What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive.                                                                                                                                                                   Arnold Palmer         

I woke up on January 16^th feeling good about my play at the Scottsdale Open. It had been a lot of fun and we had met some great people. Since my flight home was not until late afternoon I had made a tee time at Palm Valley GC in Goodyear. It was another OB managed golf course with two 18 hole golf courses. I was to play on the Palm course. I was sad to be leaving the Pointe Hilton Tapitio as it is a 1^st class resort. I can’t wait to return and stay here again but this time with Kristen for a little winter get away.

It took about 40 minutes to get to the Palm course. I checked in at the Pro shop and then got some breakfast at the clubhouse, and still had enough time to get warmed up on the putting green and range. I was paired up with a gentlemen by the name of Frank. He was a local resident of the community and was very helpful with the course knowledge.

I shared my prostate cancer story with Frank and asked if he has been getting PSA tests? Thankfully he has been and is in the safe range. But, he did share his current situation with his 4th divorce. I told him that is he was either a romantic at heart or just plain unlucky with love/wives. He laughed at that humor. Seems as if golf is his therapy too but for a very different reason.

We shared a perfect Arizona day in the sun hacking the little white ball around. I ended up shooting an 82 on the day. That was my best round of the 6-day run. Frank shot a 79 so he had a good day on the course too. I sure had a great time. But it was time to head to the airport and get on a plane home.

I dropped off the rental car and caught the shuttle to my terminal. I was flying in 1^st class on the way home, so I knew that would be comfortable and would be able to get some rest. I was very anxious to get home. I missed Kristen and my puppies a lot. Sleeping in a room with a snoring golf partner is no match for sleeping in my bed with my wife and three dogs.  Mojo came along with Kristen to pick me up and I don’t know who was more excited to see the other, Mojo or me.  And home we went to see my other two puppies – Lizzie & Stella. Once home I was ready to get some rest, I hadn’t played golf 6 days in a row in a long time.

The trip to Arizona was a memorable one. I hope to be alive next year to play in the Scottsdale Open. They put on a great event and it should only get bigger and better as the years progress. Thanks Waste Management for sponsoring such an awesome Tournament. And thanks to Kristen and the MYCF supporters for making this a dream come true. God Bless.

"The game has such a hold on golfers because they compete not only against an opponent, but also against the course, against par, and most surely- against themselves."
                                                                                                                     Arnold Palmer

 We had gone to bed full and satisfied after our wonderful meal at Maestros. But we were also excited about the final day of competition. The alarm went off at 6:30 (way too early) and we got ready to head to the TPC Stadium Course. We were going to wear our RED Sunday attire, hoping that that would pump us up. When we were both dressed and ready, we headed off.

 It was a beautiful morning with mild temperatures and clear skies. Our playing partners for the day were from the Phoenix area,  Jeff McKenna and David Stern. Jeff is a Doctor and David owns a Stage and Lighting Company. They were a jolly pair so the day looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. Today’s scores would be recorded individually and then the team scores would be added together and 50% of our handicaps would then be applied. So, Chris and I needed to shot really good to have a chance. Based on the previous day’s score, we had the early tee time and were to start on hole #10 at 8:10 a.m.

 The TPC Stadium is where the Phoenix Open is held each year, which would be held in a couple of weeks. The course was in great shape and the crews were putting up all the hospitality tents and staging areas. That was way cool to see and experience while we were playing our round.The TPC course was the most user friendly of all the courses that we had played. The fairways were generous and the rough was manageable. The desert waste areas were nowhere near as difficult as the 2 previous courses, which made for less penalty strokes. The greens were in perfect shape and running true. The greens were about 12 on the stimp meter.

Today, we were provided with a fore caddy. His name was Matt and he was from Chicago. He works for the TPC and was very knowledgeable and helpful. This was the second time that I had use of a caddy. These caddies hustle their butts off running on the course getting yardage distances, racking bunkers, looking for stray balls, cleaning golf balls once on the green, and showing the putting line of each player. They are good!

 My game was on and I felt pretty good all day. I was shooting well and kept the ball in play. My putting was also solid, with no 3 putts. I even managed to par the famous Stadium hole #16. It was playing about 125 yards with the pin on the back right side. I hit a 9 iron onto the center of the green and 2 putted for my par. Sweet! I was the only one of our foursome to par the hole. What an incredible atmosphere the Stadium presents, an experience that must be seen in person. Crazy that it seats 20,000 spectators.

 I shot a 40 on the back 9 and was well on my way to breaking 80. But on the 7^th hole, I took a triple bogey, ouch! I needed to par out the last 2 holes to shot 80. I was so close. I missed both putts on 8 and 9 and ended up with an 83. Not bad overall. Chris’ highlight was on hole # 3, where he hit his third shot from about 150 out and holed it for an Eagle. He struggled most of the round but ended up shooting 82.

 When we were finished with our last round, we waited for the rest of the teams to finish up. The last group came in around 2:30 pm. The awards banquet started at 3:00 pm, so we had a few drinks until the festivities began. The food came out onto the buffet and drinks were being served. The leader board was being finalized and the winners were being calculated. We ended up right in the middle of the pack. Out of the 16 teams in the Net division we came in 7^th place. Not a bad recovery from the first day’s debacle.

The awards were handed out and the winners were given gift certificates for Ping products. We were all winners as far as I was concerned. What an awesome Tournament and experience. All the players will be “grandfathered” in for the following years to come. I look forward to playing again next year and winning!

 Chris had to catch his flight back to Portland after the banquet. I drove him to Sky Harbor Airport and dropped him off. I headed back to the hotel and ordered some room service. I was pretty beat from the day’s events. So, off to bed I went dreaming of the great golf courses we had played that week.

 

This is a game of misses. The guy who misses the best is going to win.                                    Ben Hogan

 We woke up on January 13 and were ready to get out and play. Since our practice rounds were not

stellar so we were a little anxious how our first day of competition would go. We had the 10:14 tee time at Troon North Monument, on the 1^st hole. Half the field started on the first hole and the rest on the 10th. We were playing with Greg Morgan and Tom Wilkinson, from Philly town. They were about my age. Greg was a banker and Tom was in insurance. Both were fun to be around and golf with. Since we were in the Amateur Net Competition, we weren’t playing against Greg and Tom, but against the whole field of teams. So, there was no pressure from them or us. The real pressure came from the course itself. The desert will eat you up every time your ball strays from the fairway. Not only are you going to get a penalty stroke, but if you aren’t careful when you go to retrieve your ball, you can get pretty pricked up from the cactus.

 So, we teed off with high expectations and hopes of glory.  Unfortunately our play did not match our expectations. We started out a bit rough. Chris was pulling all of his drives right, most of them finding the desert or the rough. I was only a little better on my accuracy. It seemed as if we were going to repeat our performance from the previous two days. I would have hoped that between us, we could have strung together a few scoring streaks and shoot in the low 80’s. But that was not to be! We ended up shooting an 87 for the day. Both us felt that we just couldn’t get anything started. That’s golf for you, one day can be flawless and then the next is plagued with mistakes and miss hits.

 There was a hole in one contest on the 16^th hole. The prize for any lucky bloke who managed to get a hole in one was a brand spanking new Infinite G37 – 2- door Coupe. I can tell you, it was a beauty of a car. The winner could keep, exchange, or sell the back the car. It was valued at $54,000.00. WOW! The cool thing was that would give away as many cars as holes in one were made. Now, that's quite generous.

 Well, we had to shake this round off and not get down on ourselves since there were 2 more days ahead of us. So, we headed back to the Hilton and headed straight for the hot tub, to soak our blues away. A nice cold Corona was appreciated after a long hot round. I think that round took over 5 hours. That is way too slow for my comfort. I find it hard to get into any rhythm or pace. But that is just more excuses for poor play.  So we soaked away the days missed hits and mistakes and started to mentally prepare for the next day.

"My favorite shots are the practice swing and the conceded putt. The rest cannot be mastered."
                                                                                                                                           Lord Robertson

 Wow, what a dinner we had at the Different Pointe of View. We consumed a lot of food and a LOT of

wine.  I woke up in the middle of the night soaking wet in urine (one of the ongoing issues with a radical prostectamy is incontinence) and sweat. Now, isn’t that lovely. I was in a daze and a headache was starting to pound. I grabbed a few dry towels, dried off, gobbled some aspirin, and changed my pad. I returned to bed and fell fast asleep and slept through the rest of night, without further incident. Turke got up first, and made coffee. I slowly arose to the smell and knew we needed to get the day started. I took a long hot shower and shook off the haze as best I could. We had bought some bagel and pastries, so we just ate those with our coffee and got ready to hit the links.

 Off we went to play The Raven Golf Club, near Tempe. This is another OB managed course. Chris and I are Langdon Farm GC Farm Card holders, so we get to enjoy the benefits of Langdon Farms program at all other OB courses. Now, that is a HUGE savings on green fees. The Raven that day was $69.00 versus a resort rate of $125 and up! Thank you OB for incredible GOLF course management.  Our tee time was at 11:00 am, so we arrived early and got warmed up for the day’s round. The Raven is a difficult desert course playing about 6600 yards from the Blue tees. The course is well manicured and the greens were running fast that day. Many of the holes feature waste bunkers and areas of desert in play, if possible. Not a good place to be. And we found ourselves there more to often than desired.

 We did not shoot very well again. And it’s not so much about the scoring; we weren’t hitting the ball flush. We had no ball striking onto the greens and found ourselves scrambling most of the time to just make par or bogey. It was getting frustrating knowing that tomorrow was the first day of competition. We didn’t feel ready or confident. Not a good way to start. But, we still enjoyed ourselves along with the playing partners that we shared the round with. They were a father and son in-law duo. They were pretty funny because the son in-law, Mark was a good golfer, but very unassuming and awkward. And the father-in-law Hank was a true hacker. We all had a great time in the Arizona sunshine.

 We left the Raven and made our way over to the Grayhawk Facility, where the Tournament Players reception was being held.  We checked in and received our SWAG gifts. Wow, what a booty inside of the Waste Management Sports bag. There was a thermal undershirt, Ainsworth Polo shirt, jacket, and other goodies. Inside the banquet room they had an open bar, food and prizes. The pairing board was also posted for all to see. We meet some great people that first night: Doug, from Oregon. He was a member at Waverly Country Club. They came with 2 teams representing Portland. Mike and his son Jason, from Austin, Texas sat with us at our table.  There were 22 States represented and 2 teams from Canada. A total of 52 teams were signed up and ready to go.

 Bill Huffman, Tournament Chairman was the MC for the event. He introduced the WM President and the other participating sponsors, as well as the staff. He went over the rules and format of play. Bob also raffled off a handful of Ping drivers, putters, tickets to the Phoenix Open and other fabulous prizes. I think everyone had a great time, especially those that won prizes. You guessed it, we didn’t win anything. But we did get a good prime rib dinner.

 Chris and I took off after the reception and decided we would just head back to the Resort. We had made reservations to dine at Maestro’s Steak, but we were pretty beat and decided to just order a pizza and have a few cervazas. After the previous night’s consumption, we thought it best to hang low and get well rested for our competition. We were anxious to get this tournament started!

 

 

“Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-one-half inch course. . . the space between your ears.”                                                                                                                             Bobby Jones

 In my mission to play competitive golf and talk about prostate cancer I am always on the lookout for

tournaments and new opportunities. While surfung the web, I noticed that Waste Management was going to sponsor an inaugural Scottsdale Open that featured amateurs only. Waste Management hosts the Phoenix Open at the TPC Stadium Course each year. This is a professional tournament in the beginning of February that draws a lot of fans. The format for the Scottsdale Open is a 2-man team, with the final round to be played at the TPC Stadium course, just two weeks before the Phoenix Open, under the same conditions the PGA Tour players experience. This means the rough will be long, the greens double cut and rolled, and the stadium up and rarin' to go. The first two rounds were also played on excellent courses in the Scottsdale area; 1^st day - Troon North Monument course. 2^nd day – Grayhawk Raptor Course. The last day at TPC is formatted for each player to record their own score and 50% of combined handicaps are used.

 I invited Chris Turke to be my partner for this event. Chris is a “lefty” and a solid golfer when he is playing regularly. He is the Executive Chef at the Ringside - East. The fall and holiday season had really been busy so he had not gotten in much playing time. I, on the other hand, had been playing too much golf. So much that my fingers were swollen and my left wrist in pain. But, no worries, that’s never stops me from playing.

 Kristen booked us a room at the Pointe Hilton Tapitio Resort in North Phoenix. We stayed there last year for the BCS Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and Auburn Tigers. What a fabulous property.  Chris and I flew out on January 11, 2012 on the morning Alaska Airlines flight so we arrived in Phoenix about 10:30. This gave us plenty of time to get a practice round in on the 11^th and a second round the next day before the tournament started on Friday the 13th. We had booked a round at McDowell Mt. Golf Course (now owned by Phil Mickelson and managed by OB.) The great thing about OB Courses is with my Langdon Farms Farm Card, I can play at other OB courses for the same card holder rates.

 We had a 1:00 pm tee time, so we made it there in plenty of time. We got a bite to eat at the clubhouse and then made our way to the practice grounds to warm up. We were happy to be in the dry, warm desert sun. McDowell Mt. G. C. has many challenges and we both seemed to be off our game that day. Chris and I both shot near 90. Not good! We blamed it on the lack of sleep the night before and jet lag. Anyone buying that excuse? But we had fun and just wanted to get acclimated to the desert conditions. So, we weren’t to upset about the scoring.

 When we finished the round, we drove back to the Hilton to check-in.  The resort was maybe at 40% capacity so we got a nice room that was comfortable and near the hot tub. We got to our room, put on our swim trucks and went straight down to the hot tub with a beer in one hand, and a Margarita in the other.  Aw, now that is livin’!

 We had dinner reservations at the Different Pointe of View, on top of the mountain at the resort. What a view from the restaurant! And the food is to die for. Since I had eaten there last year, I knew what to expect. I had sent Chris the menu before our trip. We both thought, “let’s get the starters and sample them ALL.”  And that’s just what we did. We started with the seared diver scallops, braised pork bellies and duck raviolis. The restaurant was very quiet and there were only about 3-4 tables being served. So, we had plenty of time to chat with the wait staff. We told our server, Tom that we were both chefs and that we were here to play in the Scottsdale Open.  Soon after the Executive Chef came out to greet us, along with the sous chef. He noticed that we were doing a tasting menu of our own, so he said that he would send out some other samplings for us to try. It was an amazing meal! Very cool Chef, thanks.

 We ended up spending about 3 hours enjoying the food, wine, conversations and the killer view. I highly recommend this restaurant! You won’t be disappointed. We finished the night off with a cigar on the patio and then took the shuttle back to the room to get some sleep. We were hoping we would shoot a little better in our second practice round.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”                            Albert Einstein

 I have been living with incontinence now for almost 3 years. It is a humbling experience and one that is filled with challenges on a daily basis. After my initial surgery I had worked hard to regain control of my bladder and body functions. But due to complications from radiation,  my urethra collapsing and an emergency surgery (read the whole story in the blog dated  november 21, 2011) I had to wear a catheter for 3 months. The catheter coupled with radiation cause a lot of damage to my bladder and urinary tract. I experiened many bladder infections and bleeding and other complications.  There has been so much damage done up to this point that I am unable to do anything permanent to correct the situation. Having the catheter during my radiation treatments and the damage to my bladder was one of the worst experiences of my PC journey. I had no idea that I would never be able to control my functions normally again. This started us down a path that most men my age (I am 52) don’t have to deal with.

 I have tried numerous methods to stop the leaking and get control of my bladder. I started by going to physical therapy but developed a massive hernia and had to have surgery so …  (that is a whole other story) Besides using absorbent pads, I have tried penal cuffs, penal clamps, plastic lined underwear and a condom catheter, all to stop the leaking but none of these have proven to be full proof. YES – some of these were as bad as they sound!!! Since none of these other devices seemed to work for my active life; I have gone through thousands of absorbent pads. Because of the amount of golf I play, I use about 3-5 pads per round. When I am physically active, I am unable to stop from urinating. I have noticed that the weather play a major role in the amount of fluids I expel. In the summer, when it is warm, I tend to sweat out most of the moisture from my body. But in the colder months, the fluids all drain thru my bladder.

 I have days when I may go thru 10 pads. It can be such an inconvenience and out right pain in my ass! But there is not to many alternatives left available to me, except some surgical options. At this time the surgery is not a viable option for me because of the risks, the amount of scar tissue I have and the damage from the radiation. So, I just try to keep an even keel and not get too upset when I leak all over myself and have to change my pads, underwear, and clothing. The worst times are when I forget to bring supplies with me and then get caught without a clean change. Most times I have to just leave wherever I am and go home. It sucks! And I don’t wish this on anyone so that is one of the reasons I am encouraging others to get tested as early detection is the only cure.

 But, I am alive and if this is the Cross I must bear, then I shall bear the Cross with humility and Grace. But, I give thanks and praise to the Lord for His great love for each and every one of us. Staying positive and being hopeful is the best anyone can do.

 

 

"One reason golf is such an exasperating game is that a thing we learned is so easily forgotten, and we find ourselves struggling year after year with faults we had corrected time and again."    Bobby Jones

I had lost my first round of match play and when I was out at Langdon Farms GC to get an early

morning round in late December, Aaron (the golf pro) told me that I had a second match to play in the conciliation Winter Match play round. He gave me my next competitor’s, Rob Hails, number and email, so that we could arrange a day to play. Since I didn’t have a tee time that day, Aaron suggested that I go hook up with the Men’s Club from Lake Grove Presbyterian Church. There were about 15 men that gather every Thursday morning to fellowship through golf. So, I paid my greens fees and headed on down to the 1^st tee.

 As I was approaching the practice green area, the men were just coming together for their morning prayer. I yelled for them to wait for me and I joined the circle of praise and thanksgiving to our Lord and Savoir.  Upon the finish of our blessing, I introduced myself and was welcomed to the group. I played with 3 gentlemen, whom all attended LGP. We had a wonderful day of golf and fellowship. I found out that this group as been playing for over 14 years and is open to anyone who wants to join in. I was glad I showed up when I did.

 I made contact with Rob to arrange a tee time for our match. We agreed that Saturday would work best for both of us, so I made a tee time for Dec. 31 at 12:30 pm. This round was for the conciliation prize. I met Rob on the putting green and we met our playing partners at the 1^st tee. It was a very temperate day in the mid 40’s, cloudy with a slight chance of rain and the winds were light that day too.

 We teed off and I hit the fairway with my 3 wood and Rob hit his driver long and to the right. We both pared that hole and the second hole. Then I started slipping and it was all downhill from there. I had brought out a used set of forged irons that I had only practiced with on the drivinge range carpets and never used them in a round of play. I was not feeling all that comfortable or confident with them. And not that I am trying to make excuses for my bad play!

 But, yes, y about the 12^th hole, Rob had pretty much done “dormie” on me and had the win. Good for him. I was happy that he played well and he was pleasant to golf with. I enjoyed my Winter Match Play @ Langdon TPC. I look forward to next year, when I will have a better understanding of the format system. I hope to play more match play events in the future.

 

 

“I always like to see a person stand up to a golf ball as though he were perfectly at home in its presence.”                                                                                                                                                  Bobby Jones

 As long as the clear weather continued in December, I was ready to play golf. On Monday, December 19 I called David Stead (GM at Langdon Farms GC) to see if he wanted to go out to Pumpkin Ridge GC. He has become a good friend and a great supporter of the Mahina Young Charitble Fund. As a matter of fact we are going to be sharing a booth at the Portland Golf Show February 10, 11, 12 in Portland, OR. David had never played Pumpkin so he was anxious to see the course as he had heard alot about it. Shawn and Russ completed our four some. When we got there we discovered that David had made arrangements to pay for all of us (he received a coutesy round since he is the GM at Langdon.) How generous.

 We went to the practice range and got warmed up and then set off to play. It was a fairly nice day although it had rained the past couple of days. The course was very soggy as Pumpkin Ridge does not have very good drainage. That always makes play a little more challenging especially when you are hitting in the rough. Dave is always fun to play with because he is such a good golfer. He is a scratch golfer and his hits are always right on target. He had about 5 birdies and was two under for the round. Amazing for his first time playing Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course.

 His most impressive shot was on Hole 16. It is a par 4 hole about 300 yards. About 40 yards before the hole is a little beranca you have to clear. The green is surrounded by two bunkers, one right; one left and is two tiered. The flag was on the front side of the second tier. We suggested that he hit a high cut shot for a chance to get close to the green. Dave pulled out his driver and hit a high cut shot. When we got up to the green, there was his ball within putting distance from the hole. He missed his eagle putt and got a birdie. What an amazing drive. It is always fun to play with someone with such a good game as it elevates my game although I did not shoot all that well that day. I shot an 86 but we had an awesome time. We finished up about sunset and since it was winter, the facilities were all closed up. David wanted to thank them for the round so went in to the pro shop and felt like the person at the desk just blew him off. That is the down side of Pumpkin Ridge, they have such a great reputation for their golf course, but the staff is a little snooty and not very friendly.

So we headed out to my house for some great wines, I cooked up some awesome food and we watched Monday night football. The Forty-Niners won, what a great ending to a great day!!

I enjoy the 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the gallery when I hit my drives. But I'm getting pretty tired of the 'aaws' and 'uhhs' when I miss the putt.                                             John Daly

 December was such an awesome month weather wise, clear and cool but mostly dry. I tried to get in as

much playing time as I could. On December 15, I decided to go out to Oregon City and play Stone Creek Golf Course. It is one of my favorite courses especially in the winter. It has great drainage and the course maintenance is excellent. This is a course that Peter Jacobsen designed.  They were having a winter special for $20.00 with cart. Stone Creek is about a half hour to 45 minute drive from my house. As I pulled into the parking lot, I realized that I had left my wallet at home. I scrounged around in the car to see if I had any money floating around but came up short.  I decided to go in and maybe call to see if Kristen could put it on a CC over the phone. Aaron, in the pro shop greeted me and when I told him I had left my wallet at home, he said, “Don’t worry about it, catch us next time around” as he handed me keys to my cart. What great customer service.

 It was a beautiful day a little foggy but dry and not to cold. I headed to the first tee and boom, hit my drive right on the fairway. What a great start. Around the third hole a single caught up with me, Steve from Damascus. He was retired from the shoe business, and had been with Danner Shoes. He was a great guy and we had a lot fun playing the rest of the round. I played with my old “New” Burner Draw (2009). What an amazing club. I hit 13 out of 14 fairways. I was feeling confident. I used to have one just like it and had the same results. It was automatic, right down the middle with a nice little draw. It felt great!! I shot an 82 but had 31 putts. My putts just weren’t falling in the hole. I think I will go back to my old putting grip, overlapped and intertwined fingers and get away from the 2 finger putting grip.

 After our round we had a beer in the club house and I invited Steve to join us for our tournament on May 24. What a great day!! Golfing in December! Thank you Lord!