Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Friday, April 10, 2015

Colf

April.
Time to think about finals.
Ugh.
Dad's class.
In April, 1947, the veterinarian students at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, were hitting the books in preparation for their yearend torture exercise in futility final exams.
But, for some of them, the usual angst and stress were missing.
Due largely to a stick and a ball.
Yes. Dad has been telling stories again . . .
These young men had discovered golf.
Okay, I know that it isn’t always the most relaxing of games.
In fact, I’ve seen golf clubs bent into pretzels by a frustrated player.
But it was exactly what these young men needed.
On the morning of their first test, they reported to the examination hall.
Spent a couple of hours cudgelling their brains.
And left drained.
One of them glanced at the golf course, which immediately bordered the school.
“Hey!” he said.
Dad looked.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
If he was considering throwing himself on his bed and waving bye-bye to consciousness for a couple of hours, then yes. If he was thinking . . .
“Let’s go take in a game of golf!”
Then, no.
“Seriously. Playing nine holes would relax us for a couple of hours and we’ll be fresher to get back to our studies!”
Dad frowned. Maybe it was sign of how fried his brain was - it almost made sense. But he was too tired. He opened his mouth to tell them he was heading back to the dorm. What came out was, “Okay.”
Yep. Tired.
They actually had a great time.
And his friend had been right. They were more prepared to tackle the books afterward.
And the next day.
And the next.
For the entire nine days of final exams.
I wish I could tell you that there was an unforeseen benefit to all of the golfing. Maybe that one or more of them discovered an affinity to the game. Or even went on to become a star in golf heaven.
I’d be wrong.
Mostly they spent their time trying to get their score under 100.
And that was counting only the strokes that connected . . .
So many skills and talents are discovered at college.
Most of them fun.
Not all of them bankable.

11 comments:

  1. There is always a value to discovering a method of relaxation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We had never golfed until moving here to SC but I have to admit it is pretty fun. One day I'll get off the putt putt course and join hubby in a real game lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. The putt-putt course is pretty much my speed as well!

      Delete
  3. I discovered a skill in college--I could out-drink most of the frat guys around the beer keg….okay, not something I should be very proud of, I know…. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I keep wondering what you could use that skill for now. Hmmm . . .

      Delete
  4. A cute story as always. I do think play after a test is good.
    Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! Whatever you can do to unwind. I play solitaire . . .

      Delete
  5. "Colf" - hah! I'm used to you writing about cows and sometimes calves, so I thought this might be about a cow/calf ... or something like that ... Boy, was I wrong! A great story about college golf, and I agree with Delores, learning a way to relax is worth quite a bit to the person learning it :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?