I was in college the first time I was taken to golf with some buddies, I barely could get the ball off the ground, it wasn't anything like I imagined, I thought how hard could it be to hit it straight down the grass and straight onto the green, putting would be the hard part... completely opposite. So I bought some clubs and would go to the municipal course in the afternoons as a single, 5 bucks to play 9 holes, in the summer it was 5 bucks all you could play, couldn't afford a cart. Unless no one was there you'd go out with other players if less than a foursome. Met some nice people and idiots.
A lot of construction guys play, from multi millionaire developers, contractors to guys like my buddy and I who swing a pick and shovel in the morning and a club in the afternoon. We had a large group and mix of guys that played Wednesday afternoons on a scramble, friday afternoons on skins, plus about every afternoon in the summer when the snowbirds are gone and the courses are wide open, different guys were looking for a game, and if you started by 3:30 you could get 27 or 36 holes in before dark. Most the club pros at our regular courses played with us at different times so they didn't care how many holes we played.
It's about the gambling and the hole to hole emotional ride, and yet it wasn't about the 20 or 30 bucks you might win or lose, everyone knows after some time it all equals out and no one's trying to make a house payment, it heightens the competition.
Lots of stories on last hole putts that swung the bets from losing big to winning big. But the best one...
My buddy and I were called to play by two other guys, a developer and his superintendent. The developer Ray is a scratch golfer that keeps his handicap at a +6 for local big money tourneys... we don't play in those but he did often, often winning thousands of dollars. He also like to screw with people on the course, talking while you putt on purpose and such, some guys won't play with him, they need their quiet. Doesn't bother my buddy and I. The other guy Bob is about an 8, so they have to give us some strokes, my buddy and I are a team, they are a team, low score vs low score, high vs high per hole. So a team could win 2 points or 1 point or tie both or lose 1 or lose 2, per hole... at the end of the round the points are counted and usually it's a dollar a point per man. No onw gets hurt but it's the competition. They had to give us 4 strokes, so the 4 hardest holes, on those holes if we make a par it's a birdie, bogie is a par, ect. They have to beat us by 1 to tie, 2 to win, on those 4 holes.
By the time we are to the 15th hole we are done with our stroke holes and doing well, have them behind on points... Par 5, shouldn't be that hard for any of us... but it's golf...
They get up and hit good drives. My buddy bombs it but out of bounds, I hit a chit drive and almost out. My buddy hits another and laying 3, those guys are licking their chops.
I'm first and hit it almost out pulling it across the fairway still 200 out, my buddy 3 woods it 10 yards short of the green laying 4, Bob hit's his on to within 12 feet for an eagle putt, Ray is just off the green laying 2.
I hit a chit shot 50 yds short of the green laying 3, I'm up again and get on the top tier the green, the hole is in the front, 60 feet and a huge drop in the middle, Laying 4. Ray chips on to about 6 feet laying 3... So I'm laying 4 with an impossible putt, my buddy is laying 4 just off the green in front, Bob is 2 with a decent eagle putt and Ray 3 with a decent birdie putt.
Now before my buddy chips I say... you know if Keith makes that chip and I make my putt, Bob 3 putts and you 2 putt, we tie... Oh ya right.
Keith chips it in... par
I'm laughing... I putt, it rides the break, over the drop, down to the hole and BOOM... in... par.
I'm laughing my ass off and they are shaking their heads.
Now Bob has to 2 putt at worst and Ray has to 1 putt for them to win 2 points. Ray 2 putts from 6 feet and they can only win 1.
Bob putts and knocks it by 5 feet, laying 3, no gimme... Ray misses his and taps in for par... one tie for us... Bob is sweating, if he misses we tie the second point and he 3 putted a 12 foot eagle try... he misses...
We are laughing so hard and they are so dejected, we dominate the last couple holes and they paid us 20 bucks each.
I still remind Ray about that sometimes and he still just shakes his head.
Kent
Last edited by krp; 01/14/21.
