A Grip on Sports: The sun is shining a little brighter today because Washington’s golf courses are open again

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Today is a good day. And not just because the sun is shining, though it is. Brightly. Nope, today is a good day because the golf courses of Washington are open again.

•••••••

• You may think playing golf is silly. Many people do. Deride it as a rich person’s game. Hit the ball, find the ball, hit the ball again.

To each their own. But for me, and many like me, golf is more than just a game. It’s a way to socialize, to enjoy other’s company, to be among friends – and kick their behind.

All of which is needed right now.

Not for me. See, in that “kick their behind” scenario, I am the guy whose behind is kicked. So I’ll just keep it in the Laz-e-Boy for a while. Watching the last couple seasons of “Community” and laughing more of it off.

Actually, if someone in my family were to ask me to play, I’m sure I would say yes. Why not? Social distancing is easy on a golf course if you are smart about it. Or if the person you are playing with hits a draw off the tee while you play a, quote, power fade, unquote.

OK, it’s a huge slice, but let a guy dream, will ya?

Actually, my game off the tee has improved immensely the past few years, mainly due to the advancement in equipment, not anything physical I have done. Working the ball right-to-left is much easier with a driver or 3-wood featuring a head the size of marmot. And moving up to the gold tees has taken a lot of pressure off as well.

That’s secondary, of course. Scoring is a construct of those driven by a desire to impose their will on others. Unless my score happens to be better than my son’s. Then “in your face” mister.

Actually, I’ve been lucky in golf my whole life. By that I mean I’ve had many great partners over the years.

My best friend Kent Hollenback taught me the ins-and-outs of the game, then we would each have a Double-Double afterward. Steve Bergum and I played so often when I moved to Spokane, we even discovered a hack to get a round in before the day was rolling. Joe Everson made retirement fun, until he moved away and ruined my life forever.

And now, when I play, it’s with my eldest son, Tyler, who is into the game even more than I was at his age.

The problem is Ty has his own group of golfing buddies, most around his age and probably a lot more fun for him to play with.

So if you ever desired being the regular golf partner of someone in his mid-60s, I’m talking applications as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic slows a bit more. You have to have a weird sense of humor. You have to be laid-back. And you can’t hit your drive more than 217 yards, max. It also helps if you like saying “that’s good” a lot.

• Want to know the hack Bergum and I discovered? I’ll share, even though I’m pretty sure it’s not an option anymore. Remember, this was the 1980s and early 90s, a simpler time.

Back then, we both lived on the South Hill and had young kids. We still wanted to be able to play once a week together. Saturdays were our only option, but with kids in the house, Saturdays were filled with their activities.

So we got up before the sun rose, he would pick me up and we would head to Hangman, sometimes as early as 4:30 in late May to late July. We would tee it up, he would airmail his drive 260 right down the middle, I would hit mine off through the trees onto the second fairway and away we would go.

We would pay at the turn. It was fine with the powers that be, as long as we made sure there was no frost on the course.

Rarely was anyone in front of us – and if there were, they were usually even better than we were and would leave us in the dust.

Bergum and I were both actually playing pretty well in those days, Steve in the high 70s, me somewhere in the 80s – he would give me nine strokes, so we usually had a tight battle – and the holes would fly by. Our record? I don’t recall, but I do remember playing 18 in less than three hours most of the time.

Get the round in, laugh at each other’s failings and be home in time for breakfast.

Perfect.

• Want more golf talk? Listen to Larry Weir’s latest Press Box pod. His guest is Bob Castle, general manager of Kalispell Golf – and Whitworth softball coach.

•••

Gonzaga: A group of GU basketball fans have found a way to feed their desire to talk Zag hoops. They Zoom together, along with a former Gonzaga player or two. Justin Reed has the story.

WSU: Around the Pac-12, this month is crucial if there is going to be college football in the fall. The more stories I read about how the coronavirus works and what’s ahead, the more I fell sports in the 2020-21 school year are in jeopardy. … An Oregon State basketball player has put his name in the transfer portal. … Oregon’s Penei Sewell may be the best offensive lineman to ever play at the school. … Washington is returning lots of talent in the secondary.

Preps: These stories are really fun. Dave Nichols is back with another senior story, this one from Mt. Spokane. His focus is Kainoa Figueira, a team player even in an individual sport like track and field. … Lake City’s 6-foot-4 center Brooklyn Rewers has committed to Duke in basketball. Dave also has that story.

Ironman: The 70.3-mile version of Ironman Coeur d’Alene will not be run in June this year. It was pushed back to September yesterday. Ryan Collingwood has all the details in this story.

Seahawks: Would you like to see Marshawn Lynch in a Hawk uniform one more time? It may happen. … Watching the Hawks play overseas again won’t however, as the NFL announced yesterday it is pulling back all games this season, even from Mexico. The 2020 schedule is set to be announced Thursday. … The Hawks made some roster moves yesterday. … ESPN replayed the “Fail Mary” game last night, though I’m not sure how many people watched. Art Thiel did and he decided to replay his column from that 2012 night.

Mariners: A few M’s players are going to play against fans in a video-game tournament. … If baseball is played with no fans, how would the game change?

Sounders: Like everyone, MLS players, including those in Seattle, are playing a waiting game as the pandemic runs its course.

•••       

• My favorite golf memory? I’ll have to think about that. I have so many, some in which I am the focus, but even more in which the people I am playing with do something so silly I will never forget it. Maybe I’ll come up with a list and share it some morning when it’s raining and no one can get out on the course to play. It will serve as your golf fix for the day. Until later …