Match play against a buddy. Sunday 10am tee time at the local muni. It’s in the high 50’s with a 5-10 mile an hour wind. My buddy is a great golfer, hits 2 clubs longer than me but doesn’t keep a handicap. He will rarely tell you his score. I should get a few strokes, and even though he usually wins, I insist on playing straight up.

We tee off late and course is playing really slow. 5 hours slow. But whatever, we are golfing and having fun.

My buddy has a blow up hole on 2 and I’m already 2 up. It’s at this point I tell him that we are playing a match. On hole 3, I end up in a green side bunker. Most of these bunkers are hard mud. They also don’t have a lip, so you can putt out of most bunkers. Unfortunately, not this bunker and it takes me 3 strokes to get out.

After 4 holes we are back to all square. The next several holes push as we both start striking the ball well. At 9, we are still tied. We are both on the green on two. But my buddy 3 putts and I take the front 9.

The back 9 and things get interesting. I miss my first fairway of the day on 10 and lose the hole. I birdie 11, beating a par. Only to lose to a birdie with a par a hole later. I bounce back with a birdie on the next hole to take the lead. We’re pretty hyped up, talking a little shit but mostly encouraging each other.

I’m up by 1 as we approach 17. Only to double bogie the last two holes. And lost the back 9 by 1 stroke.

It was a fun match, especially as we both played really well on the back 9.