b'GOLF IDAHOwalking four rounds of 18 holesIt was nearing the end of theWhat golf has become to me these (push carts or fancy rangefindersfinal round and one of the girlspast 16 years is more than just a werent allowed yet), mostly in thebroke her silence to say somethinggame; it is a profound expression Oregon rain, definitely meant weto me along the lines of, Youreof my faith, a place where I needed snacks and lots of smilesreally nice, even when you playencounter Gods creation in its (and extra socks).bad. Then she smiled. A realmost intricate detail. It is joy. I still remember my firstsmile. I was elated.It is a gift God gave me during a tournament. I clapped for eachTwo weeks later at the nexttime of sorrow and confusion.competitor who teed off beforetournament, on the first tee,Each time out, I try to take me. Then, my name was announcedour group traded scorecards andin the beauty of the landscape and at the first tee box, Next onintroduced ourselves. The samethe rhythm of each swing, being the tee, Amber Meeker from St.girl was in my group and whenso thankful for the Creators Helens, Oregon. I aimed about 80she handed me her scorecard,handiwork. At times, the game yards left of the fairway likebecomes a prayerful meditation, always and hit the nastiest slicewhere each moment of calm and youve ever seen that landed about.the true rewardchallenge reminds me of the grace 240 yards in the middle of thecomes from seeingand patience that God extends to fairway. I took 127 painful shotsothers find their ownme. The joy I find in golf goes after that.joy in the sport.The three girls I played with that round were silent. They didnt clap, high-five or cheer.she wished me luck and smiled. It was so odd to me. I rememberIn that round of golf, we both seeing a teammate of mine make anplayed well. We congratulated each awesome putt on the green next toother on good shots, we laughed a us, so naturally I yelled, Greatfew times, and by the end of the shot, Hailey! I was thrilledround, the other girls even joined for her, but judging by the looksin some high-fives.Corbans womens golf team finished fourth I received, I evidently didEach tournament that firstin their division in Ambers senior year (Balbas is second from right).something wrong. (Note to self:year, the reuniting party in the dont yell in the middle of a golfclubhouse grew more and more.beyond the game itself; its about tournament.) Girls were excited to see andplanting a passion and a sense of That afternoon we played ourcompete against each other. community in others. But the true second round on this 36-hole day.After college, I coachedreward comes from seeing others I offered snacks to my playinghigh school softball and golf infind their own joy in the sport.partners, then ate them all myselfColorado for a number of years. MyIf I can be a small part of because apparently eating during aathletes called me (and still do)helping someone smile or gain a tournament was also taboo. At theLady Hype or Lady Coach. Ourlittle more confidence during a end of the round, we shook handsteams were not always the stateround, then I know I am turning and that was that. They all lookedchampions or all-state athletes,my passion into a purpose. If Im so miserable. I would have lovedbut I have continued to receivelosing to you on the course, youll to have played like they did, butcalls and messages from them overstill hear me. If I didnt make the they didnt seem to have enjoyedthe years commenting on the impactcut, Ill still come to watch you themselves. of the encouragement they receivedgrind. If I melt down on the 14th The next day, the silence wasfrom me. green after hitting two balls OB nearly painful. I continued toSome of my athletes have goneand you make birdie, you bet Ill offer snacks and all the words ofon to coach teams themselves,have a high-five for you. encouragement that I thought mightwriting to tell me that they trySo, go out and play a round help. I played heaps better, so myto be to their teams the hypeof golf, whether it be your first spirits were much higher, but thegirl I was to them. We need moreor your thousandth, find grace in vibe in the group was still drab.hype girls. More hype bros.every stroke, and just smile.GOLF IDAHO|SEPT 20247'