Decades pass while one is only briefly away from something essential, part of one’s identity from such an early age that he instinctively says, “I do that,” although he hasn’t for decades, because he can step up any time and resume that role.
Two years ago when we moved into a new house nearby a golf course I thought, sure, I’ll be going there very soon, but with family responsibilities, opportune times for a selfish activity are few.
More days than not I pass that golf course, wondering when I’ll get there.
After decades, doubt nags– can I even golf any more?
As a youth, I could go out onto the course with no doubts that I belonged there, with brothers and friends there to join in the triumphs and disappointments. But going out onto the course alone, with the sore arms and weary legs of a much older man, I wondered if I could still have an experience that wouldn’t be an embarrassment.
When we sell our condo, I proclaimed, I’ll go golfing the very next weekend.
The day came, cold and rainy, awake at 6:00 to drink coffee and get to the course shortly after it opened at 7:00 for the cheap rates available for the back 9 on the first hour open Sunday.
At the driving range, I couldn’t even follow the shots from my driver yesterday. Would I even be able to find my golf ball off the tee? Is the rain going to start falling harder?
I don’t think I even have any tees, I thought, as I walked to the 10th hole. But people leave their tees in the ground, I saw, so that wasn’t a problem.
The fairway was wide, so even if I sliced my tee shot, I might still stay in the fairway, but my first shot scattered off to the left anyway. Exultant anyway, off I marched toward my second shot.
Later in the day, I noticed the scorecard has a map on the back. Had I seen that, I would have known I was on the 11th hole, not the 18th, as it seemed.
For every ball I lost– I lost two– I found two more balls, all four in fairways.
Better to play good golf with a few clubs than play bad golf with many clubs. But honor dictates that one use his driver, because one should have a complete game. Drive off the tee, use a putter only on the green.
Standing at the tee, staring down a long fairway, not able to see the green, a golfer only gets one chance to hit that tee shot on that hole during that round on that day. A lot can go wrong– the shot isn’t likely to be perfectly straight, or go as far as one would like, but one has to play the long game and one has to play the short game.
Sometimes one plays the shots he thinks he should play. Sometimes one plays the shots he wants to play.
Once you’re on the course, you are committed to the game, to playing the course to the best of your abilities, in sportsmanlike fashion.
To golf well is to have passed a few hours of one’s life living well.