I enjoy rehashing my rounds because it’s not about the golf. We play golf, but we also spend 3 hours together. Even if you don’t care for golf, I’m hopeful you see this as my outlet to describe my view on, well, life.

I booked the 4pm tee time and show up at 3:55. I walk up and see two guys on the box with a small kid. One guy had to run back to the parking lot and I was dreading having to play behind them all day. I walked up and asked if they had a tee time. They said, “yeah”. I wasn’t going to get into if I had the earlier time but I used the line, “I don’t want to push you guys all day, do you mind if I go?” He said it was fine and he’d play through. Huh? He must have thought since he was in a cart he would be faster which would not be the case. So I hit one OB and then hit almost the same shot but it luckily lands in play. I finish the hole knowing I wouldn’t be seeing them again for the rest of the day.

I knew that Max had teed off before these two guys . He noticed me coming down 2 and decided to wait to play together. He’s an affable, retired, 62 year old and we have good rapport. On hole 4 a cart comes to us and drops off a teenager, Ethan. Who is this pipsqueak? I’m told he’s the #1 junior in whatever area and I was curious what to expect. I wouldn’t know if Ethan was 6 or 16. Turns out he was 13 and plays in the youth tournaments around the area. I asked him, “how often do you play golf?” “Everday”.

So he starts off by chunking a ball and then putting one on the green from 100. Then the next hole he hits into the sand on a par 3 and hits this beautiful sand shot out. This kid had game. If we were playing straight up, I’d guess I’d win by a stroke. His max distance off the tee is about 200 yards so I’m so far ahead of this kid in length that it’s a big +1 in my favor. His shotmaking is superior to mine. He is putting shots from 150 near or on the green. His consistency is also decent. but probably not as good as you’d think. So the only reason I think I would beat him is because he doesn’t putt out. He’s taking 7 foot putts and I don’t see how this improves your game.

I finished with a 94, 44 front, 50 back, and enjoyed the company. Max shot a 77 but he doesn’t putt anything inside 8 feet. He shot a 34 front with 4 birdies, but I only saw him hole 2 of them. I don’t know what Ethan shot but he is going to become a great golfer. He’s well mannered and is learning the game from adults who want him to succeed. It was unique for me to get that opportunity to see talented youth because I have no idea how they act. He was quiet, respectful, and thanked me when I found 2 Pro V’s in the shrubs for him. It would be interesting to see what type of blog post he’d write about me. “The guy was walking the course like a schmohawk covered in sweat, his chipping was embarrassing, and he putted every two footer like a lunatic.” It will be funny when I see him at the club from now on.