Tales of Mosholu

"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification. "

~Bruce McCall

Gather round kiddies and I'll tell you the story of old Mosholu. You see Mosholu is a golf course in the Bronx. It has 9 holes and some of the most narrow fairways that a man ever did see. It was once a mightier and longer golf course but the city decided to build a reservoir smack dab in the middle of it. But thanks to some very clever and determined folks, the course was redesigned and the people of the town could once again enjoy Mosholu's bounteous rewards.

That said, I have quite a love/hate relationship with this course. Love: 9 holes means done faster and thus agony is not nearly as prolonged. Hate: Narrow fairways mean REALLY hard golf shots. So I made my way up there last week and had some interesting experiences.

I won't go into a shot for shot recap, I will simply say that I did a lot of different things poorly as opposed to just one thing poorly. However, I did do a couple of things well. For instance, on the final hole I managed to hit my ball out of the sand trap (on the first try, mind you) and land it about 15 ft from the hole. I then sank that subsequent putt for a bogey. (How ya like me now?)

Unfortunately, a few really good shots never seem to make up for the few really bad shots. You'd think they'd just even out but they don't.

But I will say that I have been reminded that Mosholu is a great place to practice your game. They have a small driving range as well as a practice green and a chipping green. So I will probably go there a few more times before I tackle the beast that is Van Cortlandt. (Cue scary music.)