Pineapple Valley…. Just a lovey course, but way too many people. I arrived plenty early to use the amazing practice facilities which are certainly comparable to Thai CC. On the ride to the range on the Club Car community courtesy cart, I met three great guys from Scotland and we instantly bonded. We were chatting like new…. Old friends about courses we’ve all played etc.
Turns out they had a tee time just 2 slots behind mine and they wanted to include me in their group. As my time neared, my caddie “Lek” queued up right on time to pick me up and take me to the first tee. Upon arrival I used my phone to translate to the starter that I’d like to bump back and play with the Scotsmen. No such luck, he won’t move me because he does not want Tim and Shanti, an absolute beginner couple from Australia to just play as two. They are incredibly nice and are already apologizing for their crappy play as they try to get the feel for the rental clubs strapped to the back of their respective carts. To make matters worse, we are stuck behind two foursomes of Danish folks that are all dressed alike in matching Footjoy garb. Even the caddies know that this is trouble, as apparently the Danish have a history of not knowing when to give up and just pick up on the hole. They hit and hit and hit until the ball is in the cup. Relentless.
I’ve already got an attitude as I want to play with the Scots but instead I’m stuck behind choppers playing with a couple that has no business on this course.
The greens are fast here with severe undulations and water and sand abound. It’s not user friendly for sloppy ball striking. It made for a very long day as Tim and Shanti took swing after swing often moving more dirt and sand than ball just to get to the general area of my drive. “Lek” was great and she could tell I was really annoyed but I was not about to be the “ass” in the group.
I did my best to keep smiling and offering words of encouragement until I emptied the bucket of niceties about the 15th hole or so. I just ran out of pleasant things to say on top of making 3 straight bogeys and being hot under the collar.
I managed a nice birdie on 18 after what seemed like a 20 minute wait just to hit my second shot, but it was nice to take some positive vibes out of an otherwise tough day.
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| "Lek" a really nice gal and good caddie |
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| Course view |
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| Course view |
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| Course view |
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| Shanti & her caddie... waiting to hit it 30 yrds on the ground, even though she's go 240 to the hole. |
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| Even the dogs aren't in a hurry |
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| Course view |
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| Lek doing her thing |
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| Lek & the clubhouse in the background |
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| "View" was also a bright spot in the day. She spoke a lot of English & learned from Youtube. |
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