on golf

Once I thought the game of golf was beyond dumb, knocking a little ball into a hole in the ground? Seriously? To be a sport, I tried it once before and it was frustrating and seemingly hopeless. The people I played with suggested I try playing left-handed……

I am predominately a lefty, but really, sports and recreational activities I do with my right hand (baseball, bowling, knitting, sewing) although tennis and badminton can go either way. The left hand is for writing, eating, tooth-brushing. So, from that experience, I pretty much wrote off my ability to ever play golf. Besides, it was a stupid game, right?

Last weekend, I tried, really tried, playing golf, many years after that first attempt. This development came after a pretty successful trip to the driving range, surprising both me and the boyfriend, who happens to be a crackerjack golfer. The balls I hit off the tee went pretty far and in a straight line. I decided to try and learn the game, so we can have a shared pastime , since he will never bloody likely go snow skiing, and I will probably not be inclined to waterski.

We went to a par-3 course, which had, by the way, 2 holes that were par 4, making the par score for the course 29. BF, naturally, was right there in that range. My score was more like 72, and that was with multiple forgiven bad tee-offs. I had to grit my teeth and bite out curses a couple of times, but managed to hang in there for all nine holes, and I actually enjoyed it, in spite of the heat and humidity and frustration. The game is SO frustrating that any success whatsoever is cause for celebration, but I can now see that it will be worthwhile to play enough to gain some skill and confidence. Photo above, by the way, was taken AFTER the round, and that’s me, still smiling.

At the driving range, thinking of going all the way around a course seemed pretty daunting. Now at the par-3 course, a “real” course feels like an insurmountable obstacle. It’s all about perspective! Concentration! Focus!

Having turned my nose up at the idea of using a cart (why spoil a good walk?) I see their value: shade. You get plenty of walking, going from the tee-off place to the green and back and forth to the cart for different clubs and all. And I like jogging to the next place early in the round. I hope to get strong arms, increased trunk mobility and core strength, flexibility, endurance, and the ability to make that incredibly satisfying snapping sound when you hit the ball just right.

The golf course is not a standardized playing field, and the course is definitely a character in the drama of a game. The par-3 course that was my maiden outing was far tamer than one we “walked” while visiting my hometown of Southwick, Massachusetts, Longhi Golf Course. That beast was situated over hill and dale and was simply frightening. Smyrna golf–much more reasonable. It’s right by a little airport, and featured some birdwatching opportunities as well as a nice, flat, relatively easy game of golf. I was delighted to see a Northern Kingbird fluttering over the grass snatching insects out of the air.

Longhi had a sweet little putt-putt course that we played, too. I honestly think that sinking a hole in one on the very first hole profoundly affected my newfound positive outlook on the game of golf. Now, THAT was thrilling, and isn’t that what we’re all looking for out there on the links?