Golf can be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle.

NP will be back soon, so perhaps I'll have something more interesting to write. Next week I'm playing in a golf tournament which should be a lot of fun. It's been two years since I've played golf. Playing again is not like riding a bicycle. Now to make it even more difficult is the fact that my brother is playing on my team. We have always done the little things to disrupt or sabotage each others concentration. Being on a team together doesn't change the rivalry between us(no matter what sport we are playing), it's always been about taking the other person's game down a notch or two, hopefully more(lol). It's not about who wins, it's about who gets inside who's head first. I'm sure it won't be much different next Thursday, even if a tournament winning putt is on the line(maybe we both can hold off, if $400 is riding on the putt).

I remember the time I was putting for an "Eagle" back in the day. My brother was pulling hard for me to miss. He even talked to me and told me how I was going to miss the putt, the whole time I was putting. I admit my Eagle putt was aided by a high bounce off the paved cart path. Still, I don't get many opportunities to put for Eagles, unless it's in a tournament. I missed the putt, he was laughing along with another friend of mine. Both are still living.

Later that summer, I did make an Eagle. It was because he wasn't playing with me and the fact that I knocked it in from a 150 yards out. There was not much anyone could do to disrupt the shot, even the friends who were playing with me, who are at times just like him. I think I encourage their bad behavior at times. Maybe I need to find new friends. I enjoy kidding and take it in stride, so it doesn't bother me. On the outside to others it does appear harmful and mean, but I know different. Even it is intentional, I still wouldn't let it get to me, because when it does, they win. It's all in the spirit of fun and I'm a lot more resilent than any of my friends could be in the same situation.

I hope between now and next Thursday, I can hit a few balls. Since this is a Captain's choice tournament I should be ok, playing. The strong part of my game is putting and that's key to winning these types of tournaments. You are either good at putting or not. There is no in between. I do have faith in ability to make a putt. The bad news is there will also be a lot of other good putters in the tourney.

I've only played in a few tournaments, but most of the time I've always managed to be on teams that either won it or placed in the top 3. The one tournament I didn't do well in, was the one I had my brother on my team. I pulled the "ring the cell phone trick,in the middle of his backswing" and he started dancing in the middle of one of my putts. Sometimes we just stare and smile at the other one hitting, no words are ever necessary. Normally this is enough to disrupt the shot. Sometimes nature helps out, especially the "Crows". They make a sound like they are saying "unt uh" "unt uh"(which sounds like don't hit, don't hit). This is always enough to destroy whichever one of us is up on the tee box. We are doing everything we can, to hold the laughter in, while the other person is just standing grining from ear to ear.

Golf is mind game and we play it against each other, every time we play. It's not against the course, which it should be. Call it sibling rivalry that has never gone away. Let's hope the rivalry between doesn't ruin my overall good streak in the tournaments that count. This one has a first prize of $400. My brother is my biggest handicap, not the fact I haven't played in two years. Normally I'm better at the mind game than he is, because I don't have temper and can laugh about it. Once I make my brother mad, his entire game is destroyed. I always recover, but he doesn't, he stays mad.(lol) Had my brother been putting for the eagle, instead of me. I doubt I would be living to post this. I'm sure I would have never been able to play any outside activities, unless it involved a wheel chair.