“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55: 6-7

דרשו יהוה בהמצאו קראהו בהיותו קרוב׃

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A Golf Story

The PGA Championship is underway in San Francisco, and I’m reminiscing.

I haven’t played golf in more than 2 years. When my aortic stenosis was diagnosed in May 2016, my cardiologist told me that I would need open-heart surgery in 2 to 5 years. My surgery was performed on January 29, 2019.

Aortic stenosis is calcification of the aortic valve in the center of the heart. It’s a genetic problem. In May 2016, an echocardiogram revealed that the gradient of my aortic valve was 13. That number tells you the degree to which the aortic valve doesn’t close completely and seal off the aorta, the main artery of the body.

Because the aortic valve doesn’t close like it’s supposed to, each pump of the heart puts pressure on the aorta. As the gradient of the aortic valve increases, so does the pressure on the aorta. When the gradient reaches 40, you run the risk of having an aneurysm in the aorta from engaging normal activities. That’s when they replace the aortic valve.

An aneurysm of the aorta means certain death. You bleed out in a matter of seconds inside your chest cavity.

In June 2018, the gradient of my aortic valve was 38. In mid-summer 2018, I stopped playing golf. In mid-December 2018, the gradient of my aortic valve reached the magic number, 40. Since I had open-heart surgery, I haven’t had an interest in playing golf, but watching major championships on television reminds of the game I used to enjoy a lot.

The Club Championship at Glenmore Country Club in Keswick, VA

It was in the mid-1990s.  I don’t remember the year. At Glenmore Country Club, we were having our annual club championship. I was playing Keith Frazee. He was a little older than me, and he was a better golfer than me. My handicap at that time was 8. Keith’s handicap was probably 6 or 7.

I don’t remember playing golf with Keith before that day, but I saw him a lot in the clubhouse after rounds of golf. He was a nice guy, but you never know a person until you play a round of golf with him.

It was match play, and Keith took an early lead. I chipped away at his lead, and when we reached the 16^th hole, Keith was 2 up with 3 holes to play.

Hole number 16 at Glenmore is a 175-yard par 3. I needed to win that hole, because holes 17 and 18 are very difficult. My tee shot ended up left of the pin about 10 feet. Keith’s tee shot was a little long and to the right. He was about 15 feet from the hole putting downhill. Keith putted first. He missed his birdie putt, but he had a tap-in for par. My putt was a sidehill lie.  I birdied the hole. We went to hole number 17 with Keith 1 up and 2 to play.

Hole number 17 is a 437-yard par 4. The hole is long and straight. The green is elevated, and it’s very narrow and deep. Your approach shot to the green has to be good to have any chance at par. Both of us ended up on the green in 2. My first putt came to rest about a foot from the hole. Keith should have given me that putt, but he didn’t. He made me putt it out. It was match play. That was his prerogative, but it made me angry. Both of us parred the hole. We went to hole number 18 with Keith 1 up with 1 to play.

Hole number 18 is a 539-yard par 5. It’s pictured at the top of this SnyderTalk editorial. Number 18 has some deep fairway and green-side bunkers and some serious grassy undulations around the green. Your shots on 18 need to be precise. Keith’s approach shot to the green ended up about 20 feet long. My approach shot was about 4 feet from the pin. It was a straight downhill putt. All I had to do was get the ball rolling on the right line. Keith parred the hole. I got a birdie. We were on to hole number 1 all square.

Hole number 1 is a 579-yard par 5. When I made that birdie putt on 18, I could tell that Keith was dejected. He thought he had the match in the bag, and I took it away from him. As we walked to the first tee to continue the match, I was ready to play, and I wanted to teach Keith a lesson. I hit a great tee shot.  It was long and straight. Keith hit a bad tee shot to the right off the fairway.

My second shot was good, too. It ended up about 100 yards out, perfect sand wedge distance for me. Keith’s second shot was to the right off the fairway again. Keith’s 3^rd shot was off the green to the right. My 3^rd shot came to rest about 1 foot from the pin. Keith pitched onto the green on his 4^th shot and ended up about 2 feet from the pin. He looked at me like he expected me to give him that putt, but I made him putt it out. He missed it. I got a birdie and won the match.

Normally, I would have given Keith that putt. It was a gimmie, but it was time for payback. I’m positive that he missed that putt because he was angry with me for making him putt it. I didn’t care. He deserved it.

Things have Changed

I have recovered completely from open-heart surgery. I could play golf if I wanted to, but I don’t have any interest in the game. Maybe I’ll go out one day and play a round of golf just to see how I like it. Who knows?

My goal is to move to Jerusalem and work on several projects there. At this point, my top priority is proving that Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount.  See “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount (Part 1)” and “The Pope and Me: A True Story“.

There aren’t many golf courses in Israel. In fact, I think there’s only one. It’s a Pete Dye course in Caesarea. I’ve been told that there are plans in the works to build another golf course in Eilat on the Red Sea. That’s at the southern tip of Israel. It sits beside Aqaba, Jordan. If they build that course, I’ll probably do down there in the winter to play. The winter weather in Eilat is unbeatable. Daytime highs are in the mid-70s to mid-80s, and nighttime lows are in the mid-50s. Eilat is in serious desert. There is almost no rain, and the humidity is very low.

Caesarea is about 70 miles northeast of Jerusalem. It’s on the Mediterranean Sea, and the traffic is very heavy. Typically, I don’t go there unless I need to.

When I go to Caesarea, I like to take a longer route. I travel east from Jerusalem on Highway 1 and go down into the Arava near the Dead Sea.  Then I take Highway 90 north and drive through the Jordan River Valley to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. The last leg of the journey takes me over to the coast. Along the way, there are several sites to see.  I’ve marked a few of them on the map below.

Caesarea is number 1. It’s an ancient Roman city. Pontius Pilate lived there. He went to Jerusalem on special occasions like Passover.

Al-Mukhraqa is number 2. It sits atop the Carmel Range, and it’s often referred to as Mount Carmel. That’s where Elijah had a confrontation with the prophets of Ba’al. Al-Mukhraqa overlooks the Jezreel Valley to the east. On a clear day, you can see the Mediterranean Sea from there.  It’s about 10 miles to the west as the crow flies. Below is a video that I took in 2014 from the top of Mount Carmel, Al-Mukhraqa.

Megido is number 3. Sometimes it’s called Har Megido (Mount Megido). It’s also referred to as Armageddon. It’s the place where Yahweh will destroy His enemies when He returns.

Nazareth is number 4. The Messiah lived there while He was growing up.

Kfar Tavor is number 5. It’s a town at the base of Mount Tavor. Mount Tavor is also called the Mount of Transfiguration.  It’s a beautiful place. The view from the top of Mount Tavor is spectacular. Below is a video that was taken on top of Mount Tavor. It shows the Church of the Transfiguration and the surrounding area.

Living in Glenmore was fun for Katie, Melanie, Rebekah, and me. Having a golf cart in my garage ready to go all the time was great. I didn’t start playing golf until 1990. Living in Glenmore enabled me to learn the game fairly quickly, and I had some great neighbors who were terrific golfers. They taught me how to play. I’ll never forget it, but my heart isn’t in golf.

My heart is in Jerusalem. I spend most of my time now working on things related to Yahweh, Israel, and Jerusalem. At this point, golf is a distraction for me. I need to be in Jerusalem most of the time to do my job properly.

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“I pray…that they may all be one, even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one. I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 21-24)

See “His Name is Yahweh”.