HappyUP!!! Day 162

HappyUP!!! - Fort Ord
Why it happened - day 2 of the golf junket
Why it made me happy - Fort Ord is a former defense base in Monterrey. They built an awesome golf course there. While the base has been decommissioned, all of the original structures are still there. There is a bittersweet sadness when it comes to these places. There is another one near my home. When you set foot there, you are struck by how large these bases are. You can only imagine the military vehicles and uniformed armed member forces scurrying around. These places are like former cities within the city...that are now ghost towns.

HappyUP!!! - golf at Fort Ord
Why it happened - day 2 of the golf junket
Why it made me happy - I had heard about this golf course for years but never played here. Some say the Bayonet course is the most difficult golf course on the West Coast. We were joined by a single looking for a game. He wanted to play the Black tees (those are the ones the pros would play). Reluctantly, we "manned up" and went to the back tees......all 7100 yards at sea level of them. The golf was brutal....yet fun. The back 9 is the original design. The front 9 has been redone in anticipation of turning the course into a resort environment. While I never played the original design, the designers did a good job of it. The course played true with no funky holes. There was one advantage to the back tees. While there were a lot of fairway bunkers on the course, I never put it in any of them. No, it wasn't because I was being a straight shooter. I couldn't reach the darn things from way back there!

HappyUP!!! - stopping by to drop off the driver I was testing
Why it happened - the pro shop I borrowed the tool from was on the way home
Why it made me happy - believe it or not, the official food of the golfer is the "dog at the turn." The hot dog between nines is traditional. While not between nines, we were on our way home and grabbed one of the best dogs I have ever had...right there at the municipal golf course. You can barbecue a dog, boil it, nuke it, steam it, but the best way to have a dog was the way they made this one......split open on a flat grill. While there, my brother was practically mobbed for autographs (he's the caddy for the head pro at this golf course and on their way to the PGA Championship). He felt like a celebrity so that was cool for him and added to his trip.