the damage for a small bag of jerky and a pack of peanut butter crackers. I saw him text his retirement fund administrator for an advance to cover the tab. Even with our inconsistent play, Geoff and I were able to win the day over our playing companions. Apres Golf We adjourned to a local sports bar for recaps, jokes and hilarious stories. I, being a good Samaritan, picked up the tab without hesitation. The one thing I learned from Mike and Fred about their golf is, “If they have to pay, they don’t play.” I figured there was no way they would ever pay for their meals and since Geoff had arranged the golf, taking care of the bill for these guys seemed like the natural thing to do. What a guy, right? I can be a gentleman. The Second Day What should have been a 40-minute drive to the course on the second day turned into a 1.5 hour marathon, when I realized I had left my laptop at Geoff’s house. I blame Geoff because he had laid extra blankets and pillows on top of it. Thus, there was very little time to warm up before heading to the first tee. This round was at a public course, The Champions Club at Summerfield, a far cry from Tesoro. There were golfers everywhere! The local chapter of the First Tee was holding an event and there were kids everywhere. The parents shouted encouragement, while course rangers barked orders. We quickly fell behind the pace after only 3 holes. It takes time to complete a hole when the group is slicing and dicing their way to three triples and a quad. After a botany lesson from Fred about the miracles of a seemingly dead palm tree growing new roots. Geoff continued his string of sixes while I managed three seven’s, plus a pair of sixes for a full house. Miraculously, Geoff and I halved the front nine because Fred found himself with bogie putts that were just outside the friendship zone, plus nothing seemed to want to go into the hole. On the back nine, Geoff rekindled his passion for the game while lugging me and my double bogies on his back. After falling two down with five holes to play, a par cut it to one, but Mike’s par on the 15th put us two down in the match once again with three to play. An amazing sandy on 16 cut
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