2015/10/18 - Maybe, just maybe, I have a chance thought Walkabout

Jacksonville (DP) -

   After missing out on the fun on Saturday, Rick "Walkabout" Pike, after hearing that the mighty Puma had placed 3rd, he decided that, maybe, just maybe, he had a chance.   Silly boy.  He claimed that the work events were now fixed and he could play.  It was a nice, cool morning when Simon "Boom-Boom, aka the Beast" Bouma and Puma Pawson arrived to find Walkabout waiting.  Although he may have been practicing and may have warmed up, Walkabout pushed the group to start immediately "to avoid the crowds because of the league that would be showing up".  His plan was to not give either of the other players a chance to stretch or warm up.  They strolled over to the first tee.

Boom-Boom took his Beast disc out of his bag.  Puma had graciously given this new disc to him, since his other Beast disc seemed to have been chewed on.  Puma still wondered, what or who was chewing his discs.  Boom-Boom took his approach steps and launched an impressive drive towards the basket.  Walkabout stepped up next.  He took a deep breath and muttered, "no tacos, no tacos".  He reared back and launched his disc, immediately taco'ing the tree known as Pike's pine.  Puma tried to contain his laughter.  Walkabout previously known to use a scoring method known as PASS (Pike's Adjusted Scoring System), walked over to his now slightly bent disc, straighten it out and announced... "that didn't count!".  He went back to the tee and took another deep breath and promptly taco'd Puma's pine.  Puma was beside himself with laughter, tears rolling down his eyes.  Walkabout picked up his disc, went back to the tee box and tried his 3rd throw (and according to the usual rules of golf, his 5th stroke/throw) which went towards a 3rd, yet unnamed pine tree, before curving at the last moment to deliver just a glancing blow.  This throw ended up past the row of trees at the very edge of the fairway.  Walkabout resigned himself to accept that throw as his start.  Puma, still chuckling with tears in his eyes, attempted his tee shot, which, sadly, hit Puma's pine (hence how it got its' name) and it glanced off towards the edge of the tree line.  After a few more throws, Puma had 4, Boom-Boom had 3 and Walkabout, amazingly had a 5 (according to PASS).

   The next several holes were uneventful, until #5.  Boom-Boom had a nice drive down the middle, Puma's throw faded to the right a wee bit and Walkabout threw his a bit low into the dirt.  Walkabout's next throw put him into the woods on the left, Puma having no path to the basket, continued down the right side, setting up a long par attempt while Boom-Boom puts his approach near the basket.  Puma's chewed loaner of a putter failed him once again and he settled for bogey.  Walkabout's 3rd shot, went beyond the basket and back into the woods.  His 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th throws went sailing back and forth with the basket serving as the middle ground.  Puma remarked it was likely watching a slow playing tennis game as they swiveled their heads from side to side.  Most everyone thought this was quite funny, except perhaps Walkabout, who finally got it into the basket with his 8th throw and announced, he was not keeping score any longer, although even with PASS, it probably would not matter.

   On #6, Puma tried a different attempt to handle the very narrow, tight and highly wooded "fairway".  Sadly, Puma did not have quite the correct angle on the roller throw, it went straight for a little while, before it curved ever so gracefully into the woods.  Walkabout and Boom-Boom took the conventional approach of heaving and hoping as they both glanced off trees (yes multiple trees) and disappeared into the woods.  Boom-Boom, not to be daunted by one unfortunate throw, promptly attacked a few more trees with subsequent throws as did Walkabout.  Puma's second throw, also a roller was quite good as it rolled up the pathway and then curved towards the basket setting up a nice par.

On #7, with the hole setup as a tight, wooded dogleg to the right, matched perfectly for Boom-Boom's backhand throwing style.  Since Puma also likes this throwing style and had successfully birdie this hole with it, he also used a backhand throw.  Walkabout, naturally, kept up his lumberjack ways and attacked several trees on his way to the basket.   On #8, the group met up with Becky "DOC" Pike who had finally awoken for the day and graced us with her presence.   Puma launched a drive reminiscent of Walkabout's usual throws on this hole and went back into the woods on the right while everyone else took a more conventional path.  Puma was stuck in the woods with no throwing path.  Trees to his left and right, and many branches overhanging any possible throw.  However, as resourceful and cunning as he is, he saw a slight path, if he threw a roller.  It would have to travel very low in the air for about 30 or 40 yards to clear the tree area, but then would have to curve right for a while.  A perfect left handed roller type of throw.  Sadly, Puma's left hand roller throw is not what it should be.  However, ever resourceful, Puma went with a right handed roller, properly angled to curve right.  This throw was a thing of beauty, as it flew out of the trees, hit the ground, rolling slightly right, past the tree where it then curved left towards the basket, leaving, our hero, a 2 foot par.

On #9, Puma's throw as a bit too high over the water, but faded back towards shore, before it embedded itself like a candle in the mud.  Boom-Boom, obviously upset with Puma's raw talent display on the previous hole, decided to throw his new Beast, which Puma had given him, into the lake.  However, like a poor marksman, he missed the target as the disc went down the walking path before resting safely on the grass to the left.  Walkabout and DOC both went down the path avoiding the lake.  Having failed on his initial drive, Boom-Boom realized that he could probably make an easy par with just one nice approach and launched an impressive throw.  However, like a poor marksman, he threw it too far to the right, where it sailed past the basket before fading into the lake.  It was luckily close to the far shoreline to be rescued.  Puma made par, as the others threw wildly towards the basket for other scores.

On #10, with DOC now on the sidelines taking a phone call, Puma's throw was a bit too far left and clipped some of the trees along the shore.  Walkabout went safely to the left avoiding the lake and trees entirely.  Boom-Boom having cleared the lake on the previous hole and confident that his backhand throw would fade the disc towards the basket, launched a mighty throw.  Sadly, like a poor marksman, he threw the disc towards the center of the lake instead of along the edge.  The disc had no chance, as it sank 30 feet from the shoreline.  He had finally accomplished the goal he had desired on the previously hole.  He had, however, another Beast disc to play with, one that he had obtained. 

The rest of the match was much of the same.  Boom-Boom heaving and weaving across the fairways, Walkabout limping along trying to put on a brave face and Puma marching towards inevitable victory.  Luckily, the end was swift and sure.  Puma had reclaimed his rightful position on top of the leader board.