The day started with a flight into PHX. We landed early, nearly 3 hours before our tee time. Bags took a while to come out, and then we saw the line for the rental car shuttle. 200+ people. Then came the line at the rental car counter… 50+ people. There was no way I’d make my tee time on time, or so I thought. Once we finally got our car, we got on our way, and I arrived at the course at 1:05, for a 1pm tee time. I hate being that person and am usually at 5w course an hour before a tee time. Fortunately, the course was running a little behind, and my playing partner was waiting for me with cart at the bag drop. I quickly paid, and we made it to the first tee before the other two we were playing with could even tee off. The round got underway. It was the exact opposite of desert weather, cold and raining. The rain continued for almost all of the front 9 before it finally moved on.

It was a slow round, as we waited on the group in front of us on almost every shot. In fact, it was so slow, that the group behind us had pulled up to the tee before we even got to tee off. 13th hole, 181 yards to a front left pin, not much wind but still chilly. I aimed for the middle of the green, since I tend to hit a soft cut anyway (I’m a lefty). I flushed it with a nice, easy, swing, and it started off right where I wanted it to, cutting back right at the hole. We saw it bounce once, then disappear. We couldn’t tell if it went in, or was short of the green behind a hump. I thought it hit the green though, so I grabbed my rangefinder to take a better look, and I couldn’t see the ball anywhere. I excitedly waited for the other members of the group to tee off. Once they do, we head down, and see no hump short of the green, and no ball either. As I walk towards the pin, I notice a ball mark about 5 feet short of the hole, and that’s when I knew. Sure enough it was in the cup!

To top it all off, the golf course gives a gift of a bottle of wine with a personalized label on it to remember the day.