Twelve of us gathered at the Creek yesterday for our regular Wednesday game. Because your Hack has fallen in love with Simon’s carryover skins game, we played it again. The first 14 holes were worth $10 each, while the final 4 holes were $25 each. We played at 80% of GHIN handicaps with strokes based off my cap. With $240 in the pot, we teed off under sunny skies with a mild breeze and temps in the 50’s. The greens were the fastest we’d seen at the Creek in months and “someone” from the grounds crew had a fight with his spouse that morning and put some of the pins in crazy hard spots.

The lead group consisted of the Voice, Trust Fund, yours truly, and a blast from the past. The Broker, an old friend re-joined Cripple Creek and was our fourth. The Broker hasn’t played much golf over the past couple of years – busy with two young boys and a hectic mortgage business – so he was allowed to play at his old 10 handicap. Hey, he’s a degenerate gambler on course, so he was warmly welcomed. The Broker and I teamed up in a Nassau with auto 2-downs against the Voice and Trust Fund to keep things interesting.

My partner made a nice steady par on #1 to beat our opponents’ bogeys and we went 1 up. Your Hack rolled in a curling 15 footer for birdie on #2 to beat Trust Fund’s par and we were 2 up and even. It was a nice start, but the Voice doesn’t even get interested until there are presses in play. After halving #3 with pars, I sprayed a drive OB right and the Voice made par to beat the bogey made by my partner. He followed with a bogey, net par on #5 when I couldn’t get up and down from the front left bunker and if was now even, down 2, and even.

The Broker and I were in good shape on #6 sitting in the fairway between 140 and 150 out. Both of our opponents missed the green and we both made 2-putt pars. Both opponents missed 5-6 footers for par. We were now 1 up, even, and 1 up going to the par 3 eighth. Unfortunately, I decided to 3-putt the 8th after being the only player to hot the green. The Voice made a gutsy 4 out of an embedded lie in the hazard in front of the green. #8 was also halved and we went in to the last hole on the front in good shape.

It would come down to me and the Trust Fund on #9 as both our partners made a mess of things and were out of the hole. I was sitting about 15 feet right of the pin and he was on the back fringe, down hill all the way. Remember what I’d said earlier about the greens? Well, he proceeded to roll his ball past the hole at a pace that carried it off the green again. He was still out, about 20 feet below the pin and it looked like we’d win the front 3 ways until the stone cold assassin drained it! I left my birdie putt on the left edge and another hole was halved, but we’d one the front 1 up and the 2 pushes cancelled.

It turned out when we tabulated the skins after the round that my birdie on #2 picked up 2 skins and that the remaining 7 skins on the front were all carried over. More on that later.

On the back nine our Nassau bet doubles, but the value of any presses remains at the original amount. We’d never get to the point on the back where a press came into play – it was a solid and stressful match. Holes 10-12 were halved with pars when the Broker jammed a birdie putt into the cup on #4 for a 1 up lead. The Voice matched that with a beautiful birdie on the par 5, 14th hole. He hit his wedge to about 6 feet and rolled it in. I was out of the hole after hitting another drive OB right and my partner also made a double.

We were back even until I made an up and down par on #16 that our opponents couldn’t match. 1 up and 2 holes to go, but our opponents each got strokes on the last 2 holes. The Voice and I both made par on #17, but they took the hole with his net birdie and we went into the last hole all square on the back. The Broker also stroked on the last hole and was on in two, but deep into the green with a front pin. Both of our opponents missed the green, as did I. Luckily, I was able to get up and down for par, but my partner 3-putted and their bogey, net pars halved the hole.

Overall, it was a great match and lots of fun. I still hate giving strokes on the last 2 holes of the course, but that’s the Hack life.

Let’s get back to the carryover birdie games among the whole group. The carryovers continued on the front 9 until the Broker’s birdie on #13 cleared and he picked up 11 skins. Hurricane slammed a birdie home on #16 to pick up 3 skins and the Senator made a late appearance with a par, net birdie on #18 to pick-up the last 2 skins of the day.

All in, a great day. Golf game was shaky at times with 2 balls OB and only 8 greens in regulation. I did have only 1 3-putt on some tough greens, but 31 putts in total. Here’s my card.

Our next planned game in Friday. I’m currently watching the Masters on 3 screens while writing this blog. Nothing could be better. The Masters’ app is awesome.

It was a beautiful day at the Creek on Sunday, but only five (5) of us teed it up. The Sheriff’s back is acting up again and he had to bow out. We played as a fivesome – the Hack, the Voice, the Senator and the Jr. Senator teed off at 10:10, playing with one Mr. Dewey, who will now be known as the Striker. His controlled cut off the tee and excellent iron play crushed us. Even with 2 bad doubles on the back nine, Striker took home nine (9) skins to lead the band.

Your Hack borrowed Simon’s carryover skins game from Saturday and it was a big hit. I have to admit it took a while to settle things at the end because your Hack had a little trouble with math – long story, I’ll tell you sometime if you are interested.

The Jr. Senator came out of the pack strong with a birdie on the 4th hole to take four (4) skins. Your Hack was sitting 6 feet off the front of the green in two (2) but couldn’t convert his birdie to halve. Although it was not technically a 3-putt par it felt exactly the same as my true 3-putt bogey on #1 to start the round. I’d add one more 3-putt later in the round to crush my soul with 33 total putts.

Striker made a smooth par/net birdie on the 6th to pick-up two (2) skins as we headed to the 7th tee. I was skinless, but feeling good until I cold shanked my 7-iron int the pine trees on the right and lost the ball – easy double bogey as I re-teed after a futile search. Pars halved the hole and the 8th, when Striker absolutely flushed an approach into the 9th green, that rolled back off the back of the green and came to rest about 6 inches from the left back pin. Birdie and 3 more skins.

As we made the turn, the next three (3) holes were halved. Only Striker and I hit the green on #13, but a sloppy 3-putt by your Hack gave the hole to the Striker – 4 more skins. We played the par 5 14th hole from the up tees which definitely brought birdie into play. I hit my 2nd shot pin high right, but the Jr. Senator flushed a 6 iron onto the front of the green which led to an easy 2 putt birdie and a skin after I could not get up and down for my birdie.

We moved onto the 16th hole where I launched a 5 iron out of bounds (my fairly typical big right miss on this hole). This lead to another double and my second penalty shot of the round. Striker was the only player to make par adding another skin.

The skin value doubled on the last two (2) holes, but 17 was halved with par/net birdies from the Voice and Striker. I made par as well, but no strokes – this becomes important as we headed to 18. With wind blowing in our faces, the Voice and I hit good drives that left us about 200 yard in. Steve hit an indifferent approach short right and my hybrid was tugged a little left, pin high about 3 feet off the putting surface. The Voice got up and down for a bogey, net par and I left my birdie putt about 10 inches short – easy par to finish. However, the rules state that ties on 18 are “played off” on #17 by the players that halved #18. Steve’s par/net birdie on 17 beat my par giving him both skins to end the match.

This left the Senator and I as the only players failing to earn a skin. The Senator’s play was haphazard most of the day and he immediately headed to the range to try and work things out. I choose the more “Hack-like” approach to bad round and had a beer on the back deck with Striker. We’ll try again on Wednesday.

Here is my scorecard – 79 (8 over) with two 3-putts, two penalty shots, and no birdies. I hit 9 of 14 fairways, but was 3 over on the 4 fairways where I went left. It was the par 3’s that were a disaster – 5 over on the par 3’s for the day with penalty shots on two (2) of them and a 3-putt on one – just pitiful.