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Member Clubs because of glare from the sun, not to mention several pairs of iffy eyes, neither he nor anyone else in the foursome ever saw the shot dive to the bottom of the cup.
“ We went up to the green and were looking all around for the ball and couldn’ t find it,” Matheson said.“ Finally, one of the guys walks over to the pin and looks down.‘ You [ expletive deleted ]!’ he yells over to me.‘ It’ s right down there.’”
Occasionally the Whackers take a road trip. Earlier this year, they drove 90 minutes down to Keswick Hall outside Charlottesville to play a course recently renovated by Pete Dye. A few years ago, four Whackers decided to travel to California. One of them had a friend who belonged to the exclusive Cypress Point club near Pebble Beach, and they played it twice.
The Whackers play by the Rules of Golf, sort of. There’ s always a mulligan at the first tee, and then a one-time floater to be used at any time over the next 17. They play from the senior tees, usually at distances from 5,500 to 5,900 yards, and gimmes are often generously granted on greens all around.
There’ s just a touch of wagering. Each group records its best ball and each player puts $ 5 in the pot. The winning team splits the cash, usually just enough for a sandwich and a drink.
The Commish, as Matheson is known among the Whackers, secures tee times at courses every week, usually squeezing out a slight discount from the senior rates that usually apply. For many years, he also reserved Sunday night to call every member to see if they’ d be playing the following week.
He also does all the statistical work on the individual cards, recording each man’ s score every time they play, the better to figure out postseason awards for low net, low gross and several other prizes. He eschews a computer, doing it all by hand on his own paper spreadsheet comprehensible only to
The Commish. Winners get engraved trophies and runners-up are awarded various amounts of golf balls at the annual opening luncheon to start every new season.
At that same event, Matheson also makes certain to call for a moment of silence to remember more than a half-dozen deceased Whackers who have gone on to far greener fairways over the last 19 years. Most of them kept playing the game they loved virtually right to the very end, and well into their late 80s or early 90s.
This is also a golf club that asks for no dues, save for the cost of registering with the VSGA. There’ s no vote on a new member either, or any sort of blackballing.
“ Basically, someone who is already in the group will ask if it’ s all right to have a friend join us,” Matheson said.“ You don’ t have to fill out an application. If they’ re good guys, they just keep playing with us.”
Whacking away at a little dimpled golf ball just like everyone else.
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