Day 19 Forest Ridge GC in Broken Arrow, OK

3/26 - Day 19 Forest Ridge GC in Broken Arrow, OK

     Fort Smith is on the western edge of Arkansas and Tulsa, is near the northeast corner of Oklahoma. I didn't have much of a drive to get there, less than two hours to the golf course. I had an early tee time so I when I left it was dark, but it turned out to be the prettiest day since I left Las Cruces. BTW, on my drive from eastern Arkansas to Fort Smith yesterday the temperature got up to 86 degrees. I was heading west at the right time.

     This is a good golf course I would play again. I didn't get much roll, it was cart paths only and the greens had been aerated on Monday (this was Thursday). The back nine greens were actually pretty smooth, not so much on the front. On the other hand, with the putting cups sticking an inch or so up out of the hole, you didn't have to be too precise anyway. I have now seen upside down putting cups, (San Antonio), hole fillers (plastic sponge fabric in the cups so the ball wouldn't fall below the lip) and now this method, holes not cut to the usual depth. These are all methods to minimize touching anything besides your own ball, and you are told NOT to touch the flagsticks. These safeguards may be with us a long while when golf courses are re-opened for play.

     I scored better than I played (45) on the front as I only needed 16 putts. I had three more putts than that on the back side and scored 3 higher so I guess the ball striking was about the same. Nice guys, another round at a good course damaged by excessive rainfall. Seems to be a theme, doesn't it.

     Found out this day that Tennessee had shut everything down and that cemented my decision as to whether or not I would go home when I get to Colorado or continue on. I will be going home and hopefully playing some golf on the way back. Now I'm heading for Kansas.

     Instead of going via I-35, I went straight north through the Cherokee Reservation, into Kansas, then 90 degrees to Wichita and north to Newton. Newton is actually a fairly good small city (close to 19,000 population) and has TONS of railroad traffic through it every day.

     I checked into my room (one of the better ones I have been in!) and went looking for something to eat. I looked for about 20 minutes before I settled on a Mexican takeout place. As I left to go back I saw an Asian food restaurant that I wish I had seen before I got my food. I like Mexican food and what I got wasn't bad, but it seems I have been eating either BBQ or Mexican and little else. Asian would've been a nice change!

PICTURES -

     Yet another wet golf course for the short hitter to deal with! Broken Arrow is a suburb of Tulsa, OK. The top picture is Murray hitting a shot from the fairway. The middle picture shows how wet the golf course was in the low areas and the bottom picture is of Brady, Murray & Kyle. Brady is a long hitting 21 year old who is probably a 4-7 handicap. His father Murray, a Canadian who grew up in Calgary, claims my ex-brother in law Rick might remember his father who worked with Rick's father Dick, or at least the family's last name, Papke. Kyle is another pretty good golfer who is also Murray's business partner.