Golf, Fishing And Brewing Beer

So far this summer has been a wash for me as far as golf goes. Some of you know that I've been recovering from heart surgery and with that comes very little physical activity.

It's been a couple months since the actual surgery and the doc's have cleared me for light physical activity. Even though golf isn't that demanding, a healing sternum impedes your swing and rules out a quick 9.

What to do, what to do...how about fishing? For smaller fish obviously, nothing that'll pull me in. Believe it or not, the whole time I was fishing I thought about golf and how the two are similar. For example, a good golf swing definitely helps in striking a ball well. As does a good cast. If Skippy over there can't cast well, there's a good chance someone's getting hooked. Just like when I tee off...there's a good chance you'll have to duck.

I have to say, the biggest similarity between the two would be they both end up pissing me off. I flub, shank and hook shots all day. I snap a line, barely get any bites and the ones that do bite get away. Oh yeah, lots of fun. Just thinking about it raises my blood pressure. Where's my beta blockers? Maybe these "relaxing" activities aren't as heart-healthy as I thought.

That said, it leaves one last activity...brewing my own beer. I have found that as I consume beer, it lowers the stress and anger levels that golf (and fishing) might bring. Therefore, I brewed my own beer for three reasons. 1) It's beer 2) golf and beer just go together and 3) it helps me cope with my golf game. Now that I have stocked-up on my own home brew, I am ready to hit the links once the doc gives the thumbs up. Isn't golf great?

Hit'em long...yell FORE!!!

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Finally...Golfing Weather! So Why Wasn't I Golfing?

Mid- to upper 60's, a bit of a breeze, only a few clouds to be seen...this is fantastic golfing weather! There have been several nice days so far this year, just not on a weekend. So what more could I possibly ask for? This is the perfect day to hit the links for the first time this year.

But I didn't. Instead, my boys and I hopped in the car this morning and made our way to the bait shop. We grabbed a couple dozen night crawlers, headed out to a nice lake and proceeded to spend the next few hours casting our lines into the water hoping to reel in a good fish tale.

But I have to ask myself...is there something wrong with me? What I mean is, I have waited all winter for a weekend day like this one to get out on the golf course. And when this day finally comes...I go fishing instead! I guess the easiest way for me to explain it is that I have a connection with fishing that I don't have with golf.

You see, I began playing golf only about thirteen or fourteen years ago. But fishing? I can't even remember when I began going. Despite living practically around the corner from a golf course as a kid, it never really called out to me as much as the lake hidden back in the woods across the street. I can't begin to explain how many days my friends and I would spend back there, for hours on end, pulling out bass, trout, perch and catfish. It's a connection with my childhood that I don't want to lose. Golf will never have that connection for me since I took it up much later in life.

But fishing isn't something I get to do very often anymore due to hectic schedules, kids playing sports and my newer summertime love...golf. But every once in a while, I have to take the time to get back to my childhood. And then, golf has to take a backseat. It helps that my kids enjoy it also. They were as excited to go as I was.

People ask me how I can fish for hours, possibly not catch a thing, and not get bored out of my mind. The answer is, I have no idea. The connection with my youth? The potential to catch "the big one?" Just spending time outside, relaxing at a nice place on a nice day? Maybe it's a little bit of all those things. But, in some ways, I can equate fishing to golf. But none better than this...

While sitting on some rocks on the side of the lake, a ranger (we were at a state park) comes by and asks my boys how they were doing. My oldest responded "OK, we haven't caught anything yet." The ranger then responds "That's OK. It's a nice day and you're outside. What's better than that?" After the brutal winter we have just come through...he's right...what could be better?

Swing (or cast) 'til you're happy!

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