Shit Happens!

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog. Life has been a little hectic the past few months, to say the least. I left my 13 year career as a clinical athletic trainer and entered uncharted territory. Not only was this accompanied with a steep learning curve, but it also forced me to step far out of my comfort zone. But more on that in another blog.

I’d rather talk about a real-life event that took place yesterday. So this is as fresh as it gets. My dad and I hit the links yesterday, hoping for a nice and relaxing 18-holes at a new course for both of us. I could see the dark clouds forming in the distance and knew they were heading our way. I made a comment to my dad that we were going to get wet and he said, “Nah, no rain today”. It started drizzling moments later at hole #1. And in case you were wondering, storms don’t miss Scott County. Ever. They roll in fast and heavy. So basically that light drizzle turned into some serious rain in the matter of minutes. Oh, and not to mention—I left my golf umbrella home. Ugh. I knew I was getting wet!

All the other golfers on the course either took shelter under the larger trees or headed back in. Those were the smart ones, I suppose. Then there was us. I don’t mind rain and was already a little wet, so I figured what the heck. I’ve played wet courses but I can’t recall playing golf in heavy rain. I guess there’s a first time for everything, right? We continued on with our game, played through some of the folks ahead of us that took shelter. And to be honest, we were both playing really well despite the conditions so we pressed on.

The first three holes were nice, fairly open par 4’s with no hazards. Sweet, just the kind I like. This was especially helpful because the weather sucked. As we approached the 4th hole—a short par 3, it was raining even more. You could see the green from the cart path because it was up a hill, but not much else. After climbing a few steps up to the tee box, I realized there was a decent size pond that we had to hit the ball over. I knew my pitching wedge would give me the distance I needed to get over, without any issue. However, every time I see a water hazard, I immediately psych myself out. Why? I have no clue. But today it made sense. Allow me to explain.

So before I get into what happened, I should mention that the folks behind us had decided at the last hole that they had enough. Again…smarter than us. But they were nice enough to deliver my gap wedge to my dad, who was still at the cart getting ready. Yep, you guessed it—I left it on the green edge of hole #3. Thank goodness for nice people or else I would’ve been down a club that I really need. If only I knew what was to come!

Anyways, I didn’t know where my dad was when I tee’d off but apparently he was close enough to witness what transpired. Mind you, everything happened in about .2 seconds. A little background to set the scene here—based on my typical drive distance, my club speed is approximately 83mph when it makes contact with the ball. Which means the ball speed is about 108mph when it takes flight. Certainly that isn’t going to be the case with a pitching wedge, but I want to give you a clear image of what happened. As I made contact with the ball on the tee, I immediately knew it had cleared the water. Woohoo, go me! But I had no idea where it landed because my pitching wedge went with it. Yes, exactly what you think just happened, actually happened. My pitching wedge flung about 35 yards out of my wet hands (with a glove on) and took a deep plunge into the middle of the pond. If you’ve ever wondered how fast a golf club sinks, it’s instantaneous. I was in utter shock. I couldn’t believe what just happened. Like not even enough time to have any sort of reaction. Then I hear my dad say, “what just happened”? I didn’t really know what to say but I needed to explain myself. So I tell him that my pitching wedge is in the water…but my ball made it safely across. And for some reason I told him I could just go down and try to get it because it was close to the edge. So I walked down there. Who was I kidding? I saw where it landed from the tee box. That MF’er sailed through the air. Remember that ball speed I just mentioned…that club was moving and moving fast. One second it was in my hands. The next it was gone, like really gone. Crazy, I know. Go ahead and cue the laughter—I know you have a vivid image of this.

I ran into the father/son duo behind us as I made my way back to the cart. I sincerely thanked them for bringing my gap wedge from the last hole and told them if it wasn’t for them I’d be down two clubs. I then proceeded to tell them what happened at which point the father stated, “I’m not even playing anymore. It’s way too wet and that’s what happens. But my son wants to try this hole”. I said, “good luck and hang on to your club”! As we finished up on the green, I looked down at the tee box only to find it empty. The son never tee’d off. They ended their game after the 3rd hole. Clearly the wiser decision.

The worst part about that situation, wasn’t that I had just lost a golf club. It was the fact that I lost my pitching wedge—the club I rely on the most. In my head I’m going, “oh, shit…I have 14 more holes to play without my most trusted and utilized club. This is gonna suck”. The good news—thankfully I golf with more than just a pitching wedge. The bad news—I had to figure out some major adjustments on the fly. For those of you reading this who don’t golf, I’ll explain the conundrum. Most golfers, even amateurs, have an idea of what each of our clubs are capable of, in terms of distance, loft, approach, etc.  and select accordingly. We know what to grab for different lies and scenarios. So you can imagine suddenly losing a key tool can throw off your game. Luckily I was able to accommodate using my 9 iron and 56 degree gap to fill the void of no longer having a pitching wedge.

The weather eventually cleared up as we finished out the back nine. It ended up being the best game of golf I’ve ever played. I shot a 92.  I think I impressed myself. Don’t worry, it will probably never happen again. I think the golf Gods just felt bad for me. I might also add that I only lost 2 balls on the day. That’s unheard of for me! I typically have to come with at least a dozen in hopes of only losing like 8 or so, while picking up strays along the course. So, it was a good day.

As I was returning the cart at the pro shop, I asked one of the staffers if they ever check the ponds on the course and the guy said no and looked at me weird. I said, “well if you do, my pitching wedge is at the bottom on hole 4”. He didn’t know how to respond and I did not elaborate further. It was great.

Some might argue that I don’t need a pitching wedge since I adjusted well without. Either way, I’ve spent many hours perusing eBay and other places for another one. I don’t think I deserve a brand new one, because I have clearly demonstrated that I cannot be trusted around water with it. Anyways, I hope I can land one here soon because I’m anxious to get back out on the links. If you need tips on how to quickly lose a golf club forever, feel free to reach out.