July twenty fore-th

Less than three years ago, I belonged to a family of six. In three months, that number will be doubled.

Pioneer Day weekend turned out to be a great time for the newer members of our family to become better acquainted with a large part of Weiler history:

Golf.

We first tried this the summer after my sister in-law Leslie - who is currently carrying Weiler member #12 - joined the family. We later learned it didn't go so well. (But it's good to know she can be honest with us.)

So we changed our tactics this time, and I think it went much better.

Change#1 - Bring more beginners. Leslie and Fetus were excused this time around, but Katie, Natalie and Michael had each other to laugh/cry/experiment/scream with.

On just our second hole, Natalie hit the best tee shot and Katie drained an 8-foot putt to save our bogey. Yeah, they're keepers.

If a nobody like Wayne Gretzky can transition from hockey to golf, Michael is certainly capable.

Technically she's not a beginner, but kudos to Michelle for playing too. There's definitely some good Weiler genes in that sweet swing.

Change#2 - Stroke play out, scramble format in. Rather than have each player play his/her own ball from tee to green for nine holes, we played as a team and kept score as a team. Golf is a much more recreation-friendly activity when only the best shots count.

And just like our pioneer ancestors, we walked (and walked, and walked, and walked .....).

Only time will tell if the end result is another Weiler golf outing, but it went well enough to peak my partner's interest in a night at the driving range.

Still smiling at the last hole. A very positive sign.

John Daly called. He wants his insanely-past-parallel swing back.