I love to play golf. Golf is truly a game that absolutely makes no sense to me at all. You hit a white ball praying you can find it only to hit it again and again without losing it; to hopefully put it in a small hole. You need to do this eighteen times to complete a round of golf. If golf made any sense at all you would hit the ball, find the ball, put it in your pocket and get off the course as quickly as possible with the ball.
We all have seen golf on television and each of us know the basic concept of the sport. What all of us do not know is that golf is not just a sport, to some it is a religious event. You and up to three partners are playing a game and also sharing an experience. Whether you are playing with friends or perfect strangers it does not matter, what matters is you are free for that round of golf to be exactly who you want to be. You can play a serious round, like Tiger Woods or you can be Jackie Mason in Caddy Shack, a total hacker; it certainly does not matter as long as you are playing.
Discussions on the golf course are almost as fun as playing golf itself. Telling jokes, talking about significant others, business, etc, is only one part of golf. Slaps on the back after a good shot or putt makes one forget about the daily troubles in a golfer’s life. You can hit seventy five bad shots and only one good shot and that one good shot or great discussion will get you back on the course again.
My usual golf partner is my very best friend Scott. Scott and I have had so many wonderful moments on the course and in life. Scott named his second child after my brother and me. We have played hundreds of rounds of golf together and we have had so many wonderful memories on so many different courses. We have been playing golf together for over twenty five years. We have pretty similar games, we hit good shots and we hit some not so good shots. But at the end of the day, we have had our share of laughs, extreme frustrations generally taken out on our clubs, and more importantly we strengthen our bond as friends every time we play a round of golf. I could play the worst golf in history but I would still play with Scott every time he asks. It means that much to me.
Golf is one of the only games where you can just show up to the course and get into a group of four to play a round. I have had some of the greatest times in my life doing this. I have met some of the funniest people in the world on a golf course. I have laughed so hard I could not even hit the ball. For every ten golfers I have met who have made my round of golf great there are always that certain few who make you want to wrap your club around their necks.
When you see an elderly man cut you off at the red light near your home, your first thought is what is the hurry grandpa? Let me tell you I know were grandpa is going. He is heading to the golf course. Grandpa is heading to the golf course just to ruin my round of golf. He is not going to smile, and he is certainly not going to rush his round of golf if he is playing in front of me. For the record, I have played with golfers who were well into their eighties and I have had a great, great time playing with them. There are those few however who make it a point to let you know that they feel like they own the course.
Golf has a sort of well to do etiquette to it. On your score card golf etiquette is always discussed. Young and old players generally follow these rules. The certain few that believe they are playing on the PGA Tour really frost my golf balls. Twenty practice swings or eying your putt, (golfers look over the putting green to see how to hit their ball with their putter). If you have played mini golf think of it as checking out how you get it through the clown’s mouth without him spitting it back out at you. These golfers get no enjoyment out of golf. There only enjoyment it seems to me is to aggravate everyone on the course.
Golf is a multibillion dollar industry and new equipment is being introduced all the time. New golf balls, clubs or training devices are on television all of the time. Every time a new golf club is introduced the manufacture always claims the club with make you hit the ball farther. I have bought several clubs and this one thought is always in my head; shouldn’t I be hitting the ball at least a half a mile by now???
No doubt about it golf is a great game. It is like no other sport out there. Young or Old the game is still played the same way, you hit the ball several times to put it into eighteen completely different holes. Golf is such a part of my life I will enjoy it into my grandpa years. I do promise to never be the old grouchy golfer some day. I have too much fun on the course to ever be that guy.
Footnote:
I have some of the greatest golf stories ever. E-mail me and I will share a few with you.
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A bad day of golf is better than a good day at work. Whether you are in a good foursome or you are behind that player who thinks he is on the PGA Tour, golf is a great pastime. More and more families are getting out on courses.
Even if you have never taken a lesson you can go to a driving range or pitch and putt and try to at least learn to hit a ball. Trust me plenty of pro golfers started off this way.
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