December 15, 2010 - River Ridge Golf Club, The Vineyard Course, Oxnard, California

Happy Birthday to yooouuuu!  Happy Birthday to yoouuuu!  Happy Birthday dear Stanley!  Happy Birthday to yooouuu!!!  You are 73 years young and a wonderful husband, boyfriend and life partner.  May you have many more healthy and happy years!

I hate golf.   

I'm sure my lousy game has everything to do with the courses I play and nothing to do with the fact that I just generally play like crap, but in looking for yet another deal, we chose to screw up Stan's birthday by playing this miserable course.  River Ridge golf courses be damned!!!  Never, I say NEVER, again!!!  That eliminates three golf courses from our local golf repertoire.  Hang on Buenaventura and Los Olivos . . . I beg of you.

When we were on our walk this morning, Stan seriously thought about postponing the game for better weather.  It was cloudy and cold and threatening rain.  He decided to let SW (Stan Weiner) be the determining factor, and when SW called wanting to know when we'd pick him up, well, the die was cast.  SB made luscious tuna sandwiches which we put in our new little cooler, along with carrots, apples, tortilla chips and the irreplaceable Pepsi.  

I threw on my old golf shoes rather than dirty up my new Nikes, but wore the golf pants that Stan likes on me the best (it was his birthday, after all).  SB and I had on 3 or 4 layers each in anticipation of a cold, windy and possibly rainy day.  SW never seems to be cold.  In fact, I was surprised to see him in long pants today. 

Each and every one of us played absolutely awful!  Just look at our scorecard.  I picked up the ball at least three times, SW picked up twice.  I counted every stroke, SB played double par (he insists that would only add a couple of strokes to his final score - I have to believe him . . . it was his birthday, after all).  I landed in three (!!!) sand traps on ONE HOLE (the 6th).  SB was so frustrated, sad and disgusted that he stopped counting how many times we landed on the fairway and how many putts we made.  I was so frustrated, sad and disgusted that I took very few pictures and videos to document his horrific day.  (To punctuate this even further, one of the videos I took for the blog refused to upload.)  I was most sad, though, that Stan's birthday golf, which he was so looking forward to, was such an abysmal experience.

There came a point, on about the 15th hole (where I had already shot an 11 and a 9, and was well on my way to shooting a 10 on that hole and an 11 on the next), that I could not wait for this game to end.  In fact, on the 18th, I shot my tee shot into the water (so did SW), and we both picked up and waited for SB to finish his last hole (with a fantastic attitude, I might add). 

Final score:  Annette 135 (yikes), Stan B 115, Stan W 106.

When we got home, Danielle, our lovely daughter, called to wish Stan a happy birthday.  She asked how we were, and I told her that we were fine except that we had a horrible golf game.  She said that's what I always say.  I had to laugh, but I sure hope that broken record changes someday soon.  I was hoping to get some new clubs on sale before the end of the year, but I've decided that I don't deserve a new set until I consistently play between 100 and 105, no matter where I'm playing.

December 7, 2010 - River Ridge Golf Club, Victoria Lakes Course, Oxnard, California

I had never played River Ridge before.  They have two golf courses, the Vineyard Course and the Victoria Lakes Course.  I'd heard that the Lakes course was more difficult than the Vineyard course from several sources.  Stan found a deal on GolfNow.com, and since I wanted to play at River Ridge (and a deal's a deal), he booked three tee times, for Stan (SB), me and Stan Weiner (SW), our good friend and neighbor.  River Ridge Golf Club

The pretty River Ridge clubhouse.

We had pretty high expectations for our play since we had just come off a three-day lesson with Joe at PGA West in La Quinta.  Those expectations were soon dashed to smithereens.  SW was not enthusiastic about playing on this course, and I can now see why.  In his words, the Lakes is a "stupid course."  In the first place, the fairways were pretty much dead grass and it wasn't very pretty.  That could be because they are re-seeding, aerating or preparing the course for spring, but, in any case, in SB's words, "it didn't inspire."  

The Stans on the brown fairways.

Before I go on, all three of us have decided that we will not play this course again, so that will definitely color my description of the day.  

I started out with two 9s on the first two par 4s.  That should give you an indicator of how the day was headed.  I talked to myself, though, and bogeyed the next four holes, doing better on the rest of the front nine, ending with a score of 55.  Not too bad, and I had some decent drives and fairway shots, though I hit only 3 out of 7 fairways.  I had some disappointing putting, though, with two four-putts on the front and back nine each.   

SB's first four holes were not stellar; they went 7, 9, 7 and 10.  He bogeyed the 6th and made par on the 7th, but the last two were 7s, for a score of 60 on the front nine.  He made 5 out of 7 fairways - pretty good, but didn't do well in his putting.  He had a stellar moment, though.  On the 6th hole, he made an up-and-down from a bunker for a bogey.  That little yellow ball just rolled into the cup, like it knew where it was going.  We all whooped and hollered - it was so very exciting!

SW never shot over a 6 on the front nine with a score of 49 on the front.  We didn't keep track of his tee shots to the fairway or putting, but he is a very good golfer.  He made some excellent shots, but still had trouble on this course.  His putting was just OK; he wasn't happy.  The greens were very fast, which he usually likes, but for some reason he just couldn't make it happen today.  


The back nine was gruesome for me.  Although I made one par and one bogey, I did much worse than that on every other hole, including a 9 on the 13th and a 10 on the 18th (losing a ball in the water on both holes didn't help).  I wound up with a 61 on the back, for a total score of 116, making 3 out of 7 fairways, and had a total of 44 putts.  

SB did about the same on the back, with a score of 59.  He got a 9 on the 18th hole (he lost a ball too).  His total score was 119.  He hit 3 out of 7 fairways and had 44 putts as well.  I have never heard him say he wanted to pack it in and leave the course, but he said it on the back nine.  I think he was frustrated and disappointed, which I could certainly relate to.  He did hang in there and finished, but would have loved to have torn up our score card, I'm sure.  (No can do.  We need a record for the blog!)


SW shot a couple of 7s on the back nine and everything else was 6 or under.  He had a score I would have been excited to have, a 99, but he wasn't too thrilled.  

After our game, we drove over to Golfsmith so SB could get more balls and introduce SW to Joe.  Joe was surprised that we did so terribly, but was upbeat about our future with the game.  I feel it is best to put this round of golf under lock and key and just forget about it.  

December 5, 2010 - The TPC Stadium Course at PGA West, La Quinta, California

Well before the sun came up, our alarm rang, jolting us out of a deep sleep.  Into warm clothes and the car, we made our way to Starbucks where we each got a muffin and a latte.  The baristas were very perky and too wide awake for this early in the morning, but we got a kick out of them and the coffee was good.


Walking out of the clubhouse and through Ernie's restaurant, I saw a beautiful sunrise climbing over the Santa Rosa mountains and the Stadium course.  TPC Stadium Course at PGA West  The clubhouse has their fire pits lit which warms the cool air and accents a beautiful picture of what lies ahead.  

Sunrise over the  Stadium Course.

The Stadium course has been rated one of the Top 100 Courses in the World by Golf Magazine and the 4th toughest course in America in Golf Digest's "Top 50 Toughest Courses in America."  We had played this course in October as well, but had played best ball with Susan and Jerry; new friends we met on the vacation and who, it turns out, have a weekend home just down the street from us.  Playing best ball relieves you of any pressure to perform and you don't keep score, so it would be a totally different experience this time around.

Our golf clubs had been stored overnight, and were ready to be placed on our cart when we arrived.  Stan and I chipped, putted and drove a bit, waiting for Joe, who arrived a little bleary-eyed and munching on a breakfast burrito.  He and Kristi had gone to Morgan's at La Quinta, which is a fantastic restaurant.  Morgan's in the Desert  Susan, Jerry, Stan and I went there the last time we were here and had a very memorable meal.

There are similarities between the Nicklaus course and the Stadium course.  There is a lot of dormant grass surrounding tee boxes, fairways and greens, with oversized bunkers and a lot of water (aka blue grass).  The fairways seem to be the size of postage stamps on this course, however, and it is a real challenge to land on the fairway.  

We were not allowed to take our golf carts on the grass at all today.  We were concerned about how that would impact us physically; there would be a lot of running back and forth, but the rules are the rules.  So Joe suggested we play Cart Path Golf, which means that you do your best to hit your ball near the cart path so you won't have to run across the fairway so many times.  He can do it.  Stan and I struggle with just hitting the ball straight, let alone making it go exactly where we want it.  Anyway, we would give it the old college try with some success, but not much.  And we also learned about Army Golf today.  You start on one side, hit to the other side, then hit to the other side.  Right, left, right, left . . . Army Golf.  

There are huge elevation changes, so course management is very important here, especially for a player of my level.  However, players at our level just can't manage the ball very well, so therein lies the problem.  

I did learn that your practice swing is critical.  I always thought so, but Joe stressed this, especially with my chip shots.  There are a lot of hills here (which my ball was extremely attracted to), and, like yesterday, I was digging out of a lot of hillsides with a lot of tall, dead grass.  Taking several practice swings, whether with a long iron or a short club, allowed me to see just where the ball would go based on the trajectory of my club swing, marked by the grass.  It was easier to see in the dead grass than on the fairway, but I was trying to get the hang of it no matter where I was and keep my body low, head steady and feet and shoulders pointed in the right direction.  Joe noticed that my shoulders were pointed in a different direction than my feet, so he had me do a shoulder shimmy before each shot to straighten out my upper body.  It worked fairly well and will be something I'll have to practice over and over and over again.


On one hole (can't remember which one), I used my 5 iron to get to the green.  Lo and behold, I actually did it and the ball landed a couple of inches from the pin.  A pretty proud moment, I have to say, especially because it happened right in front of my golf instructor!!!

Stan wasn't driving very well again today.  He just couldn't find the fairways, and he was getting a little tired.  It's one thing to play two or three times a week on the neighborhood courses with friends, but playing courses of this caliber, and one day after another, and with your golf pro, is another thing entirely.  About mid-way through the game, Stan stopped taking his practice swing, and it showed in his performance, but he never seemed discouraged.  He was just happy to be playing golf, and playing golf at this magnificent course.  After eating a sandwich (even though it was only 9:30 in the morning), he got some of his energy back and started playing with more gusto. 

I learned another little golf saying today.  (Joe is a wealth of information!)   It's called "Whipped Cream on Dog S**t."  Let's say that it takes you 5 or 6 shots to get to the green on a par 4, and then you one putt.  That, my friends, is whipped cream on dog s**t.  Stan had two of those; on the 9th and the 10th.  Hilarious!


This course has mega-bunkers.  Stan and I got in a bunker that was probably 10 feet deep.  

The 16th hole has a bunker that is between 20 and 25 feet deep.  We all managed to stay out of that one, but Joe dropped a ball in there on purpose just to see if he could get out . . .

The 17th hole is called Alcatraz.  It's a little island green sitting in the water.  The last time we played, not one of us made it out there.  This time, things were 2/3 different.  Stan and Joe made it onto the green, Joe sitting up on a ridge that didn't even have a tee box, but I didn't, even after three tries.  Next time. 

  

I shot 67 on the front nine and 65 on the back for a total of 132 (ugh!), with 8 out of 14 tee shots making the fairway (even here!), and 42 putts.  Stan shot 63 on both the front and back nine for a total of 126, hitting 4 out of 14 fairways and shooting 41 putts.

The end of our second GolfTec/LaQuinta golf vacation has come to an end.  Boy it was fun.  We learned so much, and we hope to be able to put at least some of it into practice.  And that is the operative word here . . . practice.  We have to do so much more of it.  The driving range has to become our new best friend.  We said goodbye to Joe (who shot a 75 off the championship tees and made our vacation so much more fun and very memorable) - we'll see him on December 14th for a lesson -  and sped off to the hotel.

After packing and a quick shower, we went to Twenty6, a casual restaurant on the La Quinta property.  Twenty6  The last time we were here, I had a great Mandarin Cashew Chicken Salad with pea tendrils and sweet sesame soy dressing, and I ordered it again ($16).  It did not disappoint.  I'll eat almost anything with cashews (or goat cheese) in it.  Stan got the Prime Rib French Dip with horseradish cream, au-jus ($16).  It comes with provolone cheese, but he ordered it without.  Stan didn't think there was enough meat on the sandwich and said it was just OK, but it came with coleslaw and house made pickles, which he liked.  

My hands are sore, my body is tired, but I'm energized and ready to play again. 

December 4, 2010 - Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta, California

Walking into the lobby of the clubhouse that the Jack Nicklaus and Stadium courses share takes you to a different place and time.  Dark wood surrounds you, cases with memorabilia from golfing greats beckon you at every turn, tile floors with the names of legends that have won titles on these courses are under your feet, and possibly the greatest pro shop in the world is a few steps away.  

With a sweeping vista of the course sits Ernie's, a restaurant and bar that carries on the burnished feel of the place.  Ernie's Bar & Grill  Stan and I sat down for breakfast; he ordered the Western Home Breakfast (scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon and toast - what else?), and I had oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, and orange juice.  Stan wasn't mad about his breakfast (he's never happy with the bacon, no matter where we are - he's on an endless search for good bacon, and, I have to hand it to him, he just keeps on trying), he didn't like the potatoes or the eggs, but he thought the coffee was delish!  My oatmeal was pretty bland, but it sticks to my ribs, which is what I was after.

Hearty breakfast fare at Ernie's at PGA West.

We saw Joe and his adorable wife, Kristi, and the soon-to-be-born Baby Dougherty at breakfast.  We warmed up a bit on the driving range (Joe wanted me to practice my chipping) and got to the first tee.   

Joe and Kristi Dougherty

The Nicklaus course is stunningly beautiful and more difficult than the Norman Course. Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course  The Greg Norman course can be forgiving in that if you miss the fairway, you usually wind up on hard dirt which can cause your ball to roll down to the fairway.  No such luck with the Nicklaus course.  The fairways are set apart by dormant grass hills and ravines (it looks like dead grass to me).  They are emerald green jewels surrounded by beige.  If you miss the fairway you are essentially screwed because the ravines snake around and through the fairways, cutting them off and making it difficult to make a shot.   

The dormant grass is deep and it seems to swallow your ball.  I had to dig out of that a number of times today, both in the ravines and on the hills.  Joe said that if he had known there were so many hills, he would have given us a hill lesson before we came.  He said that there was a quote in the clubhouse lobby about how this course was friendly to women.  I guess if you’re a female golf champion it’s friendly.  Otherwise, not so much.

Swallowed up by grass and the enormity of the hole.

I started out pretty well with a bogey on the first and third holes and a double bogey on the second.  Then, in rapid succession, came an 8, 10, 7 and 9.  Hoo boy.  Stan started out with an 8, then had a 7, 4, 7, 6, 7 and 10.  The great driving he had yesterday had somehow disappeared.  He said he lost his mojo.  But he sure had it on the 4^th hole where he had a 273 yard drive.  Amazing!  He was stoked, to say the least.  Stan is marking the scorecards with an “F” if we make the fairway.  Every time one of us would land on the fairway, we’d shout out “I get an F” which, when we were in school would not have made our parents very proud.  Today, it’s a different story.  Of course, Joe would smile at virtually every hole with a “Give me an F.”  He’s awesome!

We stopped in the clubhouse at the Market Cafe for a sandwich.  I had a turkey wrap and Stan had a hot dog.  Joe and Kristi had ordered and run off before I knew what they had for lunch.  No pictures of the food, but Stan loved his hot dog and my wrap fell apart.  I wasn't too happy with that; trying to keep myself clean and fed while bumping along the cart path and eating my sandwich.  It sure was great having Kristi along today.  Joe seemed so happy she was there, and I can see why.  She is so easy to be with and as cute as can be.

The back nine was a little better for me, but about the same for Stan.  He shot a 61 on both the front and the back for a total of 122.  I shot a 63 on the front and 60 on the back for a total of 123.  I hit 8 out of 14 fairways, but Stan hit only 3 out of 14.  Stan thought that after he had his hot dog he would get his driving mojo back, but it wasn't to be.  

We both had 43 putts today.  Even though our scores don’t tell the story, it was a very good instructional and learning day.  My chipping had improved quite a bit, although I still have a bit of trouble on my fairway shots.  My driving was so-so, and I never had more than a three-putt, so that was good.  My head is still traveling all over the place, and I have to learn to stay low, keep my head down and steady and use my legs.  Oh, I wish I could remember everything and not have my adrenaline kick in and my heart pound when I’m actually making a shot.

Happy playing golf together.

Joe, Kristi and the future Baby Dougherty.

After clearing out of the clubhouse, we headed for the hotel room and a quick shower before we met Gretchen, Stan's longtime friend, at The Homestead restaurant in La Quinta.  The Homestead  Gretchen and her husband, Rollie, live in La Quinta year-round.  They are avid tennis players and have no interest in golf, but I think Gretchen is happy we play golf here so she can see her old buddy Stan.  Rollie developed a case of the flu earlier in the day and decided it best to stay home, so it was just Gretchen, Stan and me.  The Homestead has to be one of the most charming places I've seen in a long time.  It kind of reminds me of a restaurant we went to in Atlanta, Georgia, all white clapboard, brick and homey-feeling.  It was originally a ranch home, built in the 1930s.  There is a fire pit in the back of the house where you can relax and have a cocktail or roast s'mores.  I got a beautiful glass of Murphy-Goode Pinot Noir.  Stan got a white zinfandel and Gretchen was already nursing a Chardonnay when we got there.  She was bundled up in a red plaid shawl, supplied by the restaurant, and looked like she could be on a Christmas card, sitting by the fire, wrapped in red plaid and a white fluffy scarf she had knitted herself.

Stan and Gretchen.  Note the long s'mores sticks.

We were seated by the fireplace inside where it was toasty warm and ordered our dinners.  Gretchen ordered sauteed calves liver with caramelized onions, apples and bacon ($19).  Stan ordered spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce ($13.50) and I ordered the New York steak, a 10-ounce hand cut steak with maitre'd butter for Stan and I to share ($28).  Each entree came with soup or house salad, fries or mashed potatoes (I asked for mashed but got a baked which made me happy), fresh vegetable (a sautee of julienned carrots, green beans and squash) and homemade rice pudding.  The prices were unbelievable for all the food we got.  We all ordered salad, which was chopped, and I ordered Ranch dressing on the side.  Their dressing was very good, and Stan, who is a salad guy, adored the creamy balsamic vinaigrette that was tossed on his salad.   

A simple salad, but very good.

My New York steak on the left and Stan's spaghetti and meatballs on the right.

Gretchen and her fantastic calves liver.

My steak was very tender and flavorful, so worth what we paid for it.  The maitre'd butter was tangy and good and added just that something that elevated the steak beyond ordinary.  Stan loved his spaghetti and meatballs.  He said the only meatballs that were better were the ones I make at home from Ina Garten's cookbook.  Gretchen said her calves liver was "fantastic."  

We left The Homestead knowing that we had a 5:00 a.m. wake up call for a 7:00 tee time.  I was ready to hit the hay and dream of perfecting my swing for the most difficult golf course in California.

December 3, 2010 - Greg Norman Golf Course, La Quinta, California

A 5:45 alarm this morning got us up and ready for a trip to Starbucks (half-caf, nonfat, no foam, two raw sugar latte) and Manhattan Bagel (sesame, lightly toasted with cream cheese) and on the road to La Quinta and our noon tee time at the Greg Norman Golf Course.  Greg Norman Golf Course

PGA West - The Greg Norman Golf Course Entrance

We met up with our golf pro, Joe Dougherty, and, since we were the only twosome from the GolfTec in Oxnard, he was sort of saddled with us.  After dropping into the pro shop and scoring a pair of sunglasses for Stan and a Greg Norman ball marker for me (I’m collecting), we got a couple of sandwiches (turkey and cheese and tuna), filled up a cup with ice and water and made our way to the driving range.  We did a wee bit of warm-up and then were off to tackle the course. 

Stan, me and Joe the Pro.

We had played this course in October on our previous trip here and we were looking forward to playing it again.  It was clear and beautiful, warm and perfect with no wind.  The Santa Rosa mountains are a gorgeous backdrop to the course, and the palm trees and bright green fairways are very inviting.  Greg Norman did all of us a favor in designing this course, both in its beauty and the fact that the wide fairways are like an oasis surrounded by desert dirt and scrub brush.  On your tee shot, if you hit a ball off the fairway, 7 out of 10 times, it will bounce off the hard dirt, roll onto the grass and give you another chance to score better.

Stan has decided to keep track of how many times we hit the fairway in a game and how many putts we make.  I think it’s a good idea, and it is a good monitor of the beginning and ending of each hole.  I had done some talking to myself this week relating to my expectations of my play on this course.  I wanted to cut myself some slack on my score because the courses will be playing on are tough.  Of course, I keep forgetting that I am a competitive person, both with myself and others, so this was easier said than done.  I didn’t expect to compete with Joe – he is amazing, as he should be – but I always want to improve and have an expectation that I will do better.  It’s disappointing when I don’t.

Our driving today was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.  I was on the fairway 12 out of 14 times.  Stan was on the fairway 13 out of 14 times.  Sometimes the distances were pretty good, too.  Once I got on the fairway, however, I was having some trouble.  I did have some good shots using my 5 wood, but I was frequently topping the ball, and Joe was trying to figure out what I was doing wrong.  He thought it was my legs; he told me to especially use my left leg to drive the ball.  I tried that and had some success, but the topping continued.  He finally figured out that I was moving my head around during my swing and told me to try and keep it steady.  Well, when you try and correct one thing, something else suffers, and I became stiff on my drives which caused me to either chunk the ball or miss the fairway completely.  Towards the end of the day, I believe I was loosening up a bit which was helping my tee shots, and I felt I was getting back on track.  One thing I was sure of though, I needed to practice my fairway shots, especially using my 5 wood.

Our putting today was also pretty darned good.  I had 41 putts, 2.27 per hole and Stan had 40 putts, 2.22 per hole.  PGA rules states that if you use your putter off the green (from the first cut), it is not counted as a putt (even if it is just an inch).  Since the pros do it this way, we thought we would act professional and not count those few we each made from the first cut.

The 8^th hole, a par 5, was a nightmare for me.  After losing a ball in the water and not even making it to the green after 7 strokes, I picked up the ball.  The 9^th and 10^th holes were equally awful, and I was trying hard to get out of the funk I was in.  Even playing with Joe, with his and Stan’s encouragement, wasn’t helping.  I had to drag myself out of it.  A par always helps your attitude, and I managed to do just that on the 13^th hole.  Later in the game, I was able to be content with solid contact, even if it didn’t go exactly where I wanted it to go, even into the sand.  Speaking of the sand, I was at the beach a lot today, but I managed to get out every time in one stroke.  I am pretty happy with that, considering that some of these bunkers were very high.  Luckily, I did have a good lie every time.  Even Joe got in the sand - he and Stan had a gettin'-out competition.

Watching Joe is absolutely inspirational.  We loved watching his tee shots, his form, his confidence.  It is absolutely great.  Joe has a way of teaching that is low-key and uplifting.  His instruction is always positive, and when you do something right, he is a great cheerleader!  Joe is on the green each and every hole in regulation.  Somehow he makes the ball go just where he wants it to.  I’m so jealous! 

Joe is a young guy, about to become a father for the first time, and is a lot of fun to play with.  The little boy in him came out in a big way today with some golf cart antics:

We finished up at dusk; I had made par on the 17^th and double-bogeyed the 18^th, so not a terrible way to end.  I shot a 58 on the front and 59 on the back for a total of 117 (41 putts, which isn’t too bad).  Stan shot a 53 on the front and a 55 on the back for a total of 108 (40 putts).  He was very happy with his game today and with good reason.  He did very well; he only got into trouble a few times and managed to keep his scores pretty low.  I’m impressed with his getting 108 on a course of this caliber.  Joe shot a 79 from the Black Tournament tees.  It is awesome watching him strike the ball.

Not too bad for a tough course.

  We drove back to the resort, unpacked and made our way over to Adobe Grill for dinner, right on the property.  La Quinta Resort La Quinta is dressed for the holidays with beautiful Christmas trees sitting in the lobby, wreaths, lights and decorations everywhere.   

The gorgeous La Quinta resort.

The resort at night.

At night the trees are adorned with white lights and “It’s a Wonderful Life” is being projected on the side of a building near the restaurant.  We munched on warm tortilla chips with a trio of salsas; pico de gallo, a medium chipotle salsa and a hot green salsa, and we each got a GRANDE Cadillac margarita ($18) that was oh-so-good and oh-so-needed, made with El Jimador Reposado Tequila, Grand Marnier and fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice.  Both were on the rocks, mine with salt and Stan’s without, and they were very, very refreshing, even though it was pretty chilly outside with a Christmas tree and man-made snow in the plaza near the lobby to accent the holidays.  Adobe Grill

Three kinds of salsas, warm chips and Cadillac margaritas - muy bueno.

Add some guacamole . . .

And a Casesar salad and quesadilla and you have a perfect dinner.

We ordered a table-side made order of guacamole with onions, tomatoes, Serrano chiles and cilantro ($11).  Stan likes it mild and I like it medium, so we compromised.  Stan thought it was a bit spicy and I thought it needed salt which I added.  Stan said he wasn’t very hungry, and I hadn’t eaten lunch, so I ordered a Caesar salad with pumpkin seeds, hearts of romaine and Southwestern Caesar dressing ($9) served in a tortilla-like container made from what seemed like fried cheese.  The “cheese” didn’t taste very good, though, so I was content to leave it alone.  The Caesar, however, tasted great.  Stan said it could have been one of the best ones he’d ever had.  The pumpkin seeds and small croutons added just the right crunch and texture to the romaine hearts with a perfect amount of dressing.  I also ordered a chicken machaca quesadilla which was served with guacamole and sour cream ($12).  The quesadilla was pretty good, but I have to say I was stuffed by the end of the meal.  Before tax and tip, we spent $68 on dinner, mostly, it seemed, on margaritas.  We waddled back to our room, where Stan promptly fell asleep.  I plan on doing the same.

Tomorrow it’s the Nicklaus course.  Rumor has it that it has a lot of undulating fairways and greens.  It punishes you for a missed shot.  That sounds like fun.

December 1, 2010 - Buenaventura Golf Course, Ventura, California

Oh hell.  The day started with such promise.  The weather was nice, we were playing with our golf buddies Mike Mahr and Bill Switzky, and then all kinds of mayhem broke loose.  But I digress . . .

Back at Buenaventura, I felt that I was ready to better my score from Monday.  Here I am, playing about twice a week, trying to go to the driving range at least once a week, taking lessons, and getting ready for a wonderful weekend in La Quinta where we'll play gorgeous and tough courses.  I love watching The Golf Channel, in fact Stan and I are somewhat obsessed with it.  We'd rather watch golf than football.  That's a switch, believe me.  So, to say that golf is a big part of our life right now would be something of an understatement.  Our friend Michael Lauber told me that he thinks Stan is taking the game a little too far.  Well, if he is, then so am I.  But we're loving it . . . at least until we get on the course.

My sweetheart - on the first fairway.

 
I started out fine.  I double-bogeyed the first three holes and felt pretty darn good.  Stan started keeping track of whether our drives hit the fairways, and out of 18 holes, we both made the fairway 11 times.  I also drove to the green on a par 3.  Not too bad.   And, you'd think that you'd probably play better on a golf course that you're pretty familiar with.  That was the case for Mike today, and Bill played pretty well too, but it wasn't to be for Stan and me. 

Teeing off for a good drive.  Really!

Although I hit a downhill slide, shooting two 9s and a 7 on the front nine, I bogeyed one hole and made par on two for a 55 on the front.  Stan was pretty consistent with my play - we shot the same; he had five 7s and two bogeys.  Mike shot two 8s, bogeyed five holes and made par on one.  Bill made par on one hole and bogeyed one, but had a bunch of sixes which kept his front nine at 51.  

I couldn't stay out of the sand today.  On one hole I had four sand shots - two to get out of one trap only to get stuck in another.  I shot a 9 on that hole, whichever one it was.  I choose to forget.  I can say one thing with certainty:  my sand wedge saw a lot of action and got very dirty. 

I'm wondering how much of my trouble is that I'm trying to change things.  The very thing that helped me on Monday seemed to hurt me today.  I am trying to keep my legs bent.  I tend to straighten them on my downswing which makes me top the ball.  I topped the ball today more than a few times, and tried to correct my leg position, but that may have created other problems.  Who really knows?

The boys - Mike, Bill and Stan.

The back nine is where I came undone.  The crazy part is that I bogeyed three holes, but still couldn't turn my game around and shot a 61, with two 9s and two 8s.  Stan shot very well except for two 8s and a 7, and he bogeyed four holes for a 54.  Bill bogeyed two holes but, for the most part, kept his scores in the 5s and 6s for a 53 on the back.  I saw a club "drop" after a chunk shot, but Little Billy didn't come out to play today.  He had no reason to!  Mike shot 6s on six of the back nine holes and bogeyed two holes for an outstanding 44.  He had a personal best of 93 today.  Congratulations Mike!  You are steady and solid; we are watching your game improve right before our eyes!  It's a wonderful thing!  

On to La Quinta where we have no business playing this caliber of course, but we're locked in.  Unfortunately, we won't have Susan and Jerry to play best ball with us this time.  We'll keep our fingers crossed!