One Golf Ball

A lot can be said about golf balls. You can find articles everywhere about what ball is better, goes farther, spins more; is softer better than harder for your game; what about the ones that spin so good that everyone will be able to land the green and pull the ball right next to the hole. Or how expensive one brand is over the other. Today I am not going to talk about any of that. I am going to talk about the ball you use for the entire round, and not lose it. One golf ball.

I have played a lot of good rounds of golf. I have had scores in the 70’s and played one over on a side before. Rounds like that have always been exciting. I will remember those rounds and smile for sure. I may even talk about them in a story now and again. But no matter the score, whether I shoot a great game or a really bad one, I love it when I play the same ball for the entire round without loosing it. I am beside myself with joy if I play the same ball for two rounds. 

A few weeks ago I played the same ball until the last hole. On the last drive I tried cutting a corner over the grass. I wanted to get on a par 5 in 2 shots. I took a risky line and a piece of tall grass caught the ball just before it made the other side. There it went, right in the water. As soon as it happened I knew the ball was gone. I didn’t think about my score. Or my missed try to be on the par 5 in 2 shots. All I could think about was that I just lost the chance to use one ball for the round. My heart sank. It was over. My ball was gone.

The next week, Kathy and I were playing another course. I was playing a solid round. Not great but no big mistakes. It was a nice round. All of a sudden, somewhere around the 12th hole I realized I was playing the same ball. I got a little excited. As the last few holes played out I got more and more excited. I still had the ball on the 18th hole again. I stepped on the tee box. I wanted to launch one right down the middle of the big fairway. I grabbed my driver and started to take off the head cover. Then I remembered last week. I put the driver back in the bag and pulled out my trusty 5 wood. 240 yards in the middle every time. A lot safer than my driver. I stepped up to the the ball and took a smooth swing and laced it right down the middle. Now I am walking down the fairway and all I have to do is put it anywhere close to the green, and I will do it. I will have played the same ball for the round. There is exactly 145 yards to the center of the green. I pull the pitching wedge, hit the ball dead center and put it on the green. Wow, I did it. I played the same ball for the round. As I walked to the green I was filled with joy. I even giggled a little. It is such a good feeling that it will stay with me until I start my next round.

Next week when I step up to the first tee, I will pull out that ball and remember what a great day it was last week. Then when I put the first ball into play the excitement will start. Can I keep this ball for a second round? Well, there is only a few days to I find out.