Ben Wilson, LPC

Every once in a while a new, risky golf shot takes place in my life. Today was a new one.

The first one occurred during the fall of 1980 during my sophomore year of college. I lived in Ashwood Apartments with Robbie Davis and Tim Saracini who both sojourned to Columbia, MO from Poplar Bluff.

Our apartment building sat perpendicular to two other buildings which had a gap of about 15 feet or so between them. Upon returning from golf one day I dropped a ball into the grass on the edge of our yard and unsheathed my 4-iron. Windows, brick and the gap mocked me. Robbie and Tim giggled and said there was no way I'd draw my blade back. Thwack!

The ball flew true. The stairs nearly gave way as we scurried out of sight into our apartment. WE were ready for another round of Dominos and SportsCenter.

A little over ten years ago in Morrison, CO a group of us stood in front of the admin building with my driver unsheathed. Almost all of us had hit some down towards the soccer field a couple hundred yards away.

A relic of a goal post sagged 225 out down the hill. Bet you can't get it through there! Brad Pesnell taunted, "I'll buy you a burger at Guenther Toody's if you can do that.'

That free green chil burger and Elvis fries were goooooodt. The ball flew true. It started at the right upright and curved slightly left over the middle of the crossbar, settling into the middle of the field. Scoooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Today, Clifton Wise, our admin pastor and I arrived in the parking lot at the same time. We've been discussing playing golf lately. Let me see what you got I mumbled opening the trunk. He swung my 6 iron and it looked pretty good.

Richard drives up. He gets out and walks over to me putting a golf ball in my hand. Here. Hit this.

I giggled and unsheathed my Hawkeye driver. I found a crack in the asphalt and teed it up. I wisely pointed it away from the church. Trouble was I had to go between the church pickup and Richard's pickup. 'That's a new windhshied now', Richard said.

I couldn't pull it back. Flip flops on asphault, first shot of the day, thru two pickups with a galary. Crashing glass was crashing my brain.

Clifton egged me on, 'Oh c'mon. You gotta do it.'

Giggles, eyes shut and a slight shaking of my chin. OKaaay.

Thwack! The all flew true. I even earned an ovation from Amy and Judy exiting the KidsZone.

I graciously bowed accepting their applause. A green chili burger would have been good too.