The Lost City
The team of archeologists had been toiling deep in the Amazon jungle for months and months, clearing choking undergrowth away from the faint traces of the great Lost City.
Their wonderment grew with each passing day as they revealed more of what had been hidden by the jungle for millennia. They discovered broad winding avenues with giant flagstones; the avenues all leading to circular areas every few hundred yards, each of which had a perfectly circular hole cut into it. It had to be … an ancient golf course!
The find of the century, the archeologists thought. Imagine, ancient tribal peoples playing golf! Any doubt was dispelled by the discovery of drawings showing human figures using primitive prototypes of golf clubs.
The archeologists new that tribal oral traditions passed down legends of ancestors, so they set about interviewing the local tribesmen. Amazingly, members of the tribe still told tales of their ancient forebears who followed a daily ritual with clubs and balls … until tragedy struck.
One archeologist was speaking to a wrinkled, aged elder through an interpreter. “Imagine,” the archeologist said, “golf was played here for centuries, then it simply disappeared from history, not reappearing until the 15th century in Europe. If only we knew why they gave up golf … ask the elder if his tribe’s oral histories say anything about the nature of the tragedy that forced his ancestors to give up the game.”
The interpreter asked the question, and the tribal elder gave his reply. The interpreter turned to the archeologist, who waited with great anticipation.
“It’s simple,” the interpreter said, relaying the elder’s response. “They couldn’t afford the green fees.”