I just want one birdie
Bully Pulpit Golf Course in Medora, ND is the best golf course I have played at. Now, I’m aware of all the legendary links; Augusta National, Torrey Pines, Whistling Straits. The thing is I haven’t played there. Even so, with its Badlands landscape, Bully Pulpit is hard to beat. It is like playing golf in a National Park. Here is my account of an eventful hole, also found here https://jollyroutes.com/whered-you-find-the-mud/.
“The following day we went to Bully Pulpit Golf Course. It was here that an incident occurred which is fit for a Greek tragedy. You see, although biking is my primary sport, I was once a golfer. I was never good, and my inability to obtain a birdie haunted me. I made a pledge that if I scored a birdie I would retire from golf forever.
At Bully Pulpit I had the opportunity to achieve my dream. It was a par 3, maybe 150 yards with a canyon separating the tees from the green. I whipped out my trusty hybrid club, wound back, and blasted away: A near perfect hit! It plopped on the green.
After a long walk around the ridge to the green I had my chance. A six foot putt separated me from birdie. I could retire. I analyzed the slope of the hill, the speed and direction of the wind, and the length of the grass. Then, I lined up the putt, kept calm and steady, and struck the ball. It was on a perfect line. This would be the day! Alas, it lost steam going up the slight incline. One inch short.”
