the huge golf comeback
After whining about how much the game has slid lately, I actually played fairly well last night.
No, I haven't got in the practice time, and no, I'm not saying I'm drastically lowering the handicap, but I actually played half decent golf last night.
It was a team thing with a funky format, and we had nobody on our team with a handicap lower than 20. No, we didn't win, but we didn't embarrass ourselves either, and yours truly made significant contributions to the effort....including sticking it about 10 feet from the pin on the famed island green at Sawgrass. Of course, we missed the birdie putt, but still, it was an encouraging night all the same. Might even get me back to a driving range in the near future.
Now that I'm done jumping up and down and fist pumping (and rationalizing that I played good golf) and all that...
I think that's a big part of why I haven't been going to the range as much. Yes, there's another form of exercise that's better for me that's been hogging the spotlight, but the golf thing has been a downward spiral feeding itself. If I don't play well, I don't want to play as much. Since I don't play as much, I play worse, and when you're paying 50+ dollars to play worse, it starts to lose its appeal. Then when you get good at something else that eats more of your time, you play even less. I'll be first to admit that bike riding isn't as challenging as golf. Any four year old can ride a bike. The stamina part of it...riding distances, is more the discipline of training than any amount of talent or skill. Golf relies more on talent, skill and the mental aspect. It's far harder to be good at. So is chess though, and even more than golf, involves very little physical exertion. Bike riding will keep me healthier and living longer than either golf or chess. Biking also has the advantage of being something I do with my son, and that makes it more enjoyable. You could argue that I could golf with my son, but he has very little interest there, and I'm not willing to force it. Maybe someday, but he's far more enthusiastic about going 30-40 miles on a bike than spending an hour or two at a 9 hole course.
Somewhere in there I'll find a balance that lets me enjoy both biking and golf.
No, I haven't got in the practice time, and no, I'm not saying I'm drastically lowering the handicap, but I actually played half decent golf last night.
It was a team thing with a funky format, and we had nobody on our team with a handicap lower than 20. No, we didn't win, but we didn't embarrass ourselves either, and yours truly made significant contributions to the effort....including sticking it about 10 feet from the pin on the famed island green at Sawgrass. Of course, we missed the birdie putt, but still, it was an encouraging night all the same. Might even get me back to a driving range in the near future.
Now that I'm done jumping up and down and fist pumping (and rationalizing that I played good golf) and all that...
I think that's a big part of why I haven't been going to the range as much. Yes, there's another form of exercise that's better for me that's been hogging the spotlight, but the golf thing has been a downward spiral feeding itself. If I don't play well, I don't want to play as much. Since I don't play as much, I play worse, and when you're paying 50+ dollars to play worse, it starts to lose its appeal. Then when you get good at something else that eats more of your time, you play even less. I'll be first to admit that bike riding isn't as challenging as golf. Any four year old can ride a bike. The stamina part of it...riding distances, is more the discipline of training than any amount of talent or skill. Golf relies more on talent, skill and the mental aspect. It's far harder to be good at. So is chess though, and even more than golf, involves very little physical exertion. Bike riding will keep me healthier and living longer than either golf or chess. Biking also has the advantage of being something I do with my son, and that makes it more enjoyable. You could argue that I could golf with my son, but he has very little interest there, and I'm not willing to force it. Maybe someday, but he's far more enthusiastic about going 30-40 miles on a bike than spending an hour or two at a 9 hole course.
Somewhere in there I'll find a balance that lets me enjoy both biking and golf.
Labels: It's all about me
John put this out here at 7:02 AM
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