grow a set of your own

Ya know, sometimes the people of this world make me shake my head.

The youngster's out of elementary school, but the school he attended has a golf tournament fund raiser every year. Even though the youngster isn't a student there anymore, I still volunteer to help out, as well as play in the thing. It's for a good cause, and all.

So every year I run the putting contest. No big deal. The course staff maps out some long difficult putt on the practice green. Everyone gets two tries, and the guy who gets closest wins. If more than one guy puts the ball in the hole, the few that do have a putt-off at the end to determine a winner.

I've learned, after doing this for a lot of years, that some guys show up unprepared. They usually show up with their own putter, but some have no balls. Being the consummate pro that I am, I pull two or three out of my bag to use as loaners, and take them with me to the practice green before the thing starts. This year was no exception. I took three with me, and they proved useful.

This is the first year, though, that when the dust settled and a winner was crowned, I looked down and there was only one ball left, and it was the cheap ball I found somewhere (ie. didn't buy).

OK, they aren't that expensive, but it's the principle of the thing. You use my balls for the contest because you forgot your own. You know they aren't yours. Other people might need them (and when it's all said and done, I might). Yet, you pocket them...at a charity function for a small Catholic school.