One of the reasons (among many) that I don’t golf as much as I’d like is simply because I don’t have the time. I don’t mean the time required to play a round – I don’t really care if that takes five or six hours. I mean the time to get out to the course at all! Between all of the commitments required in everyday life, golf has taken a backseat. And that’s been no more apparent than during this season. I have played exactly one 18-hole round this year. One! How can I even call myself a golfer with that in mind?! Well, there are things that we can do to make time…and believe me, they’ve all crossed my mind at some point.
1. Quit your job. Several years ago, I was laid off from my place of employment. It was a sad time. My boss clearly didn’t want to do it, but tough decisions had to be made. As he shook my hand and told me how sorry he was, I said to him “Don’t worry about it. I understand and I’ll be fine. This just gives me a little more time to play golf.” And that it did. It’s amazing how much free time is made when you don’t have to go to work. In hindsight, I probably should have been saving that money due to the whole “no job” thing. But hey, hindsight is 20/20, and at the time it seemed like a good idea.
2. Take a leave from your job. OK, maybe taking a leave to play golf is not necessarily the best idea I’ve ever had. However, hear me out. I know someone who worked their behind off for quite a while. He saved up a bunch of loot and took six months off to travel around Europe. Now that’s something which, to me, seems worth taking some time off of work. That’s something most people will never have the chance to do at any point in their lives. And here he was doing it in his 20’s. So if you can save the money and get the time, that can be turned into an extended golf trip. Travel around the country or the world, playing your dream courses! Again, if you have the means…it seems worth it.
3. Married? Don’t be. First off, I am not suggesting you get divorced so you can play more golf. I mean, what kind of an a-hole would ever suggest that? What kind of jerk would suggest throwing a marriage away so you can hit the links more often? Now, with that being said…marriages and families do seem to take time away from the course. If golf is more important to you than a spouse and a family…don’t get married, don’t have kids. Speaking from experience, your free weekends will quickly no longer be free. Speaking further from experience…I will soon see if this free time actually is made.
OK, so there are my ideas. I didn’t say they were realistic ideas. But ideas nonetheless. Either way, we all want to play more golf and we all need to figure out how to do it. Lord knows I do. Again…one 18-hole round this season? By mid-August? I’m on the edge of no longer being able to call myself a golfer. I’m becoming just a guy who plays golf on occasion.
Swing ’til you’re happy!
Time is a first need to play golf. A golfer requires minimum 2-3 hours to play a golf game more precisely and analyze a golf course for getting basics of golf course and game. Thanks for sharing this great article with us.