#269 The sound of a golf ball falling into the cup

Neil Pasricha

I was the Mini Golf King.

Yes, back in those blurry late 80s there wasn’t a course that could trip me up. Slippery slopes, puddle patches, shady piles of windswept maple keys were all no match for my well-practiced whacking of that neon pink ball. Smack it off the chewed-up mat, bounce it off the windmill arms, and let it slowly straighten before dropping right into the hole.

That was my game.

The sound of a golf ball falling into the cup is the bounce-a-round sound of hole-finishing satisfaction. Whether you just finished smacking dented balls off tree trunks, chipping through the rough, or twelve-putting your way to the finish line, it really doesn’t matter.

Because that final shot always sounds the same.

It’s the sound of satisfaction going down the drain.

AWESOME!

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“I started a little project in my sorority Delta Zeta at Michigan Tech University where I started giving The Book of Awesome to my roommate to thank her for being such an AWESOME roommate. Her job was to read a couple pages a day and add her own AWESOME things. Then she passed it on to the next woman. The criteria for passing it on is mostly to say “thank you,” “congratulations,” “cheer up,” or whatever! I’ve loved watching how excited all the women have gotten about this! When it’s time to pass it on they get all mischievous and try to figure out where it’s gonna go next. My sorority took its annual group pictures today so we brought along The Book of Awesome! p.s. We all particularly loved ‘taking off your bra at the end of a long day'” – Miriam

Photo from: here

136 thoughts to “#269 The sound of a golf ball falling into the cup”

  1. Putt putt… or golf in general… i something that always reminds me of my Grandfather. We used to play together every few weeks, before his health began to deteriorate. It’s amazing how such small things can be associated with such stellar memories…

  2. I stink at all forms of golf, but yes, a golf ball dropping in the cup is such a sweet sound.

  3. Oh this one is definitely awesome! Though slightly different I remember one time I was mini-golfing with my then boyfriend and well we weren’t fully competing at one point but just goofing off and having fun. Well on one hole as he was lining up his putt I decided to be a brat and try and hit my ball in his way. I hit my ball and it ended up hitting his while it was moving and deflecting it from going in. He stared in astonishment after it happened.

  4. Love these Awesome things. I found you through a Reader’s Digest magazine article. Follow you on Facebook now as well. It’s so nice to see someone who takes pleasure in the simple things of life. We could all use a little more “Awesome” sometimes. Thanks again.

  6. Love to golf. However the most awesome thing is taking off your shoes after a long game, putting your feet up and having a cold beer. This applies to regular golf AND mini golf!

  7. I have only ever played REAL golf once. I was ten years old and my family was on vacation at a resort that boasted its own golf course. My dad took me out for a game of golf and by some crazy random happenstance, I won. I always knew that he let me win, but on that day I felt like the greatest golf master IN THE WORLD. I remember every time I was ready to putt the ball in I wouldn’t let my dad talk until after we heard the ball hit the bottom of the hole and if he was talking and I missed the sound I would take my ball ut and putt it again (making sure my dad knew that the stroke didn’t count because I just needed to hear it). That sound will always make me think of the game where my dad let me be a fantastic golf superhero :)

  8. Awww. I miss mini golf! But you know what’s also awesome? Splitting a ball open on the driving range. It doesn’t sound quite right when you hit it and then looks a bit funny flying through the air, so you are sure that you just did something wrong, but then as it slows down, you realize it is no longer round, and PLOP! It falls out of the air a mere 30 yds away. I always pretend it’s because I’m super strong and hit the ball too hard, not because it’s a driving range ball that has been exposed to months of sun, rain, and other golfers ;)

  9. Awesome! Even though I was never particularly good at putt-putt I love it! Take my brother’s bachelor party this past summer. Group of us went putt putt for it and I did okay the first few holes, then bombed the middle 9 or so then the last few came on strong! Can I get a hole in one! Check please! Awesome!

  10. I love to play golf. Unfortunately I am not that great. I get an occasional great shot that always brings me back. But no matter how bad I am doing, for some reason I always play the hole til I get the ball in the hole- must be the sound of the ball falling into the cup. It is a very awesome sound to anyone who enjoys the game.

  11. You know what’s really awesome, that I only discovered this weekend?

    Deliberately splashing through massive puddles safe with the knowledge of guaranteed dry socks/feet because you finally invested in a pair of rainboots. I kept catching myself walking around puddles like usual, and doing that weird hop-skip thing over the smaller ones until I realized that I no longer had too. And that’s when Singing in the Rain came on my iPod. Sweet.

    p.s. thunderstorms in general are pretty awe-inspiring as well

  13. Ker-plunk!! rattle, rattle, rattle!! Ah, unfortunately for me the sound comes after the frustrating part of putting away for awhile. Worth it though!!

  14. I have to say, I stumbled across this website and have since purchased The Book of Awesome! I check this site everyday to see what the post is and I absolutely love having this in my life. Thank you for being so AWESOME!!

  20. My whole life I always thought golf was such a boring thing to do and especially a boring thing to watch on TV. One day a few months ago, after a desperate day of nothing to do, I watched a PGA Tournament with my dad. I. Love. Golf. I wasn’t sure what the attraction is, but it is so much fun to watch. But I think the main thing that brought me to it was the sounds! When a golfer hits the ball from really far away and it hits the green, the closer and closer it gets to the hole, the audience slowly scream, “wwwwhhhhhhhoooOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!!!” And if it goes in, they cheer like there is no tomorrow. It is hilarious and awesome :), much like the sound of the ball falling into the cup!

  22. This is on par (pardon the pun) with swishing anything into a trashcan. Napkin, old food, wadded up paper, nothing beats the feeling when you nail a trashcan throw.

  24. i love this blog, and that it’s warm enough to think about going mini golfing :) thanks for the smiles today!

  28. I love mini golf. There’s only thing better than the kerplunk of the ball, that’s the celebration of bells, whistles and flashing lights, (for the hearing impaired), going off at the final cup, for a hole in one, at fun land down in the valley AND over the loud speaker it’s announced that you’ve won another free round of mini golf. I had it happen once and it was awesome!

  30. Woot woot mini golf! Too bad Rory McIlroy couldn’t really enjoy this feeling so much this weekend.

  31. Mini-golf was always a favorite of mine when I was growing up, and a favorite with my grandparents. It’s good to hear the appreciation from someone else about that sweet sound of the ball clanging into the bottom of the hole. Awesome!

  32. I love The Book of Awesome….helped the work day to be happier. It also made me want to make a Book of Awesome (as it relates to my job) for me and my coworkers.

  33. Ahhh, AWESOME! That sound is so fulfilling at the end of a full day in the sun! Never get tired of hearing it. You just made me miss summer! :)

  35. I’m not a golf fan, but this reminds me of the sound of a baseball bat hitting the ball. Totally AWESOME!

  36. It’s pretty awesome when you hear it go in the cup after putting it thru a windmill :D

  37. Putt-putt is my family’s favorite sport.. it’s awesome because it reminds me of vacation and spending time with them :)

  38. I love that sound so much!! I am absolutely terrible at golf or mini golf, so that sound is absolute heaven to me! Awesome!

  39. That is awesome! My mom took me to a driving range once…. it took me about 20 swings to actually hit the ball. I think that was a satisfying sound as well, but mini-golf is a stronger sport for me.

  40. I saw your video on Ted.com and made my way to your website :).

    I love how you worked all your energy in a blog that ended up getting you rewarding you in every way possible!

  41. i also think the thwack of hitting a golf ball is pretty awesome too…
    thanks for continuing to make my day awesome!!

  42. I’ve never played golf but i can’t even imagine how to aim to these small hole : D

  43. Golfing isn’t a regular pastime I keep,
    But the benefit of this goal is still to reap.
    When I go goofy-golfing for whatever reason
    It doesn’t make a difference between the novice and the season.
    The reward of that sound is still the same
    And that is why everyone plays the game.
    They want to see a hole in one
    In essence that is a majority of the fun.
    Once you get one you’ll never forget
    That hole holding the golfball in which you hit.

  44. I cannot remember the last time I went mini-putting. My guy friends always say I cannot come golfing with them because of what GOLF stands for!

  45. Mini-golf is so old-skool, it’s awesome! I haven’t played it for years and years, but after reading this, I might be inspired to give it another go!

  46. Not only do you hear the sound of the ball landing in the cup, but you hear the sound of victorty. That you were the chosen one and you have your own personal parade in celebration. Awesome. :)

  48. I love to golf and yes, this sound is super awesome! It makes me so happy to hear it!

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