Four Golfers

The email slipped in unobtrusively at 10:50 AM yesterday, nestled among the work-related messages I had been receiving all morning.    But this wasn’t work related.  It involved golf.  The message was from Roger, and it was short and sweet: "Morning Elliott. Joan, Bill and I are playing at Oak Hills this afternoon at 3:06.  Is there any chance you could sneak out and join us?   Roger”

Let’s see, I was up-to-date in my work. I had a deliverable due by noon but I was sure I could wrap that up.  I had two afternoon meetings that didn’t seem too important and a quick check with my boss confirmed that I wouldn’t be missed.  I was free to play golf!

And what a glorious day to play!  Clear blue sky with a few puffy white clouds and temperatures in the low 80s.  On the first two holes, Joan’s play was just as glorious.  On each hole after a good chip she sunk a long putt for par!

Then came the third, a short, 110 yard downhill par 3 over a pond; a pond that had collected many golf balls from us in the past.  But today was to be different.  Up first, Roger put his shot right on the green, about 20 feet left and short of the pin.  Bill followed, putting his sand wedge just behind Roger’s ball; a distance I later paced off at 30 feet from the hole.  With the pressure mounting I grabbed my wedge and put a shot in the air.  It felt good, and I exclaimed: “Guys that shot is inside both of yours!”  Sure enough it was, stopping about 8 feet right of the pin.  Not to be outdone, Joan calmly stepped up and hit her shot just to the left of the cup 3 feet away!

We walked down the cart path shaking our heads in amazement.  Roger commented to me “I don’t think I’ve ever played a hole where all four of us were on the green in one shot”.  I thought back about my time with the ASGA and I had to agree.  But none of us had any idea how amazing this day was about to become.

Bill was up first and, you guessed it, his 30 foot putt made a bee-line for the hole and dropped in for a birdie!   With a huge smile spread across his face, and hands in the air, Bill gladly accepted high-fives from the rest of us. Roger was up next.  Despite a gallant effort, his try for birdie went an inch left of the cup and skidded about 6 feet past. Now it was my turn. With a calmness I don’t usually experience in these circumstances I proceeded to knock my 8 footer into the center of the cup. A second birdie!!  Roger’s next shot unfortunately slid past the hole again and stopped a couple of inches away; a tap in for bogie.  I don’t know what Joan was thinking, but she didn’t appear to be nervous as she stood over her 3 foot putt.  No worries.  Dead center.  Four ASGA friends had just scored three birdies on the same hole.  And Joan was 1 under par after 3!  We were all walking on clouds as we left the green.

It doesn’t get any better than this!

* This event happened on the 3rd hole at Oak Hills Park in Norwalk CT on Wednesday, June 11, 2008. The Foursome consisted of ASGA Fairfield Members Roger Klein, Bill Rilley, Joan Sheehy and Elliott Whitney.

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