Golf Sunday

My friend Sanjaya flew in this afternoon, on a business trip. We were coworkers and good friends, and I was sad when he moved away. It was definitely more enjoyable working with him there than after he left. We learned to snowboard together, played computer games, and golf.

As far as golf, we like the par 3 game the most. Crossroads, a nearby park had a course, so we would leave a little early on nice days and play a round, dragging another friend Ken with us. The Crossroads par 3 course was cheap and convenient, most games lasted about one and half hours, and we could play with just two clubs: the 9 iron and the putter. I like par 3 golf courses so much more than a full length course, mostly because I can hit fairly accurate up to 80 yards or so - any more distance means a much higher chance of veering off to the side. There isn't any hassle with scheduling a tee time and expenses are minimal.

We drove over to see my house, and we went to eat at a favorite restaurant. After getting Ken we drove over to the course and found they made several improvements, including opening a driving range and a clubhouse, and changing the start point.

Back when we played once or twice a week, we had an ongoing competition: whoever lost the match treated for ice cream. We had an elaborate handicapping system designed to even things out, but since it had been over four years, all of us were theoretically equally rusty so we just played.

Sanjaya started out hitting the green with his tee shot, putting the pressure on! Ken landed by a tree and I shot just to the side and short. One tough thing about golf is putting so despite the great first shot, Sanjaya was only up by one stroke.

Par 3 golf moves quickly, which also helps. On hole 4 I managed a birdie, but again, all the fairways are short - this particular hole was only 64 yards from the tee.

We played around and in the end, Ken was the most over par. I ended 8 over par, Sanjaya ended 11 over par, and Ken was 14 over par. So Ken honored our tradition and treated us at the nearby Baskin Robbins. :)