The Things We Do For Golf

I have a buddy whose wife doesn't let him play golf on the weekends (I know what you're thinking...and I had the same reaction). It's not like this guy loafs around Monday through Friday either - he has a full-time job! But, I try not to judge - there's always reasons for your particular situation and perhaps his is well-warranted (probably not, but I'll throw the poor guy a friggin' bone).

Anyway, to get his golf fix, this guy has to squeeze in 9-holes before work. He had mentioned that to me previously, but I didn't understand the gravity of the situation until I actually played with him one day. We had to tee off at 6:30AM so he could be at work by 9. On top of that, the course was 20 minutes from my house, which means I had to be up at 5:30AM to get myself dressed, grab some breakfast and get there on time.

Five-thirty in the morning. Some of you may think I'm a wimp, but realize I'm also part of Generation X. I don't think we've ever gotten up at 5:30 in the morning...for anything. My great uncle would get up at 5:30AM every day - this was his routine ever since returning home from WWII. But me? There's a reason they say "rise and shine" and if the sun ain't up yet, neither am I.

But there I was, driving to the course still smarting about the hour. Yet, when I arrived, my buddy was as giddy as a school girl. He was so excited about playing with someone else, he was beside himself. And that got me thinking about the things we do for this game we love.

Everyday, golfers everywhere are moving things around on their calendars to make room for golf. Doctors are rescheduling surgeries appointments to make their tee-times; lawyers are cramming into the course parking lot the second court adjourns for the day; and the average Joe...he too is manuvering around his personal life's responsibilities...just to play the game he loves.

Last year, I posted about how softball was ruining my golf swing. In that post, I declared I was no longer going to worry about what other "swinging" sports will do to my golf game. But for more than a decade, I refused to play softball because I didn't want to screw up my golf swing. Think about that for a minute. I put-off having fun with my buddies in their Wednesday night softball league so I could continue hacking every weekend on the course. Where is the sense in that? But I did it because I loved golf.

What about clubs and equipment and apparel? We spend oodles. And golf gadgets? Wow. Stinky Golfer Chris and I are currently wearing a bracelet with a hologram on it in hopes of improving our balance on the course. WHY? Because we love golf.

Subscribe to any golf magazines? Ever spend money on lessons from a pro? Ever spend several minutes in Target (or Wal-Mart) trying to figure out which golf balls you should buy when your wife and child are waiting in the car and you were only supposed to be going in for a gallon of milk? We love golf.

And now perhaps the most controversial one: Have you ever spent a ton of money to play an awesome course you felt you really weren't good enough to be playing in the first place? Ah yes...You love this game. And never be ashamed of playing a top-notch course. It doesn't matter if your handicap is so high you're embarrassed to tell people - treat yourself once in a while - you deserve it.

So remember: You don't have to be good at golf to love it. Want proof? Think about all the things you do just to play it. Ah, the things we do for love golf.

Posted in: golf,Golf Magazine,golf stinks,golfstinks,love,softball