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Charlie and Henry had been friends playing golf together for a long time. Both belonged to the same club and played regularly with their group of World War II era friends.
Henry was a retired physician and a great story teller. He and I were in another larger golf group and he always gave me a kind hello when he saw me. Henry had joy in the camaraderie of being with his pals.
Henry was such a gifted storyteller that when it came time for jokes after dinner and the announcement of that day's golf results, the crowd would spontaneously and gradually more loudly cheer, "Hen-ry, Hen-ry, Hen-ry!" He would slowly rise and tell one of his always engaging and uniquely entertaining stories.
As legend has it Charlie and Henry were out playing golf as a twosome one afternoon and Henry was having a rough day of it. Charlie, known as a man of few words, didn't say much as Henry grumbled his way through the first few holes.
But on the fifth hole Henry hit such a poor shot that he bellowed in frustration. And it was at this point that Charlie turned to Henry and said, "You know what your problem is? You haven't learned to enjoy playing sh**ty golf."
Well that made Henry laugh and it kinda changed his whole day. And when I heard that story, it changed my outlook on golf altogether because it really isn't about the score.
It's about enjoying being with the friends we love.
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