One of the greatest thrills in sports is the hole-in-one in golf. Putting a tiny ball that is only a bit larger than an inch and a half into a four and quarter inch wide hole from a distance between 100-200 yards with one swing takes both skill and luck. I have never found such luck in the 15-plus years I have been playing. However, [ do know some people who have such luck and skill.

The closest I ever came to an eagle (which is what a hole-in-one is called on a par-3) is making a par on a par-4 hole, Now some may say, "Wait a minute, That's not the same." I would have to agree. But hear me out on this one.

At the time I have been golfing for only a few years, and my regular golf course was in Pelham, NH. Pine Valley Golf Course is a short, nine-hole course with narrow fairways and small undulating greens. The fairways are lined with tall pine trees. A straight shot is called for most of the holes, although many golfers who played there rarely hit it straight. It is a course that really should be played with an iron off the tee. Most recreational golfers prefer to use their drivers with poor results.

I was on the eight tee box one day playing with my dad. It was only 325 yards to the middle of the green. The green sloped from back to front, and this particular day the hole was cut toward the front of the green. I teed up the ball, took a few practice "hacks" (those who play golf know what I am referring: with a tight grip on the club, one swings a hard as they can), My intention was to hit the ball past a little water hole placed on the right-side of the fairway that was near the out-of-bounds marker. Beyond the water is flat land about 100 yards to the center of the green where the ball can land and roll toward the green. It was the ideal place for a second shot.

I addressed the ball and swung as hard as I could. As with most amateur golfers whose swing faults include a "banana" slice, I took an outside-to-in swing path, opened the club face to almost 90 degrees and hit the ball perpendicular into the woods! Far into the woods! It took several seconds before I heard the ball crack against a tree. I have never done that before (or since) for it seemed to me at the time that it was impossible for a ball to fly straight out to your right. To add insult to my pride, my father earnestly searched for the ball down the fairway asking, "Where did your tee shot land?" Embarrassed, I only pointed to the trees on my right. In the great spirit of sportsmanship and competition we have for each other, he chuckled.

1 re-teed the ball and, according to the rules of golf, hit shot number three, With a smoother swing, the ball sailed in front of the water hole and landed 125 yards from the hole. Now I am sitting on the ground for shot number four. This has the makings to be a horrendous hole and a very large score.

Selecting a pitching wedge, I made one of those perfect swings that one makes perhaps once or twice a year. The swing was smooth; the feel of the club striking the ball and ground was smooth. Even the finished would have made Ben Hogan pleased. And, the flight path of the ball looked great. But, the ball flew directly over the flag stick and landed twenty feet behind the hole. My father complimented my shot and began to address his second shot from a perfect drive, Then the ball caught my attention. It began to roll down the green. I yelled to my father, "Don't swing. The ball is still moving!."

And I watched it roll, Very slowly, it moved down the slope almost in slow motion. It crept down that green and disappeared into the hole. I made a par! I took only three swings and scored a four! What a silly game golf is, but I threw my hands into the air and made some celebratory gesture. I have yet to repeat that shot. Not that I have not made other shots equally great or exciting, But, in the midst of what could have ruined a good time, I did not let it. In life as with the game of golf, one faces the unexpected potential disasters at some point in life. Difficulties and adversities are always lurking. Yet, we decide how we choose to respond to adversities and difficulties.

Paul wrote, "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It really is not good to take pleasure in a game from a score card. Even Bobby Jones noted, "The real way to enjoy playing golf is to take pleasure not in the score, but in the execution of the strokes." Realize in life there is going to be hardships. How you handle them (or execute the shot) says a lot about you as a Christian. Some will take note of your score; many more will observe how you respond to it. God certainly will.

Kevin