Maybe a new golfing partner, maybe not...
Another wonderful encounter yesterday on the golf course.
Rain was predicted throughout the afternoon yesterday. Around 1:30 pm the sky was cloudy but the sky was not threatening rain. A decision to go hit some balls, practise putting, or maybe try to squeeze in 9 holes of golf across the street became a focus.
Got into some golfing wear, picked up my clubs and cart, and headed across St. Paul Ave. with a clear vision of an improvement in reducing the number of total swings from the weeks before.
The course was essentially empty except for some grounds crew, a few swingers on the range, and an estimated 2 carts in view on the lower front near to ending their game.
It was a joy to easily pace through the front 9 solo and even backtrack to replay two triple bogies and happily making a par on both. OK, one was a gimme and the other kinda rimmed the cup, that’s close enough at my level of play.
Proceeding to the back 9 and heading up to the 11th tee there were no golfers anywhere in front of me to be seen. No pressure. Taking it so easy that everything turned sweet. The upper course was completely open and mine to play alone.
Walking toward the 14th tee a lone coyote was trotting along the 15th fairway, I suspect in search of prey. She stopped and watched me tee off on #14. Her attention was directed to a drainage pipe under the 13th fairway. There are a number of muskrats and a few wandering geese about and my thoughts were elsewhere in golf-land when she crossed the lower 14th fairway heading north.
My ball had landed about 10 meters from the cup and lay in good position just below the flag and green. An unlikely birdie or maybe par was the most significant thought of the moment.
She totally ignored me and kept her eye on the drain pipe emptying into the southern drainage. I cut left and started heading up toward my ball.
She crossed and sat on the north side of the fairway kind of looking both ways and when I took a few more pics she looked away. Our closeness was a bit of a mystery but she simply seemed curious and posed no threat whatsoever. Perhaps the lack of any other golfers was a part of the encounter. Maybe wanting a handout, who knows?
At some point in my ascent she trotted around behind me, appeared on my right, watched me cautiously, and trotted up toward my ball waiting for the 15th green. My ever handy iPhone was ready for whatever the encounter which was coming to be surprisingly close. I started speaking to her in whatever conversation came to mind. She never once had made eye contact except maybe when I first took her photo at a distance below after teeing off.
I actually made par and watched her continue her journey into the rough heading east, likely along the railway line…
Settled in somewhat shyly on the lower 14th fairway…
She occasionally looked at me when I spoke to her but when I raised the iPhone she averted her gaze, odd…
Oh, hello again friend…
Thank you, thank you for stopping…
