Fantasy Foursome

It’s Masters Week again. My word, don’t the years flash by in a blink of an eye when you’re having fun?  Anyway, the Masters has given me an idea for my blog which is to nominate three professional golfers I would like in my fantasy foursome.

Before I get to the professionals, I must mention three friends that I would thoroughly enjoy playing in a foursome with. Two live in Wales and the third completing the foursome lives in Atlanta. I’ve played numerous rounds with the three of them, but never as a foursome. They all respect the etiquette of the game. They all enjoy playing relatively quickly which is compulsory to be included in my foursome.

I can’t abide slow play, and weekend hackers who view their putts from all points of the compass should be banned from stepping onto a golf course. My friend Paul is a very good golfer and once played off a +4 handicap, but has the patience of a saint when he is paired with inferior golfers like me.

My ideal time for a round of golf if 3-4 hours which is not always possible, so I need to play with guys who have the same approach to a round of golf. Fortunately, Paul, Rob and Jimmy are all sociable, laid back individuals with a great sense of humor thrown in the mix. Neither do they send out a search party looking for lost balls. We complement each other on good shots and commiserate when an errant hook or slice ends up in the lake. We enjoy each other’s company which is the way it should be.

Playing a round of golf with another guy can reveal a great deal about his character, and as I get older I do not wish to be paired with strangers who could be completely obnoxious. A four or five hour round is a long time to suffer at the hands of a boorish know it all.

Okay, let’s continue onto my fantasy foursome. Before we start fantasizing I wish I could slot my dad into one of these foursomes. I don’t believe he ever stepped onto the hallowed turf of a real golf course, but we played a couple of rounds at Ashleigh Road which was a Par 3 Municipal Course running along Mumbles Road. My dad had 20/20 vision and enjoyed superb hand eye co-ordination. He had no time for course management but could hit the ball a country mile with a 5 iron. Playing a links course like Royal Porthcawl with my dad would have been a fantasy in itself.

Based on my bon hommie conviviality theme, the professional golfers to form my fantasy four would need to be interactive and gregarious. Arnold Palmer falls into the category and so does Sam Snead. They played the game with a smile on their face and a spirit of adventure. They were the cavaliers opposing the driven roundheads in the shape of Nicklaus, Woods, and Faldo. Trevino and Ballesteros classify as cavaliers, but the former was too extrovert and the latter too intense and Latin.

It’s patently obvious now. My dad will complete my fantasy four. Everyone liked him, and it stands to reason Arnie and Sam would too. He could talk to a pauper or a king without skipping a beat. He didn’t have an enemy in the world. Perhaps during a four/five hour round we could get to know each other a litte better than we achieved in real time.

 

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