All these negative waves are getting me down... so while I too have had PLENTY of screwups, first tee and otherwise, which I could report here, let me recount a more positive instance.
First tee, Pebble Beach. Anyone who's been there knows this is one of the great butt-tighteners in all of golf. Never mind WHERE YOU ARE and the "importance" of the round... it's surrounded by envious tourists and one can feel all the eyes watching and critiquing. I've been lucky enough to play the course several times, but not enough such that every time I still feel the same way.
Well, I don't have any tee ego at all - I'll play purple challenger tees if that's what the group wants to do - but at Pebble, I've never played anything but the back tees. No good reason for it really, that's just how it's gone. So last time there, I wanted to keep my "streak" going, and although everything steers you to the whites (the starter's podium is there, the caddies stand there, the carts all drive to there where the rock wall surrounding the tee ends)... and you have to make a real conscious effort to walk BACK to the blue tees... walk back I did, when the starter stopped me with these words "excuse me sir, the back tees are recommded for four handicaps or lower."
Now many have met me. I fully understand I don't LOOK like a player. And I also understand the starter wants to keep things moving, and I realize few people should play the back tees at Pebble. So I was just about to give it up and play from the whites when the left-shoulder devil made me say, in a VERY nice voice with a smile and a laugh:
"well, how do you know that I'm not?" I expected him to leave it at that, maybe laugh with me, and I'd play the whites. But alas and alack such was not the case. Instead I got back with a snarl and a frown:
"Sir, we really recommend you play the up tees."
Ok, so now I was irked. No matter what he's not gonna believe I'm a low 'capper, and he's not gonna let me make my own decision. The back tee markers were out, by the way. Thus I replied, still smiling (at least on the outside):
"Fair enough. I'm still going to play the blues, if you don't mind. I know this golf course and I know my game."
to which I got:
"the course is quite difficult sir. We really recommend the white tees."
OK, more irked I became. But hey, I want to keep things civil. But no way was I gonna play the whites now.
"Well, if you really don't mind too much, I'm going to stick with the blues. I've never played the whites here and I don't intend to start now."
Silence from the starter. I keep walking back and put the ball on a peg between the blue markers. Many tourists have heard this exchange and my more timid playing partners are mortified. But what the hell, I would have played the whites if he would have been nicer about it and just asked what my handicap was instead of assuming I wasn't 4 or lower (I was indeed 3 at the time).
So the pressure's REALLY on now. I put away the 2iron I was going to hit off that tee, and pulled out the big stick. Doing my routine a bit more quickly than normal, I piped a fade around the corner, perfect, in the fairway at a place Tiger would have accepted (remember, he hits 4iron off this tee!). Looking the starter in the eye, I said,
"Is that ok?"
The starter turned and walked away with no comment.
Believe me, as I say, I have about 15 screwup stories to match this good one. And I don't normally go around challenging starters at world-class courses. But hey, he brought it on!
In any case, I just though we needed something positive here!
TH