New Year’s Eve was a glorious 72 degrees and sunny in Georgia, too perfect to pass up the chance to sneak one last nine-hole round into 2024. The experience ended up restoring faith in the game and its future – at least on the recreational level.
With weather that nice, a lot of other people had the same idea to head to the local links. The tee sheet was completely full at the University of Georgia Golf Course when I walked up and asked if they could work me in somewhere as a single for nine holes. The starter said he’d do his best.
As luck would have it, a family of three from Oglethorpe County showed up for their tee time before there was even a chance to practice putting. The Pattersons – father Daniel, mother Peyton and their second-grader son Miles – welcomed me to join them.
My only regret is not discovering the famble when I had young kids of my own. It was absolutely the perfect format to learn and develop a family bond with golf.
Mom and Dad apologized in advance for the state of their games, a courtesy immediately dismissed as unnecessary. Daniel said they always just pick the best shot of the threesome and all play the next shots from there. I dubbed the format a “famble” – a family scramble.
My only regret is not discovering the famble when I had young kids of my own. It was absolutely the perfect format to learn and develop a family bond with golf. And despite a completely packed golf course, the famble allowed the Pattersons (plus one) to keep perfect pace with the foursome in front and never hold up play for the foursome behind.
Even better, it was a chance to literally watch how the game grows. Daniel’s contact steadily improved as the nine holes progressed. Peyton shook off a few nervous whiffs at the start to hit what she says were the best drives of her life on numerous occasions. Miles – always so eager to go that he’d swing before getting his feet set – hit a handful of shots that only made him hungrier to keep playing.
The highlight came on the par-3 13th hole at UGA – a full carry over water to a green tucked immediately on the other side. Miles rushed to the front of the tee box and lashed with his driver before his parents had even set the parking brake on their carts. It plunked in the water. “Can I try again?” he pleaded.
That’s when Peyton lifted him up and moved him to get his feet set in the right direction. Daniel simply told him to slow down and wait to be set up. Miles swung again, this time the ball carried the 60-some yards over the water and settled safely pin high left of the green. He chipped it up to 2 feet and would have made the par on his own ball if his mom had time enough to get there to pick him up and align his feet again.
It was a simple pleasure to watch a family grow together into being golfers for life.
When it was over, Miles offered an enthusiastic thumb-clasping bro shake and I offered some friendly advice: “Keep listening to your parents and you’ll be beating all of us soon.” I resolve to play more in 2025 to try to hold him off a little longer – and maybe see if it’s not too late to implement a famble of our own.
Scott Michaux
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