DJ hits into the 18th green.
When last we checked in on our eight-golfer league, dark was dampening our spirits on Monday nights at Northern Pines in Cicero.
So Commish ended last week’s shortened play with a talk with the higher-ups at the course just outside of Syracuse, N.Y.
They suggested the best route was to separate our foursomes, each to follow the two leagues in front of us on separate sets on nines.
That’s indeed what we did Monday night.
Amy from the fairway on No. 18.
Bird, Morelli, Amy and I repeated last week’s route, starting on hole No. 10, while DJ, Commish and Lovely Linda scooted on to the tee at No. 1. Mrs. Bird had to miss play.
Both group were still later to the tees than our scheduled 5:45 p.m. time.
Our foursome trailed different leagues than usual. And the group ahead of us was slow. In fact, Bird took it upon himself to walk up the fairway on the par-four No. 5 to address them politely but firmly when the green was clear but they were not ready to hit their approach shots. In fact, one of the golfers was on the opposite side of the hole from his ball, searching a waste area, apparently looking to scarf up some last balls. When Bird walked back to us at the tee, he said they replied that they were waiting for the group in front of them, but he said he pointed to the free green and said, “No.”
The ranger came by in his cart a moment later, and Bird replayed the story to him. The group in front of us got a visit from the ranger, and played much faster the rest of the round.
Yes, we finished before dark. It was 8:30 when we finished putting out, and the other group hit the parking lot to put their clubs in the trunk at the same time.
Morelli hits in on the finishing hole at Northern Pines.
Afterward, we all gathered in the clubhouse for a beverage and conversation. This is the way the league is supposed to finish each week. Although we do realize that with the daylight now getting shorter, unless the leagues ahead of us start playing faster, nine holes a group won’t last forever.
Mark Bialczak 
Slow bugs me, but especially when a fib is included, i.e., the green in front of them was clear – Ugh! But then again, I’m not a very patient person and I’m not a golfer for that matter, Mark! ❤
Diana xo
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I want you on my team, always, Diana. ❤
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Wait. I can’t golf!
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OK, you’re on the other team! 😉
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I played one season only and really liked it and remember playing in the growing dusk till there was no use.
😀 😀 😀
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I’m glad that you got to play a season and liked it, Tess. Yay to golf!
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Yay. I never understood what the fuss was about, but of course, I would never make a serious golfer. 😀 😀 I did get a lot of satisfaction whacking that ball. I didn’t care when it landed so long as I h.i.t. it.
😀
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That’s the fun of it, Tess. H.I.T. get the agression O.U.T. !!!
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Ahhh! Drama on the greens!!!!! You should have flashing golf balls so you can see where they are going. How do you find your golf balls in the dark?
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We stop before it gets so dark we can’t see the ball, S.D. Otherwise, we’d listen to hear where they land? 🙂
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How about golf balls with little GPS trackers and an app for you phone? Then you could track them on your phone and play in the dark.
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You really want us to play in the dark, S.D.! 🙂
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You don’t think it would work?
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You still have to see where you’re hitting the ball, S.D. It’s a visual game.
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Ohhh! Good point. Well, can that idea. I thought I was onto something. :))
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it makes for wonderful stories )
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how fun, and using your math to figure out how all of you can play. i love all the behind the scenes drama , like the ‘real housewives of syracuse’…..)
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Yes, the Drama Golfers we have become, Beth. We can’t help ourselves, I guess. 😉
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I haven’t played much golf but look at that sky! anything that gets me closer to nature… I am all in!
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My friends and I, who have been playing golf together for more than 30 years, call it “communing with nature.” So I am all in right with you, Danielle. I love taking these pictures on the course not for the golf, but for the elements all around us! Thank you for noticing, my friend. ❤
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My dad is teaching me to play golf and it is much harder than it looks! He is 83 and still golfs like a pro, so maybe there is hope for me.
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There is hope for you, Amy. Way to go, learning from your dad now! I’m sure you are making his day every golf lesson, my friend.
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Hmmm, what has changed since last year Mark?
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The course officials moved us from Tuesdays to Mondays and we play behind different leagues, Paul. Slower-moving golfers, or more golfers, it appears. 😦
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That doesn’t seem fair Mark. What do they say to your complaints?
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They told us to do this, Paul. Split up to play at the same time, thus cutting off some wait.
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But a large part of the game is the camaraderie. Splitting you up is destroying that. Your tee time must be late than last year too – I don’t remember you running into darkness.
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I don’t understand all this complicated golf talk, Mark, but it sounds like things were better this time around, right? Hole-in-one photos!
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They were better this time Ann. Pro-active changes worked. We’ll keep whacking the ball around. Thanks for your scratch comments!
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I just googled “scratch golf,” Mark, and I think you’re praising my new-to-golf skills. How’s my handicap now?
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Dropping with each comment, Ann. 🙂
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