Adventures at Crosswinds

The Nationwide Tour media official, Joe, recommended that I check out CrossWinds, a little par-3 course about 10 minutes from my hotel. Best part is, it had lights. Bob-o-Link all over again. So I get there around 8:30, and the guy tells me they will be closing soon because there aren't that many people left on the course. He says I can play as many holes as I want for the 9-hole rate ($11), but I have to get off the course when the last group finishes. The last group, a group of 3, is currently teeing off on hole 12.

By myself, I can finish, right? So I race onto the first tee, an 100-yard hole, and promptly shank the shot into the right rough. I am also using a nice TaylorMade golf ball, because I figure my brother will use it - and lose it - if the ball makes it back to Buffalo.

Full steam ahead, even though I suck and fail to make any pars through the first six holes. Oh, well. I'm racing, trying to catch up to the last group.

On hole 7, I hit a beautiful tee shot, but the ball bounds over the green and into the thick rough. As I race off the tee box, the sprinklers start to drench the green. Perfect, a little water park thrown in. I sure am getting my 11 bucks worth.

I chip up to a few feet and stand over my par putt. Now the sprinklers turn directly toward me, and I am getting super soaked (pun intended) while getting ready to putt. I knock it in.

Two holes later, I lose the TaylorMade. Better me than Nick.

Now I hit my tee shot on the 10th, or so I think. Good shot to about 12 feet, but as I stand over my putt, the only kids left on the course start screaming at me. I guess I confused the 10th and 15th greens. Perrrrfect. But at least I played 10 holes in the time it took them to play 3. At this pace, I can catch up.

And catch up I do, on the 18th tee. I tell the kids I'm in town for just a few days, and they ask who I'm with. I tell them I'm working with the Nationwide Tour, and they respond appreciatively.

I promptly hit my tee shot within 3 feet of the hole. They look at me and say, "you mean you play ON the Nationwide Tour." Awesome. I should have gone along with it.

Might not have worked though. I promptly ran the birdie bid past the hole. It didn't even lip out. Straight-up terrible putt. At least I parred it.

I give the guy in the pro shop a thumbs up as I leave. He says he appreciates me playing fast.

He's lucky I didn't complain about the sprinklers and demand a free round. Probably would have worked.

Oh, well. Media buffet tomorrow morning, here I come.