Don’t get me wrong, I’m no world traveler, but I’ve golfed in a few different places. I’ve played courses up north, and down south. I’ve golfed in the cold weather and in the tropics. But for my money, nothing beats a nice, rural New England course in the fall.
The fall is my favorite time of year, and if I can play a sport I enjoy while taking in the autumn splendor, how can that be passed up?
The cool, crisp air. Comfortable temperatures. And of course, the vibrant colors of the changing leaves. The beautiful reds, oranges and yellows blended with the greens of the pine trees and bright blue skies – there’s a reason tourists flock to New England this time of year. But we New England residents enjoy it just as much. And if we can mix golf in with the scenery, then how can that be beat?
Golf’s True Purpose
Stinky Golfers Tom (L) and Greg
having fun on the course.
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We posted on Monday about a foursome disbanding due to a couple of golfers relocating. Stinky Golfer Chris saw the glass half full as he was excited about flying to different parts of the country to have reunion outings.
But one thing Chris didn’t mention was the golf outings we still have before people move away. There may not be many rounds left – especially with the season almost over, but we had an opportunity to take advantage of one such outing the other day: A day off from work and 18-holes at an awesome course at a discounted rate (now that Fall rates kicked in)!
And while playing on a work day made our round a little sweeter, it was the camaraderie I savored the most. The scores didn’t matter; the day (although it was a beautiful Autumn afternoon) didn’t matter.
Nope – what mattered was that a group of friends were hanging out together. The fact that we happened to be playing a game we love was just an added bonus – the cherry on top.
And that’s what makes golf the greatest game in the world.
Golf doesn’t get in the way of friendship; It doesn’t get in the way of telling a joke or chatting about family…or life in general. It plays on in the background so you can, well…live.
Sure I had a few memorable drives during the round the other day, but it was the interaction with my friends that made it a great day. And then it dawned on me: Why does it take the realization the we all might not be playing golf together for too much longer before we start really appreciating that we all play golf together in the first place?
Why are we out there getting angry at ourselves; swearing; throwing clubs? When we really should be out there enjoying ourselves; appreciating the game, our friends and being outdoors in nature. The time we spend upset on the course is time wasted, is it not?
So regardless of if your golf buddies are just a temporary foursome or permanent fixtures, don’t waste those 4+ hours on the course getting annoyed at your game (or lack thereof). Don’t throw away time set aside as leisure and hanging out with friends by getting irritated at your slice. Instead, ignore all that BS and learn to accept golf for what it was meant to be: Fun.
Chip Shots: Long Waits At Each Hole
A couple of months ago I talked about having to wait at every hole and how it would slow your pace and ruin your game. What I want to know is, what steps have you taken to get your game in gear during these tough moments on the course? For example did you hit into the group in front of you? Did you say anything to them to try and get them to move faster? Did you get the ranger involved? Or did you simply sit back and deal with it?
What I’m asking is, if you run into this issue out on the course, what do you do?
What Happens If Your Golf Group Breaks Up?
Do you have that same group of golfers that you tend to golf with all the time? I guess alot of us do. The same group of friends meeting at the course for their regular round. It just becomes second nature. You get to the point where you always know who’s going to be there.
My group is more like a threesome with the fourth being on somewhat of a rotation. We check to see if one guy can join us, and if not we move on to the next guy.
But now, it looks like there may be a bit of an interruption in our group. It’s starting to look like there may be some relocating going on. It looks like the regular group could be no more. So what to do? Do we just replace ’em and forget ’em? Of course not! Instead, where there is loss there is opportunity.
See, my regular golf buddies and I like to try to squeeze in a golf trip once a year. But that doesn’t always seem to happen. Sometimes it’s just hard to get all of us on the same schedule. Between jobs, families, commitments and such, there’s been several years where the trip just never came to fruition. And recently, when we have gotten the opportunity, we’ve been relatively limited to a trip that was somewhat local. But that could be coming to an end.
See, now that some golfing buddies may be moving to different locations around the country, I’m looking forward to some destination golf trips. Obviously, I think we would start out with a trip to the new locations of our golfing buds. But after that, who knows? With our regular group now spread throughout the country, there’s no excuse for not traveling to destinations that we didn’t get to before.
Maybe we’d like to hit some of those fantastic Oregon courses that have been getting rave reviews for several years now. Or maybe we’ll choose to head to Alabama and take a trip around the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Maybe we’ll finally make that trip to California for the iconic Pebble Beach trip. Either way, the point being that when we’re spread out, all of us meeting in a central location seems to make sense.
So as much as I would miss the guys when they’ve gone to other parts of the country, I’d also find the silver lining. That being the chance to travel to different locations and spend some time with the guys who I had gotten used to playing this great sport with. And that’s what it’s all about, right? Spending time with your friends, playing the sport you love. If a bit of travel is required, then so be it. It’s well worth it.
Swing ’til you’re happy!
Will The Elections Help Golf?
Without getting too political and inciting an e-riot, I wonder if the outcome of this year’s presidential elections will help put more people on the course? It’s no secret that we’re still recovering economically and we can easily get into a heated debate as to who’s fault it is but my concern is the future.
The NGF reported in the last five years that golf (in the U.S.) has lost 4 million golfers. They also say that female golfers (U.S.) are down 23% over the past five years. When golfers were asked why they don’t play as much they’re top answers were 1) My spouse/significant other doesn’t play and 2) Congestion on the golf course.
Wait a minute, I play to get some “me” time and get away from the everyday stuff, no offense honey. And Congestion? If we are losing golfers every year wouldn’t you think that means less people on the course? Oh wait…golf course closures. Damn economy! Which brings me back to the title. When will golf see a ramp up in activity?
I can only hope that just like a lot of businesses, we are waiting to see who will be president and then return back to normal no matter who wins. I wonder if the fear of the unknown is causing us to stall and wait. Regardless if it’s Obama or Romney, the power is still in numbers. The elected officials can tell us what they think will work but it comes down to us to make it happen. Just my $0.02…
Hit’em long…yell FORE!
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