I was at the Orchards golf course with Will. Interestingly, I cut my teeth in golf at the Apple Orchards Municipal Par 3 in Bartlett Illinois. However, the courses were only comparable in name and that they offered summer passes. My parents paid $90 and we pay $750. The boomers had it easy :). Will had just finished up a mediocre round in his JR PGA league, and right as we were headed to the car to go home at 8pm on Friday, he challenged me to a chip-off. I told him that we had a long week, mom is waiting, it’s getting dark, and I’m tired.
“Ha, sounds like that famous scratch-level short game is scared.” Will smirked.
An hour later, our car was the only one in the lot, the pins were pulled from the putting green and the sun had long since set. I had a 5 footer to beat him, and we would go home. If I missed we would play another round of 5 chips + putts each. I was in a bit of a trance at this point, 8 parts exhausted, 2 parts focused. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my Will biting his nails – a rare habit for him – and it snapped me right out of my daze. I realized that he really wanted to keep playing.
I’d like to think it was my dad – who passed away last year – that snapped me out of that trance. Something like, “Hey JV, you know that saying about going through the good ole days and not knowing it – well it’s time to look around.”
You hope your kids like the things you like, you hope at 13 they still want to be around you. My dad would have known that 25 yr old Justin would have dreamed of being exactly there with his son one day.
I regained my composure, settled my sentimentality and buried that 5-footer. #ShortGameScratch
justinsadauskas 