One, two, TREE! “Aim for the tree, they’re 90% air, you’ll never hit it!” Oh, I will, and I’ve done it twice this week. On Wed. #9, gold tees, you know that one reallllly tall, skinny tree hugging the schmuutch? I found it. My game plan usually is to cut the corner tightly and pretty much go over all the other trees. I’m up first, gold tees, I smacked the ball and it felt great, for about 2-3 seconds. Clunk. Crap. It would’ve been a walk-off home run over the right-center field fence in baseball. Few problems, I’m not playing baseball, there is no fence, but there is that damn tree that gets in my way. It’s really quite skinny, and would be hard to hit if you were trying to hit it. I hit it so hard it came Rick O’Shaying back like an Irish bullet. Luckily, it did not hit anyone and I could still see it. But, I said, as I’m picking it up, I’m not hitting it from here, I’m teeing it up again, damn-it. So I walk back to the gold tees, tee it up, all the while talking to myself, calm down, swing easy, outside-in again to cut the corner, and holy crap, I almost hit the same damn tree AGAIN. It actually went a bit higher, clipped a few leaves at the very top, then cleared all the other trees! Yeeehah!! My friend was laughing and said, “did you see that little bird at the very top? I think I heard him say, make her STOP!!” Lotta laughs !! We do have a blast playing this game. We all complain about our game, but most of us know not to take it too seriously! We laugh at our mistakes, and cheer each other on constantly. Anywho, so today, Friday, same hole #9, I’m thinking, don’t hit that freakinfanelli tree… I’m at the gold tees, talking to myself again, I smack the ball, and luckily I miss that tree but I swear I heard a muffled thud. Nobody else did, but , Omg, I’m pretty sure I hit a diff tree, one further away but sitting closest to the edge of the fairway. Problem is now, I didn’t see where it went at all and neither did anyone else! Here we go again, where’s Kate’s ball ? (I’m gonna have to start paying out stipends to my cart mates for putting up with me and my game, always ending up graciously helping me find my golf balls!) After looking for several minutes, I find my yellow Nitro ball (cheapest balls around, from Walmart!) it’s literally clear across the fairway, an easy 40yds away, sitting on the edge of the sand trap. Almost took a 90 degree turn to get there. I’m dangerous!! I really am. Do not stand in front of me, or anywhere near me for that matter!! On a diff note, I did get robbed of a great second shot today on #2. Perfect straight 200+yd drive, then about a 180yd great second shot with my 5W. Goes careening straight (yes, straight, Yeehah!) down the fairway, then at the last second hits something hard, I still don’t know what, a rake , a sprinkler head, but it went flyyyyying back INTO the air towards the feckin woods! Come ON! I finally hit two great STRAIGHT shots in a row and it ends up in the woods?!! In the words of my coach, therapist, confidant, bff, and oh yeah, now finally living under the same roof, with husband, Joe, “that’s called a tough break, kid.” I did chip it from prob 30yds out to w/in a real live honest to goodness, gimme distance!! I do love this game. For any former baseball players out there who remember the excitement of finally getting your “at bat,” it’s almost like being up to bat every 4th player!! Just don’t swing like you’re playing baseball!! Cuz a home run in this game costs you a stroke or two, plus a golf ball! XO, Katie “Lopez” 1/6/23