Golf Ball Fishing
When it comes to summer sports, I am a jack of all trades and master of none. I golf, fish, swim, play ball of all sorts and enjoy each one without the encumbrance of having to be real good at any of them. I even mix them up sometimes and come up with new events like fishing for golf balls.
Fishing for golf balls is a duck and water thing for me. I love to fish, and I lose plenty of balls when I golf. So, I think it natural to take my float tube--a tool for serious fisherman--and transform it into a tool for retrieving what has been lost-- by serious golfers.
Golf ball fishing can only be done a few times a year. You need a cool, preferrably rainy evening when all golfers are snuggled in at home or you take one of your kids to stand guard at sunset when you slip into the river, lake or pond, hoping no one is foolish enough to tee off at such a late hour.
Once in the water, you pump your legs vigorously until you come to a good "water hole." (All golfers understand this term.) Then you gently comb the bottom with your feet, looking for "ball pockets" --little depressions where wet and drowned golf balls congregate. Often I step on two or three balls at a time. Once in awhile I hit a mother lode of six or seven. Then I take my homemade net, a small version of my fishing net and scoop the balls up. It has all the thrills of fishing. As I reel in the balls I'm hoping for a walleye-like Top Flite, a bass-like Slazenger, or a trout-like Pinnacle. I hope to avoid the carp and sucker balls but accept the fact I must get some of those, too.
When all is done, I take my catch home and clean 'em. Bug Gone from the North Dakota State Fair commercial building is the best scaler I've used. A good night--fifty balls and thirty of them are gamers. Twenty will be use for practice and on holes where I must hit over the river during one of my golf games.
Golfball fishing is on par with any fishing I've done. Too bad I have to do it at nightfall. The bogie man scares me.
About the Author:
Steve Graner is a Christian educator and familyman employed by the Minot, ND Public School District. A licensed laypastor, he is passionate about Christian writing and Christian drama. Along with family and friends, Steve has performed numerous self-written dramas and musicals for area church audiences.