By Fred Altvater
I have always held to the mantra,
“You can’t play golf and have fun at the same time.”
Making a double bogey on the first couple of holes always seems to ruin a good round before it gets started. Losing a brand-new Titleist in a pond, deep woods, or tall fescue has the same affect and quickly brings one’s temperature up several degrees. I guess that is why most guys drink on the golf course. It helps drown the sorrows of golf balls forever lost, drowned in the depts of despair.
However there have been on occasion a round that clings to your memory like a dead fly on sticky paper. Last August, I had one of the more memorable rounds in my 55 years of playing this stupid game.
If you are not a professional golfer trying to fill your bank account, or trust fund with millions of dollars, golf is about spending a few hours on a verdant course losing expensive ProV1’s and having a few laughs.
My good friend Len Ziehm, a Hall of Fame golf writer originally from Chicago and now residing in Florida, accepted an invitation to be my partner in the Cadillac Country Club Member/Guest.
We were not too concerned about winning anything. Our plan was to enjoy three days of camaraderie and golf. Plus, Len and his wife, Joy were just glad to be out of Florida’s extreme August heat.
The first day’s competition consisted of the typical country club game, Four-Ball with handicap, and we ended up last in our group. We did, however, enjoy ourselves and did not let our poor play affect a delicious dinner.
The second day, playing Alternate Shot, was one for the memory banks. On the short par-three 16th, Len holed his tee shot for his second lifetime hole-in-one. We could see it was tracking in the air, but from our vantage point, we did not see it actually go into the hole. The group playing behind us, on the 15th green, had a better angle and did see it fall into the hole. Of course, they began hollering loud enough to alert the whole golf course and most of the neighborhood.
His maiden hole out came at the tender age of 15 and this one was recorded 65 years later. I have yet to experience an elusive hole-in-one, but have witnessed several. I have to admit that it was a thrill to see the joy on my partner’s face, as well as the other contestants that left their fairways to come over and congratulate this rare feat.
Everyone was so upbeat, it brought an element of excitement to the entire event. I have always said that you meet the best people on a golf course. Even though you are trying to do your best and beat the other players, you are happy for them when a competitor does something extraordinary.
We had a blast and the entire experience was a success.
Turns out you can have FUN and PLAY Golf at the same time.
Maybe LIV and the PGA Tour should take a lesson. Let’s get back together enjoy competing against each other and bring a better product to golf fans.
To learn more about Len’s Hole-in-One check out his account of the special occasion in eSouthernGolf.com.
