This story is fiction and all characters are over 18.
Lucy and I went to a smaller state university located in a medium sized Texas town. Everyone knew Lucy and I was no exception. We had several classes together during our first two years in school. The first year she pledged a sorority and dated one of the stud athletes on the baseball team. The second year she didn't date any one person regularly but went out with different people.
I didn't date much my first year as I was trying to adapt to college life and keep my grades up. The second year, I started dating a girl named Nancy that I liked a lot and we had a lot of fun together including fairly regular sex. At the end of the year, she told me that she was transferring to another college and we broke up.
One of the things Nancy and I always did during our year together was go to the sporting events especially the women's sports. Nancy liked to support the girls since most people didn't pay much attention to them. I came to admire the grace and beauty of women's sports because they had to depend more on skill and hard work whereas the men relied on strength, size and brute force to compete. As a result, we quickly became very aware of Lucy. She played volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball in the spring. At 5'4", she wasn't the biggest girl on any team but she earned her place by being the most competitive and hardest working member of the group. She was one of those that people called the "spark plug" of the team. In volleyball, she was the one who went to the floor to dig out saves. In basketball, she was stealing passes and feeding others so they could score. In softball, her play around second base was superb. The result was that more often than not she left the floor in the fall and winter with bloody knees and in the spring, she usually left with a dirty uniform and a limp.
I came to admire her for her leadership skills and her competitiveness. I admired her because she was many things that I wasn't. I was tall enough at 6' but I only weighed in at 160 lbs. I also had grown up with limited strength and motor skills. I played sports when I was young but my body wasn't developed enough to be any good. So I began playing golf with my father and focused on school. It wasn't until I was a senior in high school that I started to develop strength and coordination. As a result, I had missed the opportunity to participate in high school athletics as well as many of the social skills that come with being part of the social center of school life; I was more of a loner and quiet type. I really started to develop in college. I was well liked and participated in many school activities but I was still outside the major social center of the sorority and fraternity crowd. I didn't mind because I had found my place and I was comfortable with where I was.
I was 20 and after my second year in college, I decided to stay for the summer and take additional classes hoping that I might graduate early and start working in my father's business. As I matured physically, my golf game improved to the point where I was a consistent player who shot in the low 80's. I was playing with a couple of the teachers in late May and mentioned that I was staying for summer school. One of them asked me if I would like to assist him with the golf class he was going to teach that summer. We talked about what he needed me to do and I agreed. I would get to the course early and get the teaching clubs out for the day and mark off an area of the practice range for the class and then help with individual students during class. He gave me a schedule for the summer and what the subjects would be for the eight week class. The class met three days a week and for the first couple of weeks, everything was on the practice range. After that, two days were classroom and range and the third was set aside to play a couple of holes on the course. The final exam was a full 18 hole round. I thought that it was a good program and didn't foresee any conflicts with my schedule.
On the first day of class, I arrived early to get things set up and was drinking a cup of coffee when Lucy arrived. "Hi Rick, it's nice to see you again. We haven't had a class together in awhile."
"Hi Lucy, that's true but I have been following you from the stands. I really like the way you play all of your sports."
"Thanks. I always noticed you when you were there. Is Nancy here this summer?"
"No, we broke up because she is transferring to another school in the fall."
"I'm sorry Rick; you two made a nice looking couple."
"Thanks. So you decided to take up golf to go with all of your other sports?"
"Actually, I am taking it up because of them. I love to play and compete, but it is really taking a toll on my body. Besides, once I'm through with college, I'm through with sports unless I can find something to replace them with. So I am taking both golf and tennis this summer along with an English class I missed last year."
"I can't imagine you not being good or not enjoying either sport. They are individual sports rather than team efforts." She nodded in agreement.
Just then, the other students started to arrive and the teacher drove up. We gathered under a big tree around a picnic table as the instructor began the class. He introduced himself and briefly talked about the game of golf and then handed out the class schedules. As he began to describe how the class was going to work, he motioned me over and said, "I have asked Rick Phelps to assist the class. He is a pretty good golfer and a patient teacher and partner. During class, I will probably do most of the talking but Rick will demonstrate a lot of the things we talk about. Then he and I will work with you individually to refine your skills. We aren't trying to turn you into pros but to give you a feel for the game. It is one that you can play and enjoy for the rest of your life. So let's go over to the practice area and warm up." I felt proud of the introduction he had given me and was also proud of the fact that Lucy looked at me with a smile when she heard that I was to assist the class.
As we walked to the practice area, she said, "Why didn't you tell me that you were teaching the class?"
"Because I'm not; he is. I'm just assisting and I'm not real sure how I would teach golf anyways. I just play it."
"Well, plan on helping me a lot. I don't plan on leaving this class as a girl duffer. I want to be a golfer who happens to be a girl."
"I don't think that anyone will miss the fact that you are a girl." As soon as I said it, I blushed. I never said flirty things like that to someone I didn't know well.
She laughed, "I'm thrilled that you finally noticed I was a girl and not just a jock." If anything, I got redder.
The teacher began talking about warming up routine and had me show how I prepared for a round. I went through my stretches and things while he continued talking. I was keenly aware that Lucy was watching me closely. Then he talked about gripping the club and I took my grip and walked along to show everyone how I took it in my hand and interlocked my fingers. Lucy wanted to watch again as I did it and then tried it with the club in her hand. I could tell that she really wanted to start properly and made a note to show her everything I knew as she picked things up.
Then the teacher talked about the stance and had me demonstrate both a proper stance and a couple of improper ones. With each, I hit a couple of balls to show the results of an improper stance. Once again Lucy was setting her feet and moving her body to get the feel of how different stances affected her balance. Then we got to the swing. I demonstrated a smooth and several choppy ones. Lucy was already practicing a smooth swing without a club in her hands. There was only thirty minutes left in the class by then, so he told the class to get a bucket of balls and hit them for the rest of the time. He then told me to work with them as he had to go back early to attend a faculty meeting.
It was no surprise that most of the students had forgotten most of what we had talked about and I spent several minutes refreshing their memories. Lucy was the exception as she tried to put everything together. She hit a number of balls poorly, but she hit many solidly. Each one she hit like that brought out her winning smile. As a result, I spent little time with her during class. She just needed to get comfortable with what she was already doing.
When the class was over the other students left quickly and I began to gather the clubs together. She came up to me and said, "I thought you were going help me. You helped everyone else but didn't even notice me once."
"Trust me, I noticed you on almost every swing." Her face brightened into a big smile. "And besides, you don't need much help. You studied what we talked about and put it into practice. That and with your natural athleticism, you picked it up quickly. All you need is practice and confidence in what you are doing. After you get that down, there are some things that I can show you, but it is too early for that yet. In case you didn't notice, everyone else forgot everything we talked about and I had to go over it again with them but I still kept a close eye on you."
"Well then I guess I did two things right today. I've got to go to my English class. I'll see whenever."
I smiled and waved goodbye. I finished putting things away and got ready to go to my class. I felt good about the first day of class and was surprised but pleased to watch how well Lucy did.
It was raining during the next class and we met in one of the private dining rooms in the clubhouse. The instructor talked about clubs and how to choose the proper one to use. Lucy was the only one taking notes. I carried each club around as he talked about them and pointed out the features that he was talking about. Then he talked about putting and I demonstrated several putting stances including a couple that no one would ever use. He then had the class go to the indoor putting green and try out different putters and try their hand on the practice green. Soon the others were slapping balls around like they were billiard balls. Lucy was trying different putters and different strokes. I helped a couple of others and then went to her.
"How are you doing, Lucy?"
"Be still my heart; then man paid attention to me."
"Don't be a turd; I told you that I notice you. So what is the problem?"
"He thinks I'm a turd; but then I think his is a shit, so we make a good team." She smiled her winning smile at me and I blushed again. "I'm having trouble picking a putter. Some are too long and some too heavy or light. How do you pick one?"
"That's one of the tricky things in golf. There isn't a right one for everyone. It is a lot about your personal preference. Some people change putters weekly and the manufacturers get rich off of those people. Others find one and play with it for years. Don't worry about the length, they can be shortened. Choke down on the grip to find a comfortable position and then focus on the way the club feels in your hands. Do you feel like you can line it up every time and does it feel comfortable when you swing it? Ultimately, you want one that feels good in your hands and that when you line it up, you can see the line and swing it to hit that line."
