A Journey With Cerebral Palsy

Over my two-day golf trip in Eastern Washington. Wine Valley was the course I was looking forward to, the most. By the time I arrived to play on Wednesday around the noon hour. Much of my journey was in the rear-view mirror. I had crossed the state on Monday. Played golf at Palouse Ridge on Tuesday afternoon. Spent time in the cities of Moscow and Pullman. Then, drove from Pullman to Walla Walla on Wednesday morning to experience Wine Valley. The sun had been shining along the entirety of my drive. When I pulled into the parking lot of Wine Valley Golf Club, about fifteen minutes south of Walla Walla, the sky remained a fantastic blue. When I got out of my car, after my two-hour drive, there were no signs that anything about the weather would change. The wind could be felt blowing across the endless acres of farmland surrounding the course. But the wind didn’t feel like it would have much impact on the golf day. All my thoughts about the weather would change about halfway through the round of golf. The blue sun filled sky would vanish and the sky would grow dark, with the wind gusting much stronger than I was feeling in the parking lot. I understood none of this weather information, as I pulled the clubs out of my car, and changed into my golf shoes. 

I was blissfully ignorant about what was to come, as I walked toward the golf shop. The building looked inviting, running from my left to right. It was obviously a long and narrow building. Walking into the left-hand side, everything was in one room, spreading from the front to the rear of the building. After getting checked in to play golf, I wondered through the selection of merchandise. Always on the lookout for anything that might catch my eye. Some of my favorite articles of clothing have been purchased in golf shops. Just because they were cool looking, at the time. I was feeling hungry from my eventful morning and drive in from Pullman. Just as the few racks of merchandise ended, I could see tables and chairs for a small restaurant. Walking to a small counter I was thinking of a sandwich and bag of chips. They had one with ham and I found a Pepsi to go with my lunch. With nourishment in hand to see me through the afternoon of golf. I walked out of the golf shop and got situated in the golf cart. The pro shop and restaurant surprise me a little. Not being what I had envisioned when thinking about going to play at Wine Valley. It was nice, just smaller than I expected, for a renown golf course. Don’t let the minimal looking buildings damper expectations. 

Since the drive to Walla Walla had taken just under three hours. It seemed like a good idea to warm up before venturing out onto the golf course. Under many circumstances I tend to shy away from hitting golf balls at the range before playing. In this instance, it was nice to get the full experience of Wine Valley. The hitting area of the driving range was situated just off to the right of the parking lot. Nothing about the driving range struck me as unique. They had a large grass area for hitting onto the range. Giving the course plenty of space to move around the hitting stations, in order to keep the grass area well maintained. My first eye popping moment at Wine Valley came when I stepped onto the practice putting green. The largest one of its kind I had ever seen. The only course I could think of with anything similar was at Bandon Dunes in southern Oregon. Not only was the practice putting green at Wine Valley massive. This one differed from Bandon Dunes because of the undulations throughout. Any kind of putt the golfer wanted to practice, felt achievable on the massive green. Due to its size and characteristic, the green would allow someone to practice for hours without hitting similar putts. The green was a putting practice dream. I just hoped it wasn’t indicative of the greens out on the golf course. 

Walking around the practice putting green had me thinking it was a sign of things to come. In the spirit of that thought, I spent time striking different types of practice putts. When preparing myself for a round of golf I often like to hit putts that are shorter in length. Normally working from about ten to fifteen feet. The objective being to gather a feel for the speed of the greens. Considering the possibility of being in for a day of golf involving large green complexes. My putting before play began changed and I chose to hit putts of double the length I would normally practice. When I walked onto the green of the first hole, I was thankful for my decision. The first green was massive with the same kind of undulations that were present on the practice putting green. The first green also had something I don’t see often. There were random sections of discoloration. I would learn those spots of discoloration were from grain. Meaning the golf ball would likely pick up speed when rolling over those sections. The information was kept in the back of my mind throughout the day. Though, I don’t remember being confronted with another incident of such grainy looking sections. As I continued experiencing this golf course that was new to me, massive green complexes would become a running theme. It seemed every hole had an incredibly large putting surface. 

Even though I feel large greens make a golf course more challenging. I like a course with green sizes larger than average. The big greens enable variety within the course, allowing each hole to be significantly changed, depending on the pin position. The courses with larger greens have the ability to dramatically change the way each hole plays. It can be exciting for the golfer who plays the same course on a regular basis. This feature alone left me feeling like Wine Valley would be a fun place to play over and over, again. A couple other features of the golf course stuck out, as I played. The fairways felt pretty wide. There wasn’t much long grass to contend with, unless I got around the bunkers. But the fairways played fast and firm. Causing many of the drives I hit to go bounding down the fairway. The biggest penalty I could see around Wine Valley were the massive bunkers. Many of the bunkers had a rustic look to fit within the theme of the property. They had jagged edges that didn’t always seem well defined. Almost presenting the appearance of blending in with the surrounding farmland. The one positive I found was the bunkering, though ever present, felt relatively easy to avoid. I think the generous fairways and massive size of the greens provided ample space to avoid the impressive bunkering. I found myself in just a couple green side bunkers and two bunkers along the fairways. Much of the problems leading to the fairway bunkers involved the howling winds on the second nine. 

My wish would be to have remembered more about the actual golf course, providing the ability to better describe its layout. But the course didn’t turn out to be the story of my day. Mother nature took center stage during the round of golf at Wine Valley. Driving into the golf course was pleasant. The sun shining in a blue sky above. There were broken clouds in the sky, but nothing looked to threaten the weather. It was a short sleeve shirt and shorts kind of day. The wind was gently blowing across the farmland providing a cool breeze. The first golf hole of Wine Valley couldn’t have been better. A par-4 medium in length, heading slightly downhill. Nothing felt tricky about the first. The second was a shorter par-4 running back up the hill toward the clubhouse. Both holes had a massive putting surface, providing a good feel for the day ahead. I could feel the anticipation building for the remainder of the day. The first two holes left me wanting to experience the next sixteen. By the middle of the first nine, I could see a bank of clouds beginning to gather. They appeared dark and ominous in the distance, but the forecast on the phone still looked clear. I kept one eye on the golf and one eye on the gathering of dark clouds. The clouds continued drifting in the direction of Wine Valley until a little rain started to fall. It stopped after fifteen minutes, as a quickly playing single approached from behind. However, he was in no hurry to play through, which should have been an indication, things were going to worsen. 

When I looked back, after completing the tenth hole, the single had vanished. The tenth was a welcoming par-5 to begin the second nine. Another gentle rain shower came moving through, as I struck my second shot. There were still spots of blue hovering above, but the sky was slowly darkening. The rain had subsided by the start of the twelfth hole, but the wind was escalating. Moving the clouds in at a more frantic pace. I remember the day completing its full turn south, starting around the green of twelve. I went to hit a short wedge into the green. The pin was on the front portion prompting me to take a gentle swing. The wind, now blowing with firm purpose back into my face, knocked down my half-hearted swing like I was playing games. The ball ended up feet short of the putting surface. Another indication that we might be in for it, today. The thirteenth hole ran back the other direction. Making the par-4 of medium length run with the wind. Hitting a short shot into this green was my final memory of the weather descending on Wine Valley. A home off in the distance, sitting on a ridge, had almost disappeared from sight. The house disappearing from view was a clear indication the weather had become troublesome. The next couple holes would become a blur of survival. High wind causing my shirt to flap in the wind and send tumbleweeds scurrying across the fairways. The sand blew out of the bunkers, but the rain stayed away. Mother nature seemed to quiet down around the par-3 sixteenth, but not before the group in front had succumb to the weather, and left the golf course. 

The final two holes at Wine Valley were among my favorite on the golf course. When arriving on the seventeenth, the weather felt like in had improved. The wind was still blowing briskly, but the tumbleweeds were no longer crossing the fairways and the sand remained inside the bunkers. The golf course felt deserted, playing the uphill par-4 seventeenth. One of most visually interesting holes of the day. It was followed by another interesting looking hole, in the eighteenth. A gently sloping downhill par-5, taking us back to the clubhouse and out of the weather. Arriving back in the parking lot, other than the two cars left for the individuals working inside, ours were the only ones left. The weather had driven everyone back into the city. Even with the weather moving in, I enjoyed Wine Valley. I believe the golf course was built by area farmers, who wanted somewhere to play golf, and the experience seemed to encompass that concept. From the feel and energy of the clubhouse, to the view from playing the holes. Most every time I raised my field of view and looked around, I could see fields of farmland. The pictures of a big sky and open spaces, even if they lasted only hours, felt inspiring, and worthy of a return trip. There was a uniqueness about the golf course that has stuck in my memory. A bit like Bandon Dunes in Oregon, or Chambers Bay in Western Washington. But carved out amongst more open spaces. I would like to experience Wine Valley again, hopefully under less threatening skies.