Max was on the bag today and the conversation after every hole with the Daddy Caddy who was keeping Rob’s score was along the lines of :
Daddy Caddy : You get a birdie on that hole?
Rob : No, I got a double.
Daddy Caddy : You get a 4 there?
Rob : No, I got a 7.
He just couldn’t count ! Not for Rob. Not for his own son.
After hole 1 he counted 5 for his son. He scored a 7. Max and Daddy Caddy 2 talked him through the 7 shots and on the way down the hill to hole 2 :
Max to Daddy Caddy 2 : I guess we’re counting today !
Rob did not play too well. Drives deserted him. Chips went too short. Irons ok. Putting ok.
I asked Rob what he liked best about the round :
Daddy didn’t shout once.
After the round I had Skittles and a gum ball.
The course ran really long for the 10 year olds as they play the same distances as the 11 year olds. The boys kept a good attitude and there were no complaints about the distance, however, 330 yard Par 4 holes is a long way for this age.
Although I wasn’t out with Rob today, golf parents are usually found in or near the course. I was out with Bear while he played a ‘worst ball scramble’ round with himself. He has never before had so much fun playing his bad shots ! For anyone interested in trying it this is probably the most difficult format to play. Tiger Woods, in his day, routinely practiced like this and it teaches 3 important things:
- Practice in playing from positions off the fairway you would not normally play.
- Trains you how to mentally react to playing from a bad lie.
- Good up-and-down practice as chances are you are not going to hit the green every time in this format.