Today I played with the most chatty and adorable partner. He's apparently a regular at the Challenger but I had never been matched with him. I think I want to be like him when I grow up :)

First of all, he was late, so as the starter instructed me to do, I proceeded to hit my tee shot and walk to my ball when he finally arrived. I was ready to duck for cover in case he hit me, but I quickly realized that he was a very short hitter, and he needed two shots to reach my tee shot. As he joined me, I discovered an affable old man who started chatting with me, telling jokes, hitting mainly long pitches (with 1/4 swings) and just having fun on the course. He told me that he had stopped counting his score long ago and that he was now just playing because he enjoyed it. He had been playing for 50 years!!! He talked and he talked and he talked :) I had trouble concentrating on my game and my score suffered, of course, but it didn't bother me. He was supposed to play only nine, but decided to continue with me and play 18, even if he had trouble walking. He stayed just because he liked my company and I was happy that he played the whole round with me :) I felt like I was playing with my grand'pa. You guys out there who play with your family are so lucky! Nobody in my family plays golf.

So here I was, super-competitive, usually in a sour mood when I'm not scoring well, playing with the sweetest man, not bothered that he took ages to play or that he would take so many shots, or that he would tell me jokes all the time, hoping that one day, when I'm 88, I'd be as happy and chatty as him. I can already see myself, telling a young player that I've played golf for 50 years but that I stopped counting shots long ago, with a smile on my face after my 120-yard tee shot. Just happy to be there, at 88, still on the course, enjoying life and its little pleasures. We need a life lesson from time to time to remind us of what matters and I think I just got one. May I remember it for a long time :)