Almost!

I almost got another hole-in-one on Saturday.  Almost!  It was soooo close.  I'm talking less than a foot.  Crazy.

Most golfers are lucky to get even one in their lifetime.  My dad has been playing for 45+ years and has yet to get one, though I'm sure he's come close many times before.  I got one when I was 26.  (He was slightly jealous I'm sure).  There is some skill to it, obviously, but also a lot of luck with the right circumstances. 

Anyways, on Saturday Jon and I headed down to Red Wing to play at Mississippi National Golf Links.  It was our first time there (thanks to crowdcut deal), so we had no idea what was in store for us.  I was expecting some rolling hills with beautiful views of the Mississippi River.  Instead, we found ourselves in the deep woods with huge winding paths that were so steep I feared for my life a few times while riding the cart.  It didn't take us long to realize why golf carts were mandatory.  No Mississippi River in sight, though I'm sure it was nearby.

Not far into our round, we came across this sign:

Funny.  I've never had a 2+ minute drive to the next hole before!  This sign should have also read "Proceed at your own risk and apply the brake at all times."  Since we had already ascended quite high on the previous holes, this path took us downhill, must faster than I would have liked.  I had my foot pressed down on the brake the entire time, yet we flew down the bumpy path, skidding around corners like we were in a Mario kart race.

We survived that interesting ride and continued to enjoy the beautiful day.  At one point we caught up to a foursome that fortunately allowed us to play through.  Of course this meant we'd have to tee off while they stand there and watch, which is a bit intimidating, especially on a par 3 where there is the tee and the green and nothing but water and forest in-between and accuracy is key.  I was about to tee off when one of the guys reminded us to hit an extra club because we were against the wind.  (So sorry if this is boring the heck out of the non-golfers reading this, but I am a golf geek).  So I ran back and got the right club, hit the ball, and it sailed beautifully over all the crap below, landed on the green, and rolled right towards the hole, stopping less than a foot away.  I jumped with joy, Jon cheered, and the foursome behind us went nuts.  It felt SO good to nail a shot like that, from the "men's tees" (that are not just for men - I hate that term), in front of a group of strangers.  Take that!  I'm a woman and I can play golf!  I thanked the guy for his extra club advice and we were on our way.

I was in a groove that day.  In the end, I shot an 87, which is really good for me these days.  I had 4 pars and 2 birdies, which I haven't really done since college.  Oh good times. 

I wish I had brought my camera along, because that course was so beautiful.  There were times that we were teeing off above the treetops, or with beautiful views of the valley.  Here are a couple I managed to take with my phone.  All in all, it was a great day!