It took one second for me to tell the Commish that yes, thank you, I would be attending since bad weather the week before had caused a one-week extension to the Tuesday 5:30 p.m. 9-hole golf league at Northern Pines in Cicero.
After my eight-week hiatus for the 40-hour-per job, the return felt fine.
The sun had about 90 minutes of full glory before it would dodge behind the trees and then set altogether. Such is September p.m. golf in the Syracuse area. I took off the first tee with Bird and DJ, with Commish, Linda and Morelli behind us.
Bird watches his tee work.
DJ approaches his hitting zone.
I pulled this one left of the pin, and over the green. (Photo by Bird)
It was an interesting path. After the first hole, we discovered a wicked backup on the second tee. The course ranger approached on his cart and confirmed to us that the folks in the clubhouse had told him that because the back nine greens had been aerated, send all three leagues out on the front. No way we’d get nine holes in before dark.
Can’t we switch over to the back side, we asked him, pointing to the nearby 12th tee? Funny thing, he said. After that, they decided to open that nine for play, so, sure thing. The ranger even agreed to drive over to the first green to tell our trailing league threesome to follow us to the other side.
We took our push carts over. A twosome was driving from the 11th green to the blue tees. We watched them smack big drivers from the way back and drive off down the fairway and waited our turn.
If order was restored, we’d get eight holes in before dark.
Hello, it’s me, says Bird on the aerated green.
We agreed to play these greens why, wonders DJ?
I forgot my sledgehammer, I say. (Photo by Bird)
Aerated greens leave little bumps of dirt in the path between your ball and the hole. The ball may still roll straight and true. If it does, you must give it a mighty whack. It may also veer off course like hitting a bumper on a pool table. Ah, thrills and spills.
Hotdog and beer, please and thank you.
All that effort made Bird happy that the young man in the snack shack had stuck around for the last few groups of the day. He ordered a hotdog and a Bud. With a week off before starting a new and better job, Bird had already played 18 holes with a different group of pals earlier this day. He told us he’d had two stops for hotdogs earlier. My hero.
Big dog DJ.
Hotdog eater Bird.
No bark for me. (Photo by DJ)
Out of the shade we came to the shortie par 4 that DJ can reach with his driver with the best of his wallops. He decided to go for it and indeed hit it hard, but his drive came to a stop a few feet short of the green.
Fortified by hotdog No. 3, Bird too gave it his mightiest swing. He carried the fairway trap easily but was not as near the green as DJ.
I hit my driver solidly, a cut fade that ended up in the middle of the fairway 90 yards from the green. My wedge put me on in two. Good enough.
Yes, we got through the 18th hole before dark.
I was glad to have caught up with my friends one more league round.
It’s not the end of my golf season by a long shot, I hope. KP and I already have made plans for a weekday round, perhaps this week, at Radisson, up near his house.
Getting back with the old crew after an eight-week break, old hat or completely comfortable for you? Are you the type who could break off a route in ink and freestyle a new path, or would you stick behind the traffic jam because that’s the way it was planned? How many hotdog breaks do you think you fit into one day?
Mark Bialczak 
Of course I don’t understand golf, so please forgive me when I ask why this has to be the end of the league? Hey, at least I didn’t ask about the windmill and clown’s mouth. 😉
LikeLike
This has to be the end of the league, my friend Rachel, because the sun sets too darn early now for anybody to be able to finish nine holes after work until the league starts up again in late April or early May. It’s a matter of seasonal daylight up here in the north. Plus, all the course owners want to put away their windmills before the snow flies! 🙂
LikeLike
Ah, gotcha! 🙂 So golf courses are closed for winter?
LikeLike
There’s one here that will be open if there’s no snow. But just in the daylight hours. And diehard golfers go. I tend to stop unless it goes above freezing again. 🙂
LikeLike
THAT was probably my only drawback I had when I lived up North… So many things were “closed for the season.” Once I planned an entire trip from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard only to find out no one was there! Okay, I also don’t like driving in snow, but I don’t mind shoveling, blowing, playing in or standing in snow, so if someone else drives during the winter, I love it. 😀
LikeLike
The clearing of the snow actually is the lesser of the evils for me, too, Rachel. One night I had to drive 25 miles after reviewing a Tim McGraw concert in the most blinding snowstorm ever, two feet of new snow with blowing winds. It took me more than two hours going 5 mph just following red taillights expecting every second to drive into a ditch or into a guardrail on the New York State Thruway to get home. Ruined me forever nerve-wise, for driving in snow, but I still have to do it, Rachel. 😦
LikeLike
UGH! I never got the hang of turning to the way the car turns when it skids on ice. It seems when I hydroplane here in the frequent rain, I turn the other way. I always drive pretty slow anyway due to all the speeding tickets I accumulated in my youth, but when it snows, I really drive like a granny and tick people off. I don’t care. I’d rather arrive alive than on time. 🙂
LikeLike
I am one of the slow drivers in the snow, too, Rachel. Dogs pulling sleds pass me on the left. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL! I’m glad you’re the other one. 🙂 I feel lonely in the slow lane. The snow plow guys usually pass me!
LikeLike
Meeting up with cherished friends always feels like coming home again, Chum. No matter the time. I’m glad you were out hackin’ away again. 🙂
LikeLike
Hacking it was, Aud. Speaking of cherished friends, I owe your spot a long stay today.
LikeLike
No worries, Chum. I’ve been absent a few days, but back now. Never any pressure, my dear.
LikeLike
Well played Mark. I was there with you – in spirit and we all know how poorly I golf, he of the soggy golf clubs.
Great Post!
LikeLike
You would make a great addition to this league, Paul. There are plenty of ponds on the course!
LikeLike
one hot dog
LikeLike
Lady Willpower, Kerbey!
LikeLike
I’m no golfer but am surprised that golf courses don’t light up the course for night golfing!
Diana xo
LikeLike
Too much grounds to light, too expensive, is what I figure, Diana!
LikeLike
Well Mark. Someone needs to invent super duper powerful solar lights. (You know like what people have in their gardens to the power of 100)? 😀
LikeLike
Somebody did, but it sets once a day, Diana! The original solar lighting. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is always a fun way to pass some time, with your golfing buddies, Mark! I just saw on the t.v. news someone did an amazingly high putt, up into the air, through the trees and into a spectator’s pocket! Wow! Have you seen this on youtube yet? Smiles and hoping you have a great weekend, Mark!
LikeLike
That was some shot, indeed, Robin. The comment I heard was the golfer did not want to reach into the sweaty pocket of somebody else’s trouser’s to pull the golf ball out! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I cannot imagine getting the ball out, but would accept it from the spectator, after all, balls are found in all kinds of dirty places… lakes, mud, holes in the grass and that is how I intended this reply to go!
LikeLike
Yup, all kinds of dirty places, Robin. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sorry, Mark. My mind wanders when I can’t relate to the topic of a blog post, and I’ve never played golf in my life (unless you count miniature golf or putt-putt golf or whatever the hell they call it where you live). So this is my question to you, after doing my best to focus on your post: is your friend related to Larry Bird? If so, can he get me Larry’s autograph? Or at least tell Larry he’s one of my heroes?
Thanks for your patience with me, Mark. I’m assuming something there, but you MUST be patient, if you play golf.
LikeLike
I am patient on the golf course, and it does carry over in other spots, too. But not always in life, no, Ann.
Bird is not related to Larry, I do not think. But I must add that I’ve never asked him point blank. I assume it would have slipped out at one point or other over the decades.
Thank you for trying so hard to relate to this one. Here I call it miniature golf, but you’re right, Putt-Putt has its day, too. You can call it whatever you like, of course.
LikeLike
I call it miniature golf, too, Mark; something else we have in common. Maybe you should ask your friend for an autograph for me, no matter who his relatives are. Then, I could still tell people I have Bird’s autograph.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Done.
LikeLike
Hotdog breaks (if I still let myself eat hotdogs) that can be fit in one day: 9
I like routine but the last six weeks I have become an explorer and adventurer. SO I have found I CAN break off the path! 🙂
Where’s Tater?
LikeLike
Nine hotdog breaks in one day. That would cause me to have nine potty breaks also, making it one memorable day. TMI, Colleen?
I am very grateful for your recent explorations. Your adventures have become my gain.
Tater was in this league years ago, but has retreated to my 18-hole golfing adventures. I am pretty sure you will see his face again here before his season is over, as he is my great friends, as you know. 🙂
LikeLike
🙂 A friend named Tater. Should be a song in there….
Thank you Mark, for the TMI and the enjoying my explorations. Have another one for tomorrow. I think we could do a heck of a series on old buildings and their stories. The real stories and rumors of them!
🙂
LikeLike
The people inside, Colleen. Always, the people inside.
LikeLike
😉
LikeLike
looks like you jumped right back in. with some friends you always just seem to pick up right where you left off. i love all of the backstory drama!
LikeLike
Without the backstory, I might as well not post about it, Beth. My job is complete if I got you with the drama. That Bird is something with three hotdog stops in one day, huh?
LikeLiked by 1 person