Golf, A Game for a Lifetime.
By: Bruce Munch
Head Professional, White River Golf Club
Although
my best days in Baseball, Basketball and Skiing are well behind me, my best days
in golf may still be ahead of me. This
is because golf is truly a game for a lifetime.
No sport other than Golf has successfully produced a senior tour, which
allows us to continue to view our childhood heroes.
As one of the senior tour ads put so beautifully ‘Old football heroes
become coaches, old baseball stars become announcers but old golfing greats just
continue playing.
When I was growing up golf was not “cool”. Football, Basketball and Baseball were the marquis sports. Golf was considered to be for the retired lot. With the phenomenal success of Tiger Woods, David Duval, Charles Howell III and other young stars, golf is experiencing a boom among young people like never before. Golf has become “cool”. Some people have claimed that the reason for the increased popularity of golf has to do with the huge sums of money available at today’s tournaments. I strongly disagree and those young people who take up the game, solely with this in mind are in for a serious disappointment and will miss the essence of this marvelous game.
The essence of golf has more to do with the journey than the destination. For those bitten with the golfing bug, the pursuit of perfection in the various skills required is the driving force. The beauty and subtle application of force in a well-executed golf swing rival the beauty and elegance of a well executed triple axel in skating or a long jump shot in basketball. Unfortunately for the skater and the basketball player, they will lose the ability to compete as age takes its toll. The same is not true for the golfer. Golf allows for aging by providing from three to as many as six or seven tee boxes creating a golf hole which can be played at varying lengths based upon age and ability. No other sport allows for that. A 100-yard dash is always 100 yards. The basketball hoop is 10 feet high no matter how old you are. The hockey rink doesn’t get shorter (in fact it feels longer) as the player slows down. Yes, Golf is an accommodating game. By changing equipment to accommodate slower swing speeds and choosing an appropriate tee to play from, golf can be enjoyed by players of all ages and abilities.
But lets get back to the essence of the golfing experience. Golf places the challenge of player versus nature in the form of the golf course, rather than player versus player. Through proper handicapping players of vastly different abilities can have fun competing to see whose ability will succeed against the course on a given day. In tennis for example, if a beginner and an advanced player have a game it is not likely to be exhilarating for either of them. In addition golf puts us in an environment of beauty. No chain link fences or concrete walls.
Golf resembles life. We must play it as it lies. We must learn to deal with bad bounces and seemingly unfair results from what we believed to be good shots. Golf has honor. Golfers call penalty strokes on themselves. Yes we have officials at tournaments for rulings in situations that are unclear but there are no referees, no whistles, no time outs or penalty box.
Yes it is games for a lifetime so if you already play, enjoy this game for a lifetime. If you have not yet tried it, you can begin at almost any age. In either case, try taking some lessons from an experienced teaching professional, and you will find the journey more rewarding.