The Senior Scramble at Osprey Links was a fantastic event. Played yesterday, Rick and I teamed up again in an effort to play well enough to be in the top prizes. We had plan of being more aggressive than normal because we felt this was the way to have a shot at the top prize. This is an event that we look forward to playing because of the comradery, fantastic food, and the chance of winning. This year Rick and I were confident that this was our year because we developed a great plan; the only thing left was to execute this plan.

Rick and I were matched against Tom and John again. We played against these two gentlemen earlier in the year; it was great fun then and was just as much fun this time. They are easy going, play a solid game, and understand that regardless of what happens, we were there to have fun…..and that we did.

The course was in great shape. Craig Moody and his team are doing yeoman’s work and it definitely shows. After torrential rain over the past two days, the course was more than playable and in fantastic condition. The combination of great weather and Osprey Links in the best shape for this time of year, our day just kept getting better. Jeff Rogerson’s clubhouse staff were in top form as well. Their pleasant nature, fantastic food, and professional attentiveness to the players (not to mention the delicious steak dinner) topped off last part of the day. Overall, the Osprey Links staff are a gem and Jeff has told me on many occasions how grateful he is for his team.

Now, lets talk about golf. Rick and I started on the 18th hole (shotgun start). As per our previous rounds, Rick hits first to get us in play and I try to extend our distance. This rotation has worked very well for us in the past, so we saw no reason to make a change.

Our first drives were less than spectacular, but we were left with a shot to the elevated 18th green. The second shot was a difficult one, but one we executed well. We were left with 12 foot putt for birdie. This was a great start and we thought we were our way to starting with red numbers. After tapping in for par, we walked off a bit disappoint on the first green.

As our day continued, we had many opportunities for birdie. Several were within eight feet. So, our plan to be more aggressive on approach shots was working. Most of the time, one of us made a decent approach shot to set us up for reasonable birdie tries. We were executing our plan fairly well and had few poor shots at the same time. Unfortunately, our putting really let us down. We only made one birdie……only one!

We were doing many things right and it was all according to our plan. But, we just could not finish. It was great to get on the green in regulation, but if we cannot close the deal with strong putting, then it was all for not. That was the story of our day. Our plan was working fantastic, but our putting…….not so much.

We did make some great shots, like Rick’s approach shot a from 185 yards to 15 feet; or my approach shot on the par three 15th hole to 8 feet; or me hitting the pin on a chip from 30 yards; or Rick’s perfect drive to 100 yards on the 6th hole. We hit some great shots, but none of them resulted in any red numbers. I think our short game being so abysmal really took the wind out our sails. As a result we executed most parts of our plan well except for shots with the flat stick.

Rick and I finish with a two over par 73. It was not a great score for sure, but it was good enough to win third prize in F Flight. 🙂 As we continued to flounder on the course we chuckled that we could win a prize in on of the lower flights. As it turns out, the gift cards were the same for everyone, so where we finished in the prizes did not matter; it only mattered that we did finish in the prizes.

Regardless of our putting woes, Rick and I had a great time. This is an event we will continue to play for years to come and I am sure that future events well be just as awesome on the one we played this year.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!