Today The Shooter finds himself on the range at the outstanding Beerwah Golf Club.
I had been there for a little while before I took the shot as you can see, but fuck me how good is that divot pattern !
Decided that after a not picking up a club all week it was about time I got down to work, playing the Tour is hard work and only the strongest survive, or at least the strongest 60 on the OOM.
First couple of small swings with a 60 degree just carried the water and practice tee in front, might have to be careful of that I thought.
Then the Shooter started to warm up a little and get the smooth action into gear. The balls were coming off sounding pure, sounding like that one in a hundred that normal golfers have, but as you loyal followers know, with The Shooter its almost every one that sounds like that.
One shag bag down and I walk to pick them up, as I grab the empty shag bag and the 60, I look up to see there is 3 groups on the 2nd tee to the right, talk about holding up play, they had stopped to watch and hear pure ball striking, one of the ladies in the second group was crying, it was like a religious experience she said. I gave them some time, signed a scorecard, one golf bag and the crying woman's left breast, that took a while, she was 83.
Things you need to do I said to myself as the crowd disbursed and the course got back to normal.
Didn't take long to get them all collected, all 75 were in an area the size of a king bed doona, it makes sense it was warming up, you would expect that.
Went through the bag from 52 to 8 iron, as I watched one reach its apex before coming down on one that was already out there, I see a cart driving down. Its Singlets, the Pro's Pro, coming down to see how I am going, we chat for a minute, I tell him about Rayelene and her left breast, he knows as she pops over each Wednesday night to see him apparently, you learn something everyday.
Singlets watches a few smooth from the 8 iron, I think he likes it. Singlets then challenges The Shooter to hit shots on command, it feels similar to the corporate outings I have done in the past when clowns yell out shot shapes they want to see. You have to keep the public happy. The great unwashed are still out there buying tickets.
I change the club from 8 to 5. Fade is the first call, Shooter starts the ball at the first distance marker and fades it, reasonably easy, then Singlets asks for a draw around the same sign, Shooter then hits that perfectly, around the sign onto the green.
Singlets has seen enough, calls Shooter a superstar and races off to get home, he doesn't want to work more than his scheduled 23 hours this week
After finishing off the second shag bag then picking them up, the dispersion was a little bigger with longer clubs, it was 2 doonas now, The Shooter hits some more pitch shots and then begins the tidy up. Filling in divots, getting the last balls, loading everything into the cart for the trip back to the car. There is something about hitting balls and picking them up, very old school.
On the way out, The Shooter waves to a member that is having some trouble hitting balls. Oh fuck, now I should help him out, fuck me, the moral highground strikes again. I turn the cart around and go over for a chat. He is in all sorts of trouble, hitting it left, hitting it right, shanks and tops, he has balls on the ground doing a drill that he got from a subscription to some you tube guy, that seems to be a waste of money.
"Fuck me, whats all this" I say, Shooter then tells him a few things he has learned over the years grinding on the amateur circuit before making it big on the regular tour, I keep thinking back to the hard years as I give him some pointers. Within 5 minutes he is hitting the ball significantly better, of course The Shooter tells him to keep his money, I just want to give back to the game that has given me so much.
I did mention Rayelene on the second tee, he knows about her too, she pops around to his house on Thursdays. Look out Blisters, a new bull is in town.
Humanitarian Shooter Out.