Fantastic Golfing Weekend

Returned yesterday from my annual Crony Cup. Despite being on the losing team, the Cup was definitely a memorable time!

I believe I've posted about the Crony before, but to refresh it is a Ryder Cup-style event started by a group of guys who played golf together at Purdue. Of the twelve participants this year, 10 are still originals. I'm fortunate to be part of the group as a non-original! Most live in the Indianapolis area, but others have moved and now come from Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, and the New York area.

The golf is the main reason for the Cup, but tenants such as camaraderie, competition, and friendship definitely underpin the event. This year was no different.

The quality of golf is stellar with scores ranging from a few below par to the high 70's and I'm one of the weaker players of the Cup. However, once the first drive is hit, the competition becomes fierce. I drew 'A' players for all three matches making it tough. I played well the first two matches, but not well enough. The last match is one on one match play and again, I drew an 'A' player! However, I played my best and the match came down to the 18th hole. One down, I needed a birdie on the par 5. We both hit wild drives and I hit a fabulous low hook through the trees around a pond up to about 20 yards short of the green. My opponent was in jail in the woods and hit a great shot just to escape Sherwood Forest. He was so deep I asked if he saw Little Red Riding Hood in there!

Anyway, he stuck his approach to 4 feet leaving a kick-in for birdie. So, knowing I had to make my chip for eagle to win the hole and halve the match, I nearly did so as the ball ran over the right lip and stopped a few feet from the hole. Oh well!

Beyond the golf, the evenings were a blast. With the ladies in attendance, we had group dinners and on the last night an awards ceremony took place and the captains for this year's Cup created a Family Feud game for us to play. That was a riot!

In all, the Cup again lived up to its billing and I'm already looking forward to next year. The next Cup represents the 10th year and there is a lot of talk about taking the Cup on the road to a premier destination. Should be fun!