caught up in winning
Every year our neighborhood has a "Meet Your Neighbor" golf tournament. It started 6 years ago, with the neighborhood, as a way for all the folks moving in to get to know each other. The idea was everybody signs up and gets randomly thrown together and we all play a scramble format so it's nice and friendly. No handicaps in there, because it's nice and friendly, and for fun, we'll give the winner some little gift certificate thing in the pro shop.
Nice concept. Worked the first year, because nobody knew anybody. It's turned into something else altogether.
By the second year, the club had members, and everyone knew who the serious golfers were, and people insisted on being paired with their friends...and they were, because they were club members and the club bends over backward for its members.
Maybe if I were a serious golfer (or a member of the club), I'd see it differently, but there are plenty of opportunities in that club, as in any other, to show off your golfing prowess. They have their member tournaments and their competitions with other clubs and what not. The purpose of this thing was supposed to be to go out and meet some folks you don't know, and again, this year (yesterday), that's what I did. Met some nice folks too, so I got what I paid for, and shouldn't complain.
The thing is, the folks who won are all scratch golfers, and play together every week. They probably got in 18 before the tournament started at 1:00. Why did they bother? They certainly didn't meet anybody new, and was there any doubt they could win this thing? Well, there was a little, because there were two foursomes like that (the other came in second). Maybe they had a mini-competition going on between themselves. It couldn't have been for the $10 gift certificate the club gave them. Paying to play in the thing cost more than they got for 1st place. Maybe it was the recognition. I mean, some guy from the golf shop with a Mr. Microphone announced them as the winners, and presented them with envelopes with their gift certificates enclosed. There were smiles and high fives all around, like they accomplished something. Whatever. I just felt like saying, "sure, you guys beat us." For your sake, I damn well hope you did.
Nice concept. Worked the first year, because nobody knew anybody. It's turned into something else altogether.
By the second year, the club had members, and everyone knew who the serious golfers were, and people insisted on being paired with their friends...and they were, because they were club members and the club bends over backward for its members.
Maybe if I were a serious golfer (or a member of the club), I'd see it differently, but there are plenty of opportunities in that club, as in any other, to show off your golfing prowess. They have their member tournaments and their competitions with other clubs and what not. The purpose of this thing was supposed to be to go out and meet some folks you don't know, and again, this year (yesterday), that's what I did. Met some nice folks too, so I got what I paid for, and shouldn't complain.
The thing is, the folks who won are all scratch golfers, and play together every week. They probably got in 18 before the tournament started at 1:00. Why did they bother? They certainly didn't meet anybody new, and was there any doubt they could win this thing? Well, there was a little, because there were two foursomes like that (the other came in second). Maybe they had a mini-competition going on between themselves. It couldn't have been for the $10 gift certificate the club gave them. Paying to play in the thing cost more than they got for 1st place. Maybe it was the recognition. I mean, some guy from the golf shop with a Mr. Microphone announced them as the winners, and presented them with envelopes with their gift certificates enclosed. There were smiles and high fives all around, like they accomplished something. Whatever. I just felt like saying, "sure, you guys beat us." For your sake, I damn well hope you did.
John put this out here at 8:35 AM
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