Thursday, August 9, 2007

Cow Pasture Golf

The family golf outing is complete with no injuries! Really it wasn't bad. The course was beautiful and the weather moderated somewhat from the last few days. In fact, we are experiencing thunderstorms right now. They were NOT in the forecast.

The course that we played sits in one of the upper arms of Palo Duro Canyon. It is not deep, but a creek winds through the course and there are many, many wild turkey that wander the course. There are also deer in the canyon but we didn't see any today. Several of the turkeys had chicks (I don't know if that is the proper name) following them. The babies were from very small -- maybe 4 inches tall -- up to slightly larger than a pheasant. I believe that it was a bumper crop of young turkeys.

I will warn all of you investor types if I decide to get serious about golf. I'm sure that it would be a good time to invest in golf ball manufacturing companies. I lost several today and I'm sure that if I played regularly at this particular course that I would lose many more! I don't think any landed in the water, they instead went flying into the brushy creek bottom that looked like something out of Georgia or Louisiana. Those crews up north that have been looking for Sasquatch need to check out this golf course. He may be hiding there and no one would ever know it.

I always thought it was humorous that when I was young -- probably in elementary school, my Dad took up golf. That wasn't the funny part, it was when he made a golf club for my grandfather out of some old scrap metal in Grandpa's barn. They took it and a bucket of golf balls out to the pasture and hit balls off down the hill. I think a couple of my uncles had the chore of shagging the balls and bringing them back. When you talk about cow-pasture golf, I've seen it. I think they also used good clubs to practice hitting balls out in the pasture too, but I always remember that home made club. I think it ended up back in the scrap pile. Grandpa never could see the sense of "chasing those little white balls around the pasture." Needless to say, he didn't take up golf.

My parents are both good golfers. My father shot his age when he was 67 (I think). My mother always consistently knocks it straight down the fairway -- never extremely far, but she always took the shortest distance to the hole. When she played regularly she was a dead-shot with a putter. I can knock the ball a "pretty far piece" but you never know which direction. My short game suffers from lack of practice. I will probably take up golfing someday if I ever decide to retire.

Retiring brings up a whole different subject. The comments on my post a couple of days ago in which I mentioned retirement were somewhat humorous. I appreciate all of them. Ranando, if you read this, I don't think you can retire. What would you do that is different from the lifestyle that you lead now? I don't envy you though, I think God puts each of us in the place that we are in for a purpose. We each have unique challenges that are suited to shaping us into what God would have us to be if we allow Him to do so. For those who are His children, He works daily to mold us as a potter molds the clay. We each are designed by Him to fulfill specific purposes in the places that He puts us. Whatever that place and purpose are, it is an honor to be of service to Him. I wonder if God invented golf or if it was the devil???

6 comments:

Ranando said...

We each do what we know how to do, we try our best to do our best.

The key is to like what you do for a living and I know you and I like what we do.

Lifestyles don't mean squat, you can lose them in a moment.

I want to enjoy each and everyday God has given me. I would be just as happy as I am now living in a grass shack on some island somewhere. My only problem is when I got bored, I'd open a hotel and be right back in it.

I really don't need much to be happy. I need my family and my health and I'd be just fine.

Anonymous said...

I learned to play golf on Okinawa. Not by choice. I was the operations officer of MWCS 18. The C.O., X.O., and logistics officer all liked golf. They brow beat me into playing so they'd have four people. Fortunately , they were not any good at it either. I still have my clubs which I bought at Kadena Air Force Base, and have not used since. I like golf courses, but mostly because they're peaceful and like a big park. You better watch out for big old rattlesnakes out on golf courses there!

bigwhitehat said...

They are called "poults."

There are some nice courses in my area. I still like the old sticker patches back home better.

Chris McClure aka Panhandle Poet said...

Ranando: "family, health..." and I might add a feeling that I am making a positive contribution.

Hermit: I think a lot of people learned to play golf in the military. Or, at least learned to caddy for the brass.

BWH: There are some outstanding coursed in the DFW metroplex. I once lived in that area -- got tired of the traffic.

WomanHonorThyself said...

I have a hard enough time keeping up with my tennis addiction Poet!..heh

Pat Jenkins said...

i am going to have to give it up to your uncles pan. how did they get hood winked into having to chase the balls? they definately got the short end of the stick!!

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