GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

I Shudder at the Thought of Golfing With my Wife

| By | 6 Comments

On a recent golf outing, I was paired up with a husband and wife. They were both retired and had settled into a life of golfing together.

They told stories of their recent trip to Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach; their travels to Ireland on a couples golf vacation; and their future plans to play together in Hawaii.

The pair was happy – and I had a content feeling with how they interacted on the course together – there was something very romantic about it all.

But when my mind wandered to the notion of me playing golf with my wife, that peaceful feeling was replaced with apprehension. Why? Now don’t get me wrong, I love my wife – she’s my best friend and the mother of my children. But for some reason, I shuddered at the thought of her hitting the links with me.

This weighed on me the rest of the round – what was my deal? That retired couple seemed completely smitten with each other – sharing a cart, talking golf strategy, enjoying one another’s company. What the hell was my problem?

Fast forward a few weeks to yesterday. I’m in San Francisco at a conference for work and I’m chatting with a colleague who also happens to be a fellow golfer. During our conversation, he mentions he’s about to take a golf trip with the guys.

“There’s just something about a guys golf trip.” I said as he nodded in agreement. He then said something that struck a chord with me: “I can’t play golf with my wife. She’s offered to try taking up the game, but I’m glad she never did. Nothing against my wife, but golf to me is my time with my buddies.”

He had hit the nail on the head. That was my problem – golf is my “hanging with the guys” time. It always has been – in fact, playing a round with my wife would be like time wasted – time I could have instead spent with my friends.

You see, I spend most of my free time with my wife and son. Once a month I carve out a few hours to hit the links and by God it’s going to be quality time with my pals. But of course now that I’m writing this, I feel like a complete jerk.

Perhaps I’m missing the point to all this?

Now my wife is not one for sports – especially partaking in them. She did have an interest in playing tennis once, but after couple times on the court she was over it. Meanwhile, she has never expressed any interest in golfing. And until this very moment, I’ve been completely cool with that. More than cool, in fact – I’ve been downright happy.

But the more I think about that couple, the more I realize that I might be missing out on something. It never occurred to me that I could play golf with my wife and STILL play golf with my friends. In fact, not only would it mean more time out on the links for me, but I’d be spending quality time with my wife to boot!Not only that, but vacations can now include golf. Hmmmm, I’m beginning to realize the benefits of having a spouse that plays golf. Of course the true benefit will be when we retire, after the kids are out on their own and we can travel together on golf trips like that couple.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Step number one is to convince my wife to golf (never thought I’d say that). If I can introduce her to the game slowly, by the time we’re ready to retire we’ll have a future of golf to look forward to.

Of course if she tries golf and doesn’t like it, I’m back to just playing with my pals. But that’s fine too. The point is I’ve realized that I love golf; and I love my wife – why not enjoy the company of both?

A Golf Trip With The Guys

| By | 1 Comment

Undoubtedly, one of a golfers favorite events of his golfing career is a golf trip with his buddies.  For too many of us, it’s an event that just doesn’t happen often enough, including for us here at Golfstinks.  But this past weekend, we finally made it back out on the road. 

OK, so we didn’t head to one of the typical golf getaways like Florida, California or Myrtle Beach.  Rather, we headed to Vermont.  Not exactly what most golfers would consider a “golfing mecca.” But that’s far from the point. 

See, the point is the getaway itself.  And between kids, wives, jobs, vacation time and previous commitments, trying to get a few guys on the same schedule is not the simplest of tasks.  So when taking a long vacation is not a possibility, simpler trips become necessity.

Necessity you say?  Well…yeah!  To me, a golf trip with your golfing pals is an absolute necessity.  The idea of traveling to a place you’ve never been to hit the links on a course you would normally never get to play is fun in itself.  But when you can combine a vacation with your friends and a few days worth of golf, it’s like taking that one day of golf you would play on a Saturday or Sunday that you wish would last longer, and stretching it out over a few days.  How could you go wrong?

Unfortunately, most people have the preconceived notion that a golf trip is too expensive.  But a bit of research and some planning at the right times can lead to some unbeatable deals.  For instance, our trip including 2 rounds of golf and two nights at a condo ran us well under $300 per person. 

What I’m getting at here is that a golf trip needs to be taken by any group of golfing friends.  Put just a little bit of effort in and an inexpensive golf trip could be much closer than expected.  If you’ve never taken a golf trip, or if it’s been a long time since you have, you’re doing yourself a disservice.  It’s time to hit the road, jump on a plane, do whatever!  Just get out there an go somewhere you’ve never been.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The Gateway To A Golf Paradise

| By | Leave a Comment

Some years ago, Stinky Golfer Greg and myself, along with two other golfing buddies, took a trip to Hilton Head Island for a golf getaway. We had a great hookup from one of my relatives who owned a condo on the island. This was the first real golf trip any of us had taken, and it was certainly one to remember.

I could get into the many details of the trip, but I can much more easily sum it up with one comment. While riding in a cart down one of the fairways of Palmetto Dunes, enjoying the beautiful views of the Atlantic, Greg turns to me and says simply…”Thank you. Seriously…thank you. This is awesome.” He was right. It was awesome.

Recognize that picture? Of course you do. It’s the famous Harbour Town Lighthouse at Sea Pines. We’ve all seen it. But have you ever had the chance to see it in person? Well thanks to a new website launched by The Golf Channel, here’s your chance. If you’ve been there before, then here’s your chance to do it again. For a great golf getaway, take a peek at http://www.hiltonheadgolf.com/.

For any golfers who haven’t yet found their way to Hilton Head, my friends, you are truly missing out on a great golf experience. Now I’ve never been to Myrtle Beach, but as it’s been described to me, Hilton Head is Myrtle Beach with better golf and without the touristy feel. I can attest to both of those points.

As for the golf, during a short trip, we managed to squeeze in two rounds of 18, one round at Palmetto Dunes and the other at Shipyard. Those two rounds being not quite enough, on the morning of our final day, we squeezed in another 9 holes at Sea Pines (home of Harbour Town) on the Ocean Course. Each round was an experience like no other. Be it the stunning ocean views, gators walking past the greens as you’re putting or the beautiful, lush courses themselves…it’s tough to beat the variety of courses you’ll find on Hilton Head. Even if you can’t make it to Harbour Town, you’re sure to do fine with any of the courses The Golf Channel has featured for you here.

Let’s not forget though, there’s much more to a golf trip than just golf. What about food? As far as I’m concerned, food is a close second to the golf itself. Luckily, the good people at The Golf Channel have similar feelings as they’ve provided a dining guide on the site as well. Oh, and I can personally vouch for a number of restaurants on that list including Antonio’s, The Crazy Crab and Harbourside Burgers & Brews at Sea Pines just to name a few.

Since my last visit to Hilton Head, I’ve always wanted to make a return trip. Now that The Golf Channel has made it so easy, I have almost no excuse. The courses, food, places to stay and even packages…it’s all right there at your fingertips.

For those golfers who have yet to visit Hilton Head….you don’t know what you’re missing. After visiting twice (once for golf and once for relaxation…and, no…they’re not the same thing), I’m still looking forward to going again. If nice weather, great golf and a laid back, relaxing environment are what you’re looking for, then http://www.hiltonheadgolf.com/ is a great place to start.

Questions / Advertise

info@golfstinks.com

Disclaimers

See here

Privacy Policy

See here