Slice Stories: Oil Spill

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We’ve all been in messy situations, but recently a golfing friend told me a story of someone he played with whose slice turned out to be a nasty spill for his game on the back nine of our favorite course. On this course, just to the right of one of the holes is a fenced off area with a regiment of constantly churning oil derricks. Even though there’s a fair amount of tree cover protecting the oil field, making it harder for stray balls to get in, this guy’s high, dramatically arching slice cleared the trees and the fence, and made a loud “clank” as it ricocheted of one of the mechanical beasts, which then continued to chug along as if nothing had happened.

As I listened to this, I couldn’t help but be reminded of news reel footage of oil spills, where baby seals, sea gulls, and other critters are covered in oil. My friend assured me that the only tragedy that resulted from this slip up was his friend taking a snowman on the hole. Nevertheless, the next time I played 18 on the course, I made sure to take a peek into the oil field, just to be safe.

Curing a slice may in rare cases help you to prevent oil spills, but above all, it’s a good way to keep your score down.