Monday, June 17, 2019

Thinking About Golf - My Ridiculous History With the Sport

Sunday was a combination of working in the yard and watching the final round of the US Open on the television. I was never a massive golf fan, but my mother-in-law loved watching the game and I started watching with her when I visited. I don't play the game - my "skills" at golf would leave the greens in terrible condition and the other golfers on the course rolling on the ground laughing hysterically. 



When I was working for a living as an Administrative Assistant, I
was also involved with a professional group called "Professional
Secretaries of America". We held a four-day conference at Maddens
Resort on Gull Lake, and I attended along with several friends.
It was a great place to stay and we had a blast between meetings. 



I recall one time when a friend of mine and I decided to play while we were away at a conference. The location was at one of the northern Minnesota resorts, quite beautiful with blue skies and a friendly breeze. We didn't have clubs, but it was a resort and we could rent some. So off we went onto the rolling hills and greens of Maddens Resort. They have four different golf courses, and honestly, I'm rather amazed we were allowed onto any of them. We were pathetic! 



Of course, we were slow as turtles, not the famous turtles at Augusta
National. Don't know about those turtles? They pretty much have the
run of that famous golf course and have been known to interrupt the
flow of some very famous competitions and some renowned golfers. 



We were slow, my friend and I. The goal for most par 3 holes is to get to the green in 1 stroke, 2 maximum. I'm pretty sure it took us 5 strokes to get there. I won't even think about the longer par holes. We had a great time, but we quit after nine holes. Our scores for the nine? We actually tied, and the score we had - a 72 - was the total par for the full 18 holes. We had achieved what possibly might have been the worst game ever played on that course. We laughed so hard, and decided that golf probably wasn't our game. 



Of course, snow golf does actually exist. Here we have two die-hard
golfers at Majestic Oaks. The ball needs to switch from white to
either yellow or red, but yes, some courses actually are open in the
depths of winter. At Majestic Oaks in Ham Lake, MN, you get a
club, a tennis ball, holes that are 6" diameter, and warm-up
stations with hot chocolate, all for $5. It actually looks like fun. 



As I grow older, though, I see the appeal of the game. Just getting outdoors for a few hours and actually exercising both through hitting the ball from point-to-point and from walking from hole to hole, it's actually a good thing. I suspect if I lived in a place that was warm enough for golf to be played year-round, I might look into it. Fortunately for everyone concerned, I live in the Frozen Northlands and golf is a sport that usually gets played for six to eight months a year. It would be hard to learn something and then have to put it back down again just to cross-country ski across those greens in the winter months. 



Augusta National Golf Course is iconic and fabulous and beautiful. Just
getting that green during our last bits of winter makes me smile. I
like living here in the Frozen Northlands, but by this time of the year,
we're always chomping for Spring to finally come to stay. 



So I suspect I'll continue to enjoy my golf via the televised version. For me, Spring always arrives with Augusta and the Master's Tournament. While we're fighting with the early spring or late winter weather, their flowers are blooming and their trees are fully leafy and swaying in the breezes at Augusta. Seeing that golfing event always gives me hope for the upcoming season. 

On that note, I'm wrapping this up. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Now it's time to hit the gym and work off some of that excellent dinner DH put together for us last night - very yummy and WAY too many calories.  




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