OK, So the front page picture is not me - although the above shot proves I own a pair (actually several pair) of Plus 4s. (The cognoscenti will recognize the front page photo as Payne Stewart at Pebble Beach in 1991.) I'm a 12 handicap golfer who believes I would be an 8 if only I could find the time to play a little more often.

Hole in One

I may never break 80 but did make my first hole-in-one May 9, 2000. Mira Vista Golf Course. Hole #8, 170 yards with a 6 iron.

Evidence of this "feat" is found in the following pictures. The first shows Ed Mate, Executive Director of the Colorado Golf Association, and me congratulating one another for a rare double. We both made a hole in one during the same one day tournament for CGA volunteers. The second is an enlargement of the tournament scoreboard.

Surprisingly, enough I did finally break 80. A day with 4 birdies offset my usual mistakes and led to a 76 at Indian Peaks GC the day before school began in Auust 2006.

A second "hole in 1" happened July 23rd, 2007. At Collindale GC, I aced the 208 yard 15th hole with Dave Wining and Larry Wall as witnesses. A solid 4 iron over a bunker to a back left pin. Like the first one, I never saw the ball go in the hole but there it was when we reached the green.

Colorado Golf Association Course Rating

The Department of Political Science Open

McIver is the co-founder (with Walt Stone) of the University of Colorado Department of Political Science Golf Open held every year between summer sessions and sole authority on rules. An avid reader of Kurt Vonnegut at a (much) younger age, the Colorado Open was designed according to the principles espoused by Diana Moonglampers, the "Handicapper General". To ensure everyone is empowered, the tournament winner is declared to be the golfer who scores closest to the field mean. (All graduate students are expected to understand that everyone's score will affect the outcome.)

Past Tournament Winners:

• 1993 Ron Rapoport, Professor, College of William & Mary
• 1994
• 1995 David Lewis, Ph.D candidate in American Politics
• 1996 Matt Greene, Ph.D candidate in Public Policy
• 1997 Adam Resnick, Ph.D candidate in International Relations
• 2000 Robert Preuhs, Ph.D candidate in American Politics
• 2007 After a long hiatus, the team of won this event, a 2-person best ball competition.

Significant Events in Tournament History:

• 1993 Gary Gaile, Chair, Department of Geography, coined the tournament slogan "Strive for Mediocrity".
• 1997 Faculty "beat" graduate students by average score of 108 to 111.