A Cross Country Championship

On a cold, snowy morning in Ohio, I ventured out for a morning of competitive golf with the family. Odd, you might say, for such a round of golf at this time of year, but an annual tradition has risen from the post-Thanksgiving food comas in the area. The local country club holds a cross-country golf tourney that reconfigures its course into a nine-hole adventure that criss-crosses the existing layout in new ways. Around practice ranges this way, over the trees that way, a new tee box where the existing fairway starts, and you have a test of golf refreshing and entirely novel. Trouble is that the snow keeps the ball hidden half the time, and assuming that the ball is found, the challenge of keeping hands warm and swinging through the layers of clothing is enough to keep minds off the fact that the feet are frozen.

But no matter. What kept us occupied was the competition between the two threesomes in the group. Surprising birdie after surprising birdie, the fight was to the last hole, when my miracle approach shot from 200 yards out faded closely around the corner pocket of trees and landed softly on the green. When my dad sunk the 20-foot putt, we later found out that not only was our team victorious but that we took all the skins for the day. Meaning a nice, little credit of golf merchandise in the pro shop. 7-under was not too bad and left a series of highlights worth sharing:

Photos at Flickr

Videos at YouTube

Conor dropping a birdie

Steve tree-bound off the tee

Lauren sticking a tee shot

Lauren sinking a putt

Geo dropping his birdie putt

Dad drops a birdie putt

Dad wayward off the tee

Conor works his magic

Dad big with a final birdie

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