Round # 1, Falcon Ridge, Aug 22

What can i learn playing golf with my 4 year old son, Benjamin?

At falcon Ridge, i learned to not take things too seriously. 9th green, putting for birdie, really wanted to make it b/c i hadn't played all that well...asked Ben to go get the flag out of the cup for me. right before i lined up to hit the putt, he shouted, look Dad, i'm an airplane. he was holding the flag out and spinning around in circles on the 9th green. Wish he would have picked the 6th green, one that wasn't right next to the pro shop...i lined up again, hit a smooth stroke on the putt....and missed. and didn't really care. i wasn't taking it too seriously.

the chip on #2. i gave ben a ball and dropped it on top of a hill by the green, 10 feet above the green in the rough, tight pin placement, water behind the green. An impossible chip for a 4 year old. he swung the club and the ball dribbled down towards the green, bounces probably 5 or 6 times, and trickled onto the green and to about 2 and a half feet from the green. it was an incredible chip...(try to do this in 10 shots, see if i could get closer...) i looked at him and said, Benji, you are an incredible golfer! He said, i know Dad, that's because i'm learning from you. Little did he know how much i was learning from him.

hit a bad shot, said a cuss word bringing my hand up to my mouth ( a move i learned from KU basketball coach, bill self...) and ben asked: did you hurt your hand daddy? apparently he thought i got a boo boo and needed a kiss.

7th hole cart girl. bought him some peanut butter crackers (not peanuts) and sprite, asked him if he wanted to play this hole or just sit in the cart and eat his snacks. his reply: stay in the cart and eat snacks.

2nd hole approach shot. lined up, just about ready to hit, and ben shouts out at me "daddy, i need to go peepee' (and tiger thought dealing with camera men was hard...).

4th hole, in the junk, should have hit PW, why hit PW when you have a .01% chance of ripping a 4 iron out of the weeds, 190 yards to within 10 feet of the pin? so i hit the 4 iron...and dribbled it out about 20 yeards ahead. and then i lost that ball. hit it fat into a fairway bunker...short of the green, hit a terrible chip, three putted for an 8 on a par 4. About to get really mad...and thought to myself...i'm out here with my son...why am i taking this so seriously?

next day...playing at milburn....shot came to rest right up against a tree...tried to hit it, tree pushed the club away from ball and missed, next time tried it it shot out pretty far to the right (guy had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit...) took a deep breath and told myself: don't take it too seriously...chipped up, two putted for double and ended having a great round that day.

Paul: you aren't good enough to get that mad.

benji trying to hit his 7 iron on the green. (really need to get him a putter...)