So, how many of you have ever been out on the course with someone who simply wasn’t ready to be out there? I’m sure most of us have been in that position before, right? I would think that, out on the course, there couldn’t be anything more annoying than to play, or.., try to play with someone who has almost no idea what they are doing.
No shot is a good one, they play too slow, they don’t know any of the rules of etiquette…just awful! Why would anyone subject themselves to this? Any golfer would just be miserable. But not me. Not this time. This time we’re playing slow for a reason.
Last year I posted about taking my oldest kid out on the course for the first time. Well this past weekend, it was time for my second oldest to get out there. And I admit, I didn’t believe he was quite ready to be out there yet. He hadn’t been to the range enough, hasn’t really started to develop a decent swing and pretty much, all-around, had no game. But he wanted to play, and that’s good enough for me. I mean, he has to start somewhere sometime, right?
So I suggested we go in the mid-afternoon since I knew we’d be moving slowly and traffic on the course would be at a minimum. We went to the same 9-hole executive course which I took my oldest last year. We lined up on the first tee and wouldn’t you know who hit the best ball? Yup, you guessed it…the new guy.
But it wasn’t all gravy all the way. We took took a good 30 minutes to play the first hole. Luckily, there was no one behind us all day! So after looking at my watch a few times, a few lessons on the rules of etiquette quickly ensued.
But at the end of the day, the final numbers didn’t look so bad! Obviously, I took it easy on him and didn’t hammer him for a stroke on every drop, mishit or silly mistake. But even taking that into account…it was much better than expected! And with a little more practice, I’m sure it will improve even more next time.
So despite taking way too long to play nine holes, the day was great all around. I got another kid out to the course, interested in the game and wanting to give it another shot. With school starting this week, I’m sure our time this year will be cut short. But that leaves us an entire off-season upcoming to work on the fundamentals. And I figure with enough practice, I’ll soon be worrying about another kid who is soon to be a better golfer than me!
Swing ’til you’re happy!
Nothing makes me more proud than to see my children falling in love with the greatest game ever invented. It’s worth the extra effort.