A Moment Unlike Any Other … The First Birdie

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It’s a beautiful day here in Kentucky. The sun is out. It’s about 70-plus degrees. A great day for some golf.

Yes, golf.

I haven’t been able to play in a few weeks because of my arm issues and today I had the need for 18 holes of frustration, long putts, lost balls, and water hazards. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. It was quite enjoyable and peaceful.

A friend of mine from seminary and I met up at a local course we’ve been wanting to test out for awhile. We won’t give too many details of the front nine. Needless to say, we decided after a few holes to switch from stroke play to match play.

That’s how bad we were playing. But, we were having fun.

The fun begins, for me at least, on the par 5, 10th. It’s a short par 5, about 490 yards, and it’s straight dead away. My tee shot went left of the fairway and landed in a little rough patch. I had been playing my fairway woods well and decided to go for the green. I nailed a fairway wood to about 20 yards of the green for a chip. The chip shot landed about 20 feet from the cup, leaving me a long putt for birdie.

Birdie? What’s that?

I’ve never experienced the thrill of a birdie before in my life. A par, yeah I’ve had a few of those in my playing career. But a birdie? Never. And I’ve been playing for almost 15 years.

So, here I am standing at the putt. My goal is just to lag it up there and take my par and get out there.

I hit it.

It rolls.

And slowly approaches the cup and on the right line. I mean it’s dead on and kisses the lip. Then it hangs. Yes, it hangs on the cup for a millisecond. Sort of like this shot, but not as dramatic or impressive.

Then it drops.

Yes, it dropped.

Birdie!

Sweet birdie!

I jumped, leaped, and stood at the edge of the green with the “what in the world just happened?” I walked to the cup and looked at the ball to make sure that yes it actually dropped.

So I’m -1 under on the back 9. Next hole is another par 5. I’m playing my third, again, near the green. I chip and this time it rolls and I kid you not … I barely miss an eagle chip-in by about two inches.

Sadly, it kept rolling and I three-putted for six.

But, what a great two holes.

Oh, as for the round. I lost the match play. We were tied going into 18 and my playing partner hit a great shot to two-inches to the cup to win it.

Hey, it’s all about having fun.

But at least now I can say I scored a birdie.

Now about that eagle.

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