Golfing for the first time

I had lived in 100 Mile House for four months and managed to avoid picking up a single golf club.
I had never golfed before, well, besides mini golf and beer at Castle Fun Park in Abbotsford; but I was told that didn’t count.
100 Mile is a golf town; succumbing to pressure, I decided to give it a try — and the Crime Stoppers tourney at the 108 on Sept. 14 seemed the perfect opportunity. All I needed was the most patient person in the world to volunteer his or her golf expertise and time to my cause; I found that person in Val Nickless.
Val was nice enough to not only volunteer her time, but also her clubs.
As an avid golfer, I understood what a possible sacrifice this was for Val and I vowed to treat her clubs as the precious pieces they were; but what I was really excited about was driving the cart.
When I helped Val lug her golf bag onto the cart, I was slightly intimidated with the amount of clubs sticking out of the top.
“I only brought half of my clubs,” said Val.
I got into the driver’s seat of the cart and pressed the gas pedal. Its lawnmower-like engine whirred to life and we took off to the number 10 hole, where I would be starting.
At the 10, Val handed me a ball and a handful of tees. She told me to grab the number five club and showed me how to hold and swing the thing.
The stance I took felt awkward; my first practice swing left much to be desired. But when the club made contact with the ball and sent it flying straight out onto the fairway, I couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction.
I also realized how one could twist his or her body up while playing; and here I had been laughing at Tiger Woods for giving up last season to injury.
As much as I loved driving the cart, I found myself running after the ball more times than riding and was beginning to work up an appetite — by the second green.
My shots weren’t all that bad, commented Val. And, lucky for me, she kept me from making golf faux pas, like using a nine club when I needed a putter, shoving my club in the ball washer or running over other players with the cart.
But, a few greens later, my famine faded to fatigue under the low September sun and my shots started to go astray.
Somehow, though, I managed to stay on the fairway the entire round and ended with a nine-hole score of 76, owed all to my caddie and coach.