Winning Words 9/2/10
“Golf without bunkers and hazards would be tame and monotonous. So would life.” (B.C. Forbes) The recent PGA golf tournament was played on Whistling Straits which has 967 bunkers. Dustin Johnson thought that there were 966, which cost him a two-stroke penalty. That’s one of the hazards of golf. Life has its hazards, too, which can lead to frustration and excitement. How else is golf like life? ;-) Jack

FROM DR IN MICHIGAN: I like this one! I'm going to share this one with friends. FROM JACK: Do you remember the game, "Pass it on?" Pass it on!

FROM MOLINER CF: Golf spelled backwards is "Flog".And a lot of people flog through life for lack of focus. FROM JACK: In golf, I've seen a lot of people flogging the ball. MORE FROM CF: Isn't it odd that golf is the only game in the world where you try to get a low score? What devious mind dreamed that one up?

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: From a family of golfers...Gary, Neil, Andy, Jess, Joshua (11) on a church team, and Noah who is just starting out, life is a lot like golf for me. It has a lot of hazards and a lot of missed holes, but ya just gotta play the game of life for the fun of it. FROM JACK: I don't see your name on the list. Men only?

FROM PRGC IN SAN DIEGO: One of the persons who did not make the playoffs that day was Zach Johnson. He finished one stroke behind the twosome who made the play-off hole where it was decided by a birdie. Dustin Johnson ended up one stroke behind Zach...I think. Whatever, Zach hails from Cedar Rapids, IA and worked at the CR Country Club as a youth. And would you believe your friend, Jorge, was the CRCC club handicap match-play champion in 1973...I think that was the date. Whatever...Zach is fine young man. Hope he will
make the Ryder Cup again. Will know in a day or two. Small world, don't you think. Go hit a few white balls, Jack. You will like it. You were always athletic. FROM JACK: In an act of generosity (and frustration) i gave my golf bag and clubs to the church rummage sale. I am now a commentator regarding the sport. I still look at my hole-in-one card once in a while.

FROM SG IN TAMPA: Expect the unexpected. By the way, that Whistler's course reminded me in some ways of the Indian Bluffs course up and down hills near Milan or the airport. It wasn't quite as rugged as Whistlers but it was fun to play. FROM JACK: Indian Bluff is where I first played the game. I also played at Saukie... sometimes when the sun was just coming up and the heavy dew caused my ball to leave a "rooster tail" as it scooted along the ground. It was in Moline where I learned the meaning of the word, MULLIGAN!

FROM CL IN MICHIGAN: Most of us willing settle for a bogey as we play life's courses. FROM JACK: I remember when playing "bogey-golf" for a round was satisfying for me. I never thought that I was perfect.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: Golf is one game where you can see the walkers and the drivers. I mean the people on foot and the people riding around on wheels. Those spinning wheels in Revelation and also that hymn "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" always remind me of how contemporary wheels were back then but Jesus was a walker and also a boat rider. He might have enjoyed golf. Wonder whether he would have been a walker or a rider. FROM JACK: You're pretty clever today. Jesus went to a wedding, and he hung out with some sinners. I guess he'd go to a golf course, too. Groucho Marx said that he'd never join a country club that would have him as a member.

FROM PRFM IN WISCONSIN: Golf is like life, as it is one game without any opponent - if things don't go well, you can't blame other people for you choose the club and swing the club! FROM JACK: What do you mean, No opponent? I wanted to beat my playing partner (a UCC pastor) soooooooooo bad. I was glad he was playing with me when I aced a hole. One time he hooked a drive and blamed the club. He threw it in the air, and it stuck high up in a fir tree. But, we had fun and lots of laughs.