Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Happy Birthday Canada




On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her Majesty's loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1st.

The July 1 holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day.

We don't get to call it Dominion Day anymore but I am not in the mood to quibble. Canada Day. Dominion Day. It's an extra day off. JB and I played golf on Saturday with friends, BBQ'd, played more golf today.

We tried our first 18 hole "Championship course" and it was quite the endurance test. We have been sticking to playing 18 hole par 3 courses until we get better. After today I will be quite happy to go back to playing par 3's for now. I just cannot hit the distance required to make it to the greens on the long par 5 holes. I get a lot of compliments about my swing and how I seem to always hit it straight and keep the ball on to the fairway. The more experienced golfers, we sometimes end up playing with, keep telling me that the distance will come. I can definitely see that I am hitting the ball further now then I did 4 months ago. I imagine taking lessons from the beginning was a big help as it is a sport that is hard to play well consistently unless you have good form and you are in really good shape and you can play often.

Golf is a funny game, one day you will have great shots and then the next time you play you wonder why you took up the bloody sport at all. Then you awake the next morning and think to yourself "man, I wish I could play golf today rather than go in to work"

Golf is definitely a game that teaches you patience and also teaches you to focus. I find if I get tired or stop focusing and start thinking about other things. I have a lousy shot. It is an extremely challenging game on your mental psyche. I am still psyched out by water hazards. Today, I lobbed my ball right into the centre of a water hazard, TWICE!! The hole was a short par 3 and normally it would be a piece of cake for me to lob my ball in one shot onto the green but when I see that water it psyches me out. It never fails, my ball plops right into the centre of the water. The hole I was the most pissed off about is the one pictured. From the forward tee's it's 120 yards to the green. Now, I can hit well over 120 yards in my lessons and usually when I am not playing a hole with a water hazard. The sketch below is from the course where we played today. I love the little blurb that goes along with the drawing.



Hunters' Glen - 10th Hole The back nine begins with the signature hole of the golf course. Measuring 169 yards, the 10th hole is the shortest par 3 at Hunters' Glen, but don't let the yardage fool you. Your approach to this long and narrow green is one of the most challenging shots you will hit all day.

From the tee, an elevated green awaits on the other side of a large (and distracting) pond. The saddle-shaped green is often the host of many difficult pin placements and is responsible for more than the occasional three-putt.


So, ya it's only 120 yards. But to screw with you it's surrounded by water and if you do get it on the green you will probably end up three putting because they placed the hole at the top of a hill!!!

I will be back to play at Hunters Glen one day and I will be damned if I am going to lose another ball to that 10th hole!

Back to work tomorrow and then JB and I are off to Montreal for the annual International Jazz Festival. Montreal is a great city to spend time in and we are looking forward to the time off.




Quote of the day:

In baseball you hit your home run over the right-field fence, the left-field fence, the center-field fence. Nobody cares. In golf everything has got to be right over second base.


Ken Harrelson

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