The shot of a lifetime

What a weekend! It was the first Highland Swing (Member-Guest Golf Tournament) at BraeBurn CC since 2019 and I got to play with my best friend from High School, Matt Weber. 

Matt and I have played a lot of golf together, including Member-Guest tourneys but we’ve never made the Horse Race together as a team. That’s always the goal. 

Win your flight and give yourself a shot to win it all. 

On Saturday, that all changed. We finally made the Horse Race! 

But, that’s not what this is about. 

This is about one single shot that discredited years of negative thoughts… And guess what? 

I got to sit front row for it! 

After all the teams arrived on the first playoff hole it was time for the order to be announced. Out of the 12 teams, we would be the second team to tee off. It’s an alternate shot format, which means you get to choose who tees-off and then you alternate from there.  

Matt and I decided I would hit the tee shot as that’s what I was feeling confident in and then if I did my job he would have 50-70 yards into the green. 

I was fortunate enough to give him a 60 yard shot into a front flag location. 

Swing after swing, teams were hitting fantastic approach shots, putting increasing levels of pressure on Matt. The other groups received a one stroke advantage making it impossible to move on without at least making a par. 

As it came time to hit, Matt was asking a question or two about the lie or the club selection but you could tell it was information gathering, not indecision. 

Time was up, and as Matt stepped over the ball he executed his standard pre-shot routine perfectly; Very important when it comes to prepping for a good swing. 

He takes the club back and as he finishes his swing I could hear the contact and knew it was right on the money. Because it’s such a short shot you know very quickly if it’s “it” or not. 

My God, that feeling is like nothing else. 

The ball lands about 10 feet from the cup and you hear a gentle roar from the 100 plus spectators in attendance. 

I yell out some ridiculous statement and Matt walks up the hill like a man on a mission. 

Destiny. One for one. Batting 1.000! 

Simple as that. 

A dream of getting the chance to execute when it matters most and doing it at the highest level. It was, in fact, the most important shot of his life. 

I learned a lot about him when I saw that shot. 

I learned a lot about our relationship when I saw that shot. 

Even though we previously were unable to get into the horse race, we always had it in us. We just needed a change of identity. 

Missing the horse race year after year had nothing to do with our ability to win, it just wasn’t the time for us. We, as a team, weren’t ready. 

Saturday was even better than I could have imagined and while we didn’t win it all, we are primed to advance even farther in the future. 

What a pleasure it was to experience and what a pleasure it was to relive it as I write this blog. 

Flight 2 champions for life! 

-SJ