Tuesday, June 9, 2009

When Expansive Fairways Require Accurate Shots

The glossy handbill suggested, "Course requires accurate shots on expansive fairways." If the fairways were extravagant in scale, why was accuracy necessary? "That's some writer's hooey," I declared to Marty. We had just settled into our hotel room, and were looking forward to our scheduled golf game at the resort's championship golf course.

The next day, the golf Marshall teamed us up with Sharon and Jim. Sharon and Jim had real golf shoes and Sharon wore a golfer's glove.

"We're not great at golf," I mentioned unnecessarily as they glanced at our non-golf attire.

"We do what we can," smiled Jim.

"I golf every Monday with the girls," stated Sharon.

As the game progressed down the expansive fairways lined with sand and water and forests, Sharon's mostly accurate shots had her on the green with minimum effort. The rest of us were forever raking sand traps and looking for lost balls in the woods and the water.

My ball kept splicing off to the left. Marty and Jim were hitting to the right. Several times the Marshall came by to nudge us along.

I asked Marty to show me how to stand as I lined up my shot. He adjusted my angle to the direction of my ball's potential projection. We both knew this wasn't the way regular golfers stand.

Despite all that, we rather enjoyed the game. Sharon and Jim turned out to be easy going. The weather proved ideal. We saw a wild turkey. None of us took the Marshall seriously. And, we found a few balls to help make up for the lost ones.

The next day Marty and I signed up for a free golf clinic. The golf pro gave me a new back swing, showed me a proper follow through, and corrected my grip. No wonder I had been hitting left.

Bring on the game. I'm ready now.

"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does." James 1:25

Could sound like a lot of hooey...but once you're on the course you realize how true it is.

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