A Father’s Dream Come True
I took my son to play golf on Saturday, something I’ve been looking forward to since the day he was born. This was a big deal to me for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I truly love the game and I hope that Robert will one day share my enthusiasm. It was also important since I never spent much time with my own dad on typical father & son activities.
We went to Brookside Par 3, and the kid amazed me by walking the entire 9 holes in the afternoon heat. His normal attention span is about 15 seconds, so the fact that he stayed focused on the game for the better part of an hour was a minor miracle. He even waited patiently on the tee at every hole for the group in front of us to clear the green.
The course only plays about 800 yards, but when you’re 3 years old I’m sure it seems like a mile. He played every hole from the regular tees with the exception of two that require a carry over water. His best shot is about 40 yards, but he hasn’t developed any sense of distance control. He will swing just as hard to hit the ball 40 yards or 4 feet. The same holds true for putting, so a 12 inch putt might roll 20 feet past the hole. In spite of this, he never showed any signs of frustration with the game.
On the tee his style is pretty conventional. He takes careful aim at the target and usually makes a pretty good swing. After that, the game looks more like field hockey. He runs from one shot to the next and barely slows down to take a swing. He’s like a miniature version of Happy Gilmore. He’s not much more careful with his putting, but what he lacks in skill he more than makes up with enthusiasm.
We only had one minor episode when he lost his ball in the creek on the 8th hole. He was clearly hot and tired by then, and we experienced a momentary meltdown. I tried to explain that it was regular part of the game, and that daddy had lost hundreds of balls over the years. That didn’t help, and he was inconsolable until I mentioned the ice cream stand across the street. That did the trick and he finished the round with a smile. He says he wants to go again this weekend.