On a whim, I decided to head to my local 9 Hole golf course to see if I could get on. It was a cloudy and cold day, so I figured not too many people would be out. I figured if I got on, cool, and, if not, I could get some practice in at the range.

As I entered the pro shop, I noticed that there was a twosome on the tee and no one else around. Since I am naturally antisocial, I pretended to look at balls while they hit their shots.

Once they were safely on their way, I went up to the guy and asked if there was a chance to get on. Indeed there was. I was up next and I would be playing by myself. Perfect.

I decided to walk because I figured I needed the exercise and I didn’t want to pay extra for the cart. Also, it was cold and I figured the walk would keep me warm.

I waited for them to clear the fairway and hit my shot. It landed firmly on the fairway.

Of the 9th hole.

For once, my second shot was exactly as I imagined it, floating perfectly above the trees and landing short of the green off the left side.

I proceeded to duff the next two shots, chip on, three putt, and finish with an 8 on a Par 4. It wasn’t the best of starts.

Interestingly, the guys ahead of me weren’t that great either and the guys ahead of them were slow, so we were backed up at the second tee. One thing I realized right there and then is that I should have taken my time after my second shot. For some reason, I was in a hurry because I felt the pressure of, “what if there is someone behind me waiting?”

Turned out, there was. As I was waiting for the two ahead of me to tee off, a youngish Asian guy pulled up in a cart to finish his first hole. By the time he finished, the two ahead of me had just started driving towards their balls.

I’m not exactly the chattiest of folks on a regular day, let alone on the golf course, but I had to let him know what was happening. I could tell he would be way faster than me, specially since he had a cart, so I offered for him to hit before me.

He politely declined and said it didn’t matter anyway. He was just out here for fun. Turns out he had the same thought I did. He had driven to the course on a whim to see if he could get on.

We got to talking and I said, well at least we should play together. No sense in him waiting for me to finish my play before hitting. He agreed.

Finally, we were able to tee off. I started walking and he offered for me to ride in the cart with him. I said, “Are you sure?”. He was and I put my bag in and got in the cart.

It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten into a random stranger’s vehicle and it probably won’t be the last.

He was actually a nice guy and we had good conversations while on the course. He had gone to high school nearby (as I did) and we had some things in common. He ended up being a great playing partner.

I had hit on the fairway but on the right side and I was well-positioned for the green. Unfortunately, my second shot went further right into the woods. Several comical attempts at golf shots later, the ball was in the hole and I had another snowman on another Par 4.

You may by now realize that I’m a slow starter.

However, I do finish strong, which my lady friend appreciates.

I scored a 6 on the Par 3 third before we reached the Par 4 fourth.

The fourth was a picture of perfection. I hit the tee shot in the middle of the fairway. I hit the green on my second shot, I putted to within a few feet, and then I drained the par putt. You could not have planned that any better. It seriously was one of my best-played holes in my entire life.

And then, of course, I had to continue playing, so reality set in. I got a 5 on the Par 3 fifth and a respectable 7 on the Par 5 sixth. The Par 4 seventh was an adventure but I salvaged a 7 while I bogeyed the Par 3 eight and Par 5 ninth.

A total of 55 for a 35 Par nine hole round.

After the round, I offered my playing partner a drink to thank him for letting me ride in the cart. He accepted and we went into the bar. He ordered a Snapple to go and went on his merry way.

To be honest with you, I didn’t know how to feel about that. Part of me felt rejected because he didn’t want to hang out afterwards and the other part of me was relieved because he didn’t want to hang out afterwards.

I’m a complicated man.

PROS

Played one hole perfectly.

Finished with back to back bogeys.

Broke out of my comfort zone and engaged in conversation with a complete stranger.

Settled down after a rough start and finished strong.

CONS

Two disaster holes.

No exercise.

No sexy cart girls.

OVERALL RATING:

See you next time.