Golf Milestones #1

My first milestone had to be my first par. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember the hole and the circumstances. It was number 12 at Mountain View GC. I was out practicing with my dad, he would hit a bunch of shots, I would play the hole. It was getting dark, so 12 was our last hole. I hit some sort of wood on the 130 yard hole, right of the green, with a bunker between me and the hole. I loved par three's, they were my only real chance to make par. But it seemed I had missed another opportunity. That is until I chipped it up there about 5 feet. I actually had a chance! I don't remember the putt, but I know I made it, and I remember how excited me and my dad were. I remember him telling my mom all about it when we got home. Pretty fun, eh?

My first birdie was a little different. I was maybe a year older, playing in a jr. tournament on a par three course. My round was about average, with nothing spectacular happening. I rarely hit greens those days, but on my last hole I knocked it on with a three wood. We had walking scorers in these events, and mine was a teenaged brother of one of the kids in the tournament (later, to my amazement, a teammate during my freshman year on the high school team, a milestone in its own right). I had about a 50 foot putt, really no chance. I asked my scorer what he would give me if I made the putt (he'd been offering gifts all day). This time, he said "50 packs of Skittles." We laughed, I said OK, and I made it. He was in shock. I knew I'd never get those skittles, but I had a birdie under my belt. Good enough. I was still a bit sore about not getting paid, so I brought this up when I got on his team in high school. Of course he "couldn't remember," and I was just a nerdy middle schooler. Oh well.

My first eagle also had my dad around. We were playing a pro am in Price, Utah (where I was born, and my dad was the head pro before he started just playing). I was just starting to get a little better, and my dad was bringing me along to play every now and then. There are some short, quirky holes at Carbon CC, so I saw my opportunity. I hit driver, three-wood right at the green of par 5, maybe 480 yards. Two big ones for me back then. I got up the the elevated green, and there was my ball about 15 feet away, just in the fringe. I walked up and sunk the putt. I think I still have that ball somewhere.

I can remember hitting balls of the cliff in Price when I was just a toddler, but I didn't play golf all that often when I was little. I would hang out on the putting greens, but mostly I was either watching my dad play or playing baseball. I still hit some of these goals fairly young, but not close to as young as most of the "players" these days. They stick out just the same, and I can remember quite a few more "milestones." Bet you can too.

So this might be the first of a new theme. Next up: breaking 50.

Good times.

Got a good one in me tomorrow. I go at 8:30 Check out the action at cantour.com.

Luke Swilor