Friday, May 21, 1999

The muni has a twilight rate after six. Eli and I have been going two or three nights a week since the clocks changed, with my license and Mom's car. We play nine holes, walk, carry our own bags, and get done just when you can't see the ball anymore.

Eli grew about five inches since last fall. He hits it past me now, which he thinks is very funny. It is not funny. I hit it straighter, which I remind him of on every single hole.

We talk about everything out there. College (he wants to study engineering somewhere with a golf team he could walk on to; I don't know yet). Whether either of us is good enough to play in college at all, which he thinks about way more than he admits. What happened in Colorado last month, which we had an assembly about and nobody at school really knows how to talk about. Out on number 7, when it's getting dark and there's nobody else around, it's easier.

Some girls in my gym class have decided Eli and I are going out. We are not going out. Eli is my best friend and that's the whole story, and anybody who says "ooh" can go look for their ball in the pond on number 4.

School's out in two weeks. First junior tournament is June 22.

Sunday, April 11, 1999

Masters Sunday at Grandma's again, but this year Grandma watched from her recliner with her new knee up on two pillows. She got it replaced in February. She says it's the best thing she's done since 1962. (The clubs, I think she means. Or Grandpa. She didn't say.)

José María Olazábal won. It's his second Masters; he won in 1994 too. He's from Spain and he has a beautiful short game, which Dad said three times, like he was trying to tell me something. (He was. My chipping is bad. I know.)

Grandma said she was going to be walking by summer, and she wants to come watch me play a tournament. She hasn't been on a golf course since I was born. I said she can ride in a cart. She said "I'll walk, thank you." I believe her. That's where I get it.

Monday, March 15, 1999

Sixteen today. Took my driving test after school and passed. I nailed the parallel parking, which Dad said I should be proud of, since he still can't do it.

The first place I drove by myself was the muni. The range opened last weekend. My friend Alexis came along. Alexis doesn't golf and doesn't plan to, so she sat on the bench behind me doing her chemistry and every few minutes she'd look up and say "Was that a good one?" and I'd say "Yes," whether it was or not.

On the way back she asked me if the boys on the team still give me a hard time. I said not really. Not the ones who've been there. A new freshman will say something every August and then somebody else on the team tells him to knock it off, and after that he forgets I'm a girl and just gets mad when I beat him, which is how it should be.

She said "That's kind of amazing." I'd never thought of it like that. I just thought of it as golf.

Saturday, January 16, 1999

Snowed in. I spent the morning in the garage hitting the new clubs into the net. I've had them three weeks and I already can't believe I played with anything else. I stand up straight now. The ball doesn't go right anymore, mostly. It goes where I'm looking. It's like getting glasses.

Last night Omar got half the team to go bowling, since we can't play, and he called and asked me to come. I bowled an 88. Doug bowled a 71 and blamed the ball. Tim, who's good at every sport, bowled 190, and nobody spoke to him for the rest of the night. It was the first time I've done something with the team that wasn't golf. I didn't know they were like that when they're not trying to beat each other. They're kind of goofy.

I read my first entries from August 1997 tonight. That girl was so mad. She had a reason to be. I still have the pink tees, in a coffee can on my desk. I'm keeping them.