SCORE Some are driven by competition, while others shy away from these contests. Regardless of what camp you fall into, whether you keep score or not is not the issue. The issue is when you choose to focus on score before all else. The first question my parents often ask me after I tell them that I played a round of golf is, “What did you shoot?” My reply is usually, “I don’t know. I didn’t keep score.” If you just focus on your score, that’s often when your round becomes “a good walk spoiled” (see the third tip) rather than a great walk. Let’s face it. Golf is difficult. As someone who has played and enjoyed most sports – from hockey to soccer and basketball to tennis – I admit that golf is the hardest of all of these pursuits to master. Unless you practise regularly and are committed to improving your game (especially the short game), you will most likely get frustrated if you only focus on your score. That is only one outcome of each round. When I talk about outcomes, it’s about the overall experience, not howmany pars or double-bogeys I marked on my scorecard. Rather, it’s about answering the following questions: Whom did I play with? What was the course like if it was my first time there? What were some of my most memorable shots, rather than what was my best score?” As an aside, a colleague recently shared with me a telling tale of how the club champion at his course played an 18-hole match against a 12-year-old newcomer to the sport. Apparently, the match went all 18 holes. I’m sure that it’s a day which that young golfer will remember forever. Now that’s fun. GOLF IS A GOOD WALK “Golf is a good walk spoiled!”This saying is often erroneously attributed to American novelist Mark Twain. Regardless of who uttered this “blasphemous” phrase in the minds of us lovers of the grand old game, the error actually occurred when the word “spoiled” was added at the end of the sentence. Golf is a good walk. Full stop. Literally. As I’ve written here before, I always walk with my bag strapped to my back wherever the course allows. You see the course differently and enjoy the experience, as you have more time between your shots to soak in the scenery and realize how lucky you are to be in nature and enjoying a round of golf with your significant other, family or a newfound fairway friend. I’ve written about the Official Rules of Golf before, but these guidelines are more important to one’s overall enjoyment of the game. Tape these truisms to the inside pocket of your golf bag. Recite and share them with your playing partners before each round. I guarantee that you will get more enjoyment out of this game. I can attest to that. I put these into practice (repeating this mantra in my head before playing a dew-sweeping round recently) and left the course with a bigger smile than when I started, despite several triple bogeys on the card. Golf By David McPherson As I was procrastinating for yet one more day, trying to decide what to write about for this column, fate intervened. During a break from working at the private club where I teed up my first ball, I struck up a conversation with one of my father’s playing partners on the 10th tee. The septuagenarian shared with me a heartwarming story of how his father first introduced him to the sport during his formative years at a municipal course near their family cottage. What inspired me most from this exchange, which I share here, were the three timeless tips that his dad passed along: 1. Golf is a game of etiquette; 2. Score is secondary; and 3. Golf is a good walk. Let’s break these tips down. ETIQUETTE My parents taught me values and life lessons which I apply on and off the golf course, such as honesty, respect, fair play, sportsmanship and forgiveness. Etiquette is always mentioned as one of the biggest benefits of teaching a young person the game of golf. Never forget the simple gestures that make this game great, such as removing your hat and shaking hands with your partners on the 18th green, respecting your fellow players by staying still and not talking while they play their shot, tucking in your shirt, replacing divots on the fairways and ball marks on the green, etc. Sometimes, even professionals forget some of these basic tenets of the game (throwing a club, yelling an expletive, or not shaking their opponent’s hand after a defeat), despite having millions of viewers watching them on TV. Keep them inmind every time you play. The Grateful Golfer 48 | www.snowbirds.org
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