Round Played: with Leonard and Emily Bell –
By Wayne Halm –
Did you know that January 23rd was a golf putter holiday?
On January 23rd 2015 I played the Kauai Lagoons course with Leonard Bell from Bloomington, Illinois – his wife, Emily, rode with him on the back nine. (Click on the pictures for a larger view – then use the browser ‘back’ button.)
Leonard and Emily
Honestly, Leonard and I had a rough start. Our clubs were rebelling and the balls just not going where we wanted. But we were determined to enjoy our round and even laughed at some of our shots.
But really it didn’t take us long to tame our clubs – that is all except my putter. It was apparently on holiday and simply refused to work. By the 5th hole everything else was working, my putter was the lone holdout.
Leonard was undaunted by the challenging shot.
He nailed it!
On the long par four 9th hole my wedge gave me another very make-able par putt – and my putter again refused to make a five footer.
The 9th Hole — By this time Leonard and I were betting on whether my putt would be left or right – nobody wanted the “in” bet.
A golfer and on-line acquaintance, Elizabeth Bethel, has told me that putting is almost entirely intuitive. I agree, some-days I automatically see the line the ball should take – and it does. Other days, like this one, I have less intuition. She has promised a post about putting on her blog http://golfingwithbeth.blogspot.com , I will look forward to it.
Emily joined us at the turn and I set out on the back with a refreshed attitude. Putts missed by half an inch could spoil my score – but they weren’t going to spoil our day.
Wayne and Leonard enjoying the course.
Emily provided moral support — moral support for me — Leonard didn’t need any.
We began to seriously pursue my goal of having more laughs than putts. That took some doing because my putter was still on holiday – but we managed a lot of laughs and smiling faces.
Emily and Leonard on the 14th Tee.
Leonard and Emily on the 16th Tee
Emily and Leonard on 16th green.
On 18 the trade winds knocked my drive down short, I laid up to the lagoon, then hit my wedge to 12 feet from the pin. As I walked onto the green, without any real conscious thought I saw the line, hit the putt, and the ball followed the line right into the cup – intuition! Oh yeah, we cheered and high fived – Wayne’s game was back! Happy celebrating golfers walked of that green. It’s the way golf should be.
Come play golf with me.
The Kauai Lagoons Golf Club 800-634-6400 or http://www.KauaiLagoonsGolf.Com .
Return to Golfing on Kauai Home Page
Golfing on Kauai 
Hi Wayne! Looks like you had a great time! Thanks for taking me with you on the rounds. I enjoyed it 🙂
Happy new week!
Aloha Hanne,
Thank you – I’,m glad you enjoyed it. I always have a great time on the golf course. We laugh a lot, sometimes at me but that is okay. Come play golf with me.
A Hui Hou,
Wayne
Wayne
Looks like you guys enjoyed a great day, and kept a great attitude when some putts didn’t fall. I agree about putting, a lot of it for me is attitude and confidence.
Cheers
Josh
Aloha Josh,
Yes, some days on the course are better than others – but they are all pretty great. I’ll score better tomorrow. I don’t know who I’ll be playing with or what the challenges will be, but I do know we will have fun. Come play golf with me.
A Hui Hou,
Wayne