The Psychic was watching a TGL event. He was disappointed that Tiger, his all-time favorite, was the “non-playing Team Captain” responsible for throwing “The Hammer.”

Then the thought arrived.

It wasn’t a swing thought. It wasn’t a giant screen or technology.

It was about money! Money raised for worthy charities!

More specifically – how easily golfers part with money when winning and a worthy charity are combined.

He hit pause on the remote and rose slowly from his recliner. The Psychic did the old man shuffle into his study. The room waited patiently. The round wooden table majestically held the dormant crystal ball beneath the chamois skin cover.

With the worn turban secure on his balding head, the Psychic removed the cover.

He sat silently staring into infinity.

A faint glow illuminates his face. The Psychic recognized the par-3 hole framed by sponsor tents and American flags fluttering proudly in the breeze. He hears laughter and music. It is the Folds of Honor charity event last fall – where patriotism, purpose, and golf coexist comfortably for a day.

The Psychic recognizes himself. A golfer. A participant. A teammate. A muni regular suddenly standing on pristine turf, teeing it up alongside players who believe golf can do more than crown a champion.

His vision sharpened. The crystal growing brighter.

An event sponsor steps forward with a question – not greedy, but curious. “What if (a pause) we let scramble teams buy a score on a par-3 hole?”

The Psychic leans closer to the crystal ball. He remembers the pause. The raised eyebrows. The quick mental math.

The proposal was simple, if unconventional.

On a selected par-3 hole, a foursome could collectively decide – all in, or not at all – to purchase a score.
• $100 per player for a “1” on the scorecard.
• $50 per player for a “2” on the scorecard.

“No putting required; the score was locked in!”

But here was the twist the Psychic recalled: the tee shots still had to be struck.

Even with a purchased scorecard number, the SmartPin still watched and recorded the ball. Bigger prizes still waited. A Hole-In-One or a Gimme (36” from the hole) won big money split with the charity. Golfers weren’t buying an ace or a birdie; they were buying certainty while donating heavily for the privilege.

The Psychic saw himself feeling reluctant, but when the other players agreed – he was also in. “A ‘1’ on the card and a nice donation for kid’s scholarships,” he remembers thinking.

As the glow became brighter the Psychic saw a man say, “Just put us in the $1,000 package, I’ll pay for the whole team.”

He understood – buying a score wasn’t cheating. It was permission. A transaction everyone understood. A clean number agreed to in advance. No mulligans to track. No gimmicks to explain. The foursome still hit their tee shots. They still hoped. They still celebrated. But the score – the number that mattered – was already settled.

He saw golfers gladly paying $50. Then $100. Then far more. He saw that the price didn’t stop rising until either pride or pocket gave out. And most often, pride held longer. Especially when a prize was on the line. Especially when bragging rights were involved. He observed as the tactic spread. It raised more money without slowing play. It worked because golf has always been a social game first – and rules came second. Justified by kids’ scholarships.

The crystal showed technology quietly in the background. Verifying what happened when someone actually did hole it while sending every golfer home with a beautifully produced souvenir video. Systems like SmartPin didn’t change behavior – they simply recorded it, letting organizers focus on what mattered: raising money and letting golfers feel good and share their experience.

The glow slowly faded.

The Psychic replaced the chamois skin, removed the turban. He poured himself an Arnold Palmer – heavy on the tea, light on the lemonade, with just a touch of Ketel One and returned to the recliner.

As the first delicious swallow drenched his parched throat, he recalled the conversation with his golf buddy over coffee. “How did you do in the FOH tournament,” he asked?

Without a guilty thought in his mind the Psychic proudly said, “We won the tournament by ‘ONE’ shot. Let me show you a video of my shot.”