Living in the 80s

To quote that song by Killing Joke, “Ahhhhhhh….. eighties! I’m living in the eighties!”

Yeah, that’s right. I broke 90 and took home a score in the 80s. This happened yesterday at Fox Hollow. I had a 9:56 am tee time with Seri and Bea. They were both running late so we got pushed back a couple of minutes. I waited for them at the starter booth, watching as Seri meandered up from the club house, carrying her thermos of coffee and a giant Styrofoam cup of ice. Bea was still rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she strolled up from the parking lot, carrying her golf bag and a pillow to use as her seat cushion on the golf cart.

Neither of them seemed very excited to play. “Honestly, I don’t like this course. It’s so boring,” Seri said. I was a little insulted, since this is my “home” course. But I knew it was because Seri preferred the city courses, where the “better” golfers play. I looked around at the vibrant fall colors on display and thought Seri must be blind.

On the first hole, Seri landed her approach shot right into a bunker, and I said, “It’s because you said this course is boring. The golf gods are punishing you.” Bea said, “Yeah, they also think you need some bunker practice.” By now, we are familiar enough with each other to give and take a little ribbing.

So the round progressed as usual, with Seri and Bea riding in their golf cart and chatting away in Korean, and me walking solo with my pull-cart. For the most part, I was left out of the conversation, and occasionally I actually felt left out. But mostly, I felt focused on my game. I showed Seri and Bea my new driver and 3-wood, and they oohed and aahed politely. A few weeks ago, Seri told me I don’t need a new driver since I can hit far with my old driver. And by “far,” she meant farther than her. With my new driver, I was hitting a lot farther than her, and I don’t think she liked it one bit. I even hit farther than Bea a few times, but that was because Bea was probably exhausted from staying up late watching Korean soap operas on TV.

While the new driver has given me reliable distance if I can hit it well, I think the club that has really made a difference for me is the 3-wood. I can hit it 160 yards or more, and if I can land the green with it, that can save me from a risky wedge shot. From the new driver and 3-wood, I gained anywhere from 10 to 30 yards combined, and it all added up to a lot more confidence. My irons stayed true, and I parred all the par 3s except one. Even my putter behaved, and while I three-putted 5 times, I one-putted 3 times to help make up for it.

In the end, I shot an 87. This is an all-time low score since I shot a 90. Since that day back in June, I have been dabbling in scores ranging anywhere from the mid-90s to as high as 109. But today, 87 is my lowest score ever. It probably helped that the weather was unseasonably warm, with a high of 82. Yup, the 80s is good all around. And I really hope the eighties is here to stay. Until I break 80. Then it will be all about the seventies. That was a good decade too.