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Wildlife On The Golf Course

November 18, 2013 | By Chris Chirico | Leave a Comment

Gators sunbathing in the fairway on Hilton Head, SC
Gators sunbathing just off the fairway on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

I’m an animal lover.  And I don’t mean just your everyday domesticated house pets, but all animals and wildlife.  I can stare at the groundhog family outside my office window for who knows how long.  Well, long enough to get nothing accomplished for a significant amount of time.  But I can’t help myself, I just find wildlife interesting.  This is another thing that gets me excited about going golfing – spending some time out in nature.

When I have the opportunity to play a course that’s far away from a city and carved out of the woods, besides just the beautiful New England countryside, the chance to see a good amount of the local wildlife is there as well.  This comes to mind thanks to a quick nine-hole round I played this past Sunday morning with one of my kids.  On one hole, we had a deer standing in the middle of the fairway that seemed to be in no hurry to leave once we pulled our cart up.  It wasn’t until I continued to pull the cart up, getting to within about 40 yards, before it ran up a hill and out of sight.  On the green of the very next hole, a red-tailed hawk flew within 15 feet of us as we putted out.

Now deer and birds of prey may be relatively common, but it’s a bit uncommon for a deer to let you get that close.  On one occasion, while playing in an old golf league, we had two deer working their way down a fairway toward my foursome standing on the green.  They didn’t turn away until one of us teed off.  Or how about the occasional fox?  There’s been a couple of times where a fox has run across a neighboring fairway.

But it’s been in our travels that we’ve come across some other creatures we won’t normally find here in CT.  For instance, stinky golfer Greg tells a story of playing a course in the southwest where one of the employees ventured into the desert area bordering the rough to collect some balls.  Greg noticed the guy was wearing a pair of boots.  Why?  Well, when he came out of the brush, several stingers from the tails of scorpions were sticking out of the guy’s boots.  Lesson…when playing a desert course, if your ball goes into the brush, leave it there.

One of my favorite experiences though was playing down in Hilton Head, SC.  This was my first time sharing the course with alligators.  People had told us if we leave them alone, then they’ll leave us alone.  This was certainly the case, but that didn’t make it any easier when my approach landed only fifteen feet away from one!

Anyway, the wildlife is just another part of the all-around experience of the sport that keeps me coming back.  I’ve seen deer and all the other furry woodland creatures.  I’ve chipped on while being only fifteen feet away from an alligator.  I’ve caught a few snakes.  I’ve even seen someone hit a duck from about 200 yards!  As long as I never end up on one of those “When Animals Attack” shows, then it’s always going to be one of my favorite parts of the game.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: desert golf courses, golf league, Hilton Head, New England, wildlife

Is Playing Golf Like Riding A Bike?

April 23, 2012 | By Chris Chirico | 1 Comment

If only golf was as easy as riding a bike...
If only golf was as easy as riding a bike…

Everyone has heard the saying “It’s just like riding a bike.”  It seems to be used for everything.  But what about golf?  Is golf like riding a bike?  Can it be picked right back up again after a significant layoff?

I think much of it has to do with your skill level.  If you’re a golfer who’s used to shooting around par, but you come back after a long break and shoot an 80, something tells me you look at that differently than someone who shoots around 100, then comes back to shoot a 110.

Personally, I’ve never had a long enough break from golf to measure the result on myself.  However, I’ve been around players on both ends of the spectrum and have had the opportunity to see what a long layoff has done to them.  I’ll start with the good player.

I once played a few times in a local golf league.  On one of the occasions, I played with a guy who was described to me as a scratch golfer and even a “borderline pro.”  I guess this guy was so good, that he decided at one point in his life to quit his job and pursue a spot on the PGA Tour.  Needless to say, since I was playing with him on an average local course, he didn’t make it.  But somewhere between his attempt at a pro career, and a short time before we played together, he had taken a few years away from the sport.  As I understand it, after failing to qualify, he felt like a failure and had no desire to go back to playing non-competitive golf.  So he gave up the game entirely…for a few years anyway.  But you wouldn’t have guessed that when I saw him!

Despite taking the game back up just over the prior couple of months leading up to our round, this guy went out and shot in the high 70’s while clearly playing with an “I don’t care” attitude.  He was out there just playing with his buddies, relaxing, joking around and having fun.  Some of the guys who had played with him years before told me that he would have been absolutely miserable and down-right pissed had he shot a 78 or so back then.  But now, it’s no big deal.  Good for him.

Now, at the other end of the spectrum, I had a guy ask me if I wanted to get out and play a round with him because he hadn’t gotten the chance since he had kids.  Now again, we’re talking a few years since he had been out on the course.  Before the kids, he was a golfer like me – happy when he breaks 100, which didn’t occur very often.  And sure enough, when we got out on the course, he shot a 102.

So, is golf like riding a bike?  Once you know how to play, do you always know how to play?  Can you take a few years off and pick back up right where you left off?  From the two experiences I’ve had with people who have done so, it would seem that, yes, you can in fact do so.  But is that the same for everyone?  Would it be the same for me?  Personally I hope to never find out.

Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: bicycle, bike, breaking 100, golf league, scratch golfer

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