With pleasure I have been able to organize the yearly Jong tegen Oud matchplay tournament at my golf club. Every September, a group of fine young golfers (team jong) takes on a group of seasoned older players (team oud) to do battle for the coveted Jong tegen Oud trophy. I am the captain of team oud. In Dutch, "jong" means young and "oud" means old.
The format is simple: nine holes greensomes in the morning, followed by eighteen holes singles in the afternoon. Then come a "gezellig borrel", plenty of prizes, and a barbecue feast to remember.
The event has been a tradition for many years. Team jong used to always win with ease. Until three years ago, when team oud broke the streak and took the trophy home. Team oud won again the following year. Last year's match ended in a tie, so we retained the trophy. This year, the stakes were high, and both teams were eager for the contest.
Team jong fielded an impressive collection of golfers. When those young whippersnappers hit their drives, the ball took off like a rocket and seemed to land in the next county. Team oud took a gentler approach, tapping drives down the middle of the fairway. It was still daunting to stand a hundred meters behind the big hitters up ahead.
The scores were posted live in an online app, so everyone could follow the action as it unfolded. The morning went smoothly for team oud, who edged ahead 4½-3½.
After lunch, team jong came charging back. They were well ahead in five of the first six singles matches. Things looked a little better for us at the turn, but we still had a lot of ground to make up. Slowly but surely, team oud chipped away at the lead until we were just two points behind with two groups left to finish.
On the eighteenth green arrived the second to last group, and a tense putting duel began. The spectators fell silent in anticipation. One long putt dropped; the next finished dead center; then a final knee-knocker found the cup and dropped. We were now only one point behind.
Just one more win would secure the tie. Could it be possible? It came down to the wire and was up to a father-and-son pairing on hole seventeen ... and we did it!
A tie for the second year running. What are the odds? We had retained the trophy again, thanks to some skill and more than our share of luck. The streak continues.
Honestly, I had hardly imagined we could do it. Judging by their ages, handicaps, and monstrous drives and iron shots, team jong seemed destined to win. But match play is a strange beast. Distance helps, yet it does not decide everything; the mental side of the game matters too. Perhaps that is where the older and wiser players had the edge, I don't know. Crazy sport, golf.
The longest drive, the neary and the leary prizes were handed out. The Most Valuable Player award went to the oldest member of the group, whose accuracy off the tee and superb play around the greens left his opponents dazed.
Above all, it was a wonderful day together: young and old competing in good spirit, sharing laughs and making memories in the true spirit of golf!
