I wasn't feeling particularly lucky as I approached the starter's house today at Pinehurst's No. 4 course. The way I see it, you've got a better chance of hitting the lottery than being paired with someone fun, interesting and good at golf.
That's why I show up as a single about once every, oh, quarter-century or so. Not that I'm anti-social; I just never took that "it's just you vs. the course" thing literally, and have heard too many horror stories of bad pairings.
On the contrary, golf is a social game that in my book should include friendly banter (not to mention a friendly wager). Thus, in order to be friendly, you have to have friends. Ditto for bantering and wagering. Or so my theory goes.
Forced to fly solo, I stood there with the starter awaiting my fate. OK, I thought, maybe I can last nine holes and head into Pinehurst Village for lunch and blog material. Heck, I could always fall down and say I sprained my ankle, or borrow Rodney Dangerfield's line from Caddyshack ... "Oh, my arm, it's broke!"
And then I hit the lottery.
Kelly Hall is a caddie at all eight Pinehurst golf courses and knows just about every inch of the resort's holes. Hall was once a rodeo cowboy, and rode bulls for seven years on the circuit.
His father, Norm, is a retired FBI agent. At 69, he still plays softball four days a week and travels to national tournaments. A former baseball player, Norm still puts an athletic move on the ball and generates amazing power for his age.
We quickly bonded and soon didn't even care about our scores. Had a few beers and lunch afterward, and might have stayed longer if it wasn't already getting late.
How about that for luck? Kelly guided me around the course and helped read putts. Norm provided security and kept the paparazzi at bay.
Great guys. Great company.
Thanks to them, I might even reconsider my policy of going solo every quarter century.
(BTW, if you've played the course, consider sharing your thoughts on Pinehurst No. 4. If you haven't, you should!)
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