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Family and Friends is my everyday journal. Captain's Log is where I pontificate on religion and politics.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

I've Joined The Gaggle

A week ago I went to a private golf course as I was getting bored with the muni's. I'd called to see if they could fit me in (courses don't set tee times for single golfers) I was told they could so I drove the ten miles to get there (it's ten miles from my house to just about anywhere I want to go) and they couldn't fit me in before a scheduled group was set to leave. Then they told me I could play with them. They call themselves "the gaggle" and are bunch of senior golfers that meet every Thursday and Monday at 9:30. This is my first year being considered a senior golfer. I like paying the lower rate, but am still sure if I like falling into this catagory.
About fifteen minutes before their scheduled time they pull numbers out of a hat to form teams. I joined it and the group had 22 golfers.
Scores are kept with handicaps. When everyone gets in each team puts six bucks into the kitty and they divide it up to the team who had the best score on the front nine, back nine and total. Everyone kicks in a quarter for all birdies. Out of 22 players there were three birdies that day. So it cost me (above paying for the round which because it's during the week wasn't too bad) a buck and a half for the kitty and seventy five cents for the birdies. My team didn't have any birdies or win any of the kitty, but it was good fun. I played with some interesting people and have the rest of the summer's golf pretty well set.
I played again last Tuesday (the course had a tournament on Monday so the gaggle was delayed a day). Only nine guys showed making three groups of three, didn't win anything that day. Today twenty seven showed up and my team won the back nine and total so I won seven dollars and fifty cents.
It's penny ante and seems like over the long haul everything evens out. It has made me be serious about my handicap, which has been humbling. Most of the guys are five to ten years older than me and have handicaps ten or more strokes lower than me.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

The main point in this wonderful story is that you had fun! :D) Enjoy!!!!

lahru said...

I play alone most of the time and I like the pace of play I provide myself yet I play better in a foursome. Many times I wish I could be matched up with a group but I am recalcitrant to being controlled by a tee time. I do enjoy the comroderie of playing with a group.

P M Prescott said...

Playing solo just isn't as fun. There's no witness for your good shots.