Golf Reunion

I played golf today and ended up with a reunion of former work colleagues.

I left the house after Mia's morning feeding. By 6:50AM, I went into the pro shop at the Woburn Country Club and asked if I could play nine holes as a single. Normally, I would have joined another group, but a league was teeing off in five minutes. I decided to try another course.

I went to my old stand-by, Pine Meadows Golf Course. This is a nine-hole course (like the Woburn Country Club). I paid the fee, and was asked to join three older gentlemen. As my group was getting ready to tee off, three guys from my last job happened to be walking past the first tee. The starter suggested I join them, since it was clear I knew who these guys were.

So just like that, I left the three older gentlemen, and joined my former work colleagues: Tim Besser, Bill O'Keefe, and John Perakis.

Golf is a sport best enjoyed with happy company. These guys were happy. Despite a work day, they wanted to squeeze in nine holes before the 9AM. I had played with a few of them before. The comraderie of golf can't be overstated. There was no discouraging remarks. Instead, the banter was self-deprecating, and above all, encouraging. Golf talk isn't trash talk.

And the course was an old buddy too. All of us had memories of certain birdies, pars, bogeys, snow men, and "other" scores as we marched through each of the familiar holes. I can walk this course in my head.

I played OK, but the surprise reunion made up for my ugly score.