It’s been a long cold winter. It’s
April, and morning temps are still in the 30s. I haven’t played much golf at
all this year, except for a quick trip to So Cal and the unseasonably warm day here and there. But yesterday, the weather was
grand. Sprinkles in the morning, followed by bright sun and highs in the low
60s.
Things have changed among me and
my regular golf gals. Bea got back into real estate and is too busy showing
houses to play golf these days. Seri’s schedule is full, too, since she now
goes to English classes four days a week. I have been crazy busy myself, with a
sudden influx of freelance work, which has kept me busy in the off season, but
also resulted in more hours at a desk. Last week, the tightness in my trapezius
muscles caused a morning back spasm that had me running to the doctor. The
acute pain went away after a few days, and at first I was afraid to golf right
away, but I tried hitting some balls at the range, and my back actually felt
better.
Yesterday, I was still a little
nervous about golfing. But I already have an appointment with a physical
therapist next week, so I figured if I hurt myself, it would be fixed soon
enough. Seri has Fridays off, so she and I met at Pine Ridge for a 10:30am
round. The course was oddly deserted, with only a foursome of OMGs (old man
golfers) in front of us, and a twosome behind. I figured the threat of rain had
scared everyone away.
It felt like Seri and I had the
course to ourselves, and we had a blast. Seri was her usual bubbly self, an
endless stream of self-commentary about her stance, her swing, her ball flight.
I was my usual self, too, a cheerleading Pollyanna, exclaiming “Good ball!” and
“Look at it roll!” whenever Seri hit a good shot. Our balls were rolling an unusually long way, due
to the hardness of the ground, which hadn’t thawed yet. Underlying my display
of glee, of course, was a mindfulness of my back.
To reduce tension in my shoulders,
I focused on getting reacquainted with the familiar little things about the
game: the goose poop everywhere, the itch in my throat from the grass, and my
superstition that, when marking my ball with my bumblebee ball marker, the butt of
the bee must always face the
direction of the hole.
Also, Seri brought a new snack, a packet of the most
light, crisp, and delicious cracker I’d had in a while. They were
sesame-flavored with a sprinkling of crystallized sugar on top, and possibly a
touch of coconut flavor. The package wrapper had a picture of a woman in a
green skirt riding on a scooter. Seri told me the Korean writing translated to
“great beautiful smile.” I kept the wrapper so I could take it on my next trip
to the Korean grocery and buy the same crackers.
I did notice that Seri had
suddenly gotten almost as long as me. Her usual ball flight on a drive was a
high arc and a dead drop with barely any roll. Yesterday, her ball flight was
low, with a roll about a third as long as the ball carried in the air.
She kept complaining that she was moving her head during the swing. I told her
whatever she was doing, she should keep at it.
On the back nine, the pace slowed.
We had caught up to the group ahead. While waiting to tee off on a hole, we saw
a goose just laying there among a bunch of other geese. At first we feared it
was dead. Seri told me she had once struck and killed a chicken at a golf
course in New Zealand. The kiwi golf course owners told her she could take the
chicken home and have it for dinner, but she couldn’t bear it. She felt bad
enough she’d brought its life to an end with a golf shot. Here at the home
course, the goose got up and walked away, and we were relieved. I don’t know
how to cook a goose anyway.
At the 18th hole, I was
doubly relieved that I could still hit a 200-yard tee shot. There is nothing
like the sound and feel of a crack-a-lackin’ big bop. Neither Seri nor I kept score,
but I knew I had parred two holes and bogeyed most. Later, I learned why the
course had been so empty. It was the Orioles’ first game of the season, so
everyone in town was either heading down to Camden Yards or staying home to
watch it on TV. The Orioles won, with an 8th-inning grand slam. So,
it turned out to be an auspicious start to the season, for everyone.
