Blogtastic.....is not a word

Given inspiration by multiple people in my small, diverse social circle, I have decided to follow in the footsteps of my wife and start my own "semi-daily" blogging regimen. We'll see how long it lasts :) I have no problem with making the commitment - it's the quantity of topics that I feel capable of writing about on a daily basis that makes me skeptical. I consider myself fairly stoic and can't imagine blathering ALL of my precious thoughts into a computer and the interwebs for the whole, big world to ingest. Then again, maybe there are some things that I could ramble about. As I said, we'll see how long it lasts and maybe, just maybe....I can keep up with Alyssa - who always has something to say.

Please feel free to comment with topics and if one of them jumps out at me, you might be surprised with a whole paragraph (or more) of my thoughts! (*don't let that deter you.....)

Golf-

I have loved the game since I can remember. My grandfather (dad's dad....Grampe) was a California Senior Pro and played 18 holes almost every day for 30+ years. My grandmother was a golf widow, but knew that he was gifted and loved him all the same. He had a lot of influence on my dad's love of the game and encouraged him to play throughout his youth and helped him become Captain of his High School golf team. If not for traumatic back injuries after joining the Air Force, my dad had unlimited potential. This lead directly into my fascination. I had a golf bag and mini clubs shortly after I was capable of upright, bipedalism. As I grew taller, Grampe would take his older clubs and cut them down to my size. I remember taking rides in his golf cart over to Cameron Park Country Club and him letting me hit some balls around the putting green and chipping green. I remember having to wear tucked-in shirts with a collar and khaki pants or shorts. I remember all of my grandparent's friends who would stop by to say hi while we had Roy Rogers in the clubhouse. I remember a childhood full of golf and golf references.

I only played a couple times throughout high school and it tapered off from there. After joining the Army, there just wasn't time. I took a 5 year hiatus and didn't even hit a golf ball between 2000 and 2005. After my reassignment to Colorado Springs, I finally found some time and a good friend to re-energize my golf game. It started with a gift - a bag full of "decent" clubs that Steve had used for a couple years before upgrading to his current Clevelands. By giving me the tools, everything else just fell into place. I started going to the driving range periodically. We played the Silver Spruce Course @ Peterson a couple times and in 2007, Steve surprised me with a tournament at the Broadmoor. If you think their rooms and their food are expensive, you should ask about their "member's only" green fees. Yikes!! It turned out to be one of my most memorable golfing experiences yet. That course hosted the PGA US Senior Open the following year (2008) and it was tough! I still consider myself an amateur and probably will for years to come...but back then....I was a COMPLETE rookie.

So that's the history -

Starting today, I will be playing every Tuesday for the next 12 weeks in an intramural competition that has over 100 players of varying skill level. We will be matched by handicap and then play head-to-head. I'm nervous and excited to see how this plays out. I've played 4 times in the last 3 weeks and I feel like I get a little better every time I swing - and I still need a TON of work. I'd really like to get lessons down the road - that's what the pro's recommend - PRO instruction. They also recommend PRO gear (which gets really expensive). I have a great set of clubs that I'm comfortable with and probably won't outgrow (skill-wise) for a couple years.

Wish me luck today and hopefully this "first" post didn't bore the tears from your eyes.

To tie in to Alyssa's post about my cadence singing this morning:

"I WENT TO MCDONALDS.......TO GET A BURGER AND FRIES......UP JUMPED THE ENEMY!......I HAD TO TAKE HIS LIFE!....AIRBOoooOOOORNE.....rangEEEeeeeEEER!