Today’s find: Scrambled

It was just one of those days at Old Hickory.

Even the name of the golf course suggests that you’re in for some punishment when you attempt to play the challenging P.B. Dye track.

And frankly, that’s something I would never attempt to do – play Old Hickory – unless I enjoyed the forgiving cushion of a scramble format, four teammates all working together to get the ball in the hole within a reasonably low number of strokes.

On this recent day of course we had an ulterior motive, my teammates and I: to raise funds on behalf of Room At The Inn, a local charity that provides shelter and support for families facing crisis situations. 

So we were willing to accept whatever chastisement Old Hickory might mete out that day. We were just having a little fun, we all said…and all for a good cause.

There were times during the 18-hole round, though, when we had to laugh to keep from crying. The course just doesn’t treat errant shots very kindly, and in our group there were plenty of errant shots for Old Hickory to reject out-of-hand.

One glimmer of hope emerged on the 18^th – a picturesque finishing hole bordered by water all along the right side, and framed by bunkers placed in strategic locations all along the left. Somehow, we managed to avoid that trouble with our drive…and then plunked our approach shot on the green…a mere 11 feet or so from the cup.

It was (by far) the best look we had at birdie all day. A makeable putt. And in a scramble format, we had four shots at making it. Alas, reality sunk in, but the ball did not: our unsuccessful attempts wound up surrounding the cup like a comedy cavalcade.

Afterwards, one of my teammates mused about the mystery of this confounding game. Like me, he’s been playing golf (or playing at it) for more than 40 years. “But I’m no better now than when I started,” he said – a remark that’s equally true of my own experience on the links.

So why do we play?

At least part of the reason, I think, is because golf affords the opportunity to experience something like the Lord’s mercy from time to time: Many missteps, many errant shots, to be sure. But then: a perfectly-struck approach might follow, and your heart soars. 

You are able, as the Psalmist says, to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord” in such a moment. You come to know a bit of the truth of God’s promise to all who experience trying circumstances:

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit God saves. Many are the troubles of the just one, but out of them all the Lord delivers him.

St. Peter, we’re told, was a fisherman…not a golfer. But surely he knew this sort of consolation too, especially when circumstances got a bit scrambled in his life. And therefore I’d like to think he speaks on behalf of every duffer – indeed, every believer – when he looks to Jesus (in this week’s gospel passage) and says, “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.

IHS