A Fatherly Golf Match

A perfect fall afternoon with a view of Mount Ranier - who could ask for more?

"Moving now from the world of fishing to the world of golf..."

There is nothing more enjoyable for a father/son duo than a nice round of golf. However, on Tuesday afternoon my dad Jim and I headed to High Cedars Golf Course near Puyallup, WA for a different type of golf: 21st Century iPhone Golf.

Yes, we've already covered how the iPhone can text, take pictures, and surf the web. Yet a new series of apps, such as Golfshot GPS, turn the iPhone into a powerful rangefinder, giving the golfer pinpoint distances, aeriel images of your course, and a digital scorecard. On the way to the course I downloaded the Golfshot and opened up a whole can of worms. Here's how it went down:

GolfshotGPS: A golf revolution

FIRST THREE HOLES: STARTING FAST

Hole 1, Par 5: Instead of warming up, I configure the App for High Cedars Golf Course, which was located by my GPS as the closest option. It is one of 22,000 courses contained in the game. I silently vow to play all of them. The weather is warm for October in the Northwest, and Mount Rainier looms in the distance, making me forget how much I love this area in the fall. Despite not having played in over a year, I knock my approach to 15 feet and make my par. My dad bogies and I'm off to an early lead.

Hole 2, Par 3: Using the GPS, I determine the exact distance to the back of the green to be 215 yards. I lace a 4-iron to the middle of the green and make par. Had I followed the scorecard, I would have been 20 yards short. My dad is not so lucky - as if he didn't trust the iPhone - and found the bunker. He'd make double bogey and suddenly I'm up 3.

My approach on the 3rd put me in birdie range.

Hole 3, Par 4: Riding the momentum I lace my drive over 300 yards, cutting the corner of a dogleg thanks to the aerial view of my GPS. I chip to eight feet and make the putt for birdie to go one under par. My dad makes bogey, and I'm up 5!

I post this immediately to Facebook.

MIDDLE THREE HOLES: OVERCONFIDENCE MEETS DISTRACTION

Hole 4, Par 4: Cockiness setting in, I whip out the iPhone and begin texting my brother to brag. I hook my ball into the trees and make my first bogie of the round.

Hole 5, Par 5: Distracted by the beautiful fall leaves changing colors, I spend this entire hole taking pictures. I forget my camera is only 3 mega-pixels, and that I shouldn't hit the trees with my ball. Double Bogey.

Hole 6, Par 4: For some reason, we decide to play this hole "Scramble" style, using our best shots to make par. I'm up 3 shots with three holes to play.

FINAL THREE HOLES: JOHNNY COMEBACK

Hole 7, Par 4: We decide to use the video feature on the iPhone to document our swings. We decide on the spot that neither of us are Tiger Woods, or even Sam Alexis Woods, his two year old daughter. My dad gives me a few swing tips which compound my growing problems. I make double bogey, then spend the next 5 minutes downloading an App called, "Excuse maker." SCORE: Jason +4, Jim +6.

The Par 3 Eighth

8th Hole, Par 3: With darkness setting in, we debate on what time the sun actually sets. My dad uses an iPhone App to win the debate -- 6:09. We both make good approaches, but mine takes a bad bounce off the green. I chip close but miss my par putt. "Johnny" continues playing like he's on a mission and makes par. Suddenly he's within one: Jason +5, Jim +6.

9th Hole, Par 4: It all comes down to the deciding final hole, a 435 yard par 4. We both hit our drive to the right, putting us behind two large trees!

Not the easiest of approach shots...

We dial up the range on the iPhone GPS - 208 yards away. My dad goes first and smacks the tree, sending his ball flying backwards! I calmly hit my ball next to the green, and then walk over to measure his distance, emphasizing that he is now further away from the hole than he was a moment ago. He doesn't laugh.

The shot facing my dad on the final hole...

It was the moment that would decide the match. I was up by one and already next to the green. Great players live for this moment. So do the weekend warriors that consider themselves great players. Summoning every ounce of confidence, Big Jim smacks a three-wood into the darkness... landing 15 feet from the hole! He is not silent after this shot.

My ball next to the green on the 9th.

I don't like to make excuses, so I will just say that somehow my dad ended up taking one less stroke than me on the hole, and we ended up tied for the round. I'm sure he would like to tell you the long version of the story, so feel free to flood his inbox.

In the words of Frosty Westering, it was a DOUBLE WIN. I wasn't so happy - I think a tie is like kissing your sister. (No offense Heather.)

The final putt.

The always humble Johnny.

A round that qualified us for the US Open... in FUN!

I think the real winner of this match was the iPhone, which proved it can be extremely useful in yet another situation. (Why didn't I download the fish finder last week? Do they have that?) However, whether that actually helps your performance is still yet to be determined. My dad was happy with his comeback, especially when the scorecard was emailed to us by Golfshot.com. Thanks for digitally rubbing it in, iPhone.

~ J. Twice