by Mark Weinfeld
After almost 20 years of playing this wild game. I had two major milestones in the month of May.
On May 3 at approximately 5:45PM on the 577 yard par 5, 16th Hole at Green River's Riverside Course in Corona... I shot my first ever legit eagle. I have probably putted for eagle at least two dozen times in my life, but never made the long putts to enter the Exclusive Bird club.
On this day, I wasn't putting for eagle. The hole was playing slightly down wind and I bombed a driver about 305 yards in middle of the fairway. I pulled out the new Nike Sasquatch 3 Wood and hit one on the screws, but the wind (and my usual fade) started to take it right and off target. It landed on a scantily covered hill that created a natural barrier between the course and some modest homes. I was now about 45 yards out and had to hit off of patchy dirt, dead ice plant and a bit of grass. There was a low tree branch between me and the ultimate destination. So I used a P Wedge instead of a sand wedge and hit a low punch shot that landed about 5 feet short of the upper shelf of the green and the fringe. The ball released onto the freshly sanded green and began rolling down hill toward the pin. I couldn't see the ball as it continued to roll across the widest part of the green and all I could see was my son looking in disbelief and turning back toward me with a puzzled look on his face as screamed "I cant believe that went in."
Then on the following Saturday at Los Angeles Royal Vista, I had another golf milestone. I shot a 79 on a par 72. My first venture into the sub 80 territory ever. On this day, the putter was the difference. I didn't really play all that much different than usual but for some reason my putts were falling. I never three putted the whole day. My front nine was stellar. 6 pars and two bogeys for a 38 highlighted by a long 45 foot put on 9 to save a bogey after my only errant drive of the day.
Knowing that I had a good shot at life in the 70's if I played smart on the back, I promptly hooked my drive on 10 into the water and chalked up a double bogey on the easiest of the four par 5's. I knew after consecutive bogeys on the tough uphill par-4 14th and the short par-3, 15th that my goal was probably out of reach. I would have to finish one-under on the next 3 holes when I haven't had a birdie all day. After a long drive left me 195 out on the par-5, 16th, I pured a 4 iron onto the green and left myself about a 20 foot level put for my potentially second eagle in as many rounds. The put ran just a little left and I tapped in for par. I held par on 17 with long lag put from the upper fringe of a two-tiered green left me a wobbly 6 footer for par. And then on 18, I blasted a big drive on a short 355 yard par-4 into a fairway bunker about 80 yards out. With Ben's advice, I upped to a P Wedge instead of a Gap, and landed it on the upper part of the green and two-putted for par and the 79 was in the books.
What is weird about golf is that I competed on both of these days and the only opponent was Old Man Par. That is right, you judge yourself against an opponent that never talks smack, never takes his game to another level, who never shows one bit of emotion. God, I love this game.
