Golf courses have been built in a lot of places, and with man-made and natural hazards waiting to add to one's score. I saw the "island hole" at Cour de Elene, Idaho. It is an island floating off-shore on the lake. You either land on the green or in the water! A walkway leads from land to the hole. It is a very expensive course so I simply watched others drown their Titleists.
My dear, deceased friend, Glenn Booth, and I used to play a course near Dallas called. Red Oak. It is an old public course. A train track runs through part of the course. You could get run over by a train in your golf cart. Imagine explaining that to loved ones!
On the tenth hole the train tracks run between the tee and the green, set down in a valley and dog-legging left. Glenn and I arrived at number ten tee just as a freight train began to make it's entrance on to the course. I said, "Glenn, let's see if we can hit over a moving train and land in the fairway." He liked the idea. The slow-moving train chugged up in the valley below us and one of the crewmen waved. We waved back and teed up. After the engine was out of sight Glenn took a mighty swing and hit a screamer.....not over a boxcar....but into its side. An empty boxcar sounds like a giant drum when hit by a golf ball! Now, it is my turn. I took my swing and sent my ball heading for another boxcar. Wham! The sound was heart-pounding! We stood there laughing, thinking of the riders inside those cars,if they were there. " Is that hail? The sky is blue! I am giving up the bottle and goin' back home! ".
Anyway, that was my first and only shot at hitting over a moving box-car. It was much more fun missing the target.
Apostle Paul set challenging goals for we who are Believers. We are to hit OVER the box cars of life and into the fairways of good and noble purpose. Sad to say, too many, like Glenn and I that day, get caught up into the fun of banging into the boxcars of life, hearing for a moment the echoing sound of the world, but coming up with a bogie or worse. It's fun to hit a boxcar but the ball comes back at you. Watch out!
