The water hazard in front of 12th tee at the Sea ‘n Air Golf Course on the North Island Naval Air Station has become a legend…at least with a certain group of golfers who have played there since VADM Shultz drove the plan to add a second nine in the mid-70s to the first nine that was constructed in 1959 (that story is whole other adventure).
The classic story from that hazard has been told many times. Many folks claim to have been in that foursome. i can only aver that Al Pavich and i were there. i think i remember who the fourth was that day but will not reveal whom as i want the others who claim so enjoy their day in the lore.
The 12th hole is a par five with the water hazard in front of the tee box and another in front of the green. Both have claimed many, many golf balls. The first hazard requires a shot carrying at least 140 yards. i told this Marty Linville story here about eight months ago. His condition was making it difficult to hit the ball over that water. Finally tired of losing his ball, Marty declared he was going to lay up. He took out his wedge and hit a nice shot that would have accomplished his purpose. But it wandered right a bit, enough to hit the golf cart path and bounce into the water. Being the Grand Whiner of the Curmudgeons, he did as all curmudgeons would have done and laughed along with the rest of us.
As we have aged, the difficulty of clearing that hazard has become a problem for all of us. We laugh almost every time one of our errant tee shots finds the water. Last Thursday, our threesome added to the lore.
Jeff Middlebrook, who was having a decent round took honors and was first on the tee. His drive was a screaming liner that hit the water about midway across the hazard. It bounced at least five times before skipping out and a good ways down the fairway. We laughed.
Rod Stark was next. He hit a low draw to the left that replicated Jeff’s skipping effort to the right. His ball also skipped out of the hazard. We laughed.
i was the final guy on the tee. i hit another line drive screamer, but mine was on the right perimeter of the pond and did not touch the water…initially. It was clear of the hazard when it struck one of the poles they have installed to stretch cords across the hazard to keep ducks and coots off the water (of course, as with all of their efforts, the results have been a failure). But my ball struck one of the those metal poles and it bounced sideways and backwards into the water.
We three laughed harder, and i’m pretty sure Marty and Al were up there laughing along with us.