Auld Lang Syne (Farewell to Beech Pool)

You’ve driven down the highway that leads to this pool so many times you have a story about every building, every intersection, every landmark. Where the Jet Drive-In used to be, which motel once had a forty foot high red neon “X” for a sign, where the hookers/crack heads materialize when the sun goes down, etc.
One day it occurs to you that this is all going to end. You won’t be driving down this road anymore – the pool will be gone and so will you – but not today….
Today you’re going to head down Sierra Highway, turn left at the 7-11, head into the old neighborhood, and find yourself in front of a pile of rubble where a mid-century style apartment building used to stand – a quad style structure that was so small it had letters for the individual units instead of numbers.
You found it a long time ago – back when the lawn was green, the vandals/squatters hadn’t arrived yet, the front doorway was open, there was a two story façade of fleur-de-lis concrete block out front, and the pool was in pristine condition. Now you’re here at the end – standing in front of what’s left of the pool (enough to skate one last time) and the apartment building (not much except for a set of stairs leading to nowhere) in the middle of a vacant lot. The pool is still alive, but the bulldozer sitting nearby will soon take care of that.
Something reminds you of the other rounds you’ve played in your life – the long drives, perfect chip shots, and sweet putts. You’ve birdied some holes, bogeyed others, had a few eagles, and maybe a hole in one (or were you imagining that?). You’ve had your share of the roughs and taken a few mulligans.
You’re also reminded of the great courses you played on. Beech was one of the best, and you’ve played it for a long time. You’re not playing the same game you played back in the day, cuz’ you’re almost as old as the pool is by now. Your back bothers you when you swing and your reflexes won’t allow you to sink putts like you used to, but you’re still here, still playing the game.
This is the proverbial “ 18th hole” - not a bad place to be, assuming you did a decent job on the other 17….wherever you find yourself on the course in 2012, two words of advice: Play through…
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