Hole # 2, 109 yds at Mountain Flowers Par 3 Course at The Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, MI:

To start I am a terrible golfer. Most of the time I am extremely impatient and swing as if it's 1960 Pittsburgh PA, bottom of the 9th tied 9-9 in game 7 of the Wold Series and I'm at the plate in Forbes Field because Danny Murtaugh has sent me to pinch hit in place of the Maz; but instead of a pure swing resulting in a walk off over the left field wall I tend to chunk it, hit it thin, skull it, or chili dip it somewhere roughly within a 10-20 yd radius.

This golf season I have tried to improve my game and have done so, albeit ever so slightly, thanks to my best friend and golf partner/golf consigliere, Ole Good Hands Nicky Sticks. Now Ole Good Hands Nicky Sticks is a hell of a player. I don't know his exact handicap but I want to say he is a solid 5/6. He loves to golf as much as anyone I have ever met and is a true student of the game.

He is the type of player who loves to help you improve your game and genuinely wants others to play great. I have played with a lot of folks who claim to be scratch when in reality they're about a 20/25 and when you're playing against them you know every time you stand over the ball they want you to hit the worst shot of your life. My pal Nicky Sticks is the exact opposite.

He wants to be out there and see people play their best, hit incredible shots, make hard putts, and if he's competing against them he wants to beat them at their best and he usually does.

So a week ago I'm playing with Nick and hitting the ball like I normally do and he's telling me I swinging way too hard and my tempo is all off and to slow down my back swing. So I heed his advice and hit the ball a little better on the last few holes and he reminds me to remeber those types of swings so I can score better next time.

The weekend rolls around and I head up to the Homestead Resort to meet my wife and in-laws for a little relaxation at the beach. I call Ole Good Hands and tell him I'm going to play the par 3 course with my wife on Sunday morning and that I plan on going flag hunting (in reality I'm just hoping to hit the ball onto to green over 50% of the time).

Nicky Sticks advises me to bring my wedge out to the beach the day before and work on my game. Ball striking, different bunker shots, taking sand with it, picking it clean, etc. Again I take his suggestion and spend all day at the beach swinging away.

By the end of the day I felt like I was making the best contact with my wedge that I ever have. The next morning my beautiful wife and I head to the course and have the very first tee time.

I step up to hole one which is straight uphill 112 yds and hit my 7 and it feels great. Hit it pretty well and ended up bouncing off the backside of the green on a downslope. I chip on and 2 putt for bogey.

OK, I'm feeling pretty damn good about opening up with that considering I usually at best double the first hole. Then off to hole 2. 109 yds uphill again but this time not as steep.

If I hit it perfectly I usually hit my Titleist Vokey 50 about 110/115 yds. The pin was in the middle so I figured if I came up short I'd still have a good chance at par. I stepped up and absolutely flushed a Titleist Pro V1x and it looked beautiful as it flew over the flagstick.

My wife said "Wow that looked really nice" and I replied "Oh my god did that feel good but I think it's a little too long. Now it's your shot babe so step up and stick it close."

My wife hits and hits a nice shot right off the front side of the green and she walks up and I take the cart up to look for my ball. As I drive past the green I look to see where the ball is and I don't see it on the green so I assume it bounced over into the rough. I pull out my wedge and putter and go looking through the rough. As I look I'm thinking to myself "Damn it another lost ball. How the hell could I have lost this thing it looked like it hit the backside of the green!"

Then I look at the green and because we were the first ones on the course that day the dew was still covering the green and I see a ball mark on the backside of the green and a perfect line through the dew leading right to the cup. I look at my wife and say "Babe, Babe, look, there is no $&@#%^ way."

I walked to the cup rather swiftly and my ProV 1x was sitting there smiling at me wedged between the flag and the inside of the cup.

What a great feeling it was and odds are it will never happen again for me, but if it does it will be with a Pro V1 and hopefully Ole Nicky sticks will be there as my witness. My man Good Hands Nicky Sticks doesn't have a hole in 1 yet and it's a shame because he's 100 times more deserving than I am but I have a pretty damn good feeling I'm going to be reading a post from him on here real soon.