The golfing trucker

by frank
(camden,sc)

I golf. I drive a truck! I love golf and I take my clubs everywhere I go in the country.

I play at least twice a week. My handicap is now at a 6.1 but I was playing to a 4 before I broke my back in Oct. 2009.

I believe I can still get my game back to what it was but it's not coming back easily. I find myself holding back on full shots which causes me all kinds of problems from 130 out.

I've lost some distance off the tee but I still keep the ball in play. I'm 56 years old. I now weigh 156 lbs after my injury from 160 lbs before I got hurt.

I've got to adjust this to my game,but haven't quite got there. One thing I have found out though. I can still run very fast when I have too!

I was playing in South Carolina. On the par 4 7th at White Pines golf course I pushed my drive left toward the creek hazard.

When we got to the spot where I thought it went in I saw that my ball was inside the hazard but not wet.

I grabbed a club, took my stance,when all of a sudden I heard this very load hissing sound just off to my left and then a great slashing started in the creek.

All I saw next was that it's mouth was wide open and coming at me fast. I jump out of my stance and started backing away and there he was and here he comes.

A five foot alligator came rushing out of the creek and had me in his sights. The race was on and I won that one.

He chased me for about 10 yards before he stopped with his mouth wide open and hissing like a snake.

I jumped in the cart with my friend and the gator went back into the creek. My friend asked me where I wanted to take a drop!

I said "Drop?" What do you mean? I can still play that ball. He made me walk back to the creek.I took an old ball from my bag and threw it in the creek where the gator went back in.

Did not see or hear him. Took my stance and hit my ball 165 yards to 25 feet and made par. That was the best par I ever made.