Yvonne and I were greeted at the Pro Hut with a smile. Each of us got a golf ball and our choice of clubs. I took one of the longer putters and Yvonne took one of the shorter ones. Now we would tee off and see who would be crowned the athlete of the day. Basketball was yesterday. Today was not a game of brawn but of mind over matter. This would test the will more than the athletic prowess of the human soul.

Out of courtesy I motioned for Yvonne to take the lead at the first tee. She resolutely insisted that I lead the way. My competitive edge was ready to kick in, advance my score and dominate the results.

I sent my golf ball racing down the crooked fareway. It ricocheted off the side board, bounced off a brick, and settled a few feet from the cup. The drive made me smile with satisfaction.

Yvonne did a bit of trash talking as she teed up and launched her first stroke down the fareway. Her ball came to rest near mine just a lot closer to the cup. She putted in and pared the hole. I followed in kind. We were dead even. The game was afoot.

Hole after hole we played neck and neck. The score was even. There was no back and forth or any domination. It was a different kind of pressure.

Then, the stalemate was shattered. The next hole had a zig zag that would take a few strokes to get to the green. Or there was a short-cut through a long ship with a tube down its hull. It’s a tough shot. One chance with enough power and speed would dump my ball right into the cup.  It was time to play for a win and laugh at the risk of a loss.

I sent the ball fast and strong. But, the world that I did not use was straight. The angle of my domination stroke was off by a couple of degrees. It was an ugly sound. The ball bounced off the wooden ship, clunked down the ramp, rolled back and landed at my feet. I don’t remember if Yvonne was laughing because I was laughing too loud myself to notice.

Yes, I was down two strokes and never caught up. Yvonne won fair and square. Didn’t she?

photo credit: yahoo image

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