FanStory.com - Saving Mr. Calvin - Chapter 19by Jim Wile

Chapter 19

We got an early start and arrived at the fairgrounds before dawn. We had previously notified the Fair Committee about the early practice round, and they had mentioned this on the signs that were posted around town announcing the competition. The announcement said that registration of teams would begin at 8 o’clock and be closed at 9 o’clock, when brackets would be drawn.

Lars and Lottie manned the registration booth, took down the team names, and passed out the rules and map of the holes to the players. Several people came with no equipment and no team, having never played the game before, and they were politely told they would not be able to enter the competition this year. We encouraged them to try the game and, if they achieved some level of skill, to try again next year.

The first rides out to the farm began at 9 o’clock when registration was closed. Any players who wanted to could play the holes for practice, and we would begin the competition at half past 10 o’clock. There would be continuous rides to and from the farm every hour for the fairgoers.

The four of us played the holes for the first time, along with a number of other players. As we predicted, the 9th hole, the short 1-shot hole over the pond, would be the challenge we hoped it would be. I was barely able to keep the ball on the green with my middler, and it almost rolled off the back and down into the water. We completed the 12 holes in just over an hour, which left us plenty of time to answer any questions from the competitors.

A total of 16 teams entered the competition, and we were very pleased with the turnout. A number of the competitors congratulated us on the invention of the game and thanked us for setting up the holes.

At 10:30 sharp, play began. Five other players besides Arie were women or girls, and one complete team was an all-woman team. Quite a few spectators came out on the second ride, arriving in time for the beginning of the competition.

As only two balls would be played per match (one by each team), play was fast. We were able to complete our match, which we won on the 8th hole, in just under an hour. We played against a group of four older gentlemen whom we had met previously on our travels and sold equipment to. We had won seven of the holes and tied the other. We thanked our opponents for coming out and encouraged them to keep playing, spread the word, and enter again next year.

After all play was completed for the first matches, and eight teams had been eliminated, the next set of matches began at 1 o’clock. Most players took a meal break in between, as several food booths had been set up on the grounds with a variety of foods.

“Kilian, we have to get Ruben some food. I hear giant rumblings coming from his belly, and he is beginning to flag,” said Arie. “I am rather hungry myself and would not mind some refreshment either.”

“I think we’re all pretty hungry by now. I did not think to bring any food or water with us. Definitely, let’s get something to eat before they run out.”

Anneke Papin, who was among the spectators following our match, came to our rescue. She had brought a variety of food and drink for us in a basket, which she had placed with the officials before setting out to watch us play.

“Thank you for your foresight, Anneke,” I said to her. “This is sorely needed to keep us going this afternoon.”

The rest thanked her too, but she just waved it off.

Our opponents for the second match were the team of women. They were not very skilled and only won their first match because their opponents were even less so. We happened to win this one on the 7th hole, having won all seven holes that we played.

“We do not mind losing to you four,” said the spokeswoman for the group. “Indeed, we are honored to have played with you and seen you up close. You are wonderfully talented at this new game you invented.”

“Thank you very much,” said Arie. “We enjoyed playing with you too, and we hope you will continue in the game and inspire more people to take it up. Especially women and girls.”

“We will be sure to do that, Arie. You are a talented young lady and a marvelous holer of the ball. All of you are worthy representatives of this game. And you, young man,” she said, turning to Rube, “are a wonder indeed. If I can ever hit the ball just half as far as you, I would be a very happy kolfer!”

“Thank ya kindly, lady. Miss Arie taught me to hit it far.”

“Is that so? Well, your talents are many, Arie, including teaching.”

“He didn’t need much coaching, ma’am. He is a natural.”

“No, I’m a shepherd, Miss Arie.”

“That too, Ruben,” she said as she smiled and put her arm around his waist.

The third match was our first real challenge of the day. The team consisted of four burly men—two older and two younger. One of the younger men was almost as large and muscular as Rube and proved to be a formidable smasher of the ball, out-hitting Rube’s smash on several holes. Rube began swinging extra-hard to out-hit him, but this resulted in a degree of wildness that put our ball in some awkward places.

“Talk to him, Arie. He listens to you,” I suggested to her quietly.

Arie took him aside after a particularly wayward smash on the 8th hole and said to him gently, “Ruben dear, it isn’t necessary to out-hit that fellow every time. Swinging so hard is causing your shots to fly crooked. It would be better to swing like you always do and not put any extra effort into it unless it is really necessary sometime. Do you think you can do that?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Arie. I won’t do that no more.”

“No need to be sorry. I know you’ll do your best and swing easier from now on. You hit the ball plenty far enough.”

After Rube’s wayward smash, I had a difficult shot coming up. There were trees up ahead to the right, and I would have to bend the ball around them to reach the green, a daunting prospect. I had practiced this shot many times, so I knew how to make the ball curve left-to-right, but I also had to keep it low to travel under overhanging branches, which added more difficulty to it.

The shot came off perfectly, and the spectators went wild with applause at my ability to curve the shot around the trees. It just stayed under the overhanging branches, hit the ground, and rolled a good distance before ending up on the front of the green.

“Outstanding shot, Kilian!” said Lars. “I thought for sure we would be needing a lifter shot for the next one, but now we are ready for Arie to hole the ball. You will have to teach me that shot someday.”

To put the froth on the beer, Arie holed her shot from the front of the green—20 paces away—for a three, while the opponents, who already laid three and weren’t in yet, just picked up their ball. That put us up by two holes in the match.

“We will have a tough time besting you with holes like that,” said one of the older opponents. “That was a worthy performance!” We thanked him for the compliment.

We came now to the challenging 9th hole, the short one over the pond. So far, we had not had to play this in either of our first two matches, which were over before we got here, and we only played it once in the practice round. I hit another solid shot with my middler, which landed in the center of the green, rolled to the back edge, and stopped just short of going over and down into the water. I wondered how the other groups were faring on this hole because it was about as challenging a shot as I had ever seen.

Sure enough, our opponents failed to hold the green, and their ball rolled off the back and down into the pond. They tried it again with the same result and conceded the hole right then. That put us three holes up in the match with but three left to play. All we needed was a win or tie on any of those last three holes, and the match would be ours.

When we tied the next hole, it was all over.

“That was an awesome display of kolf,” said the older man in the group who had complimented us before. “You young folks appear unbeatable, and each of you contributed skillfully in the match. It was a pleasure to see how the game should be played.”

“Thank you very much, sir,” I responded. “We have been playing it the longest, so that is probably the reason for our win today.”

“Your modesty is commendable, but I have a feeling there is plenty of raw talent and ability that makes you excel. Once again, it was a great pleasure playing against you, and I hope we will meet again next year—in the finals perhaps.”

“We look forward to it.”

So far, among the folks we had played against and others that we had talked to, there appeared to be a great deal of good manners and sportsmanship evident when playing this game. That bodes well for its future.

We now had one match left to win to claim victory in the competition. We all felt excited about it.