The Nineteenth Hole

THE NINETEENTH HOLE 

The nineteenth hole! The game is done! 
Now for the laughter and the fun! 
Recounting all the strokes we've played, 
The little putts that sadly strayed, 
The easy holes we should have won. 

From lip to lip the stories run, 
And never-ended tales begun. 
We reach it joyous, undismayed, 
The nineteenth hole. 

Good Lord, when all is said and done, 
And darkness comes with setting sun. 
May I, with conscience unafraid. 
Turn in the score that I have made, 
Nor fear with coward heart to shun 
The nineteenth hole. 

Henry Litchfield West in Lyrics of the Links, published in 1921

Henry Litchfield West (1859 – 1940) was an American journalist and politician. He served as the political editor of the Washington Post.