This past Saturday I was "fortunate" to be invited to participate in a "Fearsome Foursome" outing...aka our golf team. The group was invited to play in a best shot tournament for a church that was donating all the funds to a missions project. For those that know me well, know that golf is not one of the sports God has given me any real natural gifts in...let alone patience. Sure, I can drive the ball real far for not playing as often as avid golfers, but I slice the ball two counties over. It's really scary sometimes. Seriously.
The day started great...waking up at 6am to get up, stretch, wake up, get some fluids in me, wake up some more, etc. Then it was off to the course. Upon getting there, embarrassment followed. The clubs I have, I got from my dad (Erik Sr) YEARS ago. They're about 3-4 inches too short, and the woods are actual WOODS! The bag is nice, but it's dated. I didn't see any player there with a driver alone that looked like it cost more than my whole set (bag included). So, that shows me that the technology in my clubs is WAY under "par" than what the rest of the field has. I didn't let that deter me though, and set off to have a fun time regardless. I know that golf isn't one of the sports that I've devoted time to master, so I knew I wouldn't have a great day as far as real golf goes, but I hoped to have a couple shots to reflect on and smile after the fact.
While waiting for the rest of my foursome to arrive, I decided to scope out the clubhouse, see the pro shop, and see the lay of the course. Since I really don't know what an easy/hard course is like, the last point was pretty much mute before I started, but the clubhouse was pretty nice, and the pro shop was top notch. Just looking at all the stuff in the clubhouse made me want to "gear up" before the tourney. I resisted and only bought a hat. (Hey, I forgot one, and it was on sale for 70% off...so I only spent $10...plus, it made me look like a golfer...LOL! NOT!!!) Anyway, onto the festivities.
I didn't get a chance to get to a driving range to loosen up my swing before the tourney, and with it being over 2 years since I last played, and since I've really only golfed MAYBE 5 or 6 times, I decided it best to not warm up at the driving range alongside the rest of the golfers. My teammate and coworker, Jim, said I needed to at least get one drive in to see how I liked his driver. That sounded like pretty sound advice, and since he's AVID golfer, I knew he was right. So, I put my pride and embarrassment aside, lined up a ball on a tee, stretched a little, warmed up my practice swing, drew back, and let LOOSE! I hit a drive STRAIGHT down the field for about 250 yards! Jim's jaw hit the floor! He asked again how long it had been since I played and I told him a few years, and that I hadn't golfed more than a few times, and he said that he could see I have pretty good fundamentals, and that I just need to stay consistant. I felt like I was some hidden jewel that these guys didn't want anyone to know about, and that I was their ringer. Oh how much an idiot I am.
First hole, my drive went just like in practice! Second shot, first hole, ON THE GREEN! We made par. On to next hole. Bad opening drive, great second shot, made bogey on the second. From then on, it just got worse. Through nine holes I was still having a good time, but having less and less "good" shots. From holes 10-16 I was getting into a bad mood, because although I still had a decent shot every now and then, I was now slicing super bad on the drive, and none of my other shots were good enough. I sunk one long put, and almost sunk a few other 25+' puts, but just couldn't get them in the hole. Mentally, I was checked out after 15 holes. I just couldn't get excited any more.
We didn't win any prizes for our score that day, but one of the guys won the longest drive on one of the holes, so that was cool. Afterwards, we went to the clubhouse for lunch...brisket, potato salad, beans, a MONSTER of a cookie, and some tea. The food was excellent, and hanging out with a bunch of down to earth guys was great as well. Door prizes were raffled off, and almost everyone won something. I won two rounds for two people at another golf course, and gave it to Jim...1) because I'm not a big golfer and I knew he'd enjoy it more, and 2) to thank him for wanting me to come so bad, even after telling him I'd be more of a liability than a help to the team (and I was). After we got done with the meal, we were walking out and stopped to look at the view from the clubhouse. What a beautiful sight it was. Looking out over the golf course. There's just something about the whole thing. Being outside, playing a game like that, it's just a nice thing that even though I had a bad time towards the end, I still wanted to go out and shoot one more hole.
I could see myself playing golf when I get older. Right now though, I can't play because of a few reasons. 1) It just costs so stinking much to play...and 2) I need to invest in some longer clubs. It's a mental game to the extreme of all games I've ever played, but it only worsens when you have to worry about overcompensating the clubs being 3-4 inches short. I see why people love the game, and every time I go out, I have more respect for it and the people that play it. I can't watch it on tv though, because it's about as fun as watching paint dry...or watching Nascar...take your pick.
Oh yeah, and the fact that 18 holes takes upwards of 5+ hours even with a golf cart and playing a best shot tourney...wow...I don't know how more couples don't divorce because of the game of golf. Still...fun game...as long as I only play it once in a while and recoup mentally before the next time! HA!
While we were out playing, I kept quoting lines from "Happy Gilmore", but I was the only one who had seen it, so I laughed to myself. That and I tried to throw in some golf lingo to look cool...like "GET IN THE HOLE!" whenever someone would hit a long drive. LOL! Stupid golf humor. Oh well. I had a fun time that day, and would welcome the chance again some day to try and improve. Who knows...
Stay classy,
E
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