Thursday, January 03, 2013

Happy New Year

Yes, it has been a bit chilly the last couple days with highs only in the 50s but that wonderful intense Arizona sunshine keeps us happy.  After computer club meeting yesterday, I stopped out on the patio by the pool to see what they were serving for lunch.  The menu said "Junker Dunkers".    It is hamburger with a slice of American cheese on one side, swiss on the other with fried onions on toasted rye bread and then a cup of au juice for dunking.  Served with two nice crispy onion rings, potato chips, and a brownie for dessert.  Tasted yummy and was generous enough for two people.  We opted to sit out on the patio and let the sun keep us warm.  It was a beautiful day.....topped with joy at watching the acorn woodpeckers up in the tree tops.  They're quite a common site up there so look for them next time you're at the pool.

 

Thank you to Marilyn and crew for another tasty meal.  I like to peek my head in the serving window for a quick photo.


AND....to top a beautiful sun shiny day, I got this close up of a kingbird!!!  I see them frequently on the golf course as they dart back and forth from the trees to catch a bug flying through the air but they're quite elusive when it comes to a camera.  I think this little guy was a gift from Mother Nature as she told him to come sit by me for a brief second so I could get a picture.  Sure made me happy!

I had some trash to discard so stopped by the dumpsters and again smiled in awe at the glass recycling bin.  I did spot one jelly jar......but it looks like we had a jolly time in this senior resort over the New Year's holiday!  What do our kids think if they should see this?!  (They're probably jealous!)

I spotted a couple friends over on the pickleball courts so took time for some quick photos.  I like to capture action shots.


We are a golf resort so I felt I should post a few statistics for our fellow golfers:


1. 125,000 golf balls a year are hit into the water at the famous 17th hole of the Stadium Course at Sawgrass).

2. The longest drive ever is 515 yards. The longest putt ever is a monstrous 375 feet


3. Phil Mickelson, who plays left-handed, is actually right handed. He learned to play golf by mirroring his father’s golf swing, and he has used left handed golf clubs ever since.


4. The chances of making two holes-in-one in a round of golf are one in 67 million.


5. Tiger Woods snagged his first ace at the tender age of eight years old.


6. Balls travel significantly further on hot days. A golfer swinging a club at around 100 mph will carry the driver up to eight yards longer for each increase in air temperature of 25°F.


7. The longest golf course in the world is the par 77 International Golf Club in Massachusetts which measures a fearsome 8325 yards


8. The highest golf course in the world is the Tactu Golf Club in Morococha , Peru , which sits 14,335 feet above sea level at its lowest point.


9. The longest golf hole in the world is the 7th hole (par 7) of the Sano Course at the Satsuki Golf Club in Japan . It measures an incredible 909 yards.


10. The largest bunker in the world is Hell's Half Acre on the 585-yard 7th hole of the Pine Valley Course in New Jersey .


11. The largest golfing green is that of the 695-yard, 5th hole, a par 6 at the International Golf Club in Massachusetts , with an area in excess of 28,000 square feet.


12. The driver swing speed of an average lady golfer is 62mph; 96mph for an average LPGA professional; 84mph for an average male golfer; 108mph for an average PGA Tour player; 130mph for Tiger Woods; 148-152mph for a national long drive champion.


13. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.


14. The first golf balls were made of thin leather stuffed with feathers. Tightly-packed feathers made balls that flew the farthest. Feather balls were used until 1848.


15. The youngest golfer to shoot a hole-in-one was Coby Orr, who was five years old at the time. It happened in Littleton , Colorado , in 1975.


16. 22.8% of golfers are women.


17. Golf was banned in Scotland from 1457 to 1502 to ensure citizens wouldn't waste time when preparing for an English invasion


18. The term birdie comes from an American named Ab Smith. While playing 1899, he played what he described as a "bird of a shot", which became "birdie" over time.


19. The word golf does not mean "Gentleman Only, Ladies Forbidden".  This is an internet myth. It is thought the word golf comes from the Dutch word "kolf" or "kolve", meaning "club". Historians believe this was passed on to the Scottish, whose own dialect changed this to "golve," "gowl" or 
"gouf". By the sixteenth century, this had evolved into the word we know today.



20. Don't feel bad about your high handicap -80% of all golfers will never achieve a handicap of less than 18.  

Whether you are a golfer or not, I think you will find this short video VERY entertaining:



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