Sometimes golf is perfect

The weather has finally turned. I stand on the precipice of the golf season at last.

A time of unknown, unimaginable possibilities.

Golf can often be frustrating, disappointing, and even ridiculous. But there are also unforgettable moments of glory that make every duffed ball, shanked drive, and missed putt worth the pain that golf can extract on a daily basis.

Earlier this year, my friend Jeff and I played golf against two friends. It was a close match, and Jeff and I very much wanted to win. On the 15th hole, my approach hit the back of the green, rolled off, and stopped at the bottom of a small hill about 30 feet from the hole.

Jeff’s approach shot came up short. The ball landed in the rough in front of the green, also at the bottom of a small hill, exactly opposite my ball. As a result, Jeff and I couldn’t see each other from our positions on opposite sides of the slightly elevated green, so we chipped onto the green simultaneously, unaware that the other was chipping.

Both balls landed on the green, rolled to the pin, and dropped into the hole less than a second apart.

It was a shot – two shots, really – that couldn’t be replicated in a thousand years. Even if we had tried to chip in our shots simultaneously – each from more than 30 feet away – the chances of both balls rolling into the hole would be infinitesimal.

It was one of those unforgettable moments that golf sometimes offers.

We couldn’t believe it. We were quite excited, but our opponents were not. The two shots, both for par, put us into the lead.

I sealed the match on the next hole with the only birdie of the day.

It was a fine, glorious, unforgettable day of golf.

I hope this coming golf season offers me at least one moment equally glorious.