They walked to the first tee box, it was a 350 yard, par three.

“My driver please Caddy.”

“It’s between your legs Sir,” Roxanne replied.

“Ah, I seen I’ve drawn a smart ass for a Caddy today,” he laughed. “No, my other driver.”

Roxanne had caddied for her Dad many times, she knew what club he wanted without asking. She herself was a fairly good golfer, although swimming was her sport. She seemed to have an infinity to water. She was drawn to it, even when she golfed she inevitably found the water hazards. Frank on the other hand was in his element, this was his game. He teed up his first shot and laid it 240 yards straight down the middle of the fairway.

“Not bad for an old cuss,” she commented watching the ball.

“Careful there Caddy or there’re be not tip for you.” He said tossing her the driver and starting down the fairway.

She slipped the club back into the bag and had to run, pulling the cart behind her to catch up with him. Slipping her hand into his as she did.

“I think I already got my tip,” she said softly looking up at her Dad.

He smiled down at her, releasing her hand and putting his arm around her shoulder. She slipped hers around his waist as they had so many times before, walking down a golf course.

“So what are you going to do about college,” he asked slipping into his father mood.

“I don’t know. What do you think?” she answered his question with a question.

“That’s up to you baby, you’re a big girl now. You need to make your own choices.” He replied. “You can go about anywhere you want.”

“I know,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice, tightening her grip around his waist, pulling herself closer to him. “They’re all so far away.”

“I know honey,” he said squeezing her shoulder.

Franks second shot put him on the green just twenty feet from the pin. But he two putted to get in.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Roxanne clucked as she marked his scorecard. “One over. I can tell it’s going to be a long day.

“I’ll long day you,” he laughed swiping at her with his putter.

He pared the next three holes easily coming up to the fifth hole. It was a long 580 yards, par 5, with a dogleg to the left. At the bend of the dogleg was a large water trap with tall trees to the left of the water. It was 120 yards to the water and another 50 to clear it. To clear the trees and get on in two was about a 280-yard drive.

“Ok Miss Smarty Pants Caddy, what should I do here?” he asked.

“Well if were me, I’d go straight down the fairway, but I’m not the one playing. So I guess you should try to clear the water and save par. But you are still one over,” she said slyly.

She already knew what he was going to do, before he asked. He would go for the trees like he always did when they played this course. He had never cleared them but that didn’t matter to him, it was the challenge that he liked. It was also one of the things she admired about her father, he always accepted the challenge. It was one of those fatherly things he had tried to instill in her as well.

“No, I think I’ll try to get on in two.”

“Surprise, surprise,” she commented with out emotion.

She watched him quietly as he teed his shot up. His concentration on the ball. She looked at his strong fingers as he gripped the club and the muscles bulged in his forearms. She watched as his hips turned back with the backswing then rotate forward ahead of the club on the down swing. It was a perfect “whack” as the face of the driver met the ball. And she watched the muscles of his bicep bulge in the follow through.

“Where’d it go,” he asked looking over at her.

“I’m sorry Daddy,” she said meekly, “I didn’t see it, I was watching you.”

“Well, I’m sure it went over this time.”

“Yes, it probably did,” she said reassuring him.

“OK, your turn.”

“My turn?”

“Yeah, over the water. There’s no one else out here, just take a shot across the water. Use my 2 wood.”

“Alright, I’ll try, but you know what’s going to happen.”

She pulled the club out of the bag and teed up a ball. Frank moved behind her.

“Backup a little this shaft is longer than you’re use to. Now step a little behind the ball,” he said holding her waist and moving her sideways a little. “Wait a minute, let me get in front of you. Ok, shoot.”

She pulled the club back then forward and watched as the ball made a nice “plinking” noise as it entered the water.

“Ok, so you owe me one Titleist, now try it again,” he said tossing her another ball. “But keep your head down. I want your eye looking right down at the top of the tee all the way through the shot.”

She teed up the ball and stared at it while taking a deep breath. She tried to picture the way her Dad had looked when he made his shot.

“Rotate your hips ahead of the club,” she heard him say. Think past the water.”

She tried to superimpose her image over the image of him in her mind. The club met the ball with a resounding ‘whack’.

“Where’d it go,” she asked still looking down at the tee, afraid to look up.

“Look for yourself,” he replied.

Her eyes went straight for the water, searching for the telltale ripple.

“Where is it,” she asked seeing no movement in the water.

“Look about 30 yards past the water,” he said smiling at her.

She spied the white speck laying in the grass of the fairway where he had indicated.

“I did it,” she squealed dropping the club and jumping into his arms wrapping hers around his neck and kissing him quickly on the mouth. He looked down at her in his arms and their lips met again in a slower tenderer kiss. Their tongues meeting and twisting around each other.

“Thanks Daddy,” she said breaking the kiss.

“I think they have a rule against making love on the golf course,” he said smiling at her.

“Ah hum, probably,” she said as her mouth covered his again in another long passionate kiss.

As they made their way around the dogleg, Roxanne picked up her ball, she had made her shot. They continued up the fairway getting closer to the trees. Frank scanned the edge of the tree line looking for his ball.

“Daddy, look” Roxanne called.

When Frank turned to look at her, he saw his ball laying 20 yards onto the fairway. He had made his shot as well.

“I’ll be damned,” he said walking over to her.

“You did it Daddy, you cleared the trees.” She said beaming at him.

“No, you did it baby,” he said tilting her chin up and kissing her on the forehead. “You make me feel ten years younger.”

His next shot put him on the green about 40 yards above the pin. His first putt put him 3 yards away and he dropped it on the second putt.

“Well, that finally puts you even,” she mocked, marking his scorecard.

As they walked to the next tee, she turned and looked back at the trees, sticking her tongue out. They finished the front nine at two under, and then stopped at the clubhouse for a drink before starting the back nine. They held hands, kissed and cuddled as he played. At the end of eighteen, he finished at five under par.

“Well, I think this calls for a celebration,” he said as he put his clubs in the trunk of the convertible. “How’s steak sound to you?”

“Sounds good to me,” she answered. “You grill em and I’ll make the salad.”

They stopped at the store and picked up everything they needed. Frank grilled the steaks to perfection while Roxanne made the salad. After dinner they sat on the porch swing of the cabin wrapped in each other’s arms, watching the sunset on the water and listening to the loons begin to call. Roxanne curled in a ball as she cuddled next to her father.

“I love you Daddy,” she whispered to him.

“I love you too, Roxie,” he answered pulling her closer onto his lap.