By Bradford Bixby
The Mountain Times
Welcome back, dear reader, to another edition of Fore, the column for the original hackers (not those computer criminals). And hack we do! If you watch golf on TV you might be lulled into thinking all golf shots are long and straight. Au contraire! I have sent many a shot nowhere near where I aimed. Which is why I hate playing through a slower group: usually they are on the tee watching us hit as we play through, which is embarrassing enough when I hit that errant shot. But that’s not as bad as the time, early in my golf career when I played through the family of four waiting on the side rough out of the way. I of course crushed a shot that rocketed toward them at a height of four feet. They tumbled to the ground like bowling pins and my ball passed right over them. You can’t apologize properly for that. Luckily, I missed them but the list of things I’ve hit includes a mailbox, a porch, a barbecue on a porch, a swimming pool, a woman’s raft as she floated in a pool, a number of roofs, a second floor porch rail, a gooey duck, a Canadian goose, a tractor, a bunch of golf carts, a telephone pole and four people. Then there was the ball I bounced into a passenger window that bruised the bicep of the driver. Oops.
As the accompanying picture indicates, we have a new member of the Hole-In-One Club. On Friday August 2nd, Barbara Mulligan aced the 5th hole on Thistle using a 6 rescue iron. Karel Tercek and Linda Underwood were there to witness the shot and congratulate her. All I can add is a hearty “well done!”
I want to thank the employees who worked so diligently to make our season a success. The Pro Shop and Cart Barn ran smooth as silk under the guiding hand of Tim Franklin. Expertly manning their posts were Joe Larson, Bob Findlay, Jeremiah Skipper, Micheal Nomura (and his sidekick Baby Vera), Elliot Chelsea, Griffin Solsa, Josiah Thompson, Cayden McKnight, Jeff Priest, Justin Brenner and of course Michel Elliot. This has been a great year thanks to each and every one of you.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Beverage Cart girls and the staff of Mallards. Manning the beverage carts with superlative style and grace were Payten Mix, Lauren Patrick, Andrew Gilmore, Stevie Della, Sierra Mesa, Madison Day, Tina Cranford and Lori Cabantoy. Thanks for your strong performance.
The staff of Mallards did an amazing job this season, in particular while Altitude was closed. Under the watchful eye of General Manager Christopher Skipper they exceeded our expectations. The staff included Trevor McGee, Nalia Quiroz, Johnathan Skipper, Rachelle Coakley, Grace Antoinette, and Utkarsh Dabas. You all did a great job and we appreciate it.
Well that’s all I have, so get out there and play. When you do, just remember to “Hit ‘Em Straight”!