Most Embarassing Moment on Course

[iskysoma01]

The city amatuer in chicago about ten years ago. Paired with a guy who on the first tee pulls out a driver tees it up goes through his routin takes a swing hits a foot behind the ball and the club bounces over the ball and HE POSES, missed the ball completely and the ball never fell of the tee. He missed the ball by 2 feet.

[SadTrombone]

Nothing beats the four shanks in a row in the Open qualifying a few years back...that was a great way to start.

 

Beautiful drive about 280 down the left side. SW from a downslope....shank, shank, shank, shank, chip, putt, putt.

 

yyyyyyyyyyep.

 

-mini

[3Jack]

A few years back, was playing at Blackmoor in Myrtle Beach on annual trip and hit a drive into the woods. We hop out of the cart to look for it, find it and I'm addressing the ball with a 1-iron that I'm sure I can cut through the trees onto the green 225 yards away (stupid move #1). My friend asks if he should move the cart, as it is parked 25 yards ahead of my ball, but nowhere near my intended line. I said no, there's no way I can hit that cart (stupid move #2). I take a mighty swing, the ball takes off chest high and through the plexiglass windshield of the cart in "bang-bang" fashion. It looked like a softball sized shotgun blast in the middle of the windshield. I was so embarrassed, and all I could think of the rest of the round was the reaction of the staff when I finished the round and how much a new windshield was gonna cost me. The guy at the clubhouse just shrugged and said don't worry about it!!

 

Lots of relief and drinks at the bar that day.

[clipse]

Well this is a story that me and my brother talk about 5-6 years later. After hitting a iron shot into the bush my brother went looking for his lost ball. When he came back to the cart he begins to rave about finding about 10 really good balls. All of a sudden there come this guy bolt at us from the clubhouse screaming. He then proceeds to start grabbing all the balls I have in the cart (which was about half a dozen brand new Nike and I believe Callaways) and out my brothers hands. And this guy is screaming and pissed! Turns out my brother came across the driving range and they were all range balls. What is odd is that the range was complete sand and hand no signs saying Range, and to top it off it was no more then 5 yards off the hole we were on with no fencing etc. We got evicted from the course with a full refund! It turned out to be great cause it was the most painful 9 holes I had played in ages....

[sflaspprentice]

The night before a road trip for the collegiate regionals I decide that it would be a good idea to go out the night before (Saturday) and get pie-holed and try to stay up as late as possible; this way I could sleep the entire trip on the bus.

 

So it's about 7:00, nothing packed, just my clubs and my footjoys by my bed, and an alarm clock set for 5:00 AM. Bus was leaving a 6:15 so I figured a couple snoozes and I would be ret to go.

 

I get home at about 2:15 and eat half an italian sub in about 2 bites. Fall into bed and sail away into dreamland. Keep in mind all night I was so proud that I was telling everyone that I was gonna stay up all night to sleep and get ready for my trip for the team national qualifier. (Divison/School/Course all left out for obvious reasons).

 

So all of a sudden at 6:30 I hear this noise that sounds like thunder...nope, that's my door. Team captain making sure I was alive. After checking with security he managed to find out where I lived and got keyed into the building. Now if you don't remember from the beginning, I had not packed a thing for this trip. I grab my backpack and throw in a couple pairs of socks, some boxers, a tee shirt, slacks for golf and my two uniform shirts and out the door I go...I did remember my clubs.

 

Considering that we were already late, I got into the van (Ford Econoline -WONNDERFUL for road trips) and tried to fall asleep.

 

That really wasn't an option; do any of you remember that fun little italian sub I managed to pull a David Blaine on? about 2 hours into the trip I told coach he needed to pull over. Good morning everyone, how's your breakfast?

 

The sad thing was that my best round was the practice round later that day

[bjmarks]

A few funny/embarassing stories from my years of playing the great game -

 

- One Summer in Junior Golf (not Band Camp) I was practicing chip shots around the practice green. Things were going pretty well until I decided to chip to one of the far holes. I skulled the ball and it took off like a rocket. You don't hear "Fore" to often on the putting green but I tried to get it out. This other junior golfer standing a good 15 yards looked up just as the ball was coming flying at him. He tried valiantly but all he could do was throw up his arm to block the low flying missile. That ball pretty much obliterated his Casio and ended his golf for the day.

 

- My first high school golf tournament as a 10th grader - I am nervous as anything. Fortunately I am playing in the last group, position 6 out of 6. Typically we would playing foursomes but since the other schools are pretty small I am only paired with one other kid, a 7th grader. I overcome my first tee jitters and hit a pretty decent opening drive. It's all downhill from there. I ended up shooting a 78 . . . . on the front. Up to this point I had always played triple-bogey golf so I was a little surprised when the little kid told me I had to keep counting strokes. On some holes we both lost track of all the stokes. Fortunately, I did recover with a 57 on the back for a 18-hole score of 135. The amazing thing is that I beat a teammate by one stroke. To my credit, I did make all conference by my Senior year.

 

- Last year - golf with my brother-in-laws. My brother-in-law, Rich (changed names to protect the guilty) is a definitely a happy go luck golfer. He does not take the game too seriously and regardless of how he's playing always enjoys himself and the company. All that being said, he's does some stupid stuff always involving water haards. Four of us were playing a par-3 fronted by water. Rich's tee shot just clears the water so he's chipping up from in front of the green. He hits a great chip that is ends up within gimme range. One of us knocks the ball back towards Rich and unfortunately it starts heading towards the water. Rich, figuring a stolen-base slide move is the best way to stop the ball starts slides for the ball. Since it has been raining the grass is pretty slick and he can't stop. The next you know he's up to his chest in the water hazard and we can't stop laughing. He did manage to save his ball. There was also the time that Rich went to get a ball out a creek. He jumped down thinking it the creek bed looked dry and ended up sinking in mud well over his ankles. Rich is always a great source of entertainment!

 

- Several years ago I bought some golf shoes to use as a back-up pair. After putting them away in a closet I recently tried them out for the first time. On the second hole I got out of the cart and noticed a small black chunk of something. I didn't think much of it, assuming the mower had shredded something. The next hole I start seeing more of this black stuff near me. How weird I thought. It was about that time that something didn't feel right. I looked down at my shoe and noticed that bits of the sole were missing. With a few little pulls the entire sole fell off. I managed to finish the 18 limping along and my BIL's gave me a lot of crap. The shoe company was very nice, I sent them back and they gave me a credit towards a new pair.

[FreakinA]

I was playing a muni that is right by the mall on a very low traffic day, and I was hitting my 3rd shot into a long par 5 and was close to the road's fence, and apparantly a guy in an old crappy car pulled up behind me and just waited for me to start swinging. He yelled really loudly in my backswing and scared the s*** out of me to the point where I shanked it into the water like 10 feet in front of me. Im not even mad that he did it, I was just in awe that he stuck around through my practice swings quietly and had the patience.

[golfman1229]

i got 2 that come to mind.

 

1) plaaying hiome course freshman year. hit a great drive and left with 90 yards. i try to hit a 3/4 sandwedge and i skull it and it hits these condos in back of the green. made the loudest WACK you will ever hear. next shot hole it for par.

 

2) freshman year. i usually played in the 3 spot behind the 2 senior captains. ended up playing 2 that day so now im with one of them as a freshman. i was nervous because i had never played with them and i was the only freshman on the varsity team. (start of the season) anyways on the 3rd hole i hit a 3 wood it hit this tree and bounced 25 yards back of me so now the hole is about 425.

 

no embarassing moments sophmore year so that was good

kyle

[larrybud]

League play after work, and I hate starting on the 10th hole because it's a par 3, about 160, over a creek. This course has no driving range and it's just a tough way to start.

 

A women's league is behind us, and I'm in the last group. There must be a dozen chicks watching. I promptly lay a giant beaver pelt (how appropriate!) down, and chunk it about 50 yards. I start walking to pick up this giant a** divot that went about 30 yards, and one of the women say "We're just impressed on how far that divot went!"

[Interpol]

1. Playing in a foursome with friends, I'm the first to hit at the 2nd hole. At the tee I hit a line drive, low and FAST about 3-4 feet above the fairway - headed straight for a groundskeeper sitting in a cart facing away from us. There wasn't even time to yell fore. The ball hit the poor guy square in the back. He reeled and then just kind of hunched over with his head in his arms for about 10 minutes. I apologized like crazy, but he got his revenge - he turned the sprinklers on us at around the seventh hole and soaked everything we had - clubs, bags, and carts.

 

2. When I was still learning how to hit driver, I was hitting some awful shanks at the range. One full-swing drive hit off the toe of the driver and flew perpendicular to my stance and hit a guy about 3 stalls away in the shoulder. He was polite about it and gave me some admonishment to be more careful, but you could tell he wasn't too happy. So what do I do...the very next drive also flies 90 degrees and hits the same guy...this time in the face. I almost had to drop everything and run off the range because the guy was about to come up to me and beat me with an iron.

[BigBad]

I was playing with two friends at Shaker Run in Lebanon Ohio. Pretty nice course, it is the one where Michelle Wie played in the PubLinks. Anyway we are all walking the course and I hit an approach shot off to the right and the other two guys are off to the left. The green has a creek running along the right and I see that my ball had actually cleared it. I decide to instead of walking back around the creek to the left I will just jump it. In midflight one of my bag's straps snaps and the bag pulls me down with it. Luckily only one foot got covered in mud. I look back towards my friends and they are dying laughing in the fairway.

[DanZ]

Playing Sunday, we found the wedge for one of the guys in the group ahead of us twice about 2 holes apart and had to give it back to him. After the second time he was pretty embarrassed. Then a couple holes later he hit a powerful drive that hit a branch but he was still looking about 250 yards out for the ball. I saw it drop right after it hit the branch. We got it to him after he teed off on the next hole and he was about dying from embarrassment.

[gowanda]

Here's one- I'm playing with old man who shoots about 110 - he's back in the fairway at the 150 mark while we're waiting on the green. He proceeds to fly the ball in the hole from 150 yards !!! As we're high-fiving him on the green, the single behind us walks stright up to him and asks him if he can have his ball back - my dad then rips him a new a-----le for hitting into us. The guy gets scared and runs off the course ---I have never, ever laughed so friggin' hard in my life.

[mat562]

1. Playing in a foursome with friends, I'm the first to hit at the 2nd hole. At the tee I hit a line drive, low and FAST about 3-4 feet above the fairway - headed straight for a groundskeeper sitting in a cart facing away from us. There wasn't even time to yell fore. The ball hit the poor guy square in the back. He reeled and then just kind of hunched over with his head in his arms for about 10 minutes. I apologized like crazy, but he got his revenge - he turned the sprinkers on us at around the seventh hole and soaked everything we had - clubs, bags, and carts.

 

Now THAT is a classic...

 

I suppose the modern way would be to sue each other... Sometimes the traditional way is best!

 

I'm still laughing now... :drinks:

[akanacl]

True story...not me though..this happened to a good friend.

 

Emerald Canyon Golf Course, Parker AZ..mini vacation on the Coloardo River. About 10 years ago, my friend Bill and I were on the back nine somehere. I don't remember the hole. We were waiting on the tee with 2 others strangers that joined us. Bill is standing right in front of me, when I notice blood streaming down the back of his leg. I mean streaming! Poor guy had a giant hemmoroid burst! He was bleeding like a stuck pig. End of mini vacation. He had surgery a few days later. Anyways like any golfer who doesnt get to play enough, I made him take the cart in so I could finish!! I'm sure they had to boil that cart to get all the blood off seat.

[mozgolf]

The divot itself actually hit the old guy. A tad embarrasing.

 

 

Absolute Classic RAOFLMAO

[PK*]

I have 2.

 

1. When I was younger I was playing on one of the Bethpage courses and it started to get dark quick leaving my father, older brother, and myself out to find out way back to the clubhouse. The grass was damp and we started to pick up some speed traveling down a huge hill from a tee area. My brother was driving and my father was sitting in between us on the cart and all I remember was my father screaming "Slowwww down!!!" but my brother was having too much fun gaining speed. Keep in mind it's pitch black at this point and we were only able to see a few yards in front of us at a time. With my father holding on for his dear life, the giant grin on my face, and my brother's instanity we managed to fly up towards a green, trying to avoid it at all costs. A few feet from the green my brother decided to cut the wheel spinning us out of control but still moving forward fast. What we didn't see in the out of control spin was a bunker. Both passenger side wheels clipped the edge of the bunker causing me to fly out of the cart sideways into the sand, followed by my father who I saw in slow motion in the air about to land on me, following by the cart which flipped on it's top a few feet short from us. Of course, my brother jumped out in time to save himself. So, embarrassing moment #1 belongs to me having to return the golf cart which was covered in sand, scratches and sand.

 

2. I live on a short 9 hole course and just the other day I went out with a friend who has yet to play it. Teeing off on the 4th hole, the first par 4, my friend slices his drive towards the condos on the right side of the fairway. I immediately SCREAM "Fore!!" as it looked like it was heading towards a few patios. I tee off and we proceed towards the condos to find his ball. Roughly 150 yards away we see a guy standing on the side of the fairway yelling something that we were unable to make out due to the wind. My friend is 20 feet in front of me and approaches this guy first saying "I can't hear you" but as he got closer he heard the guy say "You can't hear me because you know I'm F'n right." My friend is a large guy, 6'4 300+ pounds but acted like a teddy bear to this guy, giving him all the patience he had in him. We listened to this guy scream and swear over and over trying to explain in his liquored up state that my friend's tee shot came a foot from his wife who was sitting up by the patio in a wheelchair amongst 10 spectators that lived nearby. I watched this guy verbally abuse my friend and couldn't take any more of it so I jumped in full force, warning him that he should never speak to my guest in that matter, making my point that that he lives on a golf course and we yelled fore, what more does he want? I explained that we're not professionals and with the narrow fairways, this couldn't be the first time someone hit a ball in his vicinity. The verbal blowout continued until he looked at my friend and apologized for getting worked up. My friend just wanted his ball back, so I stood behind watching him walk up to the wooded area 20 yards from this guys patio pointing out the ball in the middle of the woods. I hear this guy once again start in and say "Here's your F'n ball @sshole" and my eyes just lit right back up. I made my way to them and it started right up again with this drunken moron. This time, laughing in this guys face asking him what his wife in a wheelchair was doing deep in the woods! Either way, the event was embarrassing because of the people looking on, but no one said a single word to us cause we were right, I just wasn't having it.

[gowanda]

My son was playing a junior pro-am for the Nationwide Tour event at Peek'n Peak a few weeks ago. As they finish up the 18th, the tour pro asks me if I want to hop on the back of the cart for a ride to clubhouse. Keep in mind that we're at the farthest point form the clubhouse. He asks me twice and twice I say "no thanks". The third time he asks, I go along for the ride. As I'm standing on the back of the cart holding on for dear life, this guys has the pedal to the floor and is flying down the asphalt cart path alonside the green on a long par four. My hold on the roof of the cart momentarily gives way and I'm falling sideways onto the cart path. All I can think is that, man, these carts can really go...I hit the pavement and roll my lower leg, then do three cartwheels down the cartpath, hat flying off, and stop directly in front of one of the tour pros and his group on the green. I immediately try to hop up as if nothing happened but collapse from the pain in my foot - it looked as if a golf ball was under the skin. I look at my daughter (who was walking back) and she can't stop laughing. The pro was kind enough to rush me to the medical tent for treatment. Needless to say, I was center of attention at the banquet that followed.

[mozgolf]

Many years ago playing a 36 hole club tournament over two days

 

Day 1 - 1st tee hit this low screamer of a drive which connects with a retaining post that is about 3 inches proud of the front of the tee box. Ball ricochets at right angles thru the gathered crowd waiting to tee off, in front of the clubhouse that runs parallel with the 1st tee box. People are diving for cover like scenes from a war movie, ball misses everyone and ricochets off a window frame and winds up, in the middle of the fairway, in the circumstances a respectable 170 m. OMG!!!!!!!! much cringing, apologizing and a very hurried departure down the fairway.

 

Day 2 - Howling winds- many abandon its so bad. A couple of elevated greens you had to run after your ball and mark it before it got blown off the green etc etc. Any way, stick it out and we all welcome getting out of the wind and into the clubhouse and prize-giving commences- we don't take any notice, no ones scores are any good in the conditions. Somewhat surprised to hear my name called for winning the Intermediate Division Net/ or stableford, wander up to get my prize and from the back of the room in a loud clear voice comes -"we must have been bad, its that b#@tard that tried to kill us on the first"

[akilroy]

1) Playing a college tournament qualifier that was sprung on me by my coach pulling up to my dorm in the team van yelling for me. I was still drunk from a nice lil 4 day bender. ANYWHO, we get to course, and I'm afraid to put any kind of actual move on the ball. First tee: practice swing, pause, throw up in the trash can at the starter's tent, swig some Gatorade, duck hook the ball OB, hook another ball OB. I was so embarrassed I went unconscious for the next 17 holes and broke the course record only to come back the next day sober and shoot 78.

 

2) Playing in a local city charity tournament at the local muni dump. Came up to a par 3, 145 yards with the hottie little prize girl trolling for $5 attempts to win a car. I was so horny...er... wanting to play well that I didn't take notice that the line over the 9 on the sole of my club was actually under the 6. I crushed the 6 iron a good 40 yards over the green, the fence and the apartments behind that and into what I can only assume was a car windshield.

 

3) Something about being drunk and cutting the wheel on the cart going downhill and rolling it on a friend, etc... meh....

[OpusXcigars]

Crapped my pants on the 8th hole on the muni. Had bad chili the night before. Drove home sitting on a plastic bag. Showered and cleaned up. Drove back and finished my 18 with a score of 79. First time I ever broke 80, I had to finish!!

[Spoon]

most embarassing to date is when i was in my first year of golfing. played with the big boys and was trying to impress them on my drives as i was a stronger driver than them. Group of lady golfers join the scene to watch us drive. my turn, i am so cosncious that i would scull the ball or shank it but something much much worst happened. i butterflied and the ball just trickled of the tee. i was so red with embarrassment.

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

1) Playing a college tournament qualifier that was sprung on me by my coach pulling up to my dorm in the team van yelling for me. I was still drunk from a nice lil 4 day bender.

 

[ . . . ]

 

3) Something about being drunk and cutting the wheel on the cart going downhill and rolling it on a friend, etc... meh....

 

Hmmmm, you might consider looking into joining a social networking group with the words "anonymous" or "12-step" in it . . .

 

 

Crapped my pants on the 8th hole on the muni. Had bad chili the night before. Drove home sitting on a plastic bag. Showered and cleaned up. Drove back and finished my 18 with a score of 79. First time I ever broke 80, I had to finish!!

 

Hmmmm, you might consider looking into

 

[JHardey]

just this past week... i was at my home course... where i work here in virginia... and i was on the 2nd hole around 6:00 just fitting in a couple holes before dark... hit a bad 3wood and was just short of the fairway... i drive down and instead of going down past the fence... and then comming all the way back from where the opening was... i was jus gonna go straight down to the ball... sure enough i get the cart stuck in about 2 feet of mud.. didnt see it at all. i sit there in a nice pair of slacks and a polo and im tryng to push this cart out by myself... spinning tires and flinging mud everywhere... not budgin... finally a gentleman from the 2nd hole who lives on the hole comes over and gives me a hand pushin it out ahaha.. i went straight in and cleaned the cart up ASAP :good:

[siggitomm]

was playing in a 'icelandic junior club championship'

First day was strokeplay and i was put in with one of the best juniors and couble of times icelandic junior champion. The weather was horrible! it was more than 25m/s and raining as hell. The first drive, i drove it straight into the wind and it seemed to go up for ages and then landed in the lava and bounced back into the practice green, 50 meter drive and bunch of people were practicing. Well, the guy I was playing with didn't hit it much farther but he got a bounce to the fairway!

[TEConnor]

Ok, some of you may laugh - some will feel my pain . . .

 

I finally get down to a 2 handicap and decide to play in my first USGA event:

the US Amatuer qualifier.

 

A young man and Assistant pro that I golf with/bet against on a regular basis agrees to drive the 3 1/2 hours to the event and caddy for me in the event. We talk that night about my practice round where I shot -1 on a course I had never played before. We were both liking my chances and felt that -1 to -2 would get me through nicely.

 

the morning of the event, I am holing out sand shots, sinking 30ft putts and feeling pretty invincible - cocky even. I'm sitting on the driving range striping easy tempo drives 265 one after another with little effort and feeling even MORE invincible.

 

then it happens . . . this kid from OU sets up next to me and I swear I can feel the blast of wind from his swing speed on my back. He is blowing by me 10 yards which doesn't affect me until I see what he is hitting - A HYBRID, A FREAKING HYBRID 275! My buddie must see the change in my demeanor because he starts massaging my ego and trying to get my head back to business. I get relaxed and back to business until it is my tee-time and guess who I am paired up with??? That's right, the mutant hybrid kid from OU!

 

As I didn't pick up a club until I was 30, I had no tournament experience except for Men's Association events. the 1st hole is a 470 yard par 4 which he takes out - you guessed it! His hybrid and just blows it down the fairway. I swing so hard with my Driver that I snap hook it 150 yards out and in the rough.

 

shots that I had never worried about making were becoming more difficult to impossible by the minute. OU boy is -3 or -4 3/4 of way into round and I am blowing up. I can't even hit a simple 9 iron approach without hitting 3 states behind it! OU boy finishes 1st round with a 66 and is leading the tournament.

 

Me? 101 - I am so embarrased that I offer to withdraw in case my bad play if affecting his chances to win.

the kid is a total gentleman and so is his father caddying for him. He asks me if this is my first USGA event and I say yes. He tells me that I am not here to win this tournament but to learn how to handle the pressure and that I should NOT withdraw.

 

We have 30 minutes until the next round and I decide to go to the bathroom and pull myself together. As I am walking by the scoreboard, I see quite a few guys pointing to "some dumb poor bassard" that shot a horrific number and I glance up to see that poor dumb bassard is ME!

 

Im sitting in the restroom - wanting to quit - embarrassed - but never having ever quit anythig in my life and with a young daughter that had just taken up golf and already had made 4th spot on varsity. What would my quitting signify to her? I decide to play on and walk toward the tee in what is becomming a 30mph sideways wind with the rain coming down harder by the moment.

 

I turn to my caddie and say, "I'm the only guy out here over 24 - what am I doing here? You can't think like that he pleads with me but to no avail - fear of failure has crept in - trying to play someone elses game has crept in.

 

We get to the 2nd hole in round 2 and I hit a beautiful draw 3 wood off the tee. The minute it gets past the tree line the wind grabs it and takes it out of bounds. Unshaken, I hit a 2nd ball a lil farther right. this time it catches the wind line angel and goes straight into the 10 foot pampas grass! I tee up yeat a 3rd ball - beautiful draw out of bounds again! Lil more right on the 4th and in the pampas grass again! A marshall yells that they have my ball and I go down to examine it - not my ball! Now I have to trek back to the teebox in the rain and wind with the group behind us sitting there looking at me like I am the satan that is making them wetter. I proceed to hook one out of bounds and then . . . finally hitting my 7th ball I am in play. the sigh of relief from the group on the teebox is deafining as I hot foot it as fast as I can to my ball in play. I take a 16 for the hole! OUCH! :good: In retrospect, a 5 iron hit low on the 3rd shot may have been the better play . . . I shoot 49 for the side but am mentally exhausted - physically exhausted and just want the day to be over. On the last par 3, I almost card and ace and both the OU kid and the Baker kid and their dads are rooting for me. Both of them tell me after the round that they are glad that I didn't quit and that they respect me for sticking it out.

 

They taught me more about what a golfer should aspire to be than all the stories I had ever heard combined. both them and their dads were excellent examples of true sportsmanship and what a gentleman in golf is. My caddie, bless his heart stuck by me through the worst day of my life in the rain and wind and never complained. We have become best friends and often laugh about it now.

 

to this day, nothing scares me in golf. I have all the confidence in the world. If they say trials and tribulations build character - than I have an abundance. 24 people withdrew that day - I didn't. My daughter cried with me and used my experience to get herself 8th in conference, 3rd in district and 33rd in state as the number 2 player on her high school team.

 

Me, I am still learning lessons from that day years ago that are making me a better golfer and a better person.

 

upndown1,

 

I think we've all been there in one way or another, but I know for a fact that very very few golfers would ever show the heart that you have. Awesome...just awesome.

 

Tim

[TEConnor]

Last fall I hit a nasty block into jail right on a short par 4. Get up to my ball, and I have a reasonable shot at the green 120 yards away. All I need do is split two very tall pines about 80 yards ahead. I pure a punch 9-iron, and before I realize it the ball is heading back towards me on the exact path it started out on. I stand there in confusion holding my pose. I really don't know what I was thinking, but the path of the return ball was pretty amazing, looking eerily similar to the forward shot. Next thing I know, the ball lands and rolls to rest at the front edge of the divot I just made. I stand there a second, having not moved an inch, keep my stance and then turn my head around to see if anyone else has seen this miracle! Sure enough, my group, and group on the next tee have seen it all transpire. The "captain" of our weekend games happens to be on the next tee. He yells out, "Don't move! If you can hit again without taking a new stance we'll give you that one for free!" I say hell yeah, take my waggle, and then pure another 9-iron. It was a long second or two, but this shot shoots through the gap with ease and carries onto the fringe. Sadly, I three putted, but I am immensely proud to have been one of two people in 25 years to exercise one our weekend games' special ball-return rules!

 

Cheers,

Tim

[Baller]

Ok, some of you may laugh - some will feel my pain . . .

 

I finally get down to a 2 handicap and decide to play in my first USGA event:

the US Amatuer qualifier.

 

A young man and Assistant pro that I golf with/bet against on a regular basis agrees to drive the 3 1/2 hours to the event and caddy for me in the event. We talk that night about my practice round where I shot -1 on a course I had never played before. We were both liking my chances and felt that -1 to -2 would get me through nicely.

 

the morning of the event, I am holing out sand shots, sinking 30ft putts and feeling pretty invincible - cocky even. I'm sitting on the driving range striping easy tempo drives 265 one after another with little effort and feeling even MORE invincible.

 

then it happens . . . this kid from OU sets up next to me and I swear I can feel the blast of wind from his swing speed on my back. He is blowing by me 10 yards which doesn't affect me until I see what he is hitting - A HYBRID, A FREAKING HYBRID 275! My buddie must see the change in my demeanor because he starts massaging my ego and trying to get my head back to business. I get relaxed and back to business until it is my tee-time and guess who I am paired up with??? That's right, the mutant hybrid kid from OU!

 

As I didn't pick up a club until I was 30, I had no tournament experience except for Men's Association events. the 1st hole is a 470 yard par 4 which he takes out - you guessed it! His hybrid and just blows it down the fairway. I swing so hard with my Driver that I snap hook it 150 yards out and in the rough.

 

shots that I had never worried about making were becoming more difficult to impossible by the minute. OU boy is -3 or -4 3/4 of way into round and I am blowing up. I can't even hit a simple 9 iron approach without hitting 3 states behind it! OU boy finishes 1st round with a 66 and is leading the tournament.

 

Me? 101 - I am so embarrased that I offer to withdraw in case my bad play if affecting his chances to win.

the kid is a total gentleman and so is his father caddying for him. He asks me if this is my first USGA event and I say yes. He tells me that I am not here to win this tournament but to learn how to handle the pressure and that I should NOT withdraw.

 

We have 30 minutes until the next round and I decide to go to the bathroom and pull myself together. As I am walking by the scoreboard, I see quite a few guys pointing to "some dumb poor bassard" that shot a horrific number and I glance up to see that poor dumb bassard is ME!

 

Im sitting in the restroom - wanting to quit - embarrassed - but never having ever quit anythig in my life and with a young daughter that had just taken up golf and already had made 4th spot on varsity. What would my quitting signify to her? I decide to play on and walk toward the tee in what is becomming a 30mph sideways wind with the rain coming down harder by the moment.

 

I turn to my caddie and say, "I'm the only guy out here over 24 - what am I doing here? You can't think like that he pleads with me but to no avail - fear of failure has crept in - trying to play someone elses game has crept in.

 

We get to the 2nd hole in round 2 and I hit a beautiful draw 3 wood off the tee. The minute it gets past the tree line the wind grabs it and takes it out of bounds. Unshaken, I hit a 2nd ball a lil farther right. this time it catches the wind line angel and goes straight into the 10 foot pampas grass! I tee up yeat a 3rd ball - beautiful draw out of bounds again! Lil more right on the 4th and in the pampas grass again! A marshall yells that they have my ball and I go down to examine it - not my ball! Now I have to trek back to the teebox in the rain and wind with the group behind us sitting there looking at me like I am the satan that is making them wetter. I proceed to hook one out of bounds and then . . . finally hitting my 7th ball I am in play. the sigh of relief from the group on the teebox is deafining as I hot foot it as fast as I can to my ball in play. I take a 16 for the hole! OUCH! :good: In retrospect, a 5 iron hit low on the 3rd shot may have been the better play . . . I shoot 49 for the side but am mentally exhausted - physically exhausted and just want the day to be over. On the last par 3, I almost card and ace and both the OU kid and the Baker kid and their dads are rooting for me. Both of them tell me after the round that they are glad that I didn't quit and that they respect me for sticking it out.

 

They taught me more about what a golfer should aspire to be than all the stories I had ever heard combined. both them and their dads were excellent examples of true sportsmanship and what a gentleman in golf is. My caddie, bless his heart stuck by me through the worst day of my life in the rain and wind and never complained. We have become best friends and often laugh about it now.

 

to this day, nothing scares me in golf. I have all the confidence in the world. If they say trials and tribulations build character - than I have an abundance. 24 people withdrew that day - I didn't. My daughter cried with me and used my experience to get herself 8th in conference, 3rd in district and 33rd in state as the number 2 player on her high school team.

 

Me, I am still learning lessons from that day years ago that are making me a better golfer and a better person.

 

upndown1,

 

I think we've all been there in one way or another, but I know for a fact that very very few golfers would ever show the heart that you have. Awesome...just awesome.

 

Tim

 

I lived the same misfortune 5 years ago at the USGA Publinks. I felt like I was there again with your story; great heart and determination was shown by you. I bet that experiance has made it much easier to tee it up in USGA events now and compete. No where to go but up! I would have to say, old B. Jones was right, there is golf, and then there is tournament golf! I know what it feels like when someone 15 years younger toss up a 65 and you have one of the highest scores on the board, and the marshall is following you, and you keep telling yourself, I can do this, but it just not happening.

[mcputter]

Was playing in a big team event and tried to play a shot that was partially submerged in water. Slipped and ended up doing a face plant into the water. All of this on international TV. Still birdied the next three holes and was the hero of the team. Wait- that was Woody Austin.

[d0n]

mine wasn't on the course but it is golf related. I was getting my lie checked hitting the lie board in a cage at my local pro shop. I couldn't get the ball to stay on the lie board so I found a spot toward the back of the board. The shop is small and has about 5-8 customers. I take my swing and hear "BAM" and see my club head fly into the back of the net. Stunned I look up to see everyone in the shop coming back to where we are to investigate. I had hit the board first and snapped the shaft at the head. Shaft had in turn hit the net at 70mph and while it didn't go through the net it pushed it out far enough to hit the metal wall. :good: Needless to say all I could do was grin and bare it. $25 dollars and 2 days later I had a reshafted 6 iron back in my bag...