My favorite golf story occurred about 20 years ago in an obscure little city in the Philippines.

 I was an Air Force pilot stationed in the Philippines and along with 3 buddies wanted to play an excellent golf course we had heard about in the city of Tarlac.

When we arrived at the course we were crowded by probably 20 local men who wanted to earn a little cash.  We all expected to hire a caddie, not a mob.  How can we pick four lucky guys out of this crowd?  However, given the entire round would cost each of us $6 and a caddie normally wanted about a buck, maybe we could think of something.  So, we devised a plan to try and have some fun and get each of these guys some cash.  We sent 4 off to get 2 coolers and fill them with the local beer, San Miguel.

 It looked like something from the final round of the Masters …. Or Caddyshack!!  AS we approached the first tee, it looked like we had an entourage of biblical proportions.  Picture 4 young Americans in shorts and cheap T-Shirts walking down the path ….. each had a Philippino walking beside them holding an umbrella up to protect our intrepid American heroes from the hot tropical sun.  Behind them were the 4 caddies and the clubs.  Behind them were the beer cooler carriers and another man serving as bartender and snack server (he carried chips, nuts, etc. and most importantly, the beer bottle opener!)  But wait, there’s more.  Down the fairway stood the remaining locals who would find and mark our wayward shots!!

 Every shot was a winner.  By the time we walked up to the area where we thought our wayward, lost-forever-drive entered the forbidding jungle, there was our ball, in the fairway, sitting up nicely on a tuft of freshly cut grass.  What were the odds of our balls bouncing off trees EVERY TIME and landing beautifully in the fairway?  Boy were we hot!!!!  The beer was kicking in, we were darn near under par and everyone was happy campers.

 But then came the water hole, and I was first up.  Gulp!  This was going to be a tough one for our Philippino friends!  Whack!!  The drive looked good for about 1 second.  Then it veered hard right straight for the water.  SPLASH!!!  The ball hit a good 10 yards from the closest shore.  I started reaching for another ball when everyone yelled “Look!!”  In the distance, one of our intrepid ball finders was running at a full sprint for the lake.  It was a sight to behold.  In he dove, and the waters became still.  5 seconds, 10 seconds, it seemed like an eternity.  Then finally, there was a ripple, then a head, then an arm, and then my ball!!!  A nice throw onto the fairway, and I was back in action.  “Nice drive, Randy!” was everyone’s retort.  That young lad earned himself a tip on that one!!!

 So, if you want to improve your game, don’t spend thousands on new clubs and expensive lessons…… take a vacation to the Philippines!

 

Randy Bright

 

 

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