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Sunday, Sept 6 was forecast to bring unprecedented heat to Sonoma County. Earlier in the week we signed on with Herb and Kim at Santa Rosa Golf and CC, thinking that we MAY play 18 holes. To help ensure this, June rented a cart. I'm cheap, so I decided to walk.
We teed off about 9:40 am, a few minutes early, and June and I had to hurry to the tee box. I wet my towel and on a spur-of-the-moment decision, I went to the white tees, thinking it would be easier in the heat. The temperature was about 80 degrees.
On the front 9, I had 2 bogies and 3 birdies for 1-under par 35. Herb and Kim had enough at the turn as it was probably about 95 degrees.My brother Mike had just had his first even-par round a couple of weeks before. I started to think maybe today was my turn. And so we continued.
The back nine was more interesting. I bogied the 10th hole, and my sub-par cushion was gone. But on the par-5 11th, I sank a 20 ft putt for birdie to regain my cushion. Then on 13, I sank another 20 ft putt for birdie. I told June 'this is like the priest in caddie shack'. Only Bill Murray was not my caddie, and I wasn't in a lightening storm but extremely oppressive heat.
The pace of play slowed to a crawl as it often does on the back nine with 2 par-3s within 3 holes. Yet I carried a 2-under score to the 17th hole, a 150 yd. par-3 over water. I was beginning to fear that I may lose this opportunity to play an even-par round, let alone sub-par. I cautiously hit away from the water, but too far right of the green on the side of a knoll. I made a bad chip, and 2 putted. I let my fears dictate my game, and there goes 1 stroke!
The 18th is a reachable par 5, and I piped a nice drive down the middle. I decided to go for the well-protected green, with a giant fairway bunker about 100 yds in front of the green. I stood waiting for the green to clear for about 10 minutes in painful direct sun. The group behind me on the tee were doing the same thing, wondering what the hell I was waiting for. I hit the 3-wood thin which resulted in a bullet into the sand leaving it buried in the face. I got it out about 20 yds onto the fairway, chipped on to the green and nervously sank the 5 ft. putt for par to preserve my 1-under round.
After getting into the car to leave, June turned on her phone and looked at the temperature. Good thing we didn't see that earlier!
I posted the score to the NCGA site:
I looked at my index the following day. It dropped to 6.1, a new low for me. (it would go down again to an all-time low or 5.9.)
