As a volunteer at the Angels and Eagles Golf Classic on July 27th, I thought the highlight of the day was watching the special contest at the practice putting green. All over the course, games and contests challenged the golfers to win prizes in addition to regular play. On the practice putting green, players competed to make a very long putt with a hockey stick.

Players valiantly took swipes at the ball in an attempt to win a pair of Wild tickets for the upcoming season. Their strategies varied widely to complete the awkward shot: some golfers got up there and held the stick just like a golf putter, while others attempted more or less “slapshot” putts. Volunteer Dinah Tansey reported that observers could tell which golfers had previously played hockey because “the hockey players hit it differently; you can just tell they are trying to get back the feel of it”. Although Wild right-winger Cal Clutterbuck also tried his hand at the putting contest, only one golfer, Mike Johnson, was able to sink the hockey-stick putt.

It was hard to watch the event without laughing, as most of the players did so in the process of completing it. On a usually quiet course, the players seemed to enjoy kicking back and relaxing with a little Happy-Gilmore-inspired fun. One golfer threw his hands up in the air good-naturedly as he left the event, “Man, my best shot all day was with a hockey stick!” More than a few golfers agreed that the games were a great, light-hearted addition to the day’s events.

The writer is Anna Morrison, an intern and volunteer with the Angel Foundation.