By: Nick Fry
Golf is a funny game. It’s not uncommon to have a love-hate relationship with the sport throughout your round. I remember when I first started, I was just happy to get out. I am a converted baseball player and had a huge slice or as I like to call it.. a power fade. I didn’t care about my score, I just wanted to learn the basics. Now that it is ten years later and I have the basics figured out… to a point, I am a lot more competitive. I expect to shoot how I want to every time I go out. For the most part I am able to control my temper though I have also had my share of tantrums after a bad shot.
The four of us that make up I’d Golf have been golfing together for about ten years now and if you asked each one of us why we golf, you will probably get four different answers. My experience golfing started as one of relaxation. It was a way for me to escape the constant homework I had, clear my head after a rough day at work and be active without over exerting myself. As I have learned more about the sport, I have learned more about myself. Golf challenges you every hole, if not every shot, and life can be very similar. Golf has been taught me to be both patient and bold. Some shots require a second look and a planned approach while others require you to just go for it! One of the hardest things to do is recover and find your composure after a bad shot, or a series of bad shots. As my good friend Derrick Tenney likes to say “18 holes is a long round and you have to grind it out”. This can be one of the hardest things for an amateur golfer to do.
I still go to the course excited to play every round because even on your worst round you can always find a silver lining. There is always that shot that keeps you coming back. At the end of the round I always look back and say I had fun, and that continues to be my experience golfing today. Golf is hard but golf is also extremely satisfying and it is hard to find another sport that challenges you and rewards you the way that golf does.
Golf is a game that will never be conquered. Even Tiger Woods says he continues to learn the more he plays. Even though I will never be golf’s greatest player that doesn’t matter because I will still be out there as much as I can, trying to improve my game, reach new heights (or lows I should say) and finally win the Dick Out Cup (more to come on this later).
What is your experience?
Golf is a powerful tool that enables you to learn exponentially more about yourself and others then any other single item I have found. I have personally utilized it to learn how to control my emotions. Start young I would get made and mildly throw clubs in a tantrum. Now it is an expectation that those I play with honor the game and themselves while out. There is a another aspect to it that is frequently lost in our current hustle minded society of slowing down and connecting with others. Whether a fun day, competitive, or fundraising round of golf, you are able to truly learn so much about those you are around. This is why as an organization we utilize golf to reach veterans within the Veteran Golfers Association. I love everytime I am able to tee it up with a new group and make new friends. Might never play with them again but I have learned more then most within that 4-5 hours. What a great game!
Well said Luke! Couldn’t agree with you more. Thanks for reading it and sharing your views!