I haven’t played a Nicklaus Design course I haven’t liked, and The Bridges was no exception.

The layout was challenging but fair, with nice landing areas and danger lurking if you strayed too far from the intended path. The greens were superb, fast and hard but playable and extremely true. I had only 28 putts in my round, and not a single one bounced offline. There is water on 14 of the 18 holes, but it only really comes into play on 4 or 5 of the holes (#9 and #17 got me).

The range was in good shape and had well groomed target greens. The practice green next to the #1 tee was very consistent with the speed on the course. The clubhouse is comfortable and the snack shack has excellent food.

The carts were nice, but did not have GPS. The course book is quite good though, and I generally prefer using the course book and my rangefinder to GPS anyway.

The best part? Everything – including range balls, cart, sandwiches and chips – was included for about $60 each. The $75 on their web site would have been a bargain, for $60 I was shocked.

It was an immensely enjoyable round. We’ll definitely be back next time we’re on the Western Slope.

A couple of weeks ago I played my first round of golf in 2008 duing a quick trip to La Quinta, CA. I managed to hit the range a few days prior during a break in the snow/cold, and my swing was in better shape than I could have reasonably expected. I shot a front nine 38 (two birdies, one when I was on a par 5 in two, and a 15 foot chip in from the fringe on a par 3) before getting tired on the back and fading into the 40′s.

This weekend I’m in Arizona for a little spring training baseball and golf, and I haven’t touched my clubs since returning from CA. I never even took them out of my travel bag.

So it was no particular surprise to me that I played poorly today, however what was a surprise was how well I played early in the round.

It seems that the more I loosen up, the worse I swing. I think my swing gets longer and longer as the round goes on – I manage to keep my good range habits with me for a time, then fade.

Today’s issue was letting my arms get behind my body – my tempo was off. In the round in CA, I was able to keep hitting fairways all day, even thought I stopped being able to score on the back nine. Today I was just spraying the ball into the desert and racking up big numbers.

I find the way that my rust has manifested itself in these last two rounds very interesting. So many things to think about and work on – golf is such a great game.

1. Eighteen holes of match play will teach you more about your foe than 18 years of dealing with him across a desk.  Grantland Rice
2. Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five.  John Updike
3. It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place the world is when one is playing golf.  Robert Lynd
4. If profanity had any influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is.  Horace G. Hutchinson
5. They say golf is like life, but don’t believe them. Golf is more complicated than that.  Gardner Dickinson
6. If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork as poorly as they do a golf club, they’d starve to death.  Sam Snead
7. Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. William Wordsworth
8. If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt. Dean Martin
9. If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don’t have to waste energy going back to pick it up.  Tommy Bolt
10. Man blames fate for all other accidents, but feels personally responsible when he makes a hole-in-one.  Bishop Sheen
11. I don’t say my golf game is bad, but if I grew tomatoes they’d come up sliced.  Arnold Palmer
12. My handicap? Woods and irons.  Chris Codiroli
13. The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody would put a flag stick on top.  Pete Dye
14. I’m hitting the woods just great; but having a terrible time getting out of them!  Buddy Hackett
15. The only time my prayers are never answered is playing golf. Billy Graham
16. If you think it’s hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball.  Jack Lemmon
17. It’s good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling.  Mark Twain
18. Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty. Harry Vardon
19. Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at either of them.  Jimmy DeMaret
20. May thy ball lie in green pastures, and not in still waters. Ben Hogan
21. If I hit it right, it’s a slice. If I hit it left, it’s a hook. If I hit it straight, it’s a miracle. All Us Hackers
22. The difference in golf and government is that in golf you can’t improve your lie.  George Deukmejian
23. Golf is a game invented by the same people who think music comes out of a bagpipe.  Lee Trevino