I’m In the Eagle Club

It’s been a long week. I absolutely needed the golf therapy yesterday. The four of us, Rahim, Harris, Razman and I teed off after the Friday prayer at about 2.45pm. The usual place of course; Teluk Rubiah Golf & Country Club. I was playing slightly better than I did last Sunday but still managed to lose a couple of balls during the first nine. By my standard, it was not bad…..

I was struggling a bit during the second nine. My knee (the one that had the PCL surgery obviously) was starting to trouble me and I dreaded the prospect of losing a ball in the roughs, as that would mean more walking around while searching, and ultimately putting more load on the already handicapped knee. The first sign of luck came at the 15th Hole Par 3 about 160m.  I teed off with 5 Iron and the ball landed nicely about 15ft from the pin. As luck would have it, I missed a 2 ft putt and ended with a Bogey. To make matters worse, Harris who had to chip the ball from near the bush, ended up getting a Par after he hit a miracle putt from at least 25ft out while being challenged by a damaged patch obstructing the ball’s path.

Rahim and I teed off wonderfully at the 16th Hole Par 4, with both looking straight at the pin from about 60-70m out after we got the better of the lake and coconut trees. My Driver felt right, the ball went straight but there was the worry of the muddy ground in the vicinity where the ball had landed. As it turned out, Rahim’s ball was buried half way in the mud, while mine nicely perched on top of a patch of grass on the fairway safely away from any danger. I don’t have a Pitching Wedge so it was either 9 Iron or the Sand Wedge. I opted for the 54º SW. As the ball sailed away, I saw it heading straight towards the flag on the green and just disappeared. I thought that I had hit it passed the green. Hence, upon arrival at the green, I began to look around at the area behind the green which was sloping downhill into a rough, but the ball was nowhere in sight. It never occurred to me to search inside the pin. I was puzzled by the disappearance of the ball. I’ve had my fair share of losing a ball, but this was difficult to comprehend. It was Razman who had the instinct to look inside the pin, and there it was….nicely tucked between the flag and the side of the pin.

Yessss, I had my first “Eagle” yesterday. It was a miracle. And it’s going to be a greater miracle if I were to repeat that in my life time. A friend said, “It's more luck to have an “Eagle” than to have a Hole In One”. I don’t know the odds between the two, but having done so I think I just want to cherish the thought of being blessed with this luck. And for somebody who is so used to Bogey, “Double Par” and Scratched….an “Eagle” is definitely the miracle I need to boost my game to greater height. And I’ll definitely put this little golf ball as a trophy in the house as I’m sure it will give me a lot of comfort knowing for that particular moment on 11 Dec 09, I was blessed with a little miracle.