Hardest. Vacation. Ever.

Early this summer, the Heinys were having a difficult time deciding where to go for our Summer Trip. After much thought, I came up with the brilliant idea of golfing the Rockies. Knowing my dad, however, it would be very hard to convince him, seeing as he always has to be the one who comes up with the idea. But what's the worst that could happen? All he could do was say no, right? Surprisingly, he didn't object to the idea. In fact, he seemed to like it...a lot. Naturally, once all the tee-times were set up, he claims it was his idea all along.
As long as we were golfing, it didn't matter who the plan master was. The plan was to golf every other day from Friday, July 24th to Saturday, August 1st. Nine days, five courses, five cities. In the PGA, a Tournament consists of four rounds of golf in four days, so I decided this was my version of a PGA Tournament (I didn't count the last day, as we weren't exactly planning on golfing today). My goal was to shoot between 360 and 370, but I really just wanted to be sure I shot under 400 (under 100 each round).
Friday, July 24th: The Meadows Golf Course, Littleton, CO.
We have golfed The Meadows a few times last year and this year, and it has never been a course I've particularly liked. It's not a terribly long course, but it's set up - especially the back 9 - to severely punish you if you don't hit a clean, straight shot. Still considered an amateur golfer, I tend to overswing, causing my ball to slice. But today, I was able to overcome the narrow fairways and escape with a 95. Chalk up day 1 as a success.
Sunday, July 26th: Mariana Butte Golf Club, Loveland, CO.
While warming up on the putting green, we noticed that everyone golfing today was playing from the white tees. Not wanting to stand out like a sore thumb, we decided to follow the croud and play whites instead of playing what we were accustomed to, the blue tees. NOTE: Reeeaaallly good golfers play black tees, pretty good golfers play blue tees, and beginners play white tees. After Bryan, Dad and I all parred the first hole - a par 5, no less - we were content playing from the whites. 8 holes later, I had four pars and five bogeys. I was only 5 over par through 9! The back 9 played a little longer, and I was forced to make much tougher shots to keep my record day up. After battling my way to a 46 back 9, I had set my new 18-hole record with an 87. Halfway through my tourney, I was sitting pretty at 182.
Tuesday, Juy 28th: River Valley Ranch, Carbondale, CO.
A year ago this weekend, the Christensen Family Reunion celebrated Nan and Papa's 50th Wedding Anniversary at River Valley Ranch. I knew immediately after dinner that I just HAD to go back and golf that course! The sheer beauty of the course was breathtaking, and the scenery surrounding Carbondale was mesmerizing. Having golfed RVR last summer, Mom and Dad were glad to make the trip back. Of course, they had different reasons. Dad came back for the course, while Mom came back for the Hot Springs @ Glenwood:). Ok, we all wanted to go to Glenwood...River Valley Ranch was just icing on the cake. The drive on Hole 1 was enough to explain this was going to be a struggle to the very end. RVR cetainly played like The Meadows, but the rough was even less forgiving. That being said, I posted my second-best score of the week with a 93.
Thursday, July 30th: Colorado National Golf Club, Boulder, CO.
The final of my PGA Tourney was the home of the CU Buffaloes Golf Club and, fittingly, was the hardest round of golf I have ever played. Having rained without mercy the previous night, the course was soaked. Hoping the course would dry up as the day grew old was out of the question too, for it didn't stop raining until 10am. There's a reason why College Athletes play at CNGC; it plays like a PGA course would play: long, narrow, unforgiving, with rolling greens that are nearly impossible to read when wet or damp. Suffering from exhaustion, I couldn't shoot under 100. I had to settle for a painful 101 after a terrible 18th hole (72nd hole, if you count the while Tournament).
Even after the 101, I finished the four-course trek with a 376, 24 shots under 400 and just 6 shots off my goal. I am definitely satisfied with the way I played this week. So satisfied, in fact, that I was up for playing one more round today:
Saturday, August 1st: Fox Hollow Golf Club, Lakewood, CO.
I consider this my home course. I usually average a 90-95 at Fox Hollow and, despite spending more time at each tee box waiting for the unnaturally slow foursome in front of us and, despite the fact that I was sore from so much golf, I managed to shoot a 95.
And just like that, our vacation is over. I have to work in about 11 hours, actually. I am really not looking forward to it, either! This vacation was so exhausting that, like most vacations, I am in desperate need of another vacation! Starting Monday, I will be the Assistant Cross-Country Coach at Mullen High School, which means I will not be moving to Utah until January. The upside is the fact that I'll once again be fully involved with Cross-Country, and that makes me more excited than almost any vacation could. It is shaping up to be a very good fall, and hopefully things will get even better around Thanksgiving;).