Last Monday started off cool and cloudy enough to pass for a stray autumn morning, but luckily for us the sun showed up and brought the day back to the more comfortably beachy weather and the EC LUGGers were able to appear at Cottonwood GC in their Californian beach attire rather than in penguin suits (when we said 'beach attire' we really just meant stuff worn at beaches north of the Antarctic Circle!). After signing in and demolishing Coach Mary's supply of healthy snacks, the LUGGers followed Coach Carol to the practice green for a hazardous afternoon in the bunker (also known as 'sand trap', though no golfer in their right mind would acknowledge the legitimate use of that jinxy word!).
The bunker, like bodies of water on the golf course, is, of course, an official golf 'hazard': one is not allowed to touch the sand with ones hand (testing the surface) or ground the club before one has played the ball completely out of the unfriendly place (Rule 13-4). Naturally, sand-castling, body-burrowing, sand-balls fighting, etc, were not in our play book, though that didn't prevent the resourceful LUGGers from having a very sandy blast in the bunker for much of the afternoon (after all, it really pays to really blow hard at the sand with the sand wedge to get the ball on top of it to fly right out of the mini Sahara while humming a Lady Gaga number to a crowd of enthusiastic audience).
By the way, did you know that 'bunker/sand trap' is trampa de arena in Spanish, ostacolo di sabbia in Italian, γκολφ in Greek,písečná překážkain Czech? (the French boringly just uses 'bunker' and the German dutifully calls it Der Sand)
Coach Pat was also on hand and presided over the putting green until the final half hour when everyone got together for a game of 'Freeze!' Coach Mary was everyone's favorite target though proved herself quite adept at evading incoming putts.
Our next event on Monday May 31st will be the Family BBQ Memorial Day 9 Hole Scramble Fundraiser at Cottonwood GC. Please contact Coach Mary at (619) 414-4495 or mary.paulson@lpgapro.com if you wish to attend!
PS: Just a reminder, of course, that athletic shoes (sneakers or golf shoes, my dears, not gymnastic shoes or softball cleats!) are mandatory in all future EC LUGG events.
A good turn out for our Movie Day Monday! Most of the EC LUGGers turned up in very spiffy (and mostly pink) costumes, which of course, allowed them to avoid being re-outfitted by our fashionally-dysfunctional coaches.
Coach Mary even joined the fun in donning the Mad Hatter's top hat before assuming the day's directorial role and bossing us all around Cottonwood Golf Club's picturesque Ivanhoe course, creating many wonderful scenes for the camera.
Aside from hanging out and depleting the Cottonwood restaurant supply of popcorn and soda while they weren't posing for the camera, the LUGGers got to play a bit of speed-golf before settling in at the practice green, pitching a few shots over the tall-lipped bunker.
The music video of our outing is in the final editing process and should be available for viewing soon. In the meanwhile, though, our next event on Monday May 24th will be 'Beach Party!'
We will meet at the usual spot on the right end of the Cottonwood GC Driving Range (sign in from 3:30 - 4PM with the event running from 4-6PM) before moving to the practice green where we will learn how conquer the sand with our wedges.
The LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of El Cajon is now on Youtube! Our channel's url is: www.youtube.com/user/ElCajonLUGG We will be using this account to host video clips from LUGG events.
Time flies when you're having fun, and Monday's event flew like an Air France concord merrily streaking through the air with roars of mother-daughterly delight that were much easier on the ears (and the nerves) than the usual supersonic blast associated with such a flight.
The day started with a bit of a glitch, however. With the unexpected closure of the driving range, the group met at the putting green behind the tent pavilion. Word of the change in location didn't get around soon enough for many of our LUGGers to avoid the anxiety of showing up at the deserted range instead of the green, though. So, in case of future short-notice changes, please check the EC LUGG bulletin board on the left end of the Cottonwood GC clubhouse (between the restrooms) as you arrive to each event.
After a fun round of BrainGym excersizes, the group split into teams of 2 to 4 before taking turns navigating the Blind Holes game with Coach Mary Paulson on the green and going out with Coach Pat Beilke for speed golf - capped by a video session with Coach Jerry Heinz, who effectively turned the middle of the 18th fairway into a driving range for the groups.
Everyone had a blast in many real and figurative senses (thanks to a rather large water hazard running along both sides of the fairway). Moms were able to experience what their daughters have been doing at EC LUGG meetings so far, and daughters got to coach their moms around the putting green for a change. Hitting the balls on the golf course was fun, but getting the ball into the hole proved more challenging (one of the game's built-in curses, to be sure). Luckily, it is a lot easier to practice your putting at home than it is practicing the full swing. A few cats may object to being distracted from their mouse-chasing duty by the rolling little dimply ball, though hopefully the household furniture (along with household humans) will survive without a scratch.
Our next event on May 17th (meet at the right end of Cottonwood GC driving range at the usual time from 4 - 6PM, checking in from 3:30PM) will be MovieDay. Participants are encouraged to show up in a costume to dress up as their favorite movie star. We will be video taped doing what we do best (golf-related to various degrees). See you in the movie!
The EC LUGGers welcomed the springy month of May Monday with the Fast, Safe & Courteous excursion onto the golf course for the first time this year.
After a swift, secure & civilized opening briefing by Coach Mary on the driving range the group split into two halves; one heading off for a three hole speed-golf play led by Coaches Pat Beilke and Petra Cole as the other half put their pitching wedges to good use on the range under Coach Mary's firing command. The two halves switched their tasks for the second hour.
The EC LUGGers proved very adept at rapidly paced but injury-free playing while observing complaisant golfing etiquette! The correct order of play was observed (the player whose ball is further from the hole goes first), the flag was attended to while golfers with long putt made their strokes, and everybody froze like vogue statuettes while a shot is being played.... Well, perhaps not quite in that frigidly well-petrified manner, but nobody was more disagreeably distracting than a stationary slumbering mouse would be when their playing partner was trying to play her shot, and that made for a very pleasant time on the golf course! Having put three solid golf holes and many good pitching shots (and a few go at our customary balancing and ball tossing stations - the latter now done with eyes closed) under their figurative belt the group quite unanimously opted for a replay of the Fast, Safe & Courteous along with Note-In-The-Hole stints for our upcoming 'Mother-Daughter Day' get-together next Monday (May 10th). The group will once again meet up between 3:30-4PM (with actual event running from 4-6PM) at the far right end of Cottonwood GC driving range. Happy Mother's Day in advance!
To moms and daughters who are planning on joining us next week; come looking sharp, folks! There will be cameras involved.
After signing in and demolishing Coach Mary's supply of healthy snacks, the LUGGers followed Coach Carol to the practice green for a hazardous afternoon in the bunker (also known as 'sand trap', though no golfer in their right mind would acknowledge the legitimate use of that jinxy word!).
The bunker, like bodies of water on the golf course, is, of course, an official golf 'hazard': one is not allowed to touch the sand with ones hand (testing the surface) or ground the club before one has played the ball completely out of the unfriendly place (Rule 13-4). Naturally, sand-castling, body-burrowing, sand-balls fighting, etc, were not in our play book, though that didn't prevent the resourceful LUGGers from having a very sandy blast in the bunker for much of the afternoon (after all, it really pays to really blow hard at the sand with the sand wedge to get the ball on top of it to fly right out of the mini Sahara while humming a Lady Gaga number to a crowd of enthusiastic audience).
By the way, did you know that 'bunker/sand trap' is trampa de arena in Spanish, ostacolo di sabbia in Italian, γκολφ in Greek, písečná překážka in Czech? (the French boringly just uses 'bunker' and the German dutifully calls it Der Sand)
Coach Pat was also on hand and presided over the putting green until the final half hour when everyone got together for a game of 'Freeze!' Coach Mary was everyone's favorite target though proved herself quite adept at evading incoming putts. 
Our next event on Monday May 31st will be the Family BBQ Memorial Day 9 Hole Scramble Fundraiser at Cottonwood GC. Please contact Coach Mary at (619) 414-4495 or mary.paulson@lpgapro.com if you wish to attend!
Time flies when you're having fun, and Monday's event flew like an Air France concord merrily streaking through the air with roars of mother-daughterly delight that were much easier on the ears (and the nerves) than the usual supersonic blast associated with such a flight.
