Congo River Adventure Golf (Hoffman Estates, IL) - Congo Falls Course

July 31, 2011, afternoon

This was the first round of the "bachelor party" mini golf tournament.  We split into two groups of three and headed out to the Congo Falls course first because I like it less between the two and I wanted to finish on the more fun (I think) course.  Maybe Congo Falls heard me, because I got off to a horrific start - I bogeyed the first five holes with a double at #3 and was six-over by the time I made my first par at the sixth.  Drew and Stan spent the front nine trading twos and threes, and at the turn Drew had a one-shot lead over Stan, and five shots over me - in fact, I had the worst score of the entire tournament at this point!  Things turned a bit on the back nine - thanks to two aces (both on par-3 holes) I came in with a one-under 20, pulling back two shots on Drew and four shots on Stan.  In the other group, Alma also had two holes-in-one but had a couple of blowup holes.  Arlene was the most consistent at making twos and posted the fourth-lowest score of the first round, entitling her to join us in the "final foursome" for the second round, but she opted to stay with Alma and so Brian, who had recorded a 51 on Congo Falls, joined the three of us for the deciding round on Congo Rapids.

May 15, 2010, afternoon

It had been a while since Drew and I had played mini golf together, and we got back into it 23 months to the day of our last rounds in the same location, with 36 holes at Congo River.  We started on the Congo Falls course and Drew began things swimmingly as his drive trickled into the cup for an ace at the first.  However, I tied things up when he bogeyed three and then went up three shots when I aced the fourth and he doubled it.  He pulled back a shot when I bogeyed #8 and I hit the turn with a two-shot lead - and then he promptly doubled #10 to push it out to four shots.  He then birdied the next two holes to bring it back to a two-shot margin but caught an awful break on #13 as he pushed his second shot right of the hole and watched the ball roll all the way back to the tee.  He eventually took a legit 6 for triple-bogey, but as I had parred the hole the cushion was now five shots.  I briefly had the yips at #14 and gave two shots back thanks to a couple of awful short misses on what is a very easy hole for the most part, and he took another back at #15 when I bogeyed to make things more interesting - I led by just two shots with three holes to play.  We both went par-par-par to close, however, and I hung on for the two-shot win.

June 15, 2008, afternoon

Things started off even, as Drew and I matched each other shot for shot on the first five holes.  Drew dropped a shot at the sixth and another at the ninth, and I made the turn up two - but that was where things fell apart.  I left a number of drives very short all day, contributing to fours at #10 and #12, and I went down a shot as Drew birdied the latter.  At the 13th I saw the ball roll all the way back down to the tee after my second shot, leading to a 5 that put me down three shots with just five holes to play.  I made four straight par twos, but Drew did the same, and when I missed a mid-range putt to bogey the 18th, I ended up losing by four shots.

May 12, 2007, afternoon

The return to Congo River started off well for me, as I dropped in an ace at the first.  After Drew and Karen both bogeyed #2, I led by three shots through just two holes.  The rest of the front nine was pretty even; Drew picked up a shot to trail by two at the turn.  At #10, though, we all struggled, but while I bogeyed, Drew tripled and Karen took the maximum.  Drew seesawed the next few holes, getting a shot back at #11 but giving away one at both #12 and #13, and while he aced #16, he couldn't get closer than four.  Karen aced #11 on one of the craziest holes-in-one ever, bouncing off every wall on the course, it seemed, before finally dropping, but took a second six at #13 and was pushed out of contention, finishing at +12.

August 19, 2006, early evening

After suffering the disappointment of finding out that Twin Links had closed, Drew, Karen and I drove to Congo River so that we could at least get to play some mini golf.  It wasn't an especially great round for any of us - I flew back in with a 20 (one under for the back nine) despite failing to capitalize on either #13 or #14, the two holes I had aced in our previous outing, but I had gone out in a rough 26, driven largely by an awful 6 at #7.  If not for that hole, I very well might have won, but Karen went 22 out, 21 back, and while my back nine was fractionally hotter, it couldn't possibly have been good enough to catch her with a four-stroke cushion.  She also recorded the only ace of the round, at #4.  Drew equaled her on the way out with 22, but three fours on the back nine - two of them on par-two holes - meant that he limped in with 26, finishing five back.  As far as I know, this was Karen's first recorded win in a round - congrats to her!

July 29, 2006, early evening

Drew and Karen had already gone around again by the time Alma, Tyler and I finished the Rapids course.  Tyler had to meet relatives, but Alma and I decided there was no reason not to go around again, and we ended up catching Drew and Karen at the 15th.  In that time, my putting had managed to abandon me for most of the front nine; I bogeyed three straight holes from #2 to #4, and later took my only four of the day (even including Bolingbrook) at the seventh.  I was five over at the turn while Alma was pasting me by four strokes thanks to steady putting and an ace at the eighth.  My fortunes turned on the back nine, however, as I birdied the twelfth to pull within three shots, and then took advantage of a three-shot swing when Alma carded four at #13 following my ace.  All tied now, I aced #14 as well while Alma bogeyed, and added another shot to the lead at #15.  We both parred in and I held on to win by three.  Meanwhile, Drew matched my score in holding off Karen.  Leading by just one shot at the turn, he made it stand up this time, as both came in with scores of 21.  Karen's ace at #11 tied it, but Drew aced #14 just before I did to push the lead back to one shot.  He added a stroke at #15 when Karen three-putted the green, and even though she added another ace at the 18th hole, he was able to par it and hold her off.