Yesterday morning after church, I went straight for the golf course for a quick solo round before the first games kicked off at 1.
When I arrived, I went straight to the first tee box since I was sufficiently warmed up from my intense workout at the gym earlier in the morning.
“Going for the course record again, Mr. Adams?” said Harvey, the Vietnam veteran who served as the starter at my home course. “Of course I am, Harv,” I said as I fastened my Cabretta leather golf glove, “but I’m all about speed today. I hope whoever you pair with me can play fast because I won’t be waiting around.”
Harvey assured me that wouldn’t be an issue as he introduced me to Ricardo, a fit young man with thick dark hair who looked to be of Latin descent. I teed off first, as an alpha male always does. I took an aggressive, DeChambeau-esque line and striped my first drive over the trees and safely on the fairway a mere 100 yards from the green.
Ricardo took a more conservative line but hit an excellent drive that landed well behind mine but still in the fairway. We played the first few holes very closely, trying to feel each other out. Observing his demeanor gave me the distinct sense that he was searching for something today.
I checked out his equipment when he stopped to use the restroom at the halfway house. Tour stiff shafts in all his clubs and a complete set of Titleist T100 irons. Whatever he was looking for, it certainly was NOT his golf game.
I paid careful attention to his swing. The boy had game, but then I noticed his hips weren’t moving with the same fluidity and power I would expect based on his shafts. “Eureka,” I whispered to myself. I had figured it out. He was carrying a burden. This young man needed some masculine guidance, and God dropped him right into my lap.
When we reached the green, I asked him what he was thinking. “Ricky, I can tell something’s on your mind. Talk to me, son,” I asked as I stood over a downhill 16-foot right-to-left birdie putt. When my ball dropped into the hole, he poured his heart out.
He explained that he had ended a four-year-long relationship the day before, but was having second thoughts. She no longer respected himself as a man and had taken to slamming his car doors despite his repeated requests to stop.
I took him under my arm and told him that I once had nearly the exact same thing happen to me, and that dumping that sheila was one of the best decisions I ever made. I shared my story and assured him he made the right move. Within moments, his entire demeanor changed. You could tell a massive weight had been lifted off his broad shoulders.
By the time we had finished our round, we were having a fantastic time. We tallied up our scores and discovered we had tied. We looked at each other and headed straight for the putting green. We had to settle this. The testosterone was flowing as we sunk putt after putt. Before long, 10-15 guys had gathered around, watching us go stroke-for-stroke and blow-for-blow.
Then, finally, Ricardo broke. His ball did a full wrap around the hole but lipped out. I sunk my putt to win and tipped my cap to the applauding spectators. I commended Ricky on his effort as we shook hands. “Mr. Adams, you might have won on the course today, but I won in life,” he said, “your wisdom was exactly what I needed today. I feel like a real man again.”
@AndrewKirbyGolf@the_fried_egg@desertdufferLLG 😂What a colossal waste of time.Not a single player on LIV wants to play PGA Tour. It would require a public apology and restitution to LIV playersfor paying millions to Clout media to disparage all of us.A better topic is future sanctions for the many players who now come to LIV
I would like to announce I will be coming back to work on July 17th! This break I’ve taken with my family and Yasir have been amazing thank you for all your support