Mike, Jack, lightning36, and Gerry "basking in success" after a great day at the country club. Look out, Tiger - here we come!


Oh my gawd - I played golf?

Yes -- it's true. Although I grew up playing all kinds of sports, golf was something I just didn't play. Of course, I did some of the usual stuff -- chipping balls in the back yard, playing Putt Putt Golf -- but not the real thing.

My total real life golf experience consisted of three holes while a senior in high school, and three holes 20 years ago. As you might guess, neither of these experiences were very good, prompting me to call it a day before the dreaded fourth hole.

However, today was a charity golf tournament, and Mike and Gerry, two of my buds, needed a fourth player for their group. The tournament was best ball, so the only pressure I had was that my tee shot on at least one of the holes would need to be used. Surely I could hit one decent shot out of 18 holes, right?

We started out on the dreaded 4th hole, so I was in unfamiliar territory already. I only had a chance to hit one bucket of balls a few days before, so my expectations were low. The first few holes, I unfortunately met my expectations. The Vitamin B12 pill I took at the start didn't seem to give me the magic boost that was promised by Jack, the other member of my group.

Things seemed to change, however, once the beverage cart paid its first visit. I don't know if it was just getting a few shots in or having the beer hit my system, but I began playing much better. I actually jacked a few shots, and hit a great tee shot on a short par 3 hole, just missing the green by about eight feet.

It seemed like the more I drank, the better I got. Mind you, I rarely drink, but today the mild inebriation did the trick. This guy who had only played a total of six holes in his life actually played all 18. Surprisingly, it was really fun. It was thrilling to hit a good shot, and I began to understand why so many enjoy playing this game. I actually might want to try again on a Par 3 course -- with the right players, of course.