My hit-and-run hole-in-one ...

Happy new year! While one of my favourite bands in the whole world, Death Cab For Cutie, wrote a song about January 1 and not feeling any different, I have returned from my summer soujourn a changed man.

You see, during the Blog Family holiday on the south coast of that other state, New South Wales, I renewed an affair with the game of golf and in the process joined an exclusive club.

I hit a hole-in-one! Just in case you missed it, I HIT A HOLE-IN-ONE!

No, I'm not making it up! My brother-in-law, Cameroon, as well as my cousin's boyfriend where there to witness this amazing spectacle. The shot was far from textbook: a five iron hit with an amazingly low trajectory from around 150 metres out on the 5th hole at the Catalina Country Club that, from memory (it seems all so vivid now) bounced on the front of the green and rolled and rolled and rolled ... until it dropped in the cup, earning the high fives from my playing partners and anyone else in the vacinity who heard my amazing screams. It was unbelievable! But I didn't return to G-Town a millionaire despite purchasing $50 worth of lottery tickets I purchased the next day.

Having a hate-hate relationship with the game of golf for a number of years, I think I'll take it a bit more seriously in 2007. You know, go out and buy some new clubs. It's not just because of the ace. I improved considerably in a few days. On my first outing, I hit an atrocious 146, living up to the NAGA award I won so many years ago. But on December 29, 2006, which will now forever be known as JB's Hole-In-One Day, I went for 113 and later followed it up with a 121 before the dawn of 2007. No, I'm not going to challenge Tiger Woods (even though I can beat him on his computer game that I've spent so much time on, earning more than $US50 million in the process). But, hopefully, I can look like less of a goose than I have in the past - hence the NAGA award. I'll never be short of playing partners. Cameroon and Cousin Davis are obsessed with the game as is AC Literally who, literally, is due back soon.

Overall, it was a great trip. I went sour on Batemans Bay on the corresponding trip a couple of years back because developers had turned this former coastal hamlet into something else entirely. Maybe it was because I spent so much time on the golf course as well as a fair bit of time playing poker and Tiger Woods, but it has earnt an upgrade in my books. But with my grandma's house - which I forgot to add looks over the golf course - being up for sale, who knows when I'll be back.

Tourist sights in NSW were taken in during the ten-plus hour trip to and from The Bay. On the way up on Boxing Day, yours truly said hello to the famed Dog on the Tuckerbox, five miles (eight kilometres for the metric folk) outside of Gundagai. On my return I paid homage to the HMAS Otway in Holbrook, which has since earnt the name "The Submarine Town" despite being nowhere near the ocean.