Under par twice- finally

Over the weekend of June 14 and 15, I finally got it under par this year. I shot 71 at Midland Trail from the back tees on Saturday, and I turned around and did it again on Sunday. My best round of the year was a 73 in a our Member Guest tournament. I had not shot par or below since last fall. It always my goal when I got out and tee it up , but it had eluded me all year. I have been under par several times in the last 3 or 4 years. My next goal is to get into the 60's. This one is tough because it requires so much focus. I'll keep you posted. Golf is quite humbling, so it may be a while and my next score could easily be 78 or 79.

150 days until election

I came up with the idea for this post a while back, when we had 150 days until the election. At this point; I don't watch much TV and I haven't listened to the radio. You would have to tell me what the political scene looks like. I don't have a lot of interest in the current candidates, but I'm sure I'll be engaged again come closer to the fall election.

Kenny Perry wins Memorial opts out of US Open

Well, even though this post is way past due. I figured I would give it some attention. Much was made about Kenny Perry winning the Memorial and opting out of the US Open. He made a committment and schedule earlier this year- he stuck to it. Now we second guess him? To me it seems like his plan is working quite nicely. He has jumped into the top 5 or 6 on the Ryder Cup list, depending on whether you count Tiger. Instead of second guessing him, I think I'll encourage him to stick with his plan.

Last week he had another great showing at the Travelers. Go Kenny!

Keep the sights set on Valhalla.

Recap of SECC Men's Golf Trip

It has come and gone again; my favorite trip and time of the year- the men's golf trip at Southeast Christian Church. Each year we travel to East Tennessee for a great time of golf, fellowship and bible study. This year was extra special because the nightly devotionals were taught by Bob Russell. Bob is the recently retired former pastor of Southeast (in case you didn't know). Bob lead the Southeast congregation for forty years before retiring in 2006.

Bob's devotional teachings consisted of lots of humor ( some jokes just for the guys) and his quick wit and deep wisdom. Bob talked about "keeping the rules the first night". This included God's plan for salvation for those who were not believers. The second night he discussed "keeping your head down" in our Christian walk. The last night focused on "keeping our composure" as growing Christians. Aside from the wonderful teachings and new relationships, the golf was great per usual.

John Smith (Smitty), Charles Williams, Bob Carpenter, and Jim Russell (the golf committee) did a perfect job again in 2008. From the hotel arrangements to the courses to the pairings- it was all great again. I always enjoy playing with some of the Sport 4 Life team from Sweden and also playing the two man scrambles with some of the best golfers at Southeast.

I think my record over the years is about 1-7 or something but I keep grinding away. Maybe it has to do with me playing in some of the following matches.

In year one I played against the formidable Barney Long and the last three years I've lost to Smitty, Austin Meyer, Bill Mead and Marshall Fall Jr. Add Scott Reyburn to this years list along with Marshal Fall Sr and you can see why I've been pummeled year in and year out. I've never had so much fun losing though. I did make some great new friends this year, and hope to see them all throughout the year and at next year's trip.

My scores for the trip were respectable, but not exceptional.

I started out with a boring 78 at River Island. I had 12 pars and 6 bogeys. The downside was that 4 of the six bogeys came on 4 of the 6 par fives.

I followed it up with a very gritty round on day two. I started out at Patriot Hills with a solid par on number #2. I followed it up by digging a large hole over the next several holes. I had a 3-putt bogey followed by a terrible double bogey on the par 3 #4. It was my only double in 6 rounds. I followed that up by bogeying the number #1 handicap hole #6. I snuck in a par on the par 3 6th, but the bad news was that it came from about 5 feet from the stick. I bogeyed the next hole, the par 5 8th from just off the green in 2. That's right- 6 over after the first 7 holes. My playing partners were all near even par or under. I did rebound with birdies at the par 5 9th, the par 4 10th and the par 5 11th. I missed from about 10 feet on the 12th or I would have had four in a row. Then I started a streak of pars that lasted until another birdie on the par 3 15th. I made pars on 16-17-18 before finishing with one more bogey on hole #1. Make that 1 double, 5 bogeys, 4 birdies and 8 pars for a 75.

I played a very consistent round again on Tuesday. I had 15 pars with 3 bogeys. Two bogeys on par 5's and a 3 putt par 3. 75

Lastly, I finished with a 77 at Woodlake in 30 mph wind. I was quite happy with it.

Nothing near par or under. I still haven't scored even or better this year, but everything is trending that way.

Seekers Softball Ministry featured in Outlook Article

The Seekers softball ministry was featured on the front page of the Southeast Christian Outlook newspaper this week. It's great to see this ministry blossoming. The Seekers softball team which was founded by Jerry Edds seven years ago is a sports ministry to the local prison systems in Kentucky and Tennessee. The Seekers have a strong partnership with Southeast Christian church that really blesses both parties. I played with the Seekers team during the 2004-2006 seasons and lead the ministry during a transitional year. These days Randy Cummins and Dave McConnell lead the ministry in partnership with Neal Gossett and Jon Powell of the Southeast Sports and Fitness Ministry.

To get a great idea of what the ministry is about take a look at the article.

If anyone has a heart for sharing God's word, and loves to play softball- then the Seekers ministry may be of interest to you. Make a comment below or email me bryce@simplifiedsolutionsllc.com and I'll get you in touch with the leaders of this ministry.

Consumers spending rebate checks on retail

I remember having several conversations back in the spring when the debate over rebate checks was hot and heavy. The conversations usually centered around how the rebate checks would stimulate the economy. I said it would be nice if most people paid down debt or saved the money, but in all likelihood they would spend it at Best Buy or Walmart. Well they are spending it at Best Buy and Walmart. I guess it stimulates retail sales but I don't know how much that stimulates the economy that is suffering from a housing recession, a credit crunch and a disdain for savings. It would be nice if some people gave some money away or starting a new venture with it. Not likely. They'll probably buy big screens and ipods.

The net affect may be a larger US deficit and a promissory note from China.