This weekend about 10% of our members will tee off in the 4th annual Club Championships at St Francis Links. Where I grew up (Jefferson, IOWA), Club Championships were played by everyone who was a member. It was the event of the year. Our little nine-hole course was filled with guys who played for passion and those who just played. The top players played three loops of nine and the winning score on our par 35 course would be like 37-32-36=105. Al Hoy, the owner of the grocery store, probably won the champs a 100 times. Every time I was somewhere near the top, some new guy in town would show up; usually some college grad lawyer who captained his team. When I was a teen golfer, I was allowed to play in the Champs. I think it was about my first one (about 13 years old) and I was paired with my best buddies’ Dad, Kenny Lynch – a salty and consistent golfer who laid every inch of carpet owned in the town when he wasn’t catching nine on Wednesday afternoon or Saturday morning. On the third hole, a par three, he had a birdie putt from the front of the green and asked me to attend the flagstick. Being a little nervous, I stood there holding the pin without loosening it first. As his ball approached the hole, I found that the pin was stuck in the cup. The closer it got, the harder I pulled. His monster birdie putt was repelled by the flagstick that I was holding. Damn… Worst of all, the 2-shot penalty was on him – the player putting and not me, the playing assisting. To make a long story shorter, I went on to beat him by one shot and came second or third to some new lawyer in town. Sorry, I have drifted from the point. The POINT is, everyone played or watched. The final nine holes, in those days, were usually accompanied by a little Calcutta – an auction featuring the top players and a little added pressure. Our little Clubhouse sat above the course and one could see almost every hole. It was Club Champs and everyone was there!

I realise that travel right now for many of our members is tough and I thank the locals who have entered and the members who have made the effort. I am even more impressed that 2/3 of the men who have entered and ALL of the ladies who have signed up to play real GOLF – medal play. That is golf you know… Play the course the way you see it, play the ball the way you find it and, above all else, do what is fair. I think most golfers go cold in South Africa when you mention Monthly Medal or Club Championships. Golf is a game where you set your own goals and play to your own ability. In a scratch competition, the lowest score wins. In a handicapped competition, the player who plays the best at his ability with his handicap wins. In the end, every person at every level of play can compete, if only with himself, and win. Like in life, playing golf competitively or for pleasure (or for pain) is all about setting realistic goals and attempting to achieve them.

This weekend, play your own game, play the course and know that everyone out there will have a mix of great moments and those to forget. The guy who keeps patient and takes the mistakes and bad breaks in stride, wins. You know what, for most of you, just participating is winning. South Africans are some of the most competitive people in the world. This year alone, our golfers have won all over the world, Ernie, Retief, Charl, Louis, Blandie and Tim have the entire world wondering what’s in their porridge (I tell them it’s Jungle Oats). Golf is supposed to be a game! Enjoy it one great swing at a time. Thanks for playing!

It’s even better when you go to an old favorite restaurant like MaMa Persello’s in Knysna with great friends!!

Cheers for Now!
Jeff