Club House at Lake Chabot Golf Course
Gary was at a lost to explain the encounter, life having suddenly become somewhat boring, it was a new experience. His continuance was lacking drive and apparently having stalled, doldrums having become habit having arrived occupying his very existence. Something was needed to awaken and energize his inner spirit and renew the engagement of inquisition giving closure to this preoccupation stalemate. School and its aftermath was time consuming, but it didn’t galvanize any exciting avocations. Family concourse and participation was autogenic, never-changing. His continuance with visits to San Francisco, the planetarium, as with his attendance at the Little Men Science Fiction conclave still left a vacuum to his quintessence. He found some enthusiasm in attending his friend Hank Balls’ participation in Junior Varsity basketball, but it was short-lived, Hank suffering the detriment of a broken arm, occurring during practice and it put an end to his presence on the team. Gary sufficed with nothing kinetic foreseen on the horizon, he patronized the lack of substance, reminding himself that patience is a virtue, but what he desired wasn’t patience, but an ingredient to rid this sense of apathy
Best friend Hank Ball
Benediction comes in many forms, but an unforeseen endowment is paramount, his best friend Hank having acquired a car. This acquisition was actuated by Hanks dad, but the initiator was of no consequence, only the result, transportation was at hand and that changed the modus operandi for the two Teens. Gary never having the responsibility of automotive indulgence soon realized the number one requirement for administering it was a financial one, gas money, the two boys realizing that the internal combustion engine requires fuel and that necessitates monetary substance, which the two having limited resources. Gasoline was purchased by the gallon and patrons normally would purchase amounts of 5 or 10 gallons, or fill their tank. On occasion it wasn’t unusual to find the two teenagers pooling their resources and buying as little as 22 cents worth of gas, especially after one of their extended trips, commonly known as cruising.
The view of the bay area from the golf course
Ned Bellinger
Ned Bellinger was on the Castlemont Golf Team, Gary being acquainted with the red-haired younger classmen golf enthusiast and was just made aware that he been visiting with Hank about indulging in the game. Gary having never professed an interest but decided to join the two at Lake Chabot Golf Course, the eighteen hole public course bordering lake Chabot. When first starting this sporting endeavor, the teens were without clubs, but finding inexpensive club rentals were available and this collection of miscellaneous used heritage clubs could be purchased. The club house management consisted of Mr Fry and Mr. Ross, Gary discovering that Fry was a by the book person, whereas Ross took an interest in the teens ambition to golf. Gary taking advantage of the bargain price acquiring ownership of two woods, four irons and a putter and a well used bag. The teens finding an untapped experience, never having attempted to pendulate the different enumerated irons and woods soon discovering it was more than a novice participants game, one requiring exacting skill and personal attributes of discipline, confidence and ability. The two novice were immediately diligent and appreciative to the instructional discourse given by Ned who had obtained not only the knowledge but had already acquired a professional aptitude for the game
First set of used clubs, old but a bargain
Hank and Gary endeavored to hone their sparse skills and with Hanks new-found transportation, extending an invitation to Don Bryant to joined them. The teens becoming golf enthusiast, but soon discovering that depending on who was behind the counter at the clubhouse could make it be cost prohibiting. Mr. Fry was a stickler for charging the teens if they were to tee off from the first tee, whereas Mr. Ross, who was most congeal , mentioned that because of the lateness of the day they could skip coming by and start at the No. 10 tee out of sight of the clubhouse and play the back nine. Gary suspected that Fry wasn’t privy to Ross’s conversation. Mr. Ross also mentioned that if the teenagers were interested there sometimes was a shortage of caddies and ball retrievers on weekends.
The par 6 – 673 yd/ 18th hole at Lake Chabot
Gary and Hank taking heed of two primary opportunities , the first was retrieving balls from the marked driving range area. Unlike a commercial driving range, Chabot utilized a hillside marked section of the course and upon contracting buckets of ball for use, the golfer would be responsible for retrieving and returning them to the clubhouse, not always but often the golfer would hire a retriever, but what really interested the boys was to caddy. The procedure involved arriving before weekend tee-off time, signing up on the caddy list and unlike Private or Country Club courses that had a caddy master, Chabot left it up to the person announcing the names listed for tee off times. Gary and Hank soon discovering that because they were the newest and also the youngest they were usually the last to be called as most golfer wanted the same caddy every weekend, but this didn’t defer their enthusiasm. The reimbursement for a three or four-hour round of golf ranged between five and eight dollars, the amount at the discretion of the golfer. Hank at over six-foot of stature was able to carry doubles, something that Gary never envied because of the weight of the larger bags with many of the weekend duffer having over sixteen clubs but using only seven and soon realized the gratuity sometimes was based on the results of the golfers round. The teen concluding that this new found endeavor was business with pleasure, finding the two raising early Saturday and Sunday mornings to meet the golfing world, Gary reasoning, benediction can come in bounteous contours.
Inquisitive Quest 
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