Better You Blog

It seemed like a typical round of golf after school with the varsity high school golf team back in 1959. The four of us walked to the 18th tee of the Daytona Beach Golf and Country Club. John and Charlie teed off first, and then began walking down the fairway on the extreme right near the rough.  The sun was falling fast, so we were not concerned with formalities. Under normal circumstances John and Charlie would remain on the tee box until Marlin and I hit our tee shots.

Marlin was our number one golfer.  He consistently broke par, and nearly won the Florida State High School Golf Tournament during his senior year; he received a four year golf scholarship to the University Of Florida .  I never saw Marlin miss hit a tee shot using his driver. 

As I stood to the side of the 18th tee watching Marlin address the ball, I anticipated another rocket drive of 300 plus yards in the middle of the fairway.  John and Charlie were confidently talking and walking down the right side of the fairway completely oblivious.  To this day I wonder what Marlin had on his mind as he began his down swing on his drive. Perhaps he met a young lady at school? Had he made a bad grade on a test that day?  I’ll never know.

Marlin’s driver smacked the ball, as usual. However, instead of taking off like a bullet and then slowly rising to a high altitude, the ball never got more than three feet off the ground.  It was a skulled tee shot!  I could not believe my eyes!Before I could utter a word, as I stood transfixed watching the low flight of the ball, the unbelievable happened before my eyes.

Like a flash, the low traveling ball from Marlin’s drive struck John’s pant leg just above the left knee.  John immediately froze and looked down at his leg in complete bewilderment. He just stood motionless for at least five minutes.  Somehow, the ball had torn his left pant leg off, and wound it many times around the ball.  What we saw traveling through the air was not a white golf ball; instead it was something brown, the same color as John’s trousers, and about five inches in diameter.  And, instead of the usual 300 plus yard drive, we saw a 200 yard drive.

When it became obvious to the four of us what had just happened, we fell to the ground laughing hysterically. I don’t believe I have ever laughed so long and hard. My eyes were watering, and afterward, my side felt like someone had just kicked me.

We should have submitted the incident to Ripley’s.  Today it might be worth a Darwin Award honorable mention.  But, if our friend had not been wearing those baggy brown pants, no telling what might have happened to John.

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