September 17, 2020

 

The much needed and appreciated round of golf only took six hours to complete.  We arrived at 1:15pm and went straight to the driving range.  There were five of us.  We had two tee times but convinced the starter to let us all play together as no one was scheduled to start behind us.  We actually had the entire course to ourselves, or so it seemed.  Other golfers had teed off prior but they were at least six holes ahead of us, and with no one pushing us, we approached the first tee at 1:45.

 

No sooner had each of us recorded our first stroke the sky opened up with a steady rain.  This was the first of four intermissions we would experience during our round.  The bad thing about the downpours was they caused severe delays to our game. The good thing was it kept the temperatures down to a comfortable level that perspiration was held to a minimum.  But all of us were so happy to have our masks removed from our nose and mouth and observe something other than the Coronado Springs Resort.  Unlike the other time we were able to be out here there were very few wild turkeys running around but there were a lot more deer roaming the fairways.

 

Our compliment of golfers ranged from decent golfers to golfers that wanted to do something different.  We enjoyed the alcohol we brought onto the course, the food that was provided, and most of all, the eighteen holes that allowed us to escape Groundhog Day.  Normally I would had been driven crazy taking six hours to complete a round of golf but not today.  We timed it perfectly sinking the last put as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, but not before it painted the clouds with a multitude of varying hues.

 

Coincidentally an article came out on USA Today trying to identify the best golfer in the NBA bubble.  Of course that would be a highly subjective choice being as it would be almost impossible for anyone to have a tournament on any given day. But the article also focused on the importance of breaking ones routine while in the bubble.

Several players, coaches and staffers have found solace on the course inside the bubble. Milwaukee’s Kyle Korver, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and Matt Thomas, Los Angeles Lakers’ J.R. Smith and Alex Caruso, Dallas’ J.J. Barea, Paul Millsap and Brooklyn’s Garrett Temple are among many players who like to play golf. Andre Iguodala is a regular golfer, but golf inside the bubble takes on a new meaning. It is a release in an environment where there are not many ways to escape.

“I only golf in between series. During a series, no,” Iguodala told USA TODAY Sports. “I hurt my ankle in the Milwaukee series. I didn’t see outside for like five days. I seriously had bad thoughts in my brain.” Kelly Olynyk and Boston’s Jayson Tatum are newcomers to the game but have picked it up quickly. Olynyk launches bombs off the tee, and Tatum said he is the best golfer on his team.

“I’m just getting into it, but it’s been a lot of fun,” Olynyk said. “It’s something to get outside of the hotel and take your mind off it.”

Lakers assistant coach Mike Penberthy has a 3 handicap, and one day last week, he had a 6:45 a.m. tee time before the Lakers practiced.

“Every other day. Try to play as much as we can,” he said. “The reality is, (Lakers coach) Frank Vogel has encouraged it. He said, ‘I don’t want you to go insane’ because – and I don’t care if it’s riding a bike for two hours or playing golf – you’ve got to get outside.”

“There’s some semblance of normalcy out there,” Penberthy said. “Conversations are about other things.”

LeBron James, who is not a golfer, took a cart one day just to watch and socialize with teammates and coaches. It is comforting to learn that the players and the rest of us are not that different when it comes to living inside our environment.

Upon our return and after a shower we met in the dining room to watch the Heat come from behind to go two up on Boston.  However, while watching the game, I got caught twice with my eyes closed.  For several nights in a row my ability to achieve a deep sleep had escaped me.  How I wanted to simply get in bed, close my eyes, and wake refreshed in the morning.  Exhaustion seemed to be my daily mode of operation and, no pun intended, I had grown tired of feeling this way.  We go back to work tomorrow so maybe the change in routine will help me get the type of rest my body had been craving.

While checking my email before I called it a day I received another encouraging message which may have been a result of my recent communication with the NBA.  It read:

 

Rix is now officially back open for business for everyone on campus at Coronado. We realize there was a need for people to spread out a bit and certainly on off-days to enjoy watching sports and throw back a few, so there was a push made and it was granted. There will be capacity limits, but should be plenty of seating on most nights for everyone who wants to come (setup will stay roughly the same as it’s been).

 

Nice…