The Ostrich Controversy
So many apologies to all of you. My work schedule has been such that I've basically worked a 9-to-5-type-job this month leaving me little energy to create awesome photo-things for you to view and enjoy. In the spirit of make good gestures, I present you with another poll post.
While Mini Golfing at the Magic Carpet Mini-Golf Course in Tucson, AZ, I found myself losing the head-to-head battle with Ezra by several strokes. On Hole 17, The Ostrich Hole, I came to a place where I could make up some ground.
Please use the image below for reference.
The Hole is a Par 2, its difficulty only increased by the shoddy groundskeeping and broken obstacle. I noticed that the Hole had no wall to the right of the tee box ("The Hazard In Question"). I reasoned that the designers of the course left the player the option of "going overland" (on the image, a path denoted "A" to "C," AKA, "You Play To Win The Game"). I considered it the Big Golf equivalent of playing over the trees or over the water.
Ezra called foul and said that the challenge of the Hole was to follow the fairway as designed (on the image, points "A" to "B" to "C", AKA, "Play By The Rules") in two strokes.
The debate went on for some time, and involved name calling in the hot, hot sun. As it was my Hole to start, I finally elected to play the Hole "A" to "C" over the cement. I made par. Ezra elected to follow the designers' path, "A" to "B" to "C" and bogeyed.
Now I turn the vote over to you, gentlereader. Please end this argument by commenting below, choosing among the following three options:
a) Richard is a no good, dirty cheater who has no shame.
b) Ezra was unwilling to be creative and he's lucky he didn't fare worse.
c) Both paths are valid options, and the choice made is a reflection of the personality of the player.
Please note that option "c" is a cowards' vote.
While Mini Golfing at the Magic Carpet Mini-Golf Course in Tucson, AZ, I found myself losing the head-to-head battle with Ezra by several strokes. On Hole 17, The Ostrich Hole, I came to a place where I could make up some ground.
Please use the image below for reference.
The Hole is a Par 2, its difficulty only increased by the shoddy groundskeeping and broken obstacle. I noticed that the Hole had no wall to the right of the tee box ("The Hazard In Question"). I reasoned that the designers of the course left the player the option of "going overland" (on the image, a path denoted "A" to "C," AKA, "You Play To Win The Game"). I considered it the Big Golf equivalent of playing over the trees or over the water.
Ezra called foul and said that the challenge of the Hole was to follow the fairway as designed (on the image, points "A" to "B" to "C", AKA, "Play By The Rules") in two strokes.
The debate went on for some time, and involved name calling in the hot, hot sun. As it was my Hole to start, I finally elected to play the Hole "A" to "C" over the cement. I made par. Ezra elected to follow the designers' path, "A" to "B" to "C" and bogeyed.
Now I turn the vote over to you, gentlereader. Please end this argument by commenting below, choosing among the following three options:
a) Richard is a no good, dirty cheater who has no shame.
b) Ezra was unwilling to be creative and he's lucky he didn't fare worse.
c) Both paths are valid options, and the choice made is a reflection of the personality of the player.
Please note that option "c" is a cowards' vote.
7 Comments:
I think one is afforded additional operational freedom on ghetto courses.
Since when do mini-golf courses have "rules," anyway? Seeing as they are, collectively, one of the few institutions that do not discriminate against the shoeless, the shirtless, or the be-mulleted, I can't conceive of how a simple chip shot is objectionable. You, Richard, should be proud of the fact that you are a shameless, dirty cheater; just as all right-thinking mini-golfers are. Kudos.
it's nice to know that you play all sports the same way you play hockey. with skill grace and with as much cheating as the game will allow. ezra is just sore he didn't think of it first. mom
Did you use a real wedge to make the chip shot? It would have taken some skill to make the approach shot with a real wedge. It would have taken tremendous skill (or luck) to make the approach shot with the mole-bashers that they pass off as putters. Ezra was just bugged by the cheering of the awestruck multitudes. Don't forget to call your mother.
bG
I'm amazed that you didn't just pick up the ball and walk it over to the hole, quite frankly. That's how we used to do in PHX at least.
With the exception of bocce, I can think of no sillier 'non-sport' than mini-golf. Shame on you both.
ha. very well.
first off, i'd like to point out a few things. -it was literally 115 in the shade. our supply of Slurpy's had long run dry. and RIch was crying.
I'd add some photos to further my points above, but can't get them to attach to this post. Oh well, you'll have to just beleive me. moving on.
By the time we reached the Ostrich- we had already encountered holes where the guide rails started a few feet down the fairway. It was not something, as RIch insinuates, new and tempting from the course's designer. If it had been there would have been a price to pay for not hitting it well, (in the water, or trees as per Rich's examples)
I did not call "Foul". I used "Cheater". Several times.
the diffference being that I was not enorcing rules, I was judging Rich, and slandering him in the most satisfying of ways.
The notion that I was not acting "creatively" begs to question the very word. Were the Dogma films not "creative"? They were defined BY rules.
But that's not the point here. The course rules cover alchohol and vandalism etc.. But the Instructions state- "3. Ball out of bounds is replaced at point of exit with one stroke penalty."
And we followed that one every time, except at the Ostrich.
So go ahead and chip it over with your sand wedge RIch. That'd be a great shot and seems to be what others who posted (your mom included) think too. but rolling through? C'mon.
Looking back now, I think that it was more offensive that you'd cheat the joy of the long ricochet for the brief thrill of a par.
Is that all Magic Carpet Golf is to you, RIch? Another futile opportunity to measure your self worth? Trying desperately to match up to a standard that some long-dead stranger thinks your appropriate score should be?
Post a Comment
<< Home