This blog isn’t going like I thought it would. Not well at all, nope. You see, I thought at this stage I’d be golfing my age. But sadly that’s just not the case.
In fact, and I want to share some facts with you, I haven’t been much of a real golfer at all. No, not much at all. I mean, I’ve golfed quite a bit these past few months, lord knows I have, but I haven’t golfed well, per se.
To be truthful, I’ve committed all sorts of faux pas: I’ve purchased not one but two sets of clubs—and assorted irons. I’ve bought hundreds of balls from a questionable source—a fine looking young lady who sells them to me from the trunk of her car at a nondescript gas station not too far from where I live. I should mention that I’ve lost an awful lot of those balls...
I have yet to keep score on any of the courses I’ve played. Not a one. I have a stack of score cards in my bag, right next to a pocketful of tees.
I haven’t yet played in long pants, though I have purchased numerous pairs of shorts, shirts and socks. I bought a pair of shoes, a few gloves and a couple fancy hats, too. Being frugal, I’ve yet to pay more than $30 for 18 holes; I just can’t bring myself to do it. And I’ve enjoyed most of the courses I’ve played.
I’ve yelled “Fore!” at least twice and have hit at least three carts, maybe more; but I haven’t hit any fellow golfers. Not directly. Yet. I did hit and kill a bird, a beautiful white heron, and it still bothers me. That broke my heart as it was such an unfortunate shot, from the 15th at Buffalo Creek.
I’ve really only played with one other person, my fearless partner Paul, who plays very similarly to me...up to and including a consistent ignoring of the Rules of Golf. Thanks for that, Paul.
Speaking of Paul, let me tell you a little about him: He’s the guy who started me on this game. I was hooked from the get-go—as I knew I would be—and he’s been my golf mentor and quasi-pusher since. He sends me golf articles and recommends new clubs. He texts me alerts on golf shows that I should tune to RIGHT AWAY! He researches and books new courses nearby. He travels up to golf near my place or invites me down to his neighborhood, where the courses are usually a bit nicer. Paul has a way of ignoring bad shots and using creative math for Par 5s that aren’t quite 5 strokes. And he’s adept at finding lost balls. Often he’ll disappear into a thicket or copse of trees and return with not just his ball, but a pocketful of strays. We both carry ball retrievers for this reason. And there are gators and snakes in that shrubbery; we’ve seen quite a few up close. That doesn’t stop him, though.
While Paul is the only guy with whom I schedule golf outings, we have been joined by other golfers on busy days—either voluntarily or otherwise. Most have been really good golfers who hold their noses as they witness our heathenlike techniques. And it’s for that reason, mainly, that I prefer not to play with people I don’t know.
We’ve been scolded on at least two occasions for bringing beer onto courses that don’t allow it. We’ve also spent $24 on 6-packs at courses. We’ve patronized the beer cart girls, yet still have been betrayed for the above crime. At some courses we’ve been cautioned to not allow others to play through, while other Rangers have advised us to just bypass slower players. We take it all in stride.
We’ve played in brutal heat and we’ve been rained on. We’ve huddled under palm trees to let the thundershowers and lightning storms pass us. We’ve only been rained out once, and that on the back 9, so that wasn’t too bad. We’ve played crowded courses that have taken us 5 hours to get through and we’ve been the only ones on the course. Now that the snowbirds have left, we pretty much have the courses to ourselves.
I’ve taken two sets of lessons: A course of 7 Saturday’s, focusing mainly on the driving range, and a course of 4 lessons that addressed irons use. I got the most out of the last lessons as it built my confidence with my irons, especially chipping and fairways shots. And I’ve practiced in my yard whenever possible.
Lastly, I watch golf programs and read golf books. Not because I have to or that I think I’ll learn anything that’ll improve my game, it’s just that I enjoy it! I really do.
Paul and I watch Endless Golf every week, a show that highlights Florida courses. Bobby Vermillion is a golfer Paul and I would love to be on the course with. He seems to enjoy the game, laughs at close-but-missed putts and often “gives” shots to his partners. I don’t know much about his background, but he’s the kind of player I hope to be. Speaking of players I admire, I just finished John Daly’s very funny book and today I’m reading Bill Murray’s Cinderella Story.
So, with all of that playing, you’d think I’d be doing pretty well these days. Spoiler alert: I can’t say I’ve seen much improvement in my game from when I first started. While I have seen improvement in my posture and technique, it hasn’t much translated to better playing.
But that doesn’t keep me off the course. As a matter of fact, I’ve been playing even more! And I still enjoy the game immensely...maybe even more so.
So as I continue my journey to improve, my main goal is to play by the rules, to play as much as I can and to keep loving the game. Hey, 2 out of three ain’t bad...
And you? What are your experiences? How have you been coming along? Are you seeing improvements and do you still enjoy the game?
