...and a little golf

For those of you who have made it through the entire blog, I thought I'd share a few photos from the golf course. Gareth was kind enough to treat me to a round of golf in Johannesburg for my birthday, 2/21, the day after I arrived.

This was the scene walking off the first tee -- a great feeling. Even better, on ~the 8th tee, Jonny Nye called me from Europe to let me know that we had won the France deal.

One of the most entertaining parts of playing golf with Gareth is being a witness to his decisions of when to use a putter. His claim is that a 'bad putt is better than a good chip', but in reality he has a terrible, ongoing case of the yips. He can frequently hit great chip shots, but, ..on occasion.. he engages in a body convulsion, resulting in a ~3 ft divot. ..often referred to in my family as 'Brain-fart'. This thought permanently ferments in his mind, and therefore, he uses putter anywhere within 60 yards of the green.

Below is just one example:

With ~20 yards of deep rough, little green to work with, and stuck between two South African sized bushes, Gareth chose -- you guessed it -- a putter!!

Even with 60 yards remaining to the green, a putter is his decision. Here, I've caught him in mid-swing; a classic! Hearing him justify these shots even better yet ... but to his credit, he usually pulls it off.

Thanks for venturing through the South Africa blog. Hopefully, there will be more to add to the South African venture soon!!