Super Senior Moment

Rich and I decided to wait out the light rain at the Willows par three. As soon as it turned to a mere drizzle we would leave the warm truck and go play. The cool thing about golfing in such weather is almost no one else is on the course. You’re free to hit more than one ball, can hunt for buried balls, and just take your time. These luxuries cannot be had on a beautiful sunny day golfing in the Pacific Northwest.

However before the drizzle it got real interesting. A little grey hired man, driving a huge labamba of a car came driving through the parking lot ever so slowly. He stopped next to the putting green and just stared out onto the course. We weren’t sure what he was looking at, but it sure seemed to be important to him.

There was a little dip in the sidewalk which was intended for golf carts, but the man must have thought it was a driveway or something. He drove up onto the cart path and then as if he suddenly knew where he was going he sped up. He stayed on the cart path and disappeared around the bend between the first and second holes.

“What the hell?” Rich verbalized what I was thinking.

It was obvious that the old timer has mistaken the cart path for a road. A road that was supposed to take him to where is anybody’s guess. Was the little bridge he was probably just then approaching even big enough to hold up a heavy automobile? Hmm, it was ponderous.

“He thinks it a road!” I exclaimed.

About that time we saw him backing up along the path. He wasn’t doing too bad actually. Going in reverse on the narrow path full of curves must certainly be a challenge.

“I’ll bet he decided not to try the little bridge.” I said as we watched him negotiate the path.

“Wow. Oh no! What’s he doing?” Rich asked in a raised voice.

The car missed the sharp turn in front of the little club house and broke through a small area that was fenced off by a black and yellow chain. The bumper caught onto the chain and pulled up posts as the elderly driver began to turn the car around in an effort to get back to the parking lot.

We figured that the man must have realized that he wasn’t on a road. But that thought was put to rest when he made a super sharp right turn and drove down the sidewalk toward the main club house, dragging the black and yellow chain behind him, posts and all.

Why he didn’t just return to the parking lot is bewildering. And actually, except for the chain fiasco, he demonstrated some pretty good driving skills. He kept on driving on the sidewalk until we lost sight of him, behind some large weeping willow trees toward hole eighteen of the main course,.

By then the drizzle we were waiting for finally came so we got out and went out onto the course. As we hit off the first tee we heard sirens and wondered if they had anything to do with the old dazed and confused driver.