Golf outing -- Village Greens Golf Club, Sinking Spring, Pa.

Today's important lesson: A 7 on a par-4 is a better score than a 7 on a par-3.

That's a rabbit in the lower left hand corner,
 and no, I didn't hit it.

I played not quite a full round at Village Greens Golf Course in Sinking Spring, a mostly par-3 course in a beautiful, tree-lined suburban setting. Luckily the day was a nice one for walking in the woods, as I spent most of my time among the trees in search of my ball. First two shots off the tee on the first hole went into a row of trees that separated the course from some nearby residential driveways. I gave myself a Mulligan and hit my second shot in about the same place, although it stayed on this side of the trees.

Thus did the rest of my game progress: Lots of 7s and the occasional dreaded 8. On a regular par-72 course, one could call this a success. I DID score 56 on the front nine, after all. But since Village Greens has a total par of 56, I can't say I improved any.

After hitting a dreaded 8 on the seventh hole, I returned to form somewhat and scored a 7 on hole eight. (According to my score card I four-putted the hole; an increasingly frequent occurrence, I found.) I got the same score on hole nine, which became an instant morale booster. That hole is a par-4, and I hit a nice, straight drive with my 5-wood off the tee. It took me six more shots to get the ball in the cup. But considering I hit an 8 on a par-3 hole — twice! — earlier, I consider a 7 a victory.

The back nine went unevenly. I was playing behind some old dudes who seemed slower than continental drift, so I skipped hole 10. After a horrible 8 on hole 11, I bypassed hole 12 and immediately improved, scoring three 6's and a bogey on the next four holes.

I returned to form on 17, scoring an 8 (with three putts). On the last hole, pressed for time, I hit the ball about 30 feet in the air and 15 feet in front of me. The hell with it, I decided. Sometimes you have to know when to quit.

Beginning golfers need to focus on the positive (I keep telling myself), so I try to forget the bad scores and focus on the string of good holes I had on the back nine. Why else would anyone take up this game?

This round taught me two lessons good for any novice:

1. It doesn't matter if your score sucks; just enjoy playing.
2. Every once in a while, your score won't suck. Not often, but once in a while.

Those are good enough reasons to keep swinging.

Still a long way from breaking 100.