Golf Season

It's that time again. My wife may not be too happy about it, but once the weather warms a little, there is nothing like hitting the links. Sorry honey. What's not to love about golf? The sun, the challenge, the wind(here in Kansas), the constant tinkering with your swing, all of it. There is nothing like nailing a perfect drive off the tee box or sinking a birdie putt. There is something magical about hitting the perfect pitch shot right up to the stick. I'm excited just thinking about it. Too bad its raining right now.

The company I work for has a golf league for employees, customers, friends, just about anybody. I have played in it about 10 years in a row. I was even the commissioner of the league last year. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't planned on playing in the league this year, due to the fact that my kids are growing and l love spending time with them as well as the fact that I am going back to school to get my masters right now. But three days before the league was scheduled to start, I got the call that they were a team short and needed somebody. I took one for the team and told them that I could do it. I got a customer to be my partner and we have played two weeks already. It took me a while to get my mindset right after telling myself I wasn't going to play this year and then all of a sudden playing. Don't worry, I'll be okay. I'll let you know how we do as the season continues. But for now, keep your head down and never lay up.

My Georgia Experience

Well, I don't really know where to start. Last week I had one of the most memorable trips I've ever taken. Last Monday, my best friend and I, along with two of his friends flew into Atlanta. We picked up our rental car across the street from Turner Field. I always love seeing where stadiums are located and how they look in person. It was pretty cool. We drove about an hour and got checked into our hotel in Madison, Georgia. The Super 8 was a dump, but who cares. Then we bundled up and went to play golf at The Creek at Hard Labor. What a cool name for a golf course. It was a classic southern course tucked into the woods. There was some old water wheels and creeks that lined one side of the course. They even had a mini waterfall on one hole. It was cold, about 48 and windy. But it was a lot of fun. We split into two-somes and played a scramble. We won by about 9 shots, but after all the sidebets it ended up about even. We had a great time though. That was just the beginning of the experience.

Tuesday morning, we got up at 5:30 and got ready for our drive to Augusta, Georgia. Thats right, we went to a practice round at the Masters. Wow. What a place. It was so much nicer than I ever could have imagined. We parked by a rear entrance which wasn't too crowded. We walked in and spent some money at the gift shop. Some of us spent more than others. The gates opened up at 8:00 and we were ready to walk around.

We walked through the gates and walked through an area, that looked like some kind of garden. It was beautiful. The next thing we knew, we were on the course and staring down Amen Corner. We were staring at one of the most famous places at any sporting venue in the world. It was incredible. The great thing about the practice rounds, is that you can bring your camera. I took advantage of that with almost 300 pictures and videos. We saw quite a few players, including Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller, Fred Couples, Greg Norman, Padraig Harrington, and the eventual champ, Angel Cabrera. The course was immaculate and it didn't disappoint. I would go back anytime. It makes things a little different when you watch on TV. You can understand the course better and see how things are layed out. It was something I will never forget. Hopefully I get the chance to go back.

Worst Week Ever

Okay, its not that bad. But seriously, how boring is this week. We have to wait a week for the Final Four, baseball hasn't started yet, the NFL draft isn't here yet, and the NBA and NHL are playing. Is it just me, or is there no hype for the Final Four this year? Maybe I just haven't watched much TV lately, but I haven't heard much about it. The Final Four is this weekened, right? The only college basketball news I've heard all week is about John Calipari going to Kentucky and Tim Floyd possibly going to Arizona. Why do we choose to cover these guys instead of focusing on the things that matter, like, winning Championships. I get more and more disgusted with the state of college hoops. It seems like such a dirty profession. Don't get me wrong, I always wanted to be a college coach. It has turned into such a business that these guys are willing to win at all costs and practically steal money from the universities and boosters. Not only the coaches, but players these days who have clauses built into their letters of intent that they can jump ship if their coach leaves. I realize this has been going on for decades, but with the media pressure we have now-a-days, things are getting ugly. I'm one of the biggest college basketball fans around, but I am getting pretty tired of the way things have become.