Yesterday turned out even better than anticipated. The driving range was fairly active and the weather was perfect if you enjoy 20 to 30 mph winds moving right to left. I shot the bull with a couple of different guys, drank a few beers and learned more about my golf swing.
The golf course was in exceptional condition. Having been to a few professional events, I would rate this course at that level of condition sans the recent spring hole punching (airification). You could take a true divot from anywhere in the fairway and at times the quality of the course seemed almost unbelievable. All for a total green fee of $26.00.
The wind was its typical early May self meaning it was ferocious and changing directions. At times I am quite sure the gusts were approaching 45 mph or more. So much so that my ball while teed up would be quivering. If you're unsure of the shot, the ball is quivering on the tee and the wind is about to blow you over, you have a problem. I shot 45 officially and 43 utilizing the modified BBG Rules of Golf and Scoring.
After making the after nine beer run, and a marginal tee and approach shot on 10, I noticed the weather beginning to settle down and the evening's sunset beginning to define itself. Big Easy went off on the back side and shot even par until it was too dark to see. Its a shame I have to give him a spanking from time to time to get him to play like this normally. I cheap tented a couple of holes on the back and this continues to be an issue. I did however hit some very good golf shots throughout the day.
Putting demands more.
Showing posts with label Published - No more changes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Published - No more changes. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
A Good Day
Tomorrow I will work half a day, have lunch with Big Cat and Big Easy and head out to one of our favorite golf courses. We have a tee time after they get off of work so what better way to spend my time than hitting golf balls, working on the short game and generally enjoy being at the golf course? I will have about about 3 hours of time to relax and yield to this sanctuary. I believe every golf course that I have been to or played is in fact a sanctuary of sorts. Please note there is one exception located in No Where, Kansas and that goat ranch came complete with goat head sticker plants in the fairway...
One definition of sanctuary is a shelter away from danger or hardship. I think we as humanoids still very much need sanctuaries. It's quite true we are standard deviations safer than just 4 generations previous. Automobiles, roads, buildings, work, as they evolve they've all become safer. Yet we as a society have created a culture that in its current state thrives on of all things, STRESS. We have voluntarily picked our own poison and it's stress.
Stress is a very big deal because it kills every bit as efficiently as a virus or plaque, it just takes longer. When I think of sanctuary, it always creates a sense of calm and freedom. In these times of stress an ever louder question begs to be heard, "Where are our sanctuaries?"
It's a Tuesday at 4:30 in the afternoon and Jimmy is just leaving a 2 hour meeting originally scheduled for 30 minutes. Its the same old result complete with posturing/annoying people who achieve nothing. There are two hot emails that require his attention. His boss's boss left him a voice mail requiring another look at the numbers prior to meeting with the clients. Jimmy's son has a baseball game at 6:00 pm and it looks like he will miss Sean's game again. Frustration, anger, stress... call it what you will but my guess is you can identify in some small way if not completely.
Jimmy also has a tee time this weekend at the local muni and its Sean's 4th full 18 hole round. During their last outing, Sean hit a few strong drives and made a couple of snakes, all of which had him badgering Jimmy to set up a tee time. Instead of getting directly to those "hot" emails, Jimmy jumps on the net to check this weekend's weather forecast. He quickly copy and paste's the forecast into an email to Sean and his wife with the good news. 70's and little wind make for a perfect round of golf.
I think one of golf's simple pleasures is going to the driving ranch and hitting a bucket of balls. Every person out on the range has a single purpose in mind and that is to improve their game by working on their swing. The same single minded purpose of all individuals in one setting is in my view a very rare event. While on the range I often step back, take a sip of beer and watch the other golfers in their pursuit of excellence. I receive an especially nice vibe each and every time and I like it more and more.
I find I hit the ball better after taking that break. I am learning that taking a moment, enjoying the scenery and a deep breath frees me up in some way. I can only base this on my empirical evidence of experience but I believe strongly that once one becomes comfortable out on the golf range, they become more authenticically themselves. There is true effort and a communal goal subtlety driving a very positive and honest unseen order of things. How could one not come to love this...?
Jimmy does indeed miss Sean's ball game that evening. Instead of rushing to get everything done and still be late, he purposely takes his time. He responds to the emails, sets up the new analysis and sends it. He actually gets a few things done that were on the schedule for tomorrow without interruption or distraction.
At 8:30 pm Jimmy finally pulls into the driveway. After eating his reheated dinner and cracking a cold beer, he goes to Sean's room to say good night. After a bit of small talk about Sean's game and the Red Sox, Jimmy tells Sean to be ready to go to the range tomorrow at 3:00 pm. Jimmy knows what I know. There is not a better sanctuary than the golf course. Tomorrow is going to be a good day.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Welcome
I like Golf. I lied, I love Golf. I think about Golf almost as much as I do my girlfriend and trust me, she is perfect for me. I began playing at the age of twelve and ever since that time have had serious periods of Golf addiction. I am in fact not the best golfer in the world. Neither am I in the top ten percent. I am a guy that grew up playing sports and loved every minute of it. I played basketball, Golf, ran some track and bowled a little bit. I have retired from any sport that remotely looks like I could have a heart attack after the first two minutes of the game. Golf lets me compete while doing another thing I really like to do and that is drink beer. The combination is simply unbeatable for fun, competition and personal humiliation.
Golf is an individual game in every conceivable manner. Because of its individuality, Golf lends itself to all levels for much more than sport. In fact some have called it life in a microcosm. I have heard its good to go golfing with your team from work. One learns a great deal about not only themselves while playing Golf; its in fact a very clear revelation of all who play. Some players have a relaxed temperament while others have ridiculous levels of anger (less and less these days) when things aren't going so well.
What it comes down to for me is the passion Golf engenders within me. If I have a Sunday tee time, by Friday night of that week I can hardly sleep. Saturday night I finally drink enough beer to get something resembling sleep only to wake up at 5:45 a.m, already having first tee jitters prior to my first cup of coffee and bloody mary.
I get to the Golf course about an hour before the tee time, check-in, hit a bucket, order beer and the first bloody mary. I also occasionally hit a few putts to "check the speed" of the greens. One has to actually be a good putter for speed to matter and I should know, I can four jack with the best of them. As my tee time draws near, my focus on the range is crisp as I work to slow my tempo and stay behind the ball. My drives are straight with a slight draw, iron shots are fairly good and there is no wind.
It's interesting to me how one can warm up like Fred Couples on the range. My swing is natural, free flowing and the sound of purity as the ball rockets off the club face intoxicates me with thoughts of breaking 80. I can sadly remember one similar day in the Fred Couples mode on the range. Big Cat, Big Easy and I were playing one of our favorite courses. The fantasy of breaking 80 fills my head as I stride over to tee up my first drive. The first drive is all important to my ego, so much so that our group gives a first hole mullie as one of the very few rules we alter. My guess is Big Cat and Big Easy have the same ego requirements I admit to. (For a complete list of rule alterations, you will have to read future posts). I will skip the play by play of the round and simply state, by the fourth, I was 9 over with both my mullies gone and leaking so much oil I blacked out the remaining 14 holes and remember nothing. Fred Couples I am not. Golf it seems, is not happy just with passion.
I have matured a bit since my rambunctious days and slowly but surely have realized that passion alone is not enough for Golf. Actually, not by a long and straight shot as Golf demands discipline and that really sucks. Hitting a drive 300 yards down the middle is the most fun this side of my girlfriend. Hitting it 300 yards into the pond on the left after deliberately and pain stakingly setting up to avoid it is like running out of gas on your way to the job of a life time interview. Because of poor planning, I have lost what I wanted most, a birdie. I truly can't explain what the loss of control feels like as I watch the ball go into the water. Trying to explain that moment and what it feels like eludes me.
Of all the things to demand, Golf co-selects self discipline with passion for a player to be successful. I remember my father mentioning something about that kind of stuff when I was about eleven or so but I digress. WORK demands passion and self discipline for success and so that is what we do. When one picks up a Golf club for the first time and begins to play they really have no idea Golf requires more passion and self discipline than anything they have ever done. They also have no idea that Golf will be teaching them a great deal about themselves and those they play with if they are open to it.
I am now in one of my addiction stages and at this point in my life I believe I am finally up for the challenge Golf has presented to me personally. If I can physically stay at this game long enough, perhaps it will teach me much more than I can imagine. Golf is the single best hobby, sport or game ever played.
Golf is an individual game in every conceivable manner. Because of its individuality, Golf lends itself to all levels for much more than sport. In fact some have called it life in a microcosm. I have heard its good to go golfing with your team from work. One learns a great deal about not only themselves while playing Golf; its in fact a very clear revelation of all who play. Some players have a relaxed temperament while others have ridiculous levels of anger (less and less these days) when things aren't going so well.
What it comes down to for me is the passion Golf engenders within me. If I have a Sunday tee time, by Friday night of that week I can hardly sleep. Saturday night I finally drink enough beer to get something resembling sleep only to wake up at 5:45 a.m, already having first tee jitters prior to my first cup of coffee and bloody mary.
I get to the Golf course about an hour before the tee time, check-in, hit a bucket, order beer and the first bloody mary. I also occasionally hit a few putts to "check the speed" of the greens. One has to actually be a good putter for speed to matter and I should know, I can four jack with the best of them. As my tee time draws near, my focus on the range is crisp as I work to slow my tempo and stay behind the ball. My drives are straight with a slight draw, iron shots are fairly good and there is no wind.
It's interesting to me how one can warm up like Fred Couples on the range. My swing is natural, free flowing and the sound of purity as the ball rockets off the club face intoxicates me with thoughts of breaking 80. I can sadly remember one similar day in the Fred Couples mode on the range. Big Cat, Big Easy and I were playing one of our favorite courses. The fantasy of breaking 80 fills my head as I stride over to tee up my first drive. The first drive is all important to my ego, so much so that our group gives a first hole mullie as one of the very few rules we alter. My guess is Big Cat and Big Easy have the same ego requirements I admit to. (For a complete list of rule alterations, you will have to read future posts). I will skip the play by play of the round and simply state, by the fourth, I was 9 over with both my mullies gone and leaking so much oil I blacked out the remaining 14 holes and remember nothing. Fred Couples I am not. Golf it seems, is not happy just with passion.
I have matured a bit since my rambunctious days and slowly but surely have realized that passion alone is not enough for Golf. Actually, not by a long and straight shot as Golf demands discipline and that really sucks. Hitting a drive 300 yards down the middle is the most fun this side of my girlfriend. Hitting it 300 yards into the pond on the left after deliberately and pain stakingly setting up to avoid it is like running out of gas on your way to the job of a life time interview. Because of poor planning, I have lost what I wanted most, a birdie. I truly can't explain what the loss of control feels like as I watch the ball go into the water. Trying to explain that moment and what it feels like eludes me.
Of all the things to demand, Golf co-selects self discipline with passion for a player to be successful. I remember my father mentioning something about that kind of stuff when I was about eleven or so but I digress. WORK demands passion and self discipline for success and so that is what we do. When one picks up a Golf club for the first time and begins to play they really have no idea Golf requires more passion and self discipline than anything they have ever done. They also have no idea that Golf will be teaching them a great deal about themselves and those they play with if they are open to it.
I am now in one of my addiction stages and at this point in my life I believe I am finally up for the challenge Golf has presented to me personally. If I can physically stay at this game long enough, perhaps it will teach me much more than I can imagine. Golf is the single best hobby, sport or game ever played.
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