League Night Returns

I slept in until 5:34am. I noticed almost immediately that my buttocks ached almost as much as last week. Like often happens, the second day after rigorous exercise/activity is when the pain sets in. I was exactly two days removed from the painstaking backyard edging, plus, I didn’t take an anti-inflammatory or have Mindy massage my ass prior to bedtime. You can bet that I regretted it now.

I exercised then limped along gingerly while walking Ykraps. I was more than a little frustrated about once again being sore. The realization set in that I would most likely be contending with this for some time to come. And just as one might expect, I spent a lot of extra time stretching my hamstring, upper leg and ass before setting out on my morning run.

Mindy reminded me that she needed to leave early – just after 7am to get to an early school meeting. In kind, Jacob was going along since he didn’t have school today.

My run went better than I expected but was still riddled with pain. I sucked it up and finished as best I could. Mindy was just loading to depart as I made my way up the drive. I kissed her goodbye and waved to the already strapped in kids. It was 7:10am.

After they were gone I wasted little time woofing down my food that Mindy prepared. Next, I prepped the hot tub for entry. I was determined to massage the ache away since I was expecting to play golf later that evening. The longer you allow the pain to set in the harder it is to loosen it up. I’m almost certain that it has something to do with lactic acid build up. The sun was up and the morning warm. It was a grand time to be in the hot tub. As I pressed my finger deeply into the tissue in my rear upper right leg the more evident it was that it’s actually related to my hamstring issues. One particular muscle strand felt like a thick banjo string with little, if any, flexibility. The jets and the constant rubbing eased the pain significantly. But the proof would be later, after getting ready for work and walking about the house.

Just what the doctor ordered! I felt ten times better after a shower and getting dressed. I could walk without a limp having just a very minor ache to serve as memory. The Bob’s and I planned to golf tonight after work. I was determined to see if I could somehow squeeze all of my golf clubs into my BM’er. Just yesterday I had a brainstorm. If I removed the long irons and woods from my golf bag and placed them in the trunk first independently of the golf bag, I might be able to get them all to fit. Experimenting with the idea, it worked flawlessly. I was able to load the clubs, bag, and shoes into the smallish trunk. Wahoo! That meant that I could now enjoy a top down drive to work and then to golf afterwards, as well as benefit from almost double the gas mileage. A win-win to be sure!

Because I planned to leave work at 4:45pm, I didn’t take a lunch. And because I didn’t have to get Jacob on the school bus, I actually arrived to work about ten minutes earlier than usual – 8:10am. As planned, I worked straight through eating my packed veggies and fruit all the while I worked. We were busy, too. Tis the season! Bob emailed around 3pm to inform me of a venue change. Seems Groveport Country Club mislead us about their Thursday evening availability. Instead, we opted for Split Rock, which is still quite a hall, but perhaps a little easier to get to.

As planned, I left work at 4:45pm. Bob said we needed to be there between 5:15 & 5:30pm to get off. Traffic around I-270S was a little busy but not too bad. I took that to I-71S, and then I-71S to Rt. 665. Rt. 665 is under construction around Hoover Rd. Grove City is growing like wildfire. Traffic on Rt. 665 was nasty. And to think, ten years ago, Rt. 665 was about as country road as one could get.

I celled Bob in just the nick of time to get an alternative pathway into Commercial Point/Orient. I turned south at Hoover/Welch Rd instead of going all the way to 104. That took some distance off the remaining trip, but still didn’t land me there until just after 5:30pm. At the corner of Thrailkill Rd and Rt.762 I spotted the vintage White Castle in someone’s yard. I promised myself to get a picture on the return home.

Turns out, Bob I. was just five minutes ahead of me so it was no big deal. I was a little worried I would be holding everyone up, but that wasn’t the case. Craig (Howard) Coffman is the club pro. I grew up with him. It cost us $20 each to play nine with a cart. Not a bad deal. He gave us the choice of front or back. We opted for the back. We also inquired about the best evening during the week to get out and play nine without running into leagues. He said Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays were best. Noted!

The tenth hole (one for us) is a par 5. My tee shot was nothing spectacular, and a repeat of bad habits from last season. It was moderate in distance but had a fairly sharp hook at the end. However, it took a fortuitous bounce off of a tree and landed in the right fairway. OK!
Bottom line, it took me four shots to get on, and I had a long putt for par. I missed, of course, and ended up three putting for a seven. Pretty much like I started almost every week last season. I didn’t let it get me down, however. And besides, I still maintained the tee thanks to some bad luck for the Bob’s.

I quickly tuned my round around putting for birdie on three of the next four holes. I managed to make only one of the birdie putts and ended up paring two others. I was very happy with my play. I sprinkled in another six & seven but all in all I was striking the ball well save for a couple unlucky breaks. The finishing hole, a long par 5 that winds and has a few ups and downs, was perhaps my best all around hole in the last two years. I hit three gorgeous shots, with my last pitching wedge landing right next to the hole but rolling about fifteen feet out. Bob I. managed to play the hole equally well, and our upcoming birdie putts were resting just two or three feet from one another. We were both pleased to be finishing so strong, especially on a hole with a reputation of ruining an otherwise decent round in a snap! We both missed our birdie putts but followed-up with tap in pars. Not a bad start to the Bob-league season.

I was really looking forward to the drive home. The sun was getting ready to set on an absolutely gorgeous spring evening. I called Mindy as I was pulling out of the lot. She was at the neighbors enjoying a glass of wine watching the kids play. The drive home was everything I had hoped. As promised, I stopped along side the property housing the vintage White Castle and snapped a picture that should surely land on my blog.

I arrived home by 8:45pm. Mindy had just put the kids into bed. They were asking for me to tuck them in. I obliged their request. Next up, food! I returned to the kitchen where I devoured my leftover gyro form the evening before. I wisely asked Mindy to massage my buttocks and took an anti-inflammatory before bed. That seemed to make all the difference. We headed to bed early.