Catching Up Over Eighteen
By Jake Duhaime
Apr 17, 2006, 03:09
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| There are better things to talk about on a golf course than what club to use on No. 9. |
It's been tough to find time to spend with my old high school friends lately. Between colleges, internships and summer jobs, there just aren't enough hours in the day to see the people I've grown up with. We've all pretty much moved on in life. Some have fled due south, others have moved on to bigger and better things. And while we'll always be able to share the common bond of friendship, let's face it, those old jokes and silly pranks just don't carry the same cache with our new friends.
As I was watching the Masters last week (Okay, I slept through a lot of it) I was again reminded of why I love the game of golf. It has nothing to do with Tiger Woods or the beauty of Augusta National. I like the fact that golf gives my friends and I an outlet to catch up with each other, and kick their asses at the same time.
While CBS spent Sunday afternoon showing clips of the Golden Bear's miracle victory in 1986, my friend and I were discussing our own great golfing moments. The miracle shot I hit with a 3 iron on 17, placing my 200-yard shot within inches of the cup. The three-foot putt John missed to send our foursome to playoff holes last May. The time where my pop-fly chips were hitting off the driving range roof and going backwards, nearly killing everyone in their path.
Good times, good times indeed.
Typically there's a good amount of money on the line. Ten to twenty bucks per round with mini-golf usually commanding five bucks a game. As with most things, we find that gambling makes everything just a tad more interesting.
Usually I'll end up on the short end of the stick. I've lost maybe
200 bucks over the past few years betting on endless rounds of golf. But this summer I'll be starting in the black, as my friend Matt still owes me forty bucks from a match last summer where his playing partner unsuccessfully tried to raise the stakes trying to win back the ten bucks he lost in the first place. Personally, I don't think I'll ever get the money back. Though I'll wait until I lose a few rounds this summer before reminding him of his past debts.
Win or lose, everyone always seems to have a good time, especially when it comes time for lunch at the turn. The competitive nature of the game calls a cease fire, replaced by tables of wings, steak tips and fries. It also allows everyone time to catch up with old friends and enjoy those old memories of years past.
I can already tell you that the following conversation will come up at least once this summer.
"Craig, remember that time where we followed Tiger's girlfriend for ten holes last year because you were afraid to talk to her."
"Hey! You were scared too," he'll reply back.
"And what about that time at Fenway where we had those three girls next to us and you could barely utter a word."
"She wasn't that hot… like a five… at best."
See, a lot of people envy the Tigers and Phils of the world, but I don't.
They might trot around the nicest courses with their most beautiful significant others, living with riches we can only dream of. But when they tee it up at Augusta or Pebble Beach, it's all business, with hundreds of thousands of dollars being won and lost on each putt. There's no time for joking or lunches at the turn. Nor is there time for mind games like mentioning "Duhaime's cousin" (Long story) when I'm in the middle of my back swing.
But as far as I'm concerned, without the friends and the endless jokes that make it worthwhile, what's the point? If you’re going to take golf seriously, you might as well load up the XBox and pretend to be Tiger Woods, because for most of us, that's as close as we're going to get.
Jake Duhaime is a regular contributor to Atomic Sports Meida. Since 1972, he has spent more time with Lord Stanley's Cup than have his beloved Bruins. When he isn't convincing people the NHL Playoffs are riveting television, he can be found going sober for months at a time, saving up petty cash to go to the Super Bowl, Final Four, World Series or any other major sporting event out there. He can be reached at jake.duhaime@atomicsportsmedia.com.
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