BEST BALL TOURNAMENT

Part of a series of stories I wrote while living in Wisconsin in the 80s

I swore I would never try to hit another golf ball.  However, when my kids joined the junior golfing league, they enjoyed it so much that they asked me to take them to the driving range every week.  Rather than watch from the car, I chose to whack at a few golf balls myself.  To my surprise I hit them pretty well,

My kids encouraged me, but they seemed to sense that they shouldn’t push the matter.  My husband snickered and recalled that I had told him to shoot me if he ever saw me with a golf club in my hand again.  My old golf lesson buddy (who did learn to play and now golfs with her husband) stared curiously when my family told her I was interested in golf again.

One day an invitation came in the mail.  Did I want to play in a “best ball” tournament?  My husband explained how it works.  Everybody in your foursome hits the ball, and the best ball of the four gets to stay where it is while the other three golfers collect their balls (if they can find them) and take them to the spot where the best ball lies.  From there, they all take another crack at it.

I figured I could do that – until they told me the rules stated that we had to use at least three of my drives.  I cannot make a driver (that’s the longer club with the wood end on it) come in contact with the ball.  I arrived early to practice, thinking perhaps my drive would have miraculously changed.  Not!  On my first swing, the club sailed twenty yards.  The ball stayed on the tee. 

What a relief when they said I could drive with an iron instead of a driver.  (Also relieved that they didn’t kick me off the golf course.)  Our foursome won the Soggy Balls trophy for the most balls in the pond.  I put mine on the mantle beside my son’s huge trophy from the junior tournament.