Do you have that person in your foursome who knows where everyone else’s ball went except for their own?
In our group, that’s Stinky Golfer Tom. You see, Tom is a well-meaning guy who anxiously awaits a chance to follow your ball’s flight path and excitedly point in the direction of its landing spot…all while exclaiming; “I saw it land! It’s just past that small, crooked tree!”
Tom will voluntarily do this for everyone in the foursome. And then, it will be his turn to hit. And he will undoubtably lose his ball. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t really pay attention like he does…and I can say the same for the rest of our foursome.
We’re all standing around quietly joking about something when Tom will say; “Did you guys see where I landed?” Sheepishly, we all say something like “Sorry man, we weren’t really watching.”
Poor Tom. He could probably lower his handicap a few notches if we all paid better attention to his shots. And that’s the interesting thing with golf, isn’t it? Sometimes a helping hand (or in this case, a helping set of eyes) can mean the difference between a par or a triple bogie.
A few years back, Stinky Golfer Pete, in an amazing stroke of genius, invented the PAF rule. This rule basically levels the playing field for average golfers – it removes any advantage pro tour players have due to the conditions they play in.
This includes things like a do-over in a trap where the sand is rock-hard (on the pro tour, it would be nice and fluffy). Or more appropriately for this post, a lost ball that would have inevitably been found by someone in the gallery of a tour stop.
For example, let’s say you hit your drive right of the fairway and into some tall grass. On the pro tour, a marshal or spectator would probably have located your ball almost immediately (perhaps even sooner if it hit them)!
But on a random weekend at the local muni, you will have no such luck. That ball will most likely be lost and your score will pay the price. Unless, of course, you have someone in your foursome like Stinky Golfer Tom.
So let me make a promise right here and now: I will, from now on, always try to pay attention when someone hits – because a ball found directly translates to a happier round.
