The Course:
My friend Jake and I played 18 at President Golf Club in Quincy, MA (http://www.presidentsgc.com/golf/proto/presidentsgc/). It is a great course with a beautiful lay out. I would suggest if you plan on playing get directions from the course not from Google. Google brought us to the backside of the course that was fenced in with barbed wire (it is Quincy). Needless to say we were not about to throw our clubs over the fence and walk to the club house.
The course has a lot of ups and downs with some real nice views in the distance of Boston. You have to look past a highway and a rainbow water tower but Boston is there somewhere.
If you arent in the best of shape then take a cart. I like to consider myself to be in somewhat decent shape, I mean I walk my dog. If I had to play it again I would consider the cart though.
The course has a good mix of distances and hole designs. If you are going to use the big stick you better be accurate. If you want to play smart (who ever wants to do that) then you can use most clubs in you bag. It does require some local knowledge for distances though. A perfect example of this is the par 5 15th. It is about 500yds but only about 320 over the lake from an elevated tee. I decided to go for it knowing I would never reach. I just wanted to check though. I was right I cant hit it 320 on the fly and then spin it back. Good to know.
The Round:
Im not one to brag, okay yes I am, I had the best round of my life!!! I shot an 83 and it felt like I won the PGA Championship. I was able to putt out of my mind and that really kept the numbers down. I know they say drive for show and putt for dough. I just never believed it because I love to smash a drive. I could care less if I 3 putted after a 300yd drive.
Enough about me though. Jake and I played super early. Our tee time was 6:14. I didnt even know that was possible on most courses. I left my house so early the traffic lights werent even on yet. The only good part about getting out so early is that we were the first ones out (big surprise) and we were done in about three and a half hours.
We played with two guys we didnt know. One of their names was Camile and was a guy. I guess it is foreign but I kept calling him Camillo Villegas. He didnt play or look like Camillo but I think that he liked the nickname. He also played with two gloves which unless you are playing in the rain or Tommy Gainey it is a big no-no. The other guy was just as bad but didnt have a funny name so he didnt entertain me as much as Camillo.
The Beer:
Jake and I had Bloody Mary's at the turn. I know what you are thinking. Tee off at 6:14, round only took 3 or so hours, A+B=C. Yeah it was 8am! Dont judge me! There was tomato juice in there and pepper. Practically an omelet in a glass with vodka. Plus look at how pretty the look in the morning sunshine. How do you say no to that?
They were delicious. Bloddy's are quickly becoming a favorite of mine when playing an early round. Jake said that he didnt want anything when I went in to get mine but I knew that he was lying. Plus it is illegal to let a fellow golfer drink alone (look it up, practically an amendment to the constitution).
After the round I decided upon a Sam Summer (http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=8f502ab9-ac04-4799-a24e-ad4144ff5a27). I thought it was a good choice following a nice round of golf on a warmer summer day. I usually think that their summer is a little too spicy for a true summer beer. Maybe it is their "grains of paradise." What the hell is that anyways? It is probably just some form of sprouts that Jim Koch decided to rename so it sounded more illusive. I dont think they would have as much sales success with "summer sprouts."
I only planned on having one but Camillo's playing friend (Andy I think) bought us a round. Im too much of a gentleman to say no to such a nice gesture.
After that we headed on home. It was a great day with a great friend and I cant wait to play there again. Later that night Em and I went to the American Craft Beer Festival. Over 100 brewers and 600 beers. I was a happy boy!
