Golf is one of the most difficult sports I have attempted to date. You are probably wondering why I am thinking about golf in Vermont on Halloween and the answer is that every time I drive by my local golf course I think about golf. My office is just a 7 iron away from the first tee so coming and going several times a day distracts me quite a lot. The sun was melting the snow today and the emerald greens stood out sharply as I went by but the flags are stored away and the course is closed until next season.
It is probably just as well. My last round this year was about as pitiful as it can get. On a really, really good day my score has come close to a hundred. On a really, really bad day...well I just can't talk about it. My golf partner and I play quite similarly or at least, I like to think so but whenever there is money on the line ….
On this day, with a promise of sunshine, temperatures in the 50's and two free vouchers, we headed to a mountain course never before played by us. It was certain to be beautiful but windy we hadn’t considered. They talk about wind chill more in the winter than summer but on this day we had a serious wind chill.
The wind whipped my ball into the woods, rolled it off the greens and even managed to blow those pretty red leaves over it to cleverly conceal it on the fairways. I would like to blame my major loss on climate conditions but of course, that wouldn’t be fair. Were my frozen fingers and stiff back the reasons? No. My partner is a little younger but not that much. Could it be that my ball was not well suited to the altitude? Since I had lost at least 4 balls on the way around and found another 5 belonging to others who went before, I can’t use that excuse. The real truth is that I choked. Choked! There was a wager on each hole and each time I came close to dropping that little white ball into the cup first, the pressure became too great for me. I know I am a better golfer than my partner but on that day she took me for $1.75.
2 comments:
it's a funny thing....knowing. i know many things. i actually KNOW i know them in spite of facts to the contrary. if i beieve this hard enough and have enough patience, over the years time has proved me right. this may be the case with you. in your mind, you envision yourself a better golfer. you shine! your drives consistently fly by mine..you one putt to my five...pars abound. but on the physical plane, the facts show this not to be the actual truth. it's all ok, though. i wholeheartedly support your KNOWING in the special place in your mind...and meanwhile, i'll keep accepting the winnings and buy you a beer after each round....
tari
Wait until next year!
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