Ponderosa owner Ben Cartwright had received an invitation to come and play golf for a day in Carson City. His sons (Adam, Hoss and Little Joe) were at the herd where by Ben was forced to look after his six year old grandson Mitch. The boy played outside on the porch when the rancher came to him.
“Mitch, what would you say if we go together somewhere tomorrow?”, asked Ben.
“Fine grandpa. But where are we going to then?”, asked Mitch.
“To Carson City. I have received an invitation of a good friend of mine to play golf for a day. Your father and your uncles aren’t here anyway so I can take you along”, answered Ben.
“Can you actually play golf?”, the boy wanted to know.
“Sure I can do it. Even though I don’t have much time for it”, said Ben.
He noticed that his grandson didn’t really believed him.
Then Mitch said as a sort of reassuring, “Grandpa, you to me the most sweetest grandpa of the world, even though you are not so good at golf.”
Ben knew enough and went on with the administration.
The next day Mitch saw how Ben put his golf clubs in the trunk.
“Gees, my bat is much thicker and more beautiful”, said the youngest Cartwright.
“That is so but a baseball is harder than a golf ball”, answered Ben.
“And bigger”, reacted his grandson.
With his mitt and an old ball Mitch went to sit at the front. Ben took the place behind the wheel and put the belt on by his is grandson. After that he did it by himself. A moment later they were on their way to the golf-course near Carson City.
After an hour Ben drove upon the parking lot where the golf-course was.
“So here you must show your golf art? Good luck”, Mitch said cheerful.
Ben sighed and answered, “Now I understand why your father is looking for a babysitter for you so often.”
They got out and Ben got his golf clubs. Mitch stayed close by his grandpa while they walked to the canteen. David Baker waited there already for the visitors.
“Ben Cartwright! Nice that you could come”, David said laughing.
“How could I refuse an invitation to play golf for a day from you? May I introduce you to my grandson Mitch? Mitch, this is Mr Baker, the man who has invited me here”, said the rancher.
David and Mitch gave each other a hand.
“Whose child is he?”, David asked while they sat down.
“He is Adam’s. but this young lordship loves baseball more and I am very afraid that he won’t continue the family tradition to work at the Ponderosa”, answered Ben.
David fetched coffee and milk.
After the coffee the men and Mitch went to the golf-course.
“My grandson thinks that I can’t play golf so ……..”, said Ben.
“Well, prove it otherwise then”, answered David.
Ben put the ball on the tee and hit it away. Mitch looked amazed how far the ball came.
“I can’t throw so far yet. Not now anyway”, he remarked.
“But with golf you must walk to the ball and from the spot where the ball lies hit it in to the hole”, Ben explained.
“Then you better can hit it into the hole”, Mitch said dry.
“You may try it next”, said David.
The young Cartwright said, “That’s alright.”
After hitting four times Ben got the ball into the hole. Then Mitch was allowed to try it. He hit the ball far but not into the hole.
“Where is the ball?”, asked Ben.
“Somewhere far away”, said David.
Then they heard loud cursing and scolding. The three looked where the noise came from and it came from the terrace.
“Mitch, now you are in trouble because I fear that you have hit Mrs Willis”, said David.
“I just pointed in the wrong direction. The ball is not damaged, is it?”, asked the boy.
Mrs Betty Willis came to them with the ball in her hand and whipped cream in her face and hair. David, Ben and Mitch had trouble not to start laughing.
“Mr Baker, who has hit this ball?”, she asked fierce.
“I did that. Why?”, asked Mitch.
“Little boys like you don’t belong on the golf-course. The ball came into my whipped cream cake and the whipped cream flew around my ears”, she said.
“It won’t happen again”, said David.
Betty sniffed and walked away angry.
“Well, this is the evidence that golf is not for me. Just put me down on a baseball field”, said Mitch.
Ben and David played golf the whole day through with a delicious lunch during noon.
Despite the whipped cream incident Mitch had behaved himself very well and Ben was satisfied about his grandson.
On the way home Mitch said, “Grandpa, you can play golf better than I had thought.”
“But don’t count on it that the next time you may come along. Especially when Mrs Willis is there”, said Ben.
“Then daddy may babysit me”, Mitch said light-hearted.
The rancher fully agreed with that. Though it had been a successful day for both.