4 H Golf

I don’t miss many Mens’ Nights…but I missed yesterday. My absence was not because it was cool outside nor was it due to the fact that it was raining a bit.  I spent the evening at the 4H Achievement Night in Oakburn…an event that I attended of my own free will, out of love and respect for my daughter and mild, subconscious fear of my wife.

There are many similarities between 4H and Mens' Night. The mission of 4H is to engage youth to reach their full potential. Mens' Night also helps people fulfill their full potential...albeit those people are typically middle-aged men.

4H focuses on four areas of personal development - head, heart, hands, and health. These all have direct applications on Mens' Night. Golfers are often well served by making good decisions (using their heads) as they work around the golf course. Some get ridiculed for using an iron on the first tee while others use their driver and end up in trouble. Some of us wish in our heart that we could hit it over the trees on #7 as readily as others. Hands are critical elements in golf. Nice shots are attributed to "good hands" while bad shots are blamed on poor hand position and grip. Finally there is health. Few people would disagree that regular participation in Mens' Night improves one's overall outlook on life which often leads to better health. However, going to Mens' Night while skipping a family event can lead to poor health, both emotionally and physically, depending on the perceived importance of said event. I knew that last night was important…so I made sure to be in Oakburn instead of on the golf course.

I did drop down for a visit at the Club House shortly after arriving home. I showed up in time to do the prizes and hear about how things went. There were only 13 golfers but all reported a good evening of golf. Apparently they only were rained on for the last two holes. Everyone that I saw looked relatively dry and generally happy.

Robin almost pulled off an extremely rare double feat. He was the “dummy” of the evening and he did so by almost scoring a 5 on every hole except for two of the last few holes.

The “dummy” comes into play when we have an uneven number of players. The middle score goes to the low pot and an exact replica of that person’s card goes to the high pot. This gives someone on the low side a chance to pair up with the dummy and potentially win money on their own.

Scott Maynes benefited from this rule, pairing with the dummy card for a $20 skin on #4. Other skins went to Jamie McCutchins and Neuf ($20 on #1), Jason Gorrell and Milt ($20 on #2), Joe Shwaluk and Brad Benton ($32 on #5), and Blake Hunter and Sonny Blackbird ($20 on #9).

In addition to his shared skin, Brad was closest on #5 where he made the putt for the evening’s only deuce, garnering him another $20.  Dick Edgeworth was closest to the pin on #9.

Fortunately I have no conflicts next Wednesday and the long term weather forecast looks promising. Until then, have a good week…and don’t forget Mothers’ Day is Sunday.