Blame It On the Rain

Feel free to blast this classic video as you read.

Not only is "Blame it on the rain" one of my favorite singles of the 1980's and my go to karaoke standard, it was also the theme of Day 3 of the Golf and Tennis challenge. Allow me to explain.

Saturday was the day of the first of many Kristian Strom vs. Nate Wu showdowns. Nate is one of my best friends and my arch nemesis on the course. We always seem to be neck and neck coming into the 18th hole, that is when his bad-ass golfer/fiance Lan isn't blowing us both out of the water. Nate has been riding high on his recent victory at the Tallgrass Club Championship, as well as his big move from a 14-handicap (where I still humbly reside) to an 8.5. Rumor has it that Lan has to buy him a new pair of clubs if he maintains his single digit handicap by the end of the season.

The stakes were high for Saturday's match. Actually, the stakes were just about the same as always (someone was gonna lose about 5 bucks in the end), but I called Nate out on Foursquare and lit a fire under his belly. Luckily, I was the one who came out on fire, firing off six pars in a row to start my round. It's kind of like when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter into the seventh; you don't wanna start talking about it. Sure enough, on the 7th hole, a par 3 with a pond left of the green...plunk. Still got up and down for bogey, and ended up shooting a 37 on the front, my best 9 of the season thus far. Unfortunately, Nate was right on my tail with a 38.

In a typical Wu/Dang psyche out move, we took an extended lunch break while Lan (who is about 5'1" and probably under 100 pounds, but swings like John Daly so we call her Lan Daly, among other things) chowed down on some chicken tenders and tots. I succumbed to the feast and ordered a healthy snack of my own- hot dog, Whatchamacallit and large Pepsi. We came out pretty solid on the back nine, with both Nate and I having about 15 foot birdie putts on hole 11 (we both parred). Then, on hole 12, the rain came pouring down. Along with some pretty loud rumbles in the distance. I was still on pace to have the round of my life, and envisioned the Bishop of Caddyshack out on the course, getting struck by lightning after yelling "Rat Farts". Nate and I had a tough go of hole 13, as the grips were starting to get slick (see "Blame it on the Rain"), but Lan pulled out a huge 5 point carryover hole victory with her bogey. Although she wasn't on top of her game on the front (like she usually is) she started to turn up the heat on the back and pushed a few holes to carryovers with some solid pars.

On fourteen, I had my best hole of the day. A 500 yard par five, I absolutely smoked my drive nearly 300 yards and had just over 200 to the flag. The rain was really starting to come down, but I hit a 4 iron absolutely pure to into a slight breeze and hard rain about 10 feet from the cup. I narrowly missed the eagle putt, but tapped in the comeback putt for a solid bird. Still on pace for a round in the mid 70s. I followed up with a couple bogeys and a double, and stepped up to the tee box on 17 with a score below 80 still well in reach. #17 at Tallgrass is one of the easiest holes on the course. It's about 125 yards, a perfect pitching wedge distance for me, and is usually about as guaranteed a par as you can get. Both Nate and I hit our shots way off target right and left, but good old Lan stuck hers 10 feet from the pin, and made the birdie (well done Lanu!). Nate-dog made a sweet up and down recovery for bogey, but I had a much tougher time of it. I ended up next to a building, and had to drop for relief, although my lie and position were still horrible. I did everything I could to make contact and duffed it about five feet. Then I bladed my attempted flop shot (also in a tough downhill lie over sand) into a ditch and had to take a penalty. I ended up with a friggin' 7 on the hole. My card looked pretty clean until then. Needless to say, I was demoralized, and my potential round of the year was no longer even a sub-80 round.  I briefly considered giving up the game forever, and then heard my Dad's voice in my head reminding me not to take this game too seriously.  

I ended up getting a little bit of revenge on 18 by making par by draining a twenty footer, which put me in the points lead in our game (Kristian-14, Lan-12, Nate-10). Nate, that consistent bastard, beat me in strokes by one, 82 to 83. He graciously handed over the six dollars I had won (based on our sometimes incomprehensible calculations of greenies, stickies, sandies, etc.), but inside I still felt a bit defeated. This was sure to be the first of many excellent matches during the challenge.

Today's tip for booksellers:

Yesterday I mentioned golf course architecture as a flashpoint.  Today, I will share a flashpointscannable, but are nearly always bookselling gold.

From browns to greens: A history of the Los Angeles Country Club 1898-1973

The History of Charlotte Country Club: A Collection of Photographs, Recorded History, and Personal Stories


History of the Burlingame Country Club

Country Club of Scranton. a History 1896-1987

The history of Philadelphia Country Club, 1890-1990