Day 191: Hitting the Links

There is nothing like the first day out on the golf course to remind us that spring is here and that we still suck at golf. Yesterday, I was able to golf 18 holes with my friend, Ed. Walking six miles on that green-brown grass while hitting a tiny ball with an oddly shaped metal stick felt like getting out of prison for the first time. (Never been there, but I can imagine). We couldn’t use carts, but that's okay because we needed the exercise anyway. Rolling carts were $2 and the round was only $20. Both were bargains for a fantastic day.

The first nine, as many first rounds go, was near abysmal overall, if you looked at the score. I shot over 50 and looked like Happy Gilmore putting for the first time. My chips and fairway shots enjoyed the shade of trees for some reason. On the plus side, I was driving the ball fairly well. Ed beat me by three or four strokes, but I wasn’t ready to roll over and quit.

I charged onto the second nine with a Snickers in my belly and three White Claws in my bag. It was a brand new game. Now, I didn’t turn into Tiger Woods in a matter of minutes but definitely left behind the triple bogies in a hurry. I parred a few holes and had a look at an eagle on one par 5. There were still plenty of battles with the trees, poor chip shots, and missed aligned putts, but I was able to shape my game up to...tolerable.

Over the years of playing that frustrating game, I have learned that it is key to not care about your score and just go out there to have fun with friends. I will never be joining the pros and it is doubtful I’ll be on a weekly league any time soon. It is nice to improve, but I found that if I am only focused on improving then I will have a worse time playing the game. A positive and fun attitude is key.

In the end, the game is less about what is on the scorecard and more about who is sitting in the cart next to you. Ed and I had a lot of laughs, shared stories, pictures, and videos, and just enjoyed hanging out with a friend after being cooped up in our houses for the past month.

Hopefully, this is a sign that things are getting closer to our new normal.

Fore!