I Got To Play "Inside The Ropes"

     Congratulations to Meghan--uh, excuse me--Brittany Lange for winning the Women's U.S. Open at Corde Valle.  I know there was a bit of controversy here and the President of the USGA got her name wrong during the awards ceremony, but she is the winner. That's quite an accomplishment to be proud of. My point here today is not to comment on The Open or any of the controversy but to give you some of my insights and observations about playing in a professional tournament. I had that once in a lifetime experience a few years ago and got to play in a ProAm. For me, it was an experience I won't soon forget.
     I think I need to give you some background info here. I belonged at the time to a semi-private golf course in Madera, California called River Bend. Each year the course hosted a two day Pro-Am tournament and invited both celebrities, PGA and LPGA professionals. It was well run by Peter Jacobsen Enterprises and was a well attended event. Each year there was a different headlining professional with such famous golfers as Lee Trevino and Chi Chi Rodriguez as well as Anika Sorenstam serving as headlining golfers.
      It was quite an event and had all the trappings of a regular PGA event such as a hospitality tent, fairways that were roped off for players and grandstands around pivotal holes for spectators. The first day was a charity ProAm with the big names coming on the final day Monday to play.  The big names didn't play on Sunday in the charity ProAm, although heavy charitable donors got to play with the name pros on Monday. I played on Sunday and got into the tournament by winning a raffle at one of Riverbend's club tournaments.
     I remember a good friend of mine teasing me after I won the entry into the tournament.  He said to me that he wanted to go to the tournament just to see me miss my tee shot on the first hole of the tournament because of nerves.  I have to admit that I was nervous and I did not hit a good tee shot.  The format was a shamble where everyone hits a drive and go to the best drive. The team plays from there, but each golfer plays their own ball and holes out.  The two best scores for the hole are what is carded. However, after the drive I settled down, made a great chip shot from off the green and made a ten footer for par net birdie on the hole.  There was a crowd of about a hundred people around the green and they applauded loudly after I holed out. That is all I needed.  At that point, I don't think my feet were touching the ground. From that time on, I was focused.  In fact, there was so much in the "zone" that I don't remember much of what went on around me.
     I remember hitting a tee shot on a par 3.  The shot was about 150 yards over a lake with very little green to work with. I hit a seven iron which I thought was heading for the lake, but wound up ten feet from the pin.  The crowd around the green went wild, especially when I made the putt for birdie.  Of course, I acknowledged the crowd's reaction and moved on to the next hole.
     After the tournament I saw another friend that was there on that seventh green and saw the shot.  He told me that he saw the shot and patted me on the back as well as shook my hand from outside the ropes as I was coming off the green.  Frankly, I was so much in the "zone" I don't remember him shaking my hand.
     We teed off at the ninth hole.  This hole was the hole that had the huge spectator grandstand that was constructed around the green. The team had a wedge into the green.  I sculled my wedge to the back or the green and it rolled off.  My return shot was almost twenty yards from the back of the green, but the ball came to rest about five feet in front of a full grandstand of people. They were all applauding, so I had to tip my hat because they were applauding.  I had to say something witty so I said,"Thank you for your reception and applause.  I know that you are all out here just to see me." The crowd thundered with laughter.  OK, so maybe the crowd just chuckled, but I could hear it.
     As I prepared to hit my shot, I heard from the crowd, "I bet you are going to mess up the shot."
     I couldn't let a comment go by like that.  I had to come up with something. I shouted back, "I didn't know my wife was here."  Again, the crowd laughed.  That laughter was a salve to my soul, and I put the shot to within two feet of the hole making the putt for par. Of course the crowd reacted to the putt with applause which lasted until I left the green.
     I will never forget the experience of playing inside the ropes.  I just can't describe the feeling of hitting into fairways that are lined with people or to have a large gallery along with you to cheer you on. The applause from the stands is also very addictive as well.  So is getting a $400 tee gift from Nike. It is exciting to say the least and kind of gets you going. The food in the hospitality tent was
pretty good too.

Yep, this was our gang.  I think we came in third.