Has anyone ever finally hit that long sought after ace, but had the misfortune to be playing alone with no witnesses? Here's a poem about a guy who did just that, and how he handled it.
The Unwitnessed Ace
He arrived at the course around daybreak.
Still cold out, but he didn't mind.
He hadn't played disc golf in over a week
and he needed some time to unwind.
He wanted to play for a bag tag,
but his buddies still hadn't shown.
So he practiced his putting for a minute or two,
then set out to play on his own.
This was his home course, the one he loved best.
He'd learned how to throw at this place.
For 25 years he'd mastered the lines,
but in all those years, never an ace!
He'd hit the pole often, once he even splashed chains.
It was the best shot that he'd ever thrown.
But he'd give his left nut for just one perfect throw.
An ace he could call his own.
His round started well with two pars and a birdie,
then birdie par birdie par par.
But hole 9's a par 4 with a long water carry.
It was his least favorite hole, by far.
The tee for hole 9 was on top of a hill.
And while hiking he made a great plan.
Shoot for par or for bogie or even a double,
but don't let this hole beat you again.
The view from the top was amazing,
house after house, then a small landing spot.
Then a great lake that guarded a basket so far
that it looked from the tee like a dot.
He sometimes threw short into someone's backyard,
with a fence and a dog, for God's sake.
But today he felt good and decided to aim
for that landing spot in front of the lake.
So he gave it his all and he hoped for the best,
as the disc ripped out of his hand.
He watched it fly over the houses
and he prayed it would end up on land.
But the wind caught the disc and it turned toward the lake
and he knew it was probably gone.
He thought of the extra stroke he would take,
And his throw from that awful drop zone.
But the disc flew like a bird in the wind,
then slowly began to fade right.
Could it actually carry the water?
He thought that possibly, just maybe, it might.
Then as if in a dream his disc dropped from the sky
and landed he thought on the green (what a thrill!).
But he soon knew the truth when the sound of the chains
made its way to the top of the hill.
He yelled and he shouted and he jumped up and down
cause he'd finally gotten his ace.
But when telling his buddies of the shot he had made
Would they believe him or laugh in his face?
He thought for a moment as a smile crossed his lips,
and he realized that they mattered not.
He'd made the ace of his dreams today
and he cared not what anyone else thought.
