If you've ever dropped down on one knee and asked someone to marry you, then you know it's a terrifying experience.
It's the moment of ultimate vulnerability. If the person you're asking says no, then you, at a minimum, feel horrible. If you asked in public or with any kind of crowd, then it's embarrassing. If you tell your family what you've got in mind and come back with the ring in your pocket, that's a big downer.
Even if you know the person is Lock of the Week to say yes, it's still nerve wracking. Getting the timing right is difficult because you've got to gauge the absolute right moment to stop the awkward setup conversation and pull the trigger on the proposal you've likely memorized but then complete forget in the moment of truth. And sometimes -- actually, quite often -- the proposed inadvertently screws up some part of your plan.
That last part is what happened to Tim Presecky on the golf course recently. He was playing with his girlfriend of eight years and knew that he would propose after she finished her last putt. He set up a video camera on his golf bag, ready to record the life-changing moment. As far as a setup that would prove a surprise, that's good.
The problem was his girlfriend. Whether she's a new golfer, was having a bad round or something else, she struggled on the 18th hole. She nuked her first putt some 10 feet by the hole. Then, she missed the comebacker. Then she missed the third putt. She finally tapped in for a four-putt finish. Then Tim came over and put the flagstick in the cup, smooching with his girlfriend before he produces the ring box from his hand after setting his putter gently on the green. As he drops to a knee, she's definitely surprised, but also very respectful of golf since she also gently laid down her putter before locking eyes with her future husband and accepting his proposal.
All in all, Presecky did a great job and has a way better proposal story to tell than mine, which unfolded in a hospital parking garage. But that's for another day.
