I'm no slouch myself
Judge Smails: Ty, what did you shoot today?
Ty Webb: Oh, Judge, I don't keep score.
Judge Smails: Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?
Ty Webb: By height.
I've never bought a golf ball in my life.
Oh, I play. I'm what you might call a social golfer—mostly wedding parties and client outings and vendor spiffs. When I was younger I played reguarly. I suppose my friend Bob staked me with a few balls my first time out, and like Warrent Buffet's first dividend check I've parlayed it into a 1,000% return. Over time it's become a point of pride, a conversation topic on the course.
One time, I played with the same ball for a year and half. Back then I could hit straight. Now, I just count on finding more balls than I lose. For example, here's the scorecard from my most recent round, at InverWood:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total |
Lost | - | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 7 |
Found | - | 5 | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | - | - | 11 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total |
Lost | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 13 |
Found | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | 22 |
Lost: 20
Found: 33
Total: +13
You might infer from those numbers a generous approach to mulligans. You would be correct, at least regarding tee shots. But for the most part I take the drop and add the stroke. And if I take a somewhat roundabout route to the drop zone, who's to say I won't turn a quadruple bogey into a Titleist HP Tour windfall?
Another thing I've never done: Skip hoops at St. John's to play golf (cough) Ian (cough). Happily, we retake the hardwood tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Please let me know if you will or will not be playing.