It was Saturday afternoon, and a cup match was under way. We were
standing near the first tee, smoking a cigar and watching one
manifestation of the inefficiency of the human race. The weather was dry,
and the course was noticeably in need of rain.
A friend ambled out, garbed for battle, but unaccompanied by implements
or bag-bearer. “Aren’t you playing?” we queried. “I’m waiting for my
opponent,” he replied. “He is taking a lesson from the professional.”
“Congratulations!” we exclaimed. “The match is as good as won. No man was
ever able to hit a ball for a week after taking a lesson.”
Our friend smiled complacently, and we left him to his waiting triumph.
A few hours later, when we encountered him again, the smile was on the
other side of his countenance. “Jones trimmed me,” said he; “never knew
him to play so well.”
Moral: All signs fail in a dry time.
* * * * *
“When a player puts four balls into a pond,” queries a reader, “would you
call it playing golf or pool?”