Canter Bridge

Sandbagger (noun)

Definition (from about.com)

1. Generally, any golfer who misleads others about his ability level, claiming to be worse than he actually is at golf.

2. More specifically, a golfer who artificially inflates his handicap index in order to better his chances of winning tournaments or bets.

A sandbagger is considered by many to be the lowest form of life on a golf course. Sandbaggers can inflate their handicap indexes by selectively leaving out their best rounds of golf when they post scores for handicap purposes.

Related words: ‘to sandbag’, ‘bait-and-switch’, ‘beneath contempt’, ‘spawn of Satan’

Rev’d Dr. John Bernard, President of Charlotte-based United World Mission, is a confirmed sandbagger on two wheels and thin rubber. Since taking up biking over a year ago, John (before today a long-time friend of the author) has insisted upon his beginner status and modest athletic achievements. In spite of losing nearly thirty pounds and making inroads into body sculpting of the middle-aged-man variety, Dr. Bernard has articulated and sustained a persuasive case for non-heroic status on the road. Continue Reading »

χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά. ‘Hard are the good things.’

I remember the day my beloved Greek professor, Jerry Hawthorne, taught us that the Greeks had understood ‘No pain, no gain’ long before it became a truism of our culture. Decades ago at Wheaton College, Jerry warned us that life’s achievements, improvements, and ennobling experiences—learning Greek, for example—would not come easily.

Gasping for breath, lungs and legs searing on yet another climb on a rented Trek Madone, the truth comes home with all the concreteness in the world.

John and Todd—fellow journeyers, breakfast-table philosophers—have been at this biking thing for a while. I have known for a year that I must join them, even before we covenanted to ride together twice a year for as long as body and mind remain intact. Yet I have dawdled. Continue Reading »