A TaylorMade Experience

Last November, John was forced to give up the game he has played since he was 12 years old, due to a bum knee.  He regained his golfing form rather easily following hip replacement surgery in 2007.  But wear and tear had taken its toll on that right knee, and John was tired of lackluster results when he played "on one leg" in competition.  So he decided it was time to get that knee replaced and January 14, 2013 was the big day.  He had to wait six weeks for the surgery and then eight more (painful) weeks before he could even get out the putter, or practice chipping.  Finally, it was time for the Old Golfer to give it a go on Wednesday, April 24.  On this nice, sunny day, he headed out to Oak Hills for his first round of post-surgical golf.  Things started out great with a bogey on the first, followed by a par on the second.  Improving with every hole, he approached the 160-yard par 3 with a 5-iron.  The shot looked great from the tee, however the ball disappeared on the green, and John was convinced he had over-shot his target.  He hit a second ball for practice and landed that one 4 feet from the pin.  The search was on for ball #1, a TaylorMade Penta.  The renegade ball was nowhere to be seen because it was hiding in that little ole cup!!  John had joined a group of USC Law School students, who were using some time on the course as a study break to shake all that legal jargon out of their heads for a bit.  They were now shaking their heads at witnessing this hole-in-one.  One remarked "Who is this guy?", while another said "I've never seen that done before!".  Needless to say, John was thrilled with the results this new knee will apparently bring.  It's been a long drought of 47 years since his last ace, which occurred 2 days before his 18th birthday.  Now with this shot made 16 days before his 65th birthday, he has high hopes for the upcoming golfing season.  Through all of its ups and downs, aggravation and thrills, the good shots and the bad putts, it just goes to show that golf is truly the game for a lifetime.  Enjoy the stroll!!

Reporting from Headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina,
Sara Beckman, The Blogette

John is shown with his TaylorMade Burner 5-iron and Penta ball, celebrating with a smile!