Harsh Golf Stories

[rawdog]

OP says he is only good with numbers but id like to add he is also a great story teller. Even though the story was tough to read.

 

Hopefully someone broke into their house at night and beat the dad with your putter. Or hopefully dad lost his job soon after along with all their material crap. Aint got no time for thieves let alone bitter b@stards who take stuff from someone who obviously doesnt have much to be taken from.

 

Good on you brother for staying humble, making the right choices and doing well for yourself. Keep it up, the world needs more people like yourself.

 

Seconded... OP is a terrific writer. Excellent posts.

[stryper]

That story was Dickensian.

 

That was my take too.

[Matt J]

I think some forms of Autism or ASD as it's now known are a mixed blessing.

 

The same way you calculate risk in investments allows you to calculate how others effect you and contribute to your happiness. That can be a difficult formula for many.

 

That is an absolutely heartbreaking story, but it a story of resilience and resolve. Best wishes, OP.

[Go_Blue!]

Dont have any harsh stories, jusst wanted to say how much I appreciated and enjoyed the OP story. I dont know you aside from your handle here on WRX, but would be honored to cross paths with you one day.

[Go_Blue!]

Dont have any harsh stories, just wanted to say how much I appreciated and enjoyed the OP story. I dont know you side from your handle here on WRX, but would be honored to cross paths with you one day...hopefully on a golf course.

[NoTalentLefty]

I sh1t my pants on no. 7 of Purdue’s Kampen Golf Course. That was harsh and squishy.

[PowderedToastMan]

I once saw a guy sit down in a creek and cry on the 35th hole of the PAT.

Man, so many sad PAT stories.

 

When I did the PAT, my wife caddied for me. When we walked off the 36th hole, she lovingly and consolingly looked at me and said “how are you doing?” I said good, we made it (I shot 148 so well within the margin). She thought I had missed the number by about 10 strokes. That’s about a 165 at the time.

 

She’s really smart, but now that we have kids, I do the math homework with them.

[Forged4ever]

I was hoping the ending would be you started a small business, got rich, hired the guy's son without him remembering who you were and fired him on Christmas Eve which is when he went into a downward spiral and ended up killing himself.

Ah Bro, I was almost in tears reading Zig’s story though Karma is alive and well as yours following not only lifted my spirits but showed me that I’m not alone in my demented thoughts and wishes???

 

To Zig, very nicely Played and Poohster, don’t ever stop believin Brother?

RP

[IVM]

Zig that is one hell of a story and you are a true inspiration to people on what hard work gets you . You have done amazing things with your life and should be very proud of yourself.

[SBH9458]

Great posts all, men. A good read for a Sunday evening.

[Drewmiller07]

I was hoping the ending would be you started a small business, got rich, hired the guy's son without him remembering who you were and fired him on Christmas Eve which is when he went into a downward spiral and ended up killing himself.

 

We could definitely be friends

[Kjboisen]

Let me hear your bad or harsh golf stories - I will start as in a sharing mood today :)

 

I was 16, still at school and a good golfer (++cap) but was not supported at all by my father sadly. He didn't support me playing golf and said I was wasting my time. He refused to take me anywhere to do with golf. ( Different story that and not the point of this story, but gives some background!)

 

I was playing in the national boys championship. It was not that local to me, about 70 minutes by car (which was not an option to me) about 2 hours 30 mins by public transport (couple of buses/walk)

 

I played on the Thursday and Friday and long days - leaving the house at 6am to get the first bus and then arriving at the course around 8.30am (after a 2 mile walk from the bus station) Playing 2 rounds each day and then the walk and bus back home, getting home around 10pm each night.

 

I won my matches and got to the semi final - which was on the Sat morning; with the final in the afternoon ( they used to play an 18 hole final and then changed to 36 holes)

 

Saturday arrives and not as many buses, so I need to walk to my next village - 5 miles to get the bus. Leave house at 5am and get to course at 8.15 - having already walked 7 miles and taken three buses.

 

Meet my opponent, there with his dad who was his caddy and a couple of friends - I didn't have a caddy or anyone with me. He had all the latest gear and fancy equipment. My bag was held together with some string and tape - but was fine as it held my clubs fine for me and was all I needed. The local pro gave me a sleeve of new balls, as I didn't have any brand new ones, I had found an almost new one on the Friday but had used it, I needed my money for the bus. I was chuffed to bits with the gift and was almost in tears.

 

I played great, but was the subject of some pretty bad behaviour by the lad and his dad. At one point they made fun of me, my clothes etc.and my bag. I was just honest and said that I could not afford anything else. His dad told me that I didn't really belong there. That annoyed me a lot - I continued to play great and holed almost everything with my pride and joy - a Ping Anser which my grandad had given to me - loads of lead tape on the back and a grip that was as shiny as anything you had ever seen _ I loved it and it reminded me of my grandad ( who had died the year before).

 

I won my match - 5 and 4 - (think I was 7 under through 14) and got no congratulations from the boy or his dad, don't blame the lad as it was learned behaviour in my view.

 

I waited for the afternoon final on the wall by the clubhouse, had a sandwich that I had made for myself and was trying to get myself up for the final. The pro came out and gave me another sleeve of balls for the final, I hadn't lost a ball so still had two new ones left but he told me to take them anyway.

 

He said he would buy me a warm drink in the clubhouse as he knew I didn't have much money. I accepted and off we went.

 

I returned 30 mins later and decided to hit some putts on the green as final prep for the final. I got back to my bag and noticed that my putter was missing.

 

I was simply lost for words, just didn't know what to do. I told the organiser and he was really quite shocked but didn't have any solutions for me.

 

The pro offered me a putter from the shop to use for no cost, I choose a Ping Anser like mine, but it was not the same.

 

The boy I played in the final was great, the final was played in good spirit but I lost badly - putted pretty badly and was just too upset.

 

Not sure I ever got over that, of course I could never prove anything but I have my suspicions even to this day as to where the putter went to.

 

There you go, a pretty harsh and sad one to start!

 

I definitely do not have a very specific example but basically I would use my entire last 2 golf seasons as my example:

 

 

Putting forth hours of practice and extra effort off the course to get better and improve... Shooting occasional under-rounds and practice-rounds for tournaments, but come tournament day having bad mistakes, and scores well above the standard I hold myself to. I do my best to make sure I am not result oriented with my confidence, but realizing your limitations is a hard pill to swallow! Being able to hit the ball high/low, left/right, on command no less... having good short game, but when it comes tournament time simply not executing is a difficult emotion to deal with... and then watching friends succeed and compete at the tournaments, and watching an acquaintance win an event you feel you should have to skills to compete for. All I desire is to be recognized as a respectable Amateur player in my region!

 

Reflecting on poor tournament days wondering "exactly why did this happen?" "You are way better than this so why are your tournament rounds not reflecting it?" NOT FUN!

 

Golf is a game that can really beat you up! But last season was last season, and we move forward (:

[Kjboisen]

Thanks for the kind words, life did get better but not straight away.

 

I struggled on for a bit, but I always knew that I had a really good way with numbers - but I really struggled with the other parts of school.

 

I left school na year after that, I failed every exam except for Maths - where I got 100% in the final exam; that was rare!

 

This 100% pass mark was noticed by a couple of universities, I didn't find out until many years later that the school results ( the actual breakdown of % scores) were actually shared with universities.

 

They approached me and offered me a place on a specific Maths course, which I accepted - again no support from my father who said I should get a job, any job and I was wasting my time :)

 

I played golf for the university, played some county level stuff and continued to play well. I knew from the outset that I was never going to play golf for a living, as I had no financial backing at all and had no social skills at all. I had to work part time just to make enough money to get by.

 

I went on to get a phD at a very young age, and then got a job working for a financial company.

 

Long story short, I ended up working on calculations around the risk of complex financial products and the % of likelihood of various outcomes. It was complex stuff, best thing was that all I had to do was do the calculations - plenty of other people could articulate it better than me and do the talking.

 

I got to work with some pretty wealthy people, as the work I was doing was generally used for wealth protection and sustained investment etc. and they liked to know who was behind the theory - often over a game of golf.

 

With that I have had the opportunity to play some great golf courses all over the world, Augusta a few times and many others. Along with that I was put in touch with some very good Doctors and was diagnosed with a complex form of autism, which explains a lot. I still struggle to communicate well and deal with a lot of "normal" situations but I have learned to deal with them better through some coaching and therapy sessions. I am no longer angry and have accepted what I am - still run everything I type through a spell and grammar checker, but is not so bad.

 

I have a family of my own now and support my son 100% in what he wants to do , he is not that keen on golf, but enjoys tennis and I make sure he has what he needs to succeed - not just money, but support and the best coaching I can get him. He's good, time will tell how good he can be.

 

I often do think back to the guy and his dad, never heard of the guy again - he never made anything of his golf. Although I don't know for sure, it is likely that they stole my putter and I hope that they do feel some remorse - even if they don't I do trust that one day they will get a harsh lesson. I believe that what goes around comes around, so do hope they get what they are due and if not they have the guilt that they will have to live with. The pro from that day I remember fondly, was some great acts of kindness that I will never forget.

 

My dad doesn't speak to me, guess he could never deal with what I was - but I am 100% ok with that; I have decided that I am better off without the negativity in my life, I have enough of that on my own.

 

Thanks for reading, is not really about golf - but in reality it is. The golf course is the one place where I feel equal as we are all playing the same holes and the same course at the same time, and nobody can take that away from me - ever.

 

Really cool how you were able to find something to apply yourself to and make a good living from. Your story is actually very inspiring. It sounds like you worked around your weaknesses and found your path when it could have gone a completely different way and you could have been thrown aside and neglected as many people are with mental struggles. Good stuff, one of the better things I have read on here in quite some time, thanks for taking the time for your posts!

 

Also, don't apologize, Golf has its many parallels with life itself!

[Golftoday70]

Getting hit by a golf ball at close range.