The Shot That Shook the Green

The Shot That Shook the Green

July 17, 2016 -- Me and my lady were playing in a 4-some with some good friends of mine. The 3rd hole is a par-3 that was playing 149 yards that day with still conditions. I was first to tee. I choose a 9-iron on account of the back pin position. On the previous hole I had lost a brand new ProV1x in the rough somewhere and decided I would just play with a ProV1 that had some mileage on it. After all, it was just a friendly game. Back on the tee I was first in line. The pre-shot routine was typical - grip with my left hand first, visualize the shot, pick out a blade of grass in front of the ball for my line, continue with the right hand, and step in. My release was perfectly timed, and the shot was a low, driven draw that was heading straight for the pin. I remember holding the finish for a couple seconds, twirling the club down to my left side, and then muttering something that told how pure that shot was. Once the ball hit the green, just fractions off to the right, I could see it rolling left towards the pin but couldn't tell the depth. After what felt like an eternity, the ball stopped, and it looked like it was right on top of the pin. The problem was that I could still see it. I didn't dare move, just in case some last revolution dribbled it in, but the white dot in the distance did not disappear. It was time to give up my hopes and dreams of finally holing my first ace. I threw up my hands, cursed this game (heavily), and figured I can't be too upset with a tap-in birdie. So my buddy teed off behind me. Then, his wife took her shot. Finally, it was my lady's turn. (I'm still back at the men's tee, wondering how my ball is still above the ground) She hit a pretty nice shot that hit the green and nestled about 20-25 feet away. As we walked over to the carts to get moving, I glanced back up at the green. "Where did my ball go?" I had just seen it before that last shot was hit, but now it's gone. It can't be found. Under the surface was a whirlwind of emotion. Not wanting to jinx the situation or upset the Golf Gods, I remained calm. I told the group to go on without me. I was going to walk this one out. Those 149 yards gave me time to think about how absurdly beautiful the idea is that my lady's shot hit the green and literally rumbled my ball in the hole. Could that be possible? This is golf, anything is possible. But her ball speed can't be above 80 mph. Once again...this is golf, anything is possible. When I got to the green the three of them tried to stir me up by playing a trick and saying that they couldn't find my ball. However, they are bad liars, and I could see my girlfriend filming the ordeal. I told them they were full of it. About 5 feet behind the hole laid a fresh, new ball mark. For a second I thought about having to chip from the back of the green after all of this. For absolute confirmation, I peeked into the cup. My scuffed up ProV1 was in the bottom.