A Story of Grasses..

   We were talking the other day about the Masters. Someone had read my previous blog post (http://walkinganewpath-pilgrim.blogspot.com/) and asked what impressed me most on the telecast.

   Without thinking too hard, I said, "The grass".

                         (This is fairway grass at Augusta)

   Later I got to thinking, why did I say that?

   Where we live, there are some really nice golf courses, and if I had to rank them in order of maintenance and care, the 9 holes that I regularly walk would rank on the bottom. Our course, Sea Palms, is comprised of the 18 holes near the clubhouse, where most play, and an overflow nine holes on the west side of Frederica Rd., a layout that does not receive the same level of care as the main course.

   When we play the West Side, the grass is mowed, but not kept up well. The greens are playable, but not good, the ponds have water, but a lot of other stuff too, the sand in the traps is bumpy and inconsistent. In short, it is a nice walk, and you can put down a score.

   That got me to thinking of other courses that I have played over the years that might make the West Side take on a brighter hue.

   Take Cherokee Valley. One day, a man out in the country where we lived decided to build a nine hole par 3 course on his land. I did not watch him build it, but it was a series of greens and tee boxes, with little fairway grass, and small bunkers with little sand. It was a challenge to say the least, and it was the only course I ever played that had crabgrass greens to putt on. Doug and I played it a lot.

   Then there was Concord. As I played there one day, I noticed the mower on the next fairway. It was the only time I ever saw a fairway being taken care of with a bushhog. It is hard to groom grass with that piece of equipment, but, you know, that course is still there, so they must be doing something right.

   I have also played all three of the Sea Island courses here, plus Ocean Forest and Frederica. They are manicured layouts where even the grass in the rough is well taken care of. So I know the difference that grass makes.

   Golf is a game, true, but when you play, the stories of the day should be about how you scored, and not about the grass, or lack thereof.

   Of course, some player's games resemble crabgrass, and some others, Augusta.

   Us crabgrass players know where we belong, following the bushhog down the fairway and putting on those greens that Jordan Spieth will never see.

   Enjoying the love of the game......regardless