Having played in the first two years of the World Series of Golf, I have to say it is the most exciting golf I’ve ever played. The nervous anticipation before the round starts, the pressure of making shots with big money at stake and trying to figure out how to make the most strategic bet, makes for golf like you’ve never known it. And that’s just during the practice rounds!
Game day is a whole other story. There are people everywhere, cameras rolling, on-course interviews after successful holes and pressure. Then there’s the pressure. Ever tried to make a game winning putt for five dollars? Try doing it all day at $10,000. Make the wrong bet, miss the wrong putt and you’re out.
I tied on the 18th hole on the first day the first year but didn’t have enough money to meet the doubling ante on the first playoff hole. The second year, I won on the second playoff hole the first day and then lost on the eleventh hole on day two. My wife was a nervous wreck in the clubhouse during the round, watching the scoreboards go up and down. She had so many people helping her make it through the round, that when I finally won you would have thought I won the masters. When I came into the clubhouse I was treated like a conquering hero then I realized I was just the husband of the “celebrity” of the day. We both had a great time and we’re “all in” for next year and can’t wait.
I love the atmosphere, the pressure, the course and the whole experience. It’s golf, it’s betting, it’s competition and it’s making some great friends. This is an adult adventure for the golf enthusiast that from a practical view, makes no sense. Why would any amatuer golfer in his right mind bet $10,000 on his ability to make golf shots all day? Well it’s not meant to be practical, it’s meant to be exciting and that it is. I love it. See you in 2009 at WSOG!
Bill Strayton
