My softball team stinks. Seriously, we have just one win on the year compared to 8 losses. Last night, we had our proverbial asses handed to us 22 – 0 by the third-place team in our league. Twenty-two to nothing! How do you not score a run in softball? Mercifully, we were mercy-ruled in the fifth inning.
In the fourth, the other team scored 11 runs (which made it 22 – 0). The second-to-last batter up that inning actually tried to get out on purpose! He lazily swung at the 0-1 offering and tapped it back to our pitcher…who promptly let it slip through his legs.
During that fourth inning, I stood there at shortstop, vaguely aware of the train of players running past me to third and then to home. I was zoning out; my mind elsewhere as a Keystone-Cop routine was unfolding among my teammates around me. While they were chasing, booting and dropping softballs all over the field, I was two days in the future; in the middle of a fairway staring-down a 130-yard approach to a small green and well-positioned pin.
It was a happy daydream…until I took my swing. For some reason, I was using a baseball grip and I lined the ball into the left woods. No doubt it would have been a sharp single in the game I was actually playing, but in my golf dream-sequence, it was OB and a two-stroke penalty.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like softball. But I couldn’t help thinking in that moment; is it worth ruining my golf swing over? I was asked to join this softball team mid-season last year and only played 6 games with them (they were terrible then too). I played baseball as a kid, but stopped after Babe Ruth league so I could join my high school golf team. When I got older, I always avoided playing softball in fear of it screwing up my golf swing (though Stinky Golfer Chris has played softball for years and doesn’t really complain about it messing with his swing).
Anyway, I threw caution to the wind and decided to play a full softball season this year. After all, I hadn’t noticed much of a change on the links at the end of last season, but this year my golf game has really slipped (my average is down about 4 or 5 strokes). I can’t help but wonder if it’s all due to my softball swing? I’ve searched online for an answer and the majority of people say the two swings can have adverse effects on each other (coincidentally, serious softball and baseball players worry that golf will damage their baseball swings).
Here’s the thing though; I’m not sure I care anymore! Sure I want to play better golf, but let’s face it; I’m not qualifying for any tours in the near future. I’ve spent most of my adult life playing one sport; never letting myself indulge in any other sport in fear I may compromise my golf game in some way, shape or form. Well, not anymore. I think I’m just going to have to deal with losing a few strokes off my golf game – or, if it really matters to me, start going to the range more so I can curb the effects from my baseball swing.
I love golf, but we’ve all heard the saying “act your age.” That being said, I think it’s time I started acting like the average hack that I am – which means not taking my flubs and duffs too seriously and for goodness sake, not worring about losing my golf “touch” on the softball diamond (even if my team is the Bad News Bears reincarnated).
Good post and I agree with you, don’t sweat losing a stroke or two. Play different sports and have fun with your life, no matter what sport you are playing.
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It’s good branching out and doing another sport. It’s a good thing that you aren’t letting the few strokes upset you, it’s not that important. I’m competative and anoying but I think I would be with you on this.
Funny…I was thinking the exact opposite. As my golf swing gets better, my softball swing is going to shyte. Why would someone create 2 sports with 2 distinct swings? Why?