The clouds at Eagle

Juan on Juan at San Juan Oaks

                                        The wind blew west to east and the flags rarely rested. I suddenly remembered my last visit to Freddie Couple's experiment and how it tormented me. I needed sustenance.

                                                    My sustenance:   Fish and Chips.

          Shit, I forgot my headphones! Now I'm gonna have to listen to myself, talk to myself! Downwind, short and a generous fairway. I bogey it: bad chip!

                            Par 5 second hole, on in regulation. I miss the birdie putt but celebrate a par. The downwind drive went further than it deserved. I got lucky.

Dogleg right, should be perfect for my draw- it doesn't. I just made a shorter hole, longer. Hybrid 4 and I'm on the back of the green! (note the flag. wind wind wind) Two putt par.

The last downwind hole and I push it out to the left rough. I come up way short and yet another feeble chip comes up miserably short. I blast the next to Holister. Double bogey is whispering in my ears.

Raggio, you got the whole course to yourself. The only ones paying even half attention are those turkeys over there and they're only fractionally amused. Enjoy yourself!

I proceed to bogey the next short par 4 and I can feel the beginning of an eddy beginning. That downward spiral into an endless divot called "lost hope"

I can feel my hat signalling to my head it's insecure setting on my scalp.  I re-adjust the velcro and squint at the flag on hole six: Par 3. 169 yards on the card, and a giggling 174 from my range finder. Note in the picture how the wind is blowing left to right. I accidentally (though later I plan on saying it was intentional) hit ball too far left, way far left and too high. Nope. That wind brought my hybrid 4 back over like english on fungo bat! Bam! 10 feet from the pin. I did the whole "pro" thing. Looked at from this side, that side. Got down and stared the line. I marked the ball, cleaned it and aimed that logo at the line I wanted. (I never do that) One long breath, and I actually sunk it. Fist pump and I feel like I stole one.  This is what I drove up to ...

I proceed to bogey the next hole, Drive into the rough and then fat coming out. Still I was pretty cool on the last I tell myself.

 Hole 8 is a 150 yard par 3 into yet another category 1 wind. Five iron, cause my range finder says 145. I won't say anymore but check out the shot results.

Three foot bird, made and howled at!

The last hole is par 5 and I'm just off the green in three.  I chose putt instead of anything that chips. I miss but I didn't blow it past 20 feet. I tap in. 

I didn't survive the back very well at all. I had re-re-injured the hand and couldn't take full swings.

I'm coming back to this place. I enjoyed it, you usually do when you surprise yourself.

Obviously Laguna Seca was out of the question.... grrr                

The sweetbread tree nymph on #8