More than a game

I'm doing something that I never thought I would be doing - playing golf!

"Me. Golf. In the same sentence! Wow."

I've only been playing about four short months - 4 very shorts months - and I've discovered one important thing: it is fun. Challenging, yes. You got this funny looking club trying to make the ball go where you want it to go without hitting anyone. That's fun when you succeed.

Oh yes, I'm a golfer and I've never been on a golf course. Go figure. There's some open space near my house where I load up the clubs and head for the action. I call this place my "private course." Most of the time, there are kids in this "park/open space" who chase balls for me. For their work, I give them a swing or two with my 9-iron or 7-iron. Sometimes they hit the ball better than me.

I became acquainted with the game through a friend who has been playing for years. Matter of fact, he gave me a set of clubs, videos and magazines that I regularly review. He has given me a couple of lessons, too.

Most importantly about golf is the game is a mental get-away. I'm not in it to be a professional, but to relax, enjoy the thrill of hitting swinging and looking like Tiger Woods. With my white glove on, I feel good. I watch the pros on TV and I actually get a kick out of understanding the game - a little bit; I still get confused about par, bogie, traps, etc., etc., etc., and etc.

The game of golf makes you feel important, like the feeling I get when I paint the kitchen at home and my wife likes the view (and checks off an item on the expanding "honey do" list).

I get some of my best "thinking" on my private golf course. And, I've met at least three other strangers who have saw me practicing and who are more experienced that me, giving me good "how-tos" on the art of this wonderful sport. I've made new friends in the process.

As they say... I love this game!