Usually when I play golf after an extended period of not playing, I play pretty well. I’m not sure why, but it probably has something to do with my mind being clear of the myriad of swing thoughts that tend to run through my cranium when I’m on the links. You know: swing easy, remember your wrist angle, proper weight shift, blah, blah, blah.

So, when I headed to Airway Meadows in Gansevoort last Sunday for a political (and decidedly Democrat) Gordon Goes Golfing outing, I thought I might flirt with the course record.

Well, the course record is safe for another day. I did start out with a par on the testy par-5 first hole, though I did take a first-swing mulligan, the only one in the group to do so. I’m not proud of it, but I wasn’t too proud of my sky-high pop-up down the left side of the fairway, either.

My foursome this day was Glens Falls Acting Mayor Jack Diamond, Ward 1 Councilman Mike Busch, and Ward 5 County Supervisor Bill Kenny, who was celebrating his 61st birthday!

Smooth-swinging Scott Watson, the Councilman from Ward 3, was scheduled to join us, but we had to move the tee time to the afternoon and he had another commitment. We’ll catch up with him later this year, I hope, and I’ll also make sure to mix in some good Republicans as well on another outing.

On Saturday, the weather forecast for Sunday was iffy at best, but after consulting the Weather Channel, we decided to take the risk. We stayed dry, but the heat ended up being a bit too much for us, and we stopped after 13 holes. Already humid, the sun came out on the back nine and just baked us, and Bill, who has had a liver transplant, takes medication that makes really hot conditions hard to take.

Figuring it was better to be safe than sorry, we bagged the final five holes and headed in for a cold drink.

When we stopped, though, it was hard to discern which was hotter — the weather or the Diamond-Woodworth South High tandem. After a struggling front nine that saw Mike and Bill play steady, and at times spectacular, golf, Jack and I got it going a bit on the back nine.

We played for two points a hole, with one point for low score and one point for the team total. After nine, we were down three and things weren’t looking good.

Jack said he was a little distracted, and it’s totally understandable. He’s burning the candle at both ends right now, what with his regular job at Abraham Wing, his duties as Acting Mayor, and another side job he does on weekends. He’s a busy guy, and his son, John, is about to finish his first tour of duty in Iraq, so in the grand scheme of things, behind down three to Mike and Bill after nine wasn’t so bad.

Mounting a back-nine charge
The Diamond-Woodworth duo started its charge on the par-5 tenth, a dogleg left with a narrow fairway that slopes to the right. I parred it after crushing my drive, and Jack took an eight, but it was good enough to grab two back from Team Busch-Kenny.

The par-3 11th was more of a struggle for all of us. A challenging hole over a deep ravine to a narrow green, it seemed like it was longer than 163 yards to us. Perhaps the heat was getting to all of us at that point, or maybe the tees were back, but it’s a poke to get it on the putting surface, and it’s all carry. Needless to say, none of us got there with our tee shots, but Jack and I still took one to bring the match to even.

The par-4 12th, the start of what I believe is the best four-hole stretch on the course, was where Team Diamond-Woodworth took charge. Not overly long (338 yards from the white tees), the hole is nonetheless challenging, as is the entire course. A dogleg right, with a pond guarding the corner and a small green, it requires precision and accuracy, something
Jack displayed in spades.

He cut the corner, landing his tee shot just beyond the pond. He played it safe on his second shot, not risking putting it in the water, and finished with a solid five. I also bogeyed, while Mike and Bill struggled to find their swing in the sweltering conditions.

Great recovery shots, booming drives
Our opponents certainly had some shots in their arsenal on the front nine. Bill bailed himself out on two occasions with tremendous shots to within two feet of the pin on the long par-4 fifth, and the par-3 ninth. On the ninth, he pushed his tee shot right, over near the fence guarding the landing strip that bisects the course. He calmly lofted a wedge to within kick-in distance.

Mike, who told me he has lost 44 pounds in the last three months, bombed some major-league drives and also showed a deft touch around the greens while keeping us laughing with his jokes and running commentary, much of which I can’t repeat here.

After taking two more points on the 13th, a narrow, tree-lined par-4 that is my favorite hole on a the course, we hit our drives on 14 before calling it a day.
Airway Meadows is in terrific shape. The fairways are as nice as any in the area, and the rough is penalizing. The greens aren’t crazy fast but fast enough, and true.

All in all, it was a great day on the course. We all lost a few pounds in the heat, but somehow none of us were complaining about that!

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