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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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