Happy Birthday to me!

As is sit here and listen to the fireworks going off at Navy Pier from my "home office" at 10:15 Saturday night, I contemplate the last 31 hours that made up an extended 38th birthday celebration.

Friday after work, my friends and I squeezed in 18 holes at Steeple Chase Golf Club in Mundelein to start it off. I played decently, but not great shooting 86 and breaking my string of at least 1 birdie in every round this year. The weather was almost unbeatable, and I have played this course many times, so no excuses, I just couldn't pull it all together to shoot my age on either nine.

Steeple Chase is nice. The fairways are generous, but still narrow enough to challenge an 8 handicap like me. The greens were firm and lightning fast, and the bunkers were in excellent condition. If the two nines didn't each end with a goofy type of hole, there would be little reason not to play here all the time for a non-resident twilight rate of only $32. Oh yeah, except that it is about 400 miles from the city!

Anyway, after a medium long ride, I was welcomed home by my family with a birthday cake that had been "decorated" with M&Ms and several little finger-shaped gashes in the frosting along the side (courtesy of Xavier doing a little pre-celebration snaking unbeknownst to Mom, of course). A good day to say the least.

I woke up this morning and headed straight back out to the course, this time Prairie Bluff Golf Club in Lockport. I have played Prairie Bluff well over 50 times before, so am entirely familiar with every place you should not hit the ball, but did that stop me today??? No, it did not. I only took 29 putts, but sprayed my drives and couldn't hit a green to save my life (one Green in Regulation to be exact...and on the hardest hole on the course). Shot a somewhat miserable 89, shooting 11-over on the back nine...very poor, very poor.

So, Brad and I dragged ourselves over to Wendy's where I partook of The Baconator -- and all was well with me. After a painfully long Saturday afternoon ride home on the normally placid Stevenson (that's I-55 to you non-Chicagoans), I made it home for a quick shower, and was shortly thereafter presented with a gift by Xavier. Somehow without me knowing Kerry had gotten me a $50 gift certificate to Harborside International Golf right here in Chicago! Fantastic, now I can head out to the range in the morning...OK, maybe the afternoon.

Fairways & Greens!