PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

Permit just a little crowing.

With my wife, Nancy, I have been in the California desert at our second home in La Quinta for a couple weeks now. We head home to Salem in the morning, but permit me to cite these highlights here.

Both involve golf.

The first was that, on November 27, I got my seventh hole-in-one on a golf course, this time on the course where we are fortunate to be able to play, The Palms.

If that wasn’t enough, I was playing with my son, Eric, who got to be – or had to be — my witness.

It was a 164-yard par 3 hole. Eric stepped up first and, being a much better golfer than I am, hit an 8-iron to about 20 feet, from where he would make par the hole.

As a 70-year-old golfer, I had my choice of club, too. I chose a 5-hybrid!  When the pro at The Palms heard about the shot he asked if I wanted it to be listed as a 5-hybrid when it got posted on the permanent hold-in-one board.  I said yes, absolutely, because that’s what old guys would hit on that shot!

On the tee, the ball few very well off my club and, on its track, Eric said, “Hey Dad, that looks good. In fact, it might go in.”

Wonder of wonders, when we got up to the hole, it was in the cup.

Well, it turned out that was only a secondary highlight.

During the same week, Eric played in the annual Palms Match Play tournament. He was in the Championship Flight, which was labeled the “gross flight” because players of Eric’s caliber play for a “gross” score, not a “net” score. To put a point on it, I was not in that flight.

Eric had a bye in the first round, then proceeded to prevail in three tough matches to win the flight. He played solid golf in all three rounds.

In this tournament, Eric’s win in the “gross flight” put him up against the player who had won the “pro” division, which is just that, pros who play golf for a living.

It was another good match. Eric was one down standing on the 18^th hole and, after his drive, hit a huge shot to make the green on the par-5 hole. It traveled about 230 yards in the air, about the length, for me, of a driver I hit well.

He proceeded to get down in two to even the match. So, he and the pro – Callam Davison, who just turned pro and, of all things, plays every shot cross-handed – headed off to extra holes all square.

They proceeded to halve the first two holes and then, on the third, Davison made a 20-footer for birdie to win the match. If you try to find a little solace in a loss, it would be that the winner sank a birdie to prevail.

At any rate, two significant accomplishments for the Fiskum’s in the California desert. Eric’s match play achievement was the more significant of the two because it reflects so well his skill and solid temperament on the golf course, something he has owned since he started learning the game at about age seven.

And, for a father, me, watching your son perform so well on the golf course is a memory to be treasured.

Plus, if Eric would have won what was labeled the “King of The Palms” match, he would have to don a literal king’s crown.  With that as a prize, better, I say, not to have won.