Mainely Golf

Well, before we get to the talk about golf we played in Maine I'd like to report that I got a set of clubs today. A whole great big set, with two hybrids, a whole load of irons and woods and two hybrids and a pitching wedge. Alas when we went to the driving range after the purchase I learned that even if you have a full set of clubs, the balls don't hit themselves.

So back to golf in Maine. In spite of the rain, we were able to shoehorn in one round of Par 3 golf and two rounds of Big Golf. Finding the time for golf on vacation made me wonder how I am supposed to find time for golf in real life. Golf takes time: we got up and out early when I could have been rolling around in bed; it takes up the whole day when we could have been lolling around on the beach; and you have to take a nap afterwards, and you are too tired for any rolling or lolling of any kind. How do I fit this in with work, home and children? Less knitting, for one. No Victorian Novel reading of any kind.

We played the par 3 course at Merriland Farms for a little warm up at the beginning of the vacation. In retrospect we should have started out right away with Big Golf, but I was lured by the siren call of the breakfast at the little restaurant up the road.

Later that week we played at Cape Arundel Golf Course in Kennebunkport. The website talks about the history of the course, but fails to mention the weird golf crafts in the ladies locker room. There was a bulletin board that had nests made of spanish moss with little chicks in the baskets; if you hit a birdie, you were invited to write your name on a little flag and stick the flag in one of the nests. Brendan reported that the men's room did not have this ammenity. We had to hustle on this course towards the end and skip a hole, but I did have the opportunity to hit a really beautiful shot right into the Kennebunk River. I knew the ball was going to go into the river, but it was such a scenic location, and the ball made such perfect ripples in the still water in the bright sunshine, I didn't mind. I had golforia.

We also saw a similar craft in the ladies room of the Dutch Elm Golf course, which by my account was the better course of the two and the one I'd prefer to play again. This place had a better vibe, and was half the price of Cape Arundel. But most importantly, on the ninth hole there was a walkie talkie nailed to a post, with a menu, and you could order ahead to the club house and get a snack. I had a Jordan Hot Dog, which is bright red and native to the Portland Maine area. I had seen them in the supermarkets but never had one before; it tasted like a hot dog. It sure beat the smushed Snickers bar for the mid round snack, though. And if I had known about the ladies room on the 12 hole, I would have gotten a beer to wash it down.

We played scramble for both our games and I was sorry to say I found it somewhat unsatisfactory. I realize that we would still be there a week later trying to complete the course if we played individually. All of us had holes where our ball was the best shot, so considering the difference in our ability to hit the ball I thought that was fair. I just didn't groove on the group score thing. I know I need to play better and faster so that I am not a menace to others on the course and that is my goal for the spring.