Our First CPGA
September 4 - Labor Day
Little did we know that what began on a shabby little nine-hole golf course in southeastern Oklahoma would take on a life of its own and give us all such wonderful memories.
The players began to roll in, parking their cars on the gravel parking lot between ruts of mud and water. It was barely daylight, the way dad liked to start every day. I can still hear him saying, "It just hurts for a minute, and then the World's Yours."
The air was filled with the clanking sounds of golf clubs and the sputtering, backfiring noises of ancient golf carts as the players began to make their way down the muddy cart path to the first teebox, an elevated tee with a five-wire barbed fence marking Out of Bounds.
One by one, the players hit their golfball and began making their way down the unkept fairway - those who landed their ball perfectly had to decide what club would make the best contact off a rocky lie - those whose shots weren't as pure were out of bounds right , across the barbed-wire fence. Players who wanted to avoid "The Fence" chose to hit a draw and landed in three feet of saw-weeds and green briar.
Playing this game calls for a different approach to the same shot as circumstances change. Battling the course is what golfers do. IT is their competitor; however, the circumstance that greeted the first players putting the Number Two green on this cowpasture golf course went far beyond the normal conditions you would expect on a golf course.
The group's elation on sinking their putt was quickly replaced by disbelief upon finding a gift in the bottom of the cup. The team, surprised and shocked at what they found, graciously sent a warning message back through the teams playing behind them. The warning will forever be appreciated.
Somehow, I always felt that hidden in the trees and brush near that green, there were probably a group of boys rolling with laughter at watching their disgusting prank unfold.
The fairway's sparce bermuda grass assured each player of a tough shot. The rocks made those with expensisve clubs wish for rentals. The weeds that lined the greens made even a good approach shot impossible.
Then, after playing the first nine holes, that Number One Rocky Fairway greeted the players return for the final back nine.
Even playing on a course something less than Pebble Beach, this group of golfers thoroughly enjoyed their round.
The CPGA lives on today... and with this explanation, the origin of our Cowpasture Golf Association name may be understood by those who unfortunately missed the chance to play that first, wonderful, unforgettable round!
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