For any golfer, regardless of one’s ability, there is always a round that stands out in memory. Perhaps it was the first time you broke 90, or 80. Or perhaps it was a special course that you had the privilege of playing. Of course a hole in one would always stick out in your mind. I’ve yet to have that experience (i.e. the hole in one). I came close once many years ago, on a short par 4. Drove the green to about 2 1/2 feet from the pin, then proceeded to three putt for par! Whatever the scenario, there is always that one round that you remember.
During my trip to Myrtle Beach with my good friend Brian in 2012, I experienced such a round. But it had absolutely nothing to do with my score, or the golf course we were playing. Instead, it had everything to do with the people I was playing with. And no, it wasn’t some pro or some celebrity that joined Brian and I on our very last round of that trip. It was the parent’s of a close mutual friend of ours that just happened to be passing through MB on their way back north from Florida.
I am blessed to have a very close circle of friends. Some of them I’ve known since the first grade. And it was such an honour to have one of my closest friends with me on my inaugural trip of this 50 state quest. Mind you, it had only taken me ten years to convince Brian to come along, but that’s a story for another day. Year’s prior, I had done a trip to MB with another one of my closest friends (KJ) as well as a couple of other buddies.
So when KJ’s parent’s informed me that they might be passing through, both Brian and I felt it was a no-brainer to try and get a game together with them (since they both love to play). You see, both of us had just lost parents (my dad, his mom) in the two years prior to our trip and we both felt this would probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity that we just couldn’t pass up on. Well as I alluded to earlier, it was a round that I will never forget. There were no miraculous shots made by any of us on that day. No eagles, no holes in one. Just an absolutely pleasurable, once in a lifetime experience with two very special people. Quite a few laughs shared by all and a couple of pints in the clubhouse afterwards to finish it all off made for a very special day all around.
So to Mr & Mrs K, thanks for the fond memory!
