived upstairs from us; I do know she loved watching the Cubs, but golf? Yeah, I guess so. My bro chimed in that watching was relaxing; I agree. We were gathered around the TV watching a few holes before we left my parents’ house. That weather sure looked crappy though. My dad reminded us of that one time we got called in off the fairway for lightning in the area; all of us were crammed into the clubhouse, lined up at the bar while we waited. Playing in the rain isn’t ideal, but I don’t mind it either… as long as it’s not pouring, although I’m sure everyone would prefer the opposite. Weather falls into that category of things we can’t control though; the show must go on!

The guys I bet on before it all started are looking pretty bad; Victor Hovland still has an outside shot. I did throw a little money on Koepka and Rahm along the way; looks like it may come down to a 2 man race. Lots of golf still left to play on Sunday. I’m sure we’ll be tuning in eventually; I wonder if they’ll be able to finish. The weather has to be better; maybe they will complete it by the end of the day. Looking forward to watching the finish; looking forward to getting back out there with the boys. Enjoy!