CHICK-FIL-A

EAGLES LANDING

STOCKBRIDGE, GA

My player this week is Betsy King

Monday: Stopped in Tupelo MS for the night and finished the 1,000 mile drive this morning in an on and off rain. Arrived about 2:30, did some laundry, and made a trip to the grocery. It's still raining and the course is busy with a Pro-Am. Time to chill out and surf the web.

Maybe it's an omen of good things to come but I just found out I hit the 13 run pool. To those that are unfamiliar, each caddy that has entered the contest, $10 per week, has a different baseball team. If you team scores exactly 13 runs in a game, win or lose, you win the pool. Your team changes each week based on a set schedule. I think there was a 2 or 3 week carry over but not all the spots were taken. What ever the take, I'm grateful.

Tuesday: The course is not in very good shape. The fairways and rough are splotchy and very inconsistent. 

Played an early practice round with Lorena Ochoa her coach and sports psychologist. Many pros played in yesterday's Pro-Am or in the off-site one which was today at Eastlake C.C. In fact, when we made the turn the back side was all ours which which led to a very productive practice with plenty of short game work.

Betsy struck it fairly well with many shots dead at the pin. Nice to see for a change. She was experimenting with a slightly different driver but I have the feeling the old one will remain in the bag. 

The back tee on 18 is set up to be used for the tournament but the word is that Saturday will be the only day it will be utilized. It's about 35 yards longer from there and with the wind in your face, only the big hitters can get home in two.

Wednesday:  Teed it up this morning in the Pro-Am and could tell our group spends much more time in the office than on the golf course. We bogeyed  the first hole, playing a scramble, and it looked like it was going to be a very long day. Donald "Bubba" Cathy, Senior Vice President of Chick-fil-A, was heading up the team and making the best chicken sandwich is a much higher priority then perfecting his swing. If you've ever had a Chick-fil-A you know he made the correct choice. It is a Southern delight.

Played better on our 2nd nine and managed to shoot 5 under including an eagle on the par 5 6th hole. The Pro-Am is meant to be a fun event and I can truly say we did.

Here's a little factoid I'll throw at you. Lorena Ochoa's brother is currently attempting to climb Mt. Everest. Their dad went along to handle communications from base camp. This is a extended an arduous undertaking. Prayers for a safe return would be greatly appreciated.

Thursday: Played much better than the 4 over we posted. Two errant tee shots on 3 and 4 cost us back to back double bogies. A couple of squirrelly shots early were rectified with a masterful short game. We both know a 2 or 3 under round is in the bag. Need to bring it back tomorrow.

After all these years, I found out Betsy and I share the same Polish heritage. Talk of perogi, stuffed cabbage and kielbasa occupied part of our after round range time. In fact, she was inducted into The Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Friday: That's more like it! A smooth 4 under with birdies on the two holes that bit us yesterday 3 and 4. Had a little hiccup coming in, bogies on 16 and 17 and a par on the very reachable par 5 18th. Could have been a spectacular round. Maybe tomorrow.

On the first tee Betsy said her best come-back was 76-66. I knew she wanted to set a new benchmark. This is the difference between the great players and the ones just think of making the cut. 

Betsy and her brother have acquired The Worth Paint Factory in West Palm Beach as a little side business. So if you live in the area and looking for quality paint give them a try. 

You also may have noticed on TV that Betsy does not have a bag sponsor. If any of you high-rollers have a few bucks to plunk down I'm sure she would consider offers.

Heard we're going early tomorrow to beat the weather, 7:30 split tees.

Saturday: Must have rained hard last night cause we played the ball up. A threatening forecast didn't materialize but we did have little shower when we were finishing with very little wind.

Betsy just couldn't get anything going today and played one over. It's surprising we didn't lose more spots than we did.

Yesterday Joanne Carner, with a local caddy on the bag, was about to hit her tee ball on one of the par 4's when her caddy blurted out "Focus Joanne!". Slightly startled, she backed off the ball and said "What the hell does that mean?". She promptly hit the ball dead right but made a good recovery for par. "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something." - Plato.

Sunday: Sporadic showers and gusty winds dogged us all day but the boomers never came and we finished the round.

Got it 2 under early in the round but couldn't keep it going. Finished with a couple of bogies for a 2 over 74. I think Betsy will still be searching for another driver. This one let her down one too many times.

Jackie Gallagher-Smith had it a couple under until the 16th hole where she took a 9. Three balls in the water. It happens to the best of them.

It was great working for Betsy this week. I hadn't been on her bag since for over 20 years, whew, and it was refreshing to watch her play.