July 1, 2025 • 29 mins
Rich Easton explores volatile human behavior in recreational settings through stories of golf course meltdowns and dog park confrontations. He examines how quickly pleasant personalities can transform when faced with frustration, disappointment, or conflict in these seemingly benign environments.
• Sports experts consistently fail at NCAA tournament predictions despite their supposed expertise
• NCAA transfer portal and NIL deals have dramatically changed collegiate basketball's predictability
• Meeting a Jekyll and Hyde personality on the golf course who transforms from pleasant companion to raging club-thrower
• The psychological insight that "golf doesn't do it to us, we do it to ourselves"
• Maintaining composure under pressure is a learned behavior that many golfers struggle with
• Dog parks have unwritten protocols that many owners ignore, leading to conflict
• Incident involving parents placing toddlers in a large dog area, causing unnecessary tension
• Shocking confrontation between two dog owners that escalated to violence and legal consequences
• Practical advice about knowing when to remove your dog from potentially dangerous situations
If you have an aggressive dog that doesn't play well with others, please don't bring them to the dog park during peak hours. Know your dog, be aware of park dynamics, and don't hesitate to leave if things get tense. There's no shame in removing your dog from a bad situation.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to another episode from Just Tales, a
monthly hybrid of fictional andnon-fictional stories that
compel me to rant.
There'll always be a golf storyor two laced into my blog
because, well, it's where Ispend a good amount of my
recreational time.
So, whether you're a golfer ornot, if you're a skeptic,
(00:32):
doubter or open-minded, this isthe place for you.
So kick back and listen.
In this episode, I'll talkabout Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde on
the golf course, donnybrook inthe dog park.
(00:55):
But first prevaricating punditsget it wrong again and bust me
bracket.
For any of you devoted collegebasketball fans, fair weather,
(01:16):
ncaa tournament watchers or justbracket participants who feel
like this is the year, you mighthave noticed that just about
everyone who's supposed to be aso-called expert can you see the
quotes before and after thatExpert on forecasting sports
victories got it wrong.
(01:37):
We depend on experts to guideus in areas where we just don't
have the expertise or time.
Maybe we don't have theexperience, general knowledge on
how things work, and that's whywe have people like mechanics
work on cars, electricians wireour homes, construction workers
build our homes, doctors guideour health, lawyers well, don't
(02:02):
get me started on lawyers andsports pundits help guide our
decisions when it comes time towager on sports and or just fill
out a bracket.
And that being said, how couldso many experts basketball
experts be wrong about theprojected outcome of the NCAA
(02:23):
tournament?
They're watching these guysplay all year long.
They're watching teams comefrom behind, they're watching
teams gel together.
They're sitting there watchingall the teams get seeded and
they have these strong beliefsthat certain teams, particularly
teams that are seeded ones ortwos or even threes, are going
(02:47):
to make it to the very end.
What the hell went wrong?
Not only didn't a number oneseed make it to the final four,
but there were no twos or threeseeds and only one four seed
Folks.
That means that 15 out of 16 ofthe top-seeded teams did not
(03:08):
advance.
And you've heard it?
Certainly, the portal, thetransfer portal in NIL, has
changed the landscape to allowtalent to flow through the
system like no other time inhistory.
The good news is that some ofthe power and wealth has shifted
from the NCAA, their sponsorsand coaches down to the players.
(03:31):
The unintended consequences arethat coaches and colleges could
lose talent and playerdevelopment as a result of those
players getting less playingtime or maybe even a
disagreement that one of theplayers might have had during
practice where things didn't gotheir way.
(03:51):
The coaches wanted to get downon them and they're like, hey,
screw this, I'll go somewhereelse where I'm more appreciated
and I can get more money for myNIL.
This in turn makes it harder toguess which team can win six
games in a row in the tournamentand virtually impossible for
any one team to repeat back toback Case in point Kansas.
(04:15):
But even more evident to me isthat it makes the so-called
pundits, the experts, look nomore knowledgeable than the
person who picks teams.
Just because they like thecolor of their jerseys, maybe
they went to that college, theylike body art, they like the
tattoos, the hairstyle, or evensome woman I talked to said man,
(04:37):
I like that guy's butt.
So what you're really hearingis spilt milk because none of my
teams made it into the finalfour, and I'm guessing that none
of yours did either, unlessyou're an alumni of Miami, san
Diego State, fau or UConn who atthis point I think could win it
(04:57):
all.
We'll see.
Have you ever met a Dr Jekyll orMr Hyde on the golf course?
If not, maybe you're him.
If you've happened to listen toany of my previous episodes.
(05:30):
You might know that I oftenshow up to the golf course as a
single and pair up with anyonethe starter can fit me in with.
There's certainly the risk ofgolf performance or personality
incompatibility, but more oftenthan not it introduces me to
golfers I haven't met yet, orstories worth repeating.
Yeah, so here's my story.
The other day I venture out tothe in search of my game.
(05:53):
Now, I held the magic in mygame from December to January
for a skinny minute and sincethen have lost it to the golf
gods.
Since mid-January I'vevirtually lost every golf bet
that I've wagered on myself.
I mean, I've also disappointeda few partners and if you're
(06:14):
listening to this you know whoyou are and have lost the
consistency of my baby draw.
And all this time I've beenworking on golf fitness,
stretching, and have developed aroutine of walking on and off
the golf course, particularlydue to my newly adopted golden
Pyrenees, which will lead me tomy next story after this.
(06:36):
But before I get there, I'llcontinue my story about a golfer
I met the other day on thefirst tee, who I'll just call Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
You know the classic novellawritten by Robert Louis
(07:00):
Stevenson.
I don't know about you, but myentire life I confused the name
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde because Ithought Jekyll just sounded more
like a mysterious killer.
But no, edward Hyde was thekiller and also the alter ego of
the good Dr Jekyll.
So the story continues.
I walk up to the first tee on alate spring afternoon and met a
(07:23):
middle-aged gentleman who waseager to play with someone else
instead of just going it alone.
He was actually waiting on theputting green for another golfer
to show up, so he wouldn't haveto play alone.
Now, certainly not something Iwould do, since when I'm in a
performance transition somewould call it a slump I can find
(07:45):
some swing clues when I'm alone, sometimes throwing down a
second, third or even a fourthball to try a different swing.
Thought that might translateinto something worth repeating.
So I meet the good doctor andwe proceed to make our way to
the first tee.
He doesn't mind that I'mwalking.
On the contrary, he was verycomplimentary that I was working
(08:08):
on my golf fitness.
I'm like what a nice guy.
So we start off in the firstthree holes, which I consider to
be challenging, particularly ifyou're a slow starter or don't
have your A game.
So the doctor parred the firstthree holes with one close slip
out for a birdie on three.
(08:28):
So this guy seems like he's gothis a game and he was cheerful
and pleasant and evencomplimented my swing while I'm
in still still in disrepair.
So we get to the fourth holeand he gets up there.
He's still pretty happy,everything looks the.
So we get to the fourth holeand he gets up there.
He's still pretty happy,everything looks the same as it
did the last three holes.
But then he duck, hooks hisdrive into the pond on the left.
(08:52):
He grunted and smiled and madesome comment about okay, he
finally woke up.
Now I happen to hear that from alot of golfers that start off
strong and then walk into abuzzsaw somewhere on the course
Like a hint to all of us whosewheels fall off somewhere in the
round.
(09:12):
If we accept that our true selfis just a crappy duffer and
every once in a while we'll getlucky with a shot, it gives us
little hope to respond withbetter holes in our round.
It's a self-fulfilling prophecyand supports the laws of
attraction what you invite intoyour life manifests itself.
(09:33):
Now that doesn't mean that wehave to be hopeful morons.
It just means that bad shotshappen to all golfers at all
levels.
No use beating yourself up andcausing yourself more pain.
So Dr Jekyll bogeys the holedespite his watery, grave tee
shot and then went on to parfive and six.
(09:56):
So I'm thinking, okay, maybehe's turned it around.
He didn't seem that upset withhimself, but he certainly made
that comment.
But then he turns it around.
I didn't seem that upset withhimself, but he certainly made
that comment.
But then he turns it around.
I'm like, okay, seems like areally nice guy in control of
all his emotions.
Now he steps up to the seventhhole, a very difficult par three
(10:18):
, with water all the way downthe right side, and he tees it
up.
He takes his club back andsomething must have gone wrong
with his swing, his confidenceand his happy-go-lucky
disposition.
When he proceeds to hit threetee shots in the water on the
(10:39):
right and takes a nine on thehole.
And after each watery ball hegot more and more upset with
himself and summoned his God,and not in the most spiritual
way.
After that he completely hisface changes, his disposition
changes.
He stops talking to me,particularly when we get up to
(11:01):
the eighth tee box, where now heproceeds to hit his drive into
the pond on the right and afteryelling and screaming at himself
and driving up to his ball, hepulls a ball, puts it down where
his ball went in the water,proceeds to duck, hook his next
shot into the woods on the left.
(11:23):
From that point on he startedthrowing whatever club
misbehaved on him.
Sometimes the club went fartherthan his shots, always followed
with more spiritual references.
I think he was 10 over par whenwe walk up to the ninth tee box
(11:44):
and, noticeably, an entirelydifferent person Angry,
stern-faced, not in the mood forany more idle chatter, what
started off as the jollygentleman turns into the
apoplectic ogre.
Why does golf do that to us?
I think the simple answer isgolf doesn't do it to us, we do
(12:06):
it to ourselves.
Mr Hyde, in his fit of hysteria, wants to correct his last tee
shot because his last two holeshe's hitting it out to the right
.
He tees it up.
I happen to mention to himprobably my fault that if you
could hit your shot left side ofthe fairway close to the tree,
(12:29):
the ground is really hard andyour ball will probably get
another 30 or 40 yards of roll.
I should have said nothing.
He gets up, he duck, hooks hisdrive deep into the neighborhood
on the left-hand side.
But this time he didn't getspiritual.
This time he just said fuck it.
(12:50):
And he yells it out, gets inhis cart and headed to the
clubhouse.
He didn't go after his ball, hesaid nothing to me.
I never saw him again.
Now if he's got a family athome, I'm sure they knew what to
expect when he got home earlythat day, and if he doesn't have
a family at home, I think Icould surmise why not.
(13:12):
Golf is hard.
Maintaining composure underpressure is a learned behavior.
My guess is the ugly.
Mr Hyde reared his ugly headwhen the good Dr Jekyll could no
longer contain himself.
And trust me on this turninginto the amazing Hulk on a golf
(13:33):
course helps very few golfersget better, unless you're
someone like Pat Perez, sergioGarcia or Aaron Oberholzer,
although I'm not sure that Aarongets better.
Adrenaline and anger drove RayLewis to crack heads when he
played for the Ravens.
It's Roy Kent's secret weaponon Ted Lasso, but in all my
(13:56):
years of playing golf it doesn'tseem to be the hormone that
summons greatness on a golfcourse.
When shit goes bad, justbreathe, find your ball and hit
it again Drama at the dog park.
(14:30):
For those of you that are notdog owners, or dog owners that
refuse to bring your furryfriends to the local dog park,
let me tell you from experience.
There's an unwritten protocolon how to behave and correct
your dog or pull them from thepark that many dog owners ignore
(14:51):
.
I'm relatively new to the dogworld metaverse as a single
owner.
During my coupled life myspouse was fearful of dog parks
because I think the vets told usthat it was a breeding ground
for bacteria.
I don't know.
When dogs meet each other theysniff each other's butts.
I mean, what could be moregermy than that?
(15:14):
But as a single owner I'm moretolerant of experiencing parks
and other arenas where my poochcan socialize with other canines
.
I'm also lucky that she reallyplays well with others, which I
guess makes my journeys with herless angsty.
(15:36):
The dog metaverse and I guess Icould call it the dog world, but
I am just so current it hassimilar rules to the parent
metaverse, where everybody talksabout their kids until other
subjects come up and everybodywatches their kids to make sure
that you know they don't bullyeach other, and just like the
(15:57):
golf world, except there youtalk about other courses you've
played and sometimesconversations go towards
equipment if you're lucky enoughto find another golf club nerd
like yourself.
Dog parks have general writtenrules.
Number one rule pick up afteryour dog.
I don't know how many timesI've left the dog park, gotten
(16:19):
in the car and think that my dogrolled in some kind of shit,
until I get home and I check thebottom of my shoes.
I mean, the other rules arefairly opaque, which usually
leads to the drama.
So I'm going to share three reallife stories that happened in
Mount Pleasant and Daniel Islandrecently, and I'm sure everyone
(16:41):
else in the world listening tothis that have taken dogs to the
dog park have similar storiesbecause, face it, people can be
stupid.
The first incident happenedlast week when I'm in Daniel
Island, and if you're new toDaniel Island, if you've never
been here to Daniel Island, it'sa utopian, self-contained
island with most creaturecomforts you'd want Restaurants,
(17:04):
bars, shopping, golfing,grocery stores, a world-class
tennis facility that doubles asthe best outdoor music venue in
Charleston and the residentialproperties on the island a
little more expensive,particularly if your site is on
the water or the golf course.
So because of that and thismight sound stupid and
(17:28):
assumptive, but you'd now expectthe residents of the island to
kind of reflect that.
But that's a shitty assumption.
So I visit the dog park on aSaturday, where it tends to be
more visited, lots of dogs andlots of dog owners, and there
are two areas for dogs.
There's a small dog area and another area, meaning too big for
(17:51):
small dog area.
My dog, sammy, is a mix of twolarge breeds, so I always take
her to the not small dog area.
I digress.
She and 10 other dogs areplaying non-aggressive,
non-confrontational, butcertainly at a frenetic pace.
And so all of a sudden, thisyoung couple with two small
(18:18):
medium dogs and two I would callthem toddlers enter the park.
Now, that's a first for me inthis dog metaverse.
Now, maybe because I'm at theparks midweek, kids are in
school and no kids are at thepark.
Yeah, so let me set up thescene here.
The parents bring in the kids,their dogs start running around
(18:39):
with the 10 other dogs and thisarea is very sandy it's almost
beach-like sandy and so theparents walk in, maybe 20 yards
from the front, plop their kidsdown in the sand, and the kids
are sitting in the sand playingwith each other.
Their parents are probably 5 to10 yards away.
And as these other dogs areplaying with each other and
(19:00):
running, this one dog, whoseparent and I were talking to
each other at the time, and Ithink the dog was some kind of
doodle leaves the pack of theother dogs and runs over to the
small kids and starts sniffingthem and running around and kind
of aggressively.
But the parents weren't doinganything, the dog was being
(19:22):
playful.
And then I think one of theparents tried to shoo this
doodle away, but the doodle wasinterested in the kids.
And then all of a sudden theseother group of parents that are
there start yelling whose dog isthat?
Leash that dog, get that dog.
(19:42):
And they're yelling.
Meanwhile the parents of thekids are not getting upset.
But these other couples areapoplectic they're getting upset
, they're yelling.
And so this lady that I'mspeaking to very nice lady,
actually works as an executivecoach, so she knows how to talk
to people Gets up and startswalking over to where the kids
(20:04):
are, probably 30, 40 yards away.
Meanwhile these other parentsare going apeshit, hurry up,
hurry up, get that leash on that.
And like they're freaking out.
And she, as she walks over the,the, the uh frequency, the
(20:24):
level of yelling gets louder andlouder from these other parents
.
So I decide, if not now, whendo you interrupt a situation to
bring it down?
So I walk over to them andthey're still yelling.
I go, looks like she's handlingit is what I said.
And they're like, yeah, buttheir dog.
We yelled.
You know, she's got a leashyour dog.
(20:45):
You got a leash, your dog.
And I'm like, hey, we're in adog park.
And they're like, yeah, butthose, you know, they start
yelling.
And I just look at the guy, oneof the guys, and I think I'm
looking up to him and I say, hey, take it down a level.
And he does, he starts talkingbut he's still yelling.
I'm like, keep taking it down alevel.
(21:07):
And he was reasonable, hebrought it down.
And then all of a sudden hegoes into this argument.
He goes if that dog doessomething to the kids, who do
you think's liable?
She is?
I'm like this guy's pullinglike an F Lee Bailey, a Johnny
Cochran, and I'm like, hey, areyou worried about the kids or
(21:28):
are you worried about thelawsuit?
Because I don't think theparents are worried.
And then both sets of couplesleash their dogs and immediately
walk.
He said something under hisbreath like don't talk down to
me.
I wasn't talking down to him, Iwas looking up, but I was
trying to be reasonable.
So they walk and they're kindof grunting to this woman with
(21:50):
her dog and she kind of gets herdog and pulls it out of the way
.
But then she's talking to theparents and the parents are very
chill about it.
And so I walk over and I'mtalking to the parents and I'm
like, hey, do you always bringyour kids to the dog park?
And they go, yes, all the time.
(22:10):
And I go, what about?
You know, have you ever thoughtabout, like in the small dog
area, because small dogs willprobably be smaller than your
kids?
Now I said something like that,but I said it in an easy,
conversational manner, justtrying to have dialogue.
And they said, yeah, our kidscan handle bigger dogs, because
(22:31):
our dogs like to play withbigger dogs.
And I'm like, okay, I hear you.
And there was nothing more tobe said at that point in time,
because these people have madetheir minds up that they are not
only going to socialize theirdogs with big dogs, they're
going to socialize their kids.
Now, do I think that's troublelooking for a home.
(22:53):
You bet I do.
Big dogs in dog parks can playrough and could accidentally
knock one of those kids on theirasses while they're in chase.
The litigious couples shouldhave confronted the parents of
the children if they wanted tofight and deal with them, not
(23:14):
this other dog and this otherdog's mom.
You know, I don't think theparents should let their kids
play in the sand in the middleof a big dog park, particularly
when it's packed with dogs andballs.
But, like I said, some smartpeople could still do stupid
things.
This last story is true and it'sa doozy.
(23:36):
That is an old-timey term and Ihope it never happens to any
undeserving dog lovers.
I frequent Palmetto Island Parkfor their picturesque trails
through woods and adjacent tothe tidal marsh, as well as the
large double dog park.
I think when we startfrequenting most any place, I
(24:00):
think we start running intofamiliar faces.
It's a comfort for those thatlike other people or at least
are tolerant of others.
I happen to appreciate the mixof millennials, gen Xers and
baby boomers, all with a commoninterest Wear our dogs out so
they can chill out when we getthem back home.
It's also healthy to socializedogs that are sociable, and the
(24:24):
same would apply to people.
And this is the story as Iheard it from others.
Last year, over a long weekend,the same crew was in the park
with their dogs and in walksthis larger than life man with
an overly aggressive terrier mix.
Within minutes, his dog wasbullying other dogs, accompanied
(24:46):
by a growl that only could beinterpreted as an attack, and I
think you all know what thatsounds like.
It's not just a quick bark, itsounds like a dog's going to
bury his teeth into another dog.
The handler of the smallerattack dog was also small
himself in stature, but notsmall in fierceness.
(25:09):
He called out the big man andtold him to pull his dog back,
but this larger-than-life humanlet's call him Bluto ignored him
until the smaller man got inhis face and exchanged pretty
harsh words.
The next thing, the smaller guypushes Bluto.
(25:31):
That was the first mistake.
This enraged Bluto picks up thesmaller guy, picks him up in the
air, throws him down on theground and starts knocking the
wind out of him, until otheradults break it up and try and
pull these people apart and alsobreak their dogs up, which also
(25:52):
is not easy.
So you think it's over and youknow the two apologize, but
that's not what happens.
Think it's over and you knowthe two apologize, but that's
not what happens.
The little guy's embarrassedand he's not gonna let it go.
So, as bluto is walking out ofthe dog park with his dog, the
little guy is coming up and islike hey, don't ignore me, don't
(26:15):
ignore me.
And he's yelling at him.
He's bleeding, he just got theshit kicked out of him and he
started the fight physically.
And so he goes up and then hesmacks Bluto from behind.
Bluto turns around and justknocks this guy down to the
ground and again other adultsare coming up.
They're pulling him apart.
(26:36):
Bluto goes out, takes his dog,leashes him and starts walking
him towards his car.
This guy, when he gets up offthe ground, gets out of the park
, runs to his truck.
Next thing, you know, he pullsout a shotgun, he cocks it and
he pulls the trigger.
Something is jammed, it'slocked and he's trying and he
(27:00):
pulls the trigger.
Something is jammed, it'slocked and he's trying and he's
trying.
Meanwhile, people are runningup and going no, no.
Pluto races, dives in his carwith his dog, he pulls out of
there, leaves a puff of smokebehind him and hightails it out.
So I don't know what happened,whether the smaller guy got in
his car and chased him, but whatI do know is months later there
(27:23):
is a trial and both these twothere were so many witnesses and
I guess they put it togetherthey got license plate numbers
and both men go on trial.
The guy with the gun gets jailtime, the other guy pays a
tremendous fine and both getbanned from the county parks for
(27:46):
life.
Look, I've gone to a multiple ofdog parks over the last several
months and I've just witnesseda lot of either oblivious or
selfish human behavior.
Number one if you're unluckyenough to have an aggressive dog
that doesn't know how to playwell with others, you might not
(28:08):
want to bring him or her to thedog park, certainly not during
peak hours.
It's selfish and it reflects onhow you treat others in the
world.
Hey, look, there's's no onesize fits all answer or one size
fits all situation.
Again, it becomes down, comesdown to human behavior.
You got to know your dog andyou got to be aware of what's
(28:29):
happening in the dog park.
And if you don't have anaggressive dog, but that dog's
getting caught up with othersand you think it's going to turn
out bad.
Caught up with others and youthink it's going to turn out bad
, just get your dog out of thepark.
There's no shame or cowardicein pulling your dog out of the
(28:50):
park.
Choosing to stay in a dog parkwith your dog when shit gets out
of control just to stake yourclaim of hey look, I was here
first and I'm not leaving, putsyour dog in jeopardy and
continues to keep you in theasshole status in your life.
There's a time to stay andfight a good fight for something
that you strongly believe in.
The dog park is not that fight.
(29:11):
You've been listening toanother episode of just tales.
I'm your host, rich easton,telling tales from beautiful
charleston, south carolina.
Talk to you soon, thank you.
Welcome to another episode from Just Tales, a
monthly hybrid of fictional andnon-fictional stories that
compel me to rant.
There'll always be a golf storyor two laced into my blog
because, well, it's where Ispend a good amount of my
recreational time.
So, whether you're a golfer ornot, if you're a skeptic,
(00:32):
doubter or open-minded, this isthe place for you.
So kick back and listen.
In this episode, I'll talkabout Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde on
the golf course, donnybrook inthe dog park.
(00:55):
But first prevaricating punditsget it wrong again and bust me
bracket.
For any of you devoted collegebasketball fans, fair weather,
(01:16):
ncaa tournament watchers or justbracket participants who feel
like this is the year, you mighthave noticed that just about
everyone who's supposed to be aso-called expert can you see the
quotes before and after thatExpert on forecasting sports
victories got it wrong.
(01:37):
We depend on experts to guideus in areas where we just don't
have the expertise or time.
Maybe we don't have theexperience, general knowledge on
how things work, and that's whywe have people like mechanics
work on cars, electricians wireour homes, construction workers
build our homes, doctors guideour health, lawyers well, don't
(02:02):
get me started on lawyers andsports pundits help guide our
decisions when it comes time towager on sports and or just fill
out a bracket.
And that being said, how couldso many experts basketball
experts be wrong about theprojected outcome of the NCAA
(02:23):
tournament?
They're watching these guysplay all year long.
They're watching teams comefrom behind, they're watching
teams gel together.
They're sitting there watchingall the teams get seeded and
they have these strong beliefsthat certain teams, particularly
teams that are seeded ones ortwos or even threes, are going
(02:47):
to make it to the very end.
What the hell went wrong?
Not only didn't a number oneseed make it to the final four,
but there were no twos or threeseeds and only one four seed
Folks.
That means that 15 out of 16 ofthe top-seeded teams did not
(03:08):
advance.
And you've heard it?
Certainly, the portal, thetransfer portal in NIL, has
changed the landscape to allowtalent to flow through the
system like no other time inhistory.
The good news is that some ofthe power and wealth has shifted
from the NCAA, their sponsorsand coaches down to the players.
(03:31):
The unintended consequences arethat coaches and colleges could
lose talent and playerdevelopment as a result of those
players getting less playingtime or maybe even a
disagreement that one of theplayers might have had during
practice where things didn't gotheir way.
(03:51):
The coaches wanted to get downon them and they're like, hey,
screw this, I'll go somewhereelse where I'm more appreciated
and I can get more money for myNIL.
This in turn makes it harder toguess which team can win six
games in a row in the tournamentand virtually impossible for
any one team to repeat back toback Case in point Kansas.
(04:15):
But even more evident to me isthat it makes the so-called
pundits, the experts, look nomore knowledgeable than the
person who picks teams.
Just because they like thecolor of their jerseys, maybe
they went to that college, theylike body art, they like the
tattoos, the hairstyle, or evensome woman I talked to said man,
(04:37):
I like that guy's butt.
So what you're really hearingis spilt milk because none of my
teams made it into the finalfour, and I'm guessing that none
of yours did either, unlessyou're an alumni of Miami, san
Diego State, fau or UConn who atthis point I think could win it
(04:57):
all.
We'll see.
Have you ever met a Dr Jekyll orMr Hyde on the golf course?
If not, maybe you're him.
If you've happened to listen toany of my previous episodes.
(05:30):
You might know that I oftenshow up to the golf course as a
single and pair up with anyonethe starter can fit me in with.
There's certainly the risk ofgolf performance or personality
incompatibility, but more oftenthan not it introduces me to
golfers I haven't met yet, orstories worth repeating.
Yeah, so here's my story.
The other day I venture out tothe in search of my game.
(05:53):
Now, I held the magic in mygame from December to January
for a skinny minute and sincethen have lost it to the golf
gods.
Since mid-January I'vevirtually lost every golf bet
that I've wagered on myself.
I mean, I've also disappointeda few partners and if you're
(06:14):
listening to this you know whoyou are and have lost the
consistency of my baby draw.
And all this time I've beenworking on golf fitness,
stretching, and have developed aroutine of walking on and off
the golf course, particularlydue to my newly adopted golden
Pyrenees, which will lead me tomy next story after this.
(06:36):
But before I get there, I'llcontinue my story about a golfer
I met the other day on thefirst tee, who I'll just call Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
You know the classic novellawritten by Robert Louis
(07:00):
Stevenson.
I don't know about you, but myentire life I confused the name
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde because Ithought Jekyll just sounded more
like a mysterious killer.
But no, edward Hyde was thekiller and also the alter ego of
the good Dr Jekyll.
So the story continues.
I walk up to the first tee on alate spring afternoon and met a
(07:23):
middle-aged gentleman who waseager to play with someone else
instead of just going it alone.
He was actually waiting on theputting green for another golfer
to show up, so he wouldn't haveto play alone.
Now, certainly not something Iwould do, since when I'm in a
performance transition somewould call it a slump I can find
(07:45):
some swing clues when I'm alone, sometimes throwing down a
second, third or even a fourthball to try a different swing.
Thought that might translateinto something worth repeating.
So I meet the good doctor andwe proceed to make our way to
the first tee.
He doesn't mind that I'mwalking.
On the contrary, he was verycomplimentary that I was working
(08:08):
on my golf fitness.
I'm like what a nice guy.
So we start off in the firstthree holes, which I consider to
be challenging, particularly ifyou're a slow starter or don't
have your A game.
So the doctor parred the firstthree holes with one close slip
out for a birdie on three.
(08:28):
So this guy seems like he's gothis a game and he was cheerful
and pleasant and evencomplimented my swing while I'm
in still still in disrepair.
So we get to the fourth holeand he gets up there.
He's still pretty happy,everything looks the.
So we get to the fourth holeand he gets up there.
He's still pretty happy,everything looks the same as it
did the last three holes.
But then he duck, hooks hisdrive into the pond on the left.
(08:52):
He grunted and smiled and madesome comment about okay, he
finally woke up.
Now I happen to hear that from alot of golfers that start off
strong and then walk into abuzzsaw somewhere on the course
Like a hint to all of us whosewheels fall off somewhere in the
round.
(09:12):
If we accept that our true selfis just a crappy duffer and
every once in a while we'll getlucky with a shot, it gives us
little hope to respond withbetter holes in our round.
It's a self-fulfilling prophecyand supports the laws of
attraction what you invite intoyour life manifests itself.
(09:33):
Now that doesn't mean that wehave to be hopeful morons.
It just means that bad shotshappen to all golfers at all
levels.
No use beating yourself up andcausing yourself more pain.
So Dr Jekyll bogeys the holedespite his watery, grave tee
shot and then went on to parfive and six.
(09:56):
So I'm thinking, okay, maybehe's turned it around.
He didn't seem that upset withhimself, but he certainly made
that comment.
But then he turns it around.
I didn't seem that upset withhimself, but he certainly made
that comment.
But then he turns it around.
I'm like, okay, seems like areally nice guy in control of
all his emotions.
Now he steps up to the seventhhole, a very difficult par three
(10:18):
, with water all the way downthe right side, and he tees it
up.
He takes his club back andsomething must have gone wrong
with his swing, his confidenceand his happy-go-lucky
disposition.
When he proceeds to hit threetee shots in the water on the
(10:39):
right and takes a nine on thehole.
And after each watery ball hegot more and more upset with
himself and summoned his God,and not in the most spiritual
way.
After that he completely hisface changes, his disposition
changes.
He stops talking to me,particularly when we get up to
(11:01):
the eighth tee box, where now heproceeds to hit his drive into
the pond on the right and afteryelling and screaming at himself
and driving up to his ball, hepulls a ball, puts it down where
his ball went in the water,proceeds to duck, hook his next
shot into the woods on the left.
(11:23):
From that point on he startedthrowing whatever club
misbehaved on him.
Sometimes the club went fartherthan his shots, always followed
with more spiritual references.
I think he was 10 over par whenwe walk up to the ninth tee box
(11:44):
and, noticeably, an entirelydifferent person Angry,
stern-faced, not in the mood forany more idle chatter, what
started off as the jollygentleman turns into the
apoplectic ogre.
Why does golf do that to us?
I think the simple answer isgolf doesn't do it to us, we do
(12:06):
it to ourselves.
Mr Hyde, in his fit of hysteria, wants to correct his last tee
shot because his last two holeshe's hitting it out to the right
.
He tees it up.
I happen to mention to himprobably my fault that if you
could hit your shot left side ofthe fairway close to the tree,
(12:29):
the ground is really hard andyour ball will probably get
another 30 or 40 yards of roll.
I should have said nothing.
He gets up, he duck, hooks hisdrive deep into the neighborhood
on the left-hand side.
But this time he didn't getspiritual.
This time he just said fuck it.
(12:50):
And he yells it out, gets inhis cart and headed to the
clubhouse.
He didn't go after his ball, hesaid nothing to me.
I never saw him again.
Now if he's got a family athome, I'm sure they knew what to
expect when he got home earlythat day, and if he doesn't have
a family at home, I think Icould surmise why not.
(13:12):
Golf is hard.
Maintaining composure underpressure is a learned behavior.
My guess is the ugly.
Mr Hyde reared his ugly headwhen the good Dr Jekyll could no
longer contain himself.
And trust me on this turninginto the amazing Hulk on a golf
(13:33):
course helps very few golfersget better, unless you're
someone like Pat Perez, sergioGarcia or Aaron Oberholzer,
although I'm not sure that Aarongets better.
Adrenaline and anger drove RayLewis to crack heads when he
played for the Ravens.
It's Roy Kent's secret weaponon Ted Lasso, but in all my
(13:56):
years of playing golf it doesn'tseem to be the hormone that
summons greatness on a golfcourse.
When shit goes bad, justbreathe, find your ball and hit
it again Drama at the dog park.
(14:30):
For those of you that are notdog owners, or dog owners that
refuse to bring your furryfriends to the local dog park,
let me tell you from experience.
There's an unwritten protocolon how to behave and correct
your dog or pull them from thepark that many dog owners ignore
(14:51):
.
I'm relatively new to the dogworld metaverse as a single
owner.
During my coupled life myspouse was fearful of dog parks
because I think the vets told usthat it was a breeding ground
for bacteria.
I don't know.
When dogs meet each other theysniff each other's butts.
I mean, what could be moregermy than that?
(15:14):
But as a single owner I'm moretolerant of experiencing parks
and other arenas where my poochcan socialize with other canines
.
I'm also lucky that she reallyplays well with others, which I
guess makes my journeys with herless angsty.
(15:36):
The dog metaverse and I guess Icould call it the dog world, but
I am just so current it hassimilar rules to the parent
metaverse, where everybody talksabout their kids until other
subjects come up and everybodywatches their kids to make sure
that you know they don't bullyeach other, and just like the
(15:57):
golf world, except there youtalk about other courses you've
played and sometimesconversations go towards
equipment if you're lucky enoughto find another golf club nerd
like yourself.
Dog parks have general writtenrules.
Number one rule pick up afteryour dog.
I don't know how many timesI've left the dog park, gotten
(16:19):
in the car and think that my dogrolled in some kind of shit,
until I get home and I check thebottom of my shoes.
I mean, the other rules arefairly opaque, which usually
leads to the drama.
So I'm going to share three reallife stories that happened in
Mount Pleasant and Daniel Islandrecently, and I'm sure everyone
(16:41):
else in the world listening tothis that have taken dogs to the
dog park have similar storiesbecause, face it, people can be
stupid.
The first incident happenedlast week when I'm in Daniel
Island, and if you're new toDaniel Island, if you've never
been here to Daniel Island, it'sa utopian, self-contained
island with most creaturecomforts you'd want Restaurants,
(17:04):
bars, shopping, golfing,grocery stores, a world-class
tennis facility that doubles asthe best outdoor music venue in
Charleston and the residentialproperties on the island a
little more expensive,particularly if your site is on
the water or the golf course.
So because of that and thismight sound stupid and
(17:28):
assumptive, but you'd now expectthe residents of the island to
kind of reflect that.
But that's a shitty assumption.
So I visit the dog park on aSaturday, where it tends to be
more visited, lots of dogs andlots of dog owners, and there
are two areas for dogs.
There's a small dog area and another area, meaning too big for
(17:51):
small dog area.
My dog, sammy, is a mix of twolarge breeds, so I always take
her to the not small dog area.
I digress.
She and 10 other dogs areplaying non-aggressive,
non-confrontational, butcertainly at a frenetic pace.
And so all of a sudden, thisyoung couple with two small
(18:18):
medium dogs and two I would callthem toddlers enter the park.
Now, that's a first for me inthis dog metaverse.
Now, maybe because I'm at theparks midweek, kids are in
school and no kids are at thepark.
Yeah, so let me set up thescene here.
The parents bring in the kids,their dogs start running around
(18:39):
with the 10 other dogs and thisarea is very sandy it's almost
beach-like sandy and so theparents walk in, maybe 20 yards
from the front, plop their kidsdown in the sand, and the kids
are sitting in the sand playingwith each other.
Their parents are probably 5 to10 yards away.
And as these other dogs areplaying with each other and
(19:00):
running, this one dog, whoseparent and I were talking to
each other at the time, and Ithink the dog was some kind of
doodle leaves the pack of theother dogs and runs over to the
small kids and starts sniffingthem and running around and kind
of aggressively.
But the parents weren't doinganything, the dog was being
(19:22):
playful.
And then I think one of theparents tried to shoo this
doodle away, but the doodle wasinterested in the kids.
And then all of a sudden theseother group of parents that are
there start yelling whose dog isthat?
Leash that dog, get that dog.
(19:42):
And they're yelling.
Meanwhile the parents of thekids are not getting upset.
But these other couples areapoplectic they're getting upset
, they're yelling.
And so this lady that I'mspeaking to very nice lady,
actually works as an executivecoach, so she knows how to talk
to people Gets up and startswalking over to where the kids
(20:04):
are, probably 30, 40 yards away.
Meanwhile these other parentsare going apeshit, hurry up,
hurry up, get that leash on that.
And like they're freaking out.
And she, as she walks over the,the, the uh frequency, the
(20:24):
level of yelling gets louder andlouder from these other parents
.
So I decide, if not now, whendo you interrupt a situation to
bring it down?
So I walk over to them andthey're still yelling.
I go, looks like she's handlingit is what I said.
And they're like, yeah, buttheir dog.
We yelled.
You know, she's got a leashyour dog.
(20:45):
You got a leash, your dog.
And I'm like, hey, we're in adog park.
And they're like, yeah, butthose, you know, they start
yelling.
And I just look at the guy, oneof the guys, and I think I'm
looking up to him and I say, hey, take it down a level.
And he does, he starts talkingbut he's still yelling.
I'm like, keep taking it down alevel.
(21:07):
And he was reasonable, hebrought it down.
And then all of a sudden hegoes into this argument.
He goes if that dog doessomething to the kids, who do
you think's liable?
She is?
I'm like this guy's pullinglike an F Lee Bailey, a Johnny
Cochran, and I'm like, hey, areyou worried about the kids or
(21:28):
are you worried about thelawsuit?
Because I don't think theparents are worried.
And then both sets of couplesleash their dogs and immediately
walk.
He said something under hisbreath like don't talk down to
me.
I wasn't talking down to him, Iwas looking up, but I was
trying to be reasonable.
So they walk and they're kindof grunting to this woman with
(21:50):
her dog and she kind of gets herdog and pulls it out of the way
.
But then she's talking to theparents and the parents are very
chill about it.
And so I walk over and I'mtalking to the parents and I'm
like, hey, do you always bringyour kids to the dog park?
And they go, yes, all the time.
(22:10):
And I go, what about?
You know, have you ever thoughtabout, like in the small dog
area, because small dogs willprobably be smaller than your
kids?
Now I said something like that,but I said it in an easy,
conversational manner, justtrying to have dialogue.
And they said, yeah, our kidscan handle bigger dogs, because
(22:31):
our dogs like to play withbigger dogs.
And I'm like, okay, I hear you.
And there was nothing more tobe said at that point in time,
because these people have madetheir minds up that they are not
only going to socialize theirdogs with big dogs, they're
going to socialize their kids.
Now, do I think that's troublelooking for a home.
(22:53):
You bet I do.
Big dogs in dog parks can playrough and could accidentally
knock one of those kids on theirasses while they're in chase.
The litigious couples shouldhave confronted the parents of
the children if they wanted tofight and deal with them, not
(23:14):
this other dog and this otherdog's mom.
You know, I don't think theparents should let their kids
play in the sand in the middleof a big dog park, particularly
when it's packed with dogs andballs.
But, like I said, some smartpeople could still do stupid
things.
This last story is true and it'sa doozy.
(23:36):
That is an old-timey term and Ihope it never happens to any
undeserving dog lovers.
I frequent Palmetto Island Parkfor their picturesque trails
through woods and adjacent tothe tidal marsh, as well as the
large double dog park.
I think when we startfrequenting most any place, I
(24:00):
think we start running intofamiliar faces.
It's a comfort for those thatlike other people or at least
are tolerant of others.
I happen to appreciate the mixof millennials, gen Xers and
baby boomers, all with a commoninterest Wear our dogs out so
they can chill out when we getthem back home.
It's also healthy to socializedogs that are sociable, and the
(24:24):
same would apply to people.
And this is the story as Iheard it from others.
Last year, over a long weekend,the same crew was in the park
with their dogs and in walksthis larger than life man with
an overly aggressive terrier mix.
Within minutes, his dog wasbullying other dogs, accompanied
(24:46):
by a growl that only could beinterpreted as an attack, and I
think you all know what thatsounds like.
It's not just a quick bark, itsounds like a dog's going to
bury his teeth into another dog.
The handler of the smallerattack dog was also small
himself in stature, but notsmall in fierceness.
(25:09):
He called out the big man andtold him to pull his dog back,
but this larger-than-life humanlet's call him Bluto ignored him
until the smaller man got inhis face and exchanged pretty
harsh words.
The next thing, the smaller guypushes Bluto.
(25:31):
That was the first mistake.
This enraged Bluto picks up thesmaller guy, picks him up in the
air, throws him down on theground and starts knocking the
wind out of him, until otheradults break it up and try and
pull these people apart and alsobreak their dogs up, which also
(25:52):
is not easy.
So you think it's over and youknow the two apologize, but
that's not what happens.
Think it's over and you knowthe two apologize, but that's
not what happens.
The little guy's embarrassedand he's not gonna let it go.
So, as bluto is walking out ofthe dog park with his dog, the
little guy is coming up and islike hey, don't ignore me, don't
(26:15):
ignore me.
And he's yelling at him.
He's bleeding, he just got theshit kicked out of him and he
started the fight physically.
And so he goes up and then hesmacks Bluto from behind.
Bluto turns around and justknocks this guy down to the
ground and again other adultsare coming up.
They're pulling him apart.
(26:36):
Bluto goes out, takes his dog,leashes him and starts walking
him towards his car.
This guy, when he gets up offthe ground, gets out of the park
, runs to his truck.
Next thing, you know, he pullsout a shotgun, he cocks it and
he pulls the trigger.
Something is jammed, it'slocked and he's trying and he
(27:00):
pulls the trigger.
Something is jammed, it'slocked and he's trying and he's
trying.
Meanwhile, people are runningup and going no, no.
Pluto races, dives in his carwith his dog, he pulls out of
there, leaves a puff of smokebehind him and hightails it out.
So I don't know what happened,whether the smaller guy got in
his car and chased him, but whatI do know is months later there
(27:23):
is a trial and both these twothere were so many witnesses and
I guess they put it togetherthey got license plate numbers
and both men go on trial.
The guy with the gun gets jailtime, the other guy pays a
tremendous fine and both getbanned from the county parks for
(27:46):
life.
Look, I've gone to a multiple ofdog parks over the last several
months and I've just witnesseda lot of either oblivious or
selfish human behavior.
Number one if you're unluckyenough to have an aggressive dog
that doesn't know how to playwell with others, you might not
(28:08):
want to bring him or her to thedog park, certainly not during
peak hours.
It's selfish and it reflects onhow you treat others in the
world.
Hey, look, there's's no onesize fits all answer or one size
fits all situation.
Again, it becomes down, comesdown to human behavior.
You got to know your dog andyou got to be aware of what's
(28:29):
happening in the dog park.
And if you don't have anaggressive dog, but that dog's
getting caught up with othersand you think it's going to turn
out bad.
Caught up with others and youthink it's going to turn out bad
, just get your dog out of thepark.
There's no shame or cowardicein pulling your dog out of the
(28:50):
park.
Choosing to stay in a dog parkwith your dog when shit gets out
of control just to stake yourclaim of hey look, I was here
first and I'm not leaving, putsyour dog in jeopardy and
continues to keep you in theasshole status in your life.
There's a time to stay andfight a good fight for something
that you strongly believe in.
The dog park is not that fight.
(29:11):
You've been listening toanother episode of just tales.
I'm your host, rich easton,telling tales from beautiful
charleston, south carolina.
Talk to you soon, thank you.
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