One, we had to obtain licenses for each golfer. Here in Turkey to compete in a high school varsity sport, you must be deemed proficient by your coach and with the submission of proper forms the Ministry of Education certifies you. Then, two weeks before a student trip, details of travel and a roster must be submitted. Then, of course parental permission slips must be completed and returned. Just like all my written exams, these papers must be archived for two years! I’ve not seen the attic where all this paper is stored but it must be voluminous.
Our practice was on Saturday to be followed by tournament rounds Sunday and Tuesday. Sets of forms for all three days were submitted. Then on the Wednesday before our outings, we were informed the Golf Federation was rescheduling the first two tournaments; I was not told why. This is typical of the top-down hierarchy here: the leadership commands and you obey.
We had a fine time and my charges, three of whom had never set foot on a course before, enjoyed themselves. I holed an 85 meter tee shot and my playing partners were duly impressed as was I: I’d never had a hole-in-one before though this one certainly has an asterisk at 85 meters. I bought the whole club candy bars in celebration.
We were home by 6 PM and now I still look forward to being on a regulation course, to filling out many other sets of paperwork in the weeks ahead, and continuing to often not understanding what is going on around me.