This week was particularly golf-filled for me. On Monday I played with my uncle and his friend at Willowdale once again. I played better than the first time we went there, shooting a 52, but still not up to my standards of what I want to accomplish. On Thursday I convinced my father and his reconstructed knee to go hit a bucket of balls at the Norwood Country club. I hit some long and straight, while my father discovered the joy that is a hybrid club. So when Josh called me about hitting Willowdale again on Saturday, I was convinced that I was in good shape. Josh hadn't played in over a month, so I was confident I would crush him. Turns out, that was not the case.
I learned two things on the course today:
1) a layoff isn't the worst thing in the world.
2) there is only so much luck to be spread around on a golf course.
I went in determined to score better than Monday and to improve on my all-time low of 49. Josh couldn't even remember what he shot last time out and just wanted to play well. So, when he got a 6 on the second hole, he was just happy that he drained a 20-foot putt to do so. I, on the other hand, was pissed with a 5 on the third hole because my initial drive had put me in good scoring position.
The perfect example of what kind of day it was came on hole #6. Josh got dead-center contact with his hybrid club and launched his drive over the green, almost into the tree line (thats what happens with us - we have no idea how far each club could go if we ever hit it well). I topped my first, but managed to get to the green in two. Josh's first chip attempt didn't make it up the hill and his second still left him in the second cut. As he tried his fourth shot I was lined up behind my ball 30 feet away and said, "Just chip this in and don't worry about putting." I always say this. Only this time, Josh clanked it off the pin and in. Meanwhile, I putted to within 3 feet... and lipped out the next putt. On the green in two and I still lost the hole.
The point is, sometimes you just need luck. I lipped out and skimmed the edge on more putts than I could even count on this round, while Josh is chipping in from off the green and draining 25 foot putts. Clearly, you can't have two people in one group playing the round of their lives - there is only so much good karma to go around.
