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Tired of pals playing sorta golf? Lead them to Keepers of Game

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published February 16, 2010

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He would never say he cheats. But you make the call.

He often doesn’t count his penalty strokes.

He thinks it’s his God-given right to take a mulligan.

He’ll play it down, if it’s a good lie. If not, he’s been known to improve it.

When he calls out his score on a hole, it often lacks the ring of truth.

So, you say, lighten up. He’s playing for fun. He’s not wearing red on Sundays on the PGA Tour.

But consider this: This is a player who posts scores, who keeps a USGA handicap index.

That, to most golfers, means he should count every shot. He should take no mulligans. He should play it as it lies. And he should take his full dose of medicine on every hole, no matter how big the number (adjusted appropriately when he posts, per his index).

The honor system in golf is not just an ideal; it’s the way most people play the game.

So, not to be self-righteous, but mainly the guy we’re talking about (let’s call him George) is a pain to play with.

So I don’t. But he’s not a terrible human being, and mostly the guys who’ve played with him just laugh and shake their heads and chalk it up to George just being George.

And why should it matter?

“If a person is just out to have fun,” said Bob Brown of the nonprofit Keepers of the Game, “that’s fine. They don’t play golf.

“We think the integrity of the game is important, so you need to learn what the game is. Part of why we exist is to alert people to the consequences, that there is a better way.”

Brown, author of “The Way of Golf” (Burford Books, Springfield, N.J.), is the CEO of Keepers of the Game, based in Langley, Island County, and dedicated to preserving the values of “The Game of a Lifetime.”

This from the Web site www.keepersofthegame.org:

“Playing by the rules means knowing the rules. Knowing the rules means knowing what to do if one is broken.

“Knowing what to do when one is broken means doing what is supposed to be done. Playing golf means wanting to do what needs to be done.”

Does Brown ever feel like a scold?

“We’re fighting a battle nobody even knows exists,” he admits.

This, too, from the Web site:

“More than most other games, golf has long been associated with honesty, good manners and high standards of behavior. Golf should cherish that reputation and do all it can to keep it.

“Golf etiquette is part of it. So are the basic character-building elements of playing the ball as it lies and accepting the occasional bad bounce of the ball.”

The essence of golf, Brown said, is you are out in a field with a ball and a few clubs.

We’ve gotten away from it in many ways, he said, including so-called “game-improvement” equipment, longer courses and faster greens.

Keepers of the Game asks us to pick a problem in the game … and do something about it.

This, finally, from the Web site, under the “Core Value” heading:

“Honesty is what separates a true golfer from all others. When you miss a shot, count it. When you have earned a penalty, accept it. The agony of the moment is well rewarded later. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction are enormous.”

I don’t have high hopes for my once and future golf friend.

Rumor control

There are locals out in Mason County who claim Bayshore Golf Course is closing. It’s not, at least not any time soon.

Brian Davis, head professional and part-owner of the nine-hole public course in Shelton, said, “We’re not going anywhere right now.”

Davis said his co-owners are exploring options, including the possibility of selling the course.

If the property were sold, he said, it would have to stay a golf course through 2013 under terms of a contract Davis and three others signed when they bought the club from its members in 2001.

In the meantime, the decently tough and seriously scenic course is alive and open.

“It’s a challenge,” Davis said, “but we’re hanging in there.”

Bart Potter is an Olympia freelance writer and golf enthusiast. He can be reached at greygoatee06@comcast.net.