Four Itchy Feet

October 27, 2025. Triangle, Virginia.

As winter approaches, any opportunity to play golf must be seized. Today, we returned to Forest Greens Golf Club and were rewarded, not only with great weather but with truly great company.

Forest Greens is busy, and you can expect to be paired up every time, but this time, we definitely won the pairing lottery. At the first tee, we met Phil and Merick. When they immediately invited me to play from the blue tees, I knew I was in the company of high-caliber players.

My assumption proved right. Merick was an incredible player, focused and surgical. He exhibited a masterclass in precision golf. His swing was a model of consistency, and he managed the course with such meticulous accuracy that watching him felt like attending a private lesson. He made very few mistakes all day.

Phil is equally talented but brings a more humorous approach to the game, always ready with a quick, self-deprecating joke or a witty observation about the struggles of amateur golf. His laid-back attitude made the entire round feel easy. Despite his jokes, his game was sharp, especially his irons. I watched him launch several shots sky-high, carrying the ball on a towering trajectory that seemed to hang forever before dropping softly, like a feather, just feet from the pin.

Despite their skill level, they were patient and encouraging with us. I got to learn a lot just from watching their precise approach to the game. Even playing further back from the blue tees, I managed a respectable 97, matching the score I shot last week from the closer white tees.

Playing lots of golf, you get to meet some wonderful people. Phil and Merick were both from Jamaica, a sister island of Cuba, my country of birth. We reminisced about the time we all lived in South Florida and considered the current threat of Hurricane Melissa bearing down on our home countries. We considered ourselves blessed to have spent such a wonderful afternoon with true golf gentlemen.

They both play at Forest Greens Golf Club often, so if you spot them on the practice green, say hello for us and ask if they have room in their foursome—you won’t regret it.