In February of 2012 I was invited to join a regular weekly group at my golf club. The cast of characters in this group is varied. All types of personalities...from comedian to serious. At first my rounds with this group were all about the golf. In just a short month though I was fitting right in. We really have a good time out there. There have been times I've laughed to the point of tears. We do play for a little dough each week but that's almost secondary to getting together and having a good time.
One of the guys I really enjoyed playing with recently had to drop his membership at our club. The social aspect of golf can be summed up in what it was like to play golf with this guy...let's call him "The Dude". He earns that name because of his voice and mannerisms. Since the first day I met him he has reminded me of Jeff Bridges' character in the film "The Big Lebowski". Anytime I mentioned the similarities to him he responded with the classic line "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." without missing a beat.
"The Dude" has an all or nothing golf swing. Lets just say he never gets cheated. He swings with all his might, and it sometimes works! "The Dude" might be from Alaska originally but 'm not sure. I say Alaska because I think I only saw him wear pants once. Every other time he was golfing, it was in shorts. Even in weather in the 30's and 40's. "The Dude" golfed in sandals too. I don't think they were golf sandals either, just regular sandals.
"The Dude" always had a either a beer in hand or one nearby. I've witnessed him consume amounts on the course that would drop a lesser man, yet he still golfed pretty well. He was a story teller too. I think the longest story I heard him tell lasted a full three holes. From tee box on #12 to green on #14. I heard many of his stories multiple times, but I never seemed to mind as they were always entertaining.
I have my own story to tell about "The Dude". It was my last round of golf with him before his membership ended. I brought with me that day a few cigars and a bottle of single malt Scotch. "The Dude, another friend and myself, had a bit to drink during the round, but had more in the parking lot afterwards. We stayed until darkness had fallen and the bottle was empty and we were the last one's there. About that time we thought it would be a good idea to hit balls from our shag bags toward one of the practice greens....in almost complete darkness. I drove over the next morning to see balls all over the place. I really need to work on my 120 yard pitch black shot. That was a fun night. I really do miss playing golf with "The Dude" on a regular basis. I'm happy to say I'll be playing another round with him in early May.
To sum up, as much as I do enjoy the occasional solitary round, I think I'm going to try to play as many rounds as possible with other golfers...even if I don't know them prior to meeting on the first tee. The next guy I meet may be just as enjoyable as playing a round of golf with "The Dude".
One of the guys I really enjoyed playing with recently had to drop his membership at our club. The social aspect of golf can be summed up in what it was like to play golf with this guy...let's call him "The Dude". He earns that name because of his voice and mannerisms. Since the first day I met him he has reminded me of Jeff Bridges' character in the film "The Big Lebowski". Anytime I mentioned the similarities to him he responded with the classic line "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." without missing a beat.
"The Dude" has an all or nothing golf swing. Lets just say he never gets cheated. He swings with all his might, and it sometimes works! "The Dude" might be from Alaska originally but 'm not sure. I say Alaska because I think I only saw him wear pants once. Every other time he was golfing, it was in shorts. Even in weather in the 30's and 40's. "The Dude" golfed in sandals too. I don't think they were golf sandals either, just regular sandals.
"The Dude" always had a either a beer in hand or one nearby. I've witnessed him consume amounts on the course that would drop a lesser man, yet he still golfed pretty well. He was a story teller too. I think the longest story I heard him tell lasted a full three holes. From tee box on #12 to green on #14. I heard many of his stories multiple times, but I never seemed to mind as they were always entertaining.
I have my own story to tell about "The Dude". It was my last round of golf with him before his membership ended. I brought with me that day a few cigars and a bottle of single malt Scotch. "The Dude, another friend and myself, had a bit to drink during the round, but had more in the parking lot afterwards. We stayed until darkness had fallen and the bottle was empty and we were the last one's there. About that time we thought it would be a good idea to hit balls from our shag bags toward one of the practice greens....in almost complete darkness. I drove over the next morning to see balls all over the place. I really need to work on my 120 yard pitch black shot. That was a fun night. I really do miss playing golf with "The Dude" on a regular basis. I'm happy to say I'll be playing another round with him in early May.
To sum up, as much as I do enjoy the occasional solitary round, I think I'm going to try to play as many rounds as possible with other golfers...even if I don't know them prior to meeting on the first tee. The next guy I meet may be just as enjoyable as playing a round of golf with "The Dude".
