With our Australian leg looming - and plenty to sort out before we hop on a plane Saturday morning - it was nice today to have a low key one. Just the 9 holes. All of which were par 3s. Most of which were pretty short. Nice.
The morning was spent sorting our lives out - writing to golf courses in the US, running errands, and the like. Driving around Auckland in 100% humidity provided its own challenges, and tested the limits of my patience. How do the locals cope? I swear the washing hung out this morning had absorbed, rather than shed, water throughout the day. Bring on that dry Aussie heat.
At The First Tee we hooked up with Shane and Stu, a couple of the coaches, who joined us at next door Firmount for a hit. They're both pretty handy. Very handy, in fact. And top guys too. On our way around they shared a few of their experiences at The First Tee, and gave us a better understanding of how the program runs at a micro level. Shane and Stu are passionate lads, and it's pretty inspiring hearing them talk about what they teach. There was a sincerity in their words that I wouldn't have thought comes through when many speak about their work.
Stu and I won the haggle, 2up. Mike lost the puregolf2010 haggle too, with 31 shots to my 28. Because the course was short, we managed a few birdies too (M:1; J:3), to keep the counter ticking over. (This is one of the counters that will appear on our soon to be constructed stats page - keep an eye out for it).
After walking off the 9th we dropped our clubs and joined in with a lesson. These particular kids had only recently come into the program, and were about 7-10. What struck me initially - and this is something that still sticks in my mind - is how proficient these wee fellas were at introducing themselves. Without a shadow of hesitation they came up, one by one, to shake hands; look me in the eye; and tell me their name. Pretty incredible really. If only I had been so courteous as a wee tyke...
Stu then took the kids next door to the range, to hit a few balls. The group decided they would hit 2 balls each, then rotate; and that's what they did - no gripes, moans or arguments. Two deliberate blows and then some encouragement for their mates. One or two were particularly forthcoming in telling me about their (limited) golfing experiences, and about themselves generally. A wee chap by the name of Conor (whose name my brother shares) was especially chatty.
In the classroom - where they played "Who Wants to be a Millionairre" - the good behaviour uncannily continued.
It's now late in the evening, and the rain is pouring down. The wind is howling too. And in the morning we're getting up at the crack of dawn to play our last round in New Zealand.
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Chisholm Park
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