A few minutes ago, my boss popped his head in my office and asked "are you a golfer?" Without hesitation I replied "I used to be, why do you have an offer to play?" He explained there was a tournament this afternoon that the company needed a fourth in and I was the chosen one.
I didn't even consider it for a second, the answer was no. Four years ago, if the same question was posed to me I would have jumped at the chance, gone and grabbed my clubs if they weren't already in my car and been staring at the clock the entire morning! No doubt this tournament is at one of the nicer courses in Greater Boston too. Oh well.
A couple things have gone into my giving up of the game I once loved but never truly excelled at:
I bought a house and had a family. I never wanted to make my wife a "golf widow". Before we had kids she picked up the game and we were able to enjoy outdoor time with the sport together. So that was cool. But then the kids came around and there is no way I would rather spend 3-6 hours on the golf course on a day when I could be spending time with my kid/s. Then the house came around and I flat out couldn't justify spending $50-$100 a week on rounds of golf, not to mention the cost of equipment upkeep, consumables, etc. That being said, I still told myself I would play if given the chance for "work functions".
But then I got the worst case of the yips known to mankind! This first happened back in the days even before I was married and playing a lot of golf. I was playing so much that I had actually started to shoot in the 80's on a consistent basis. Granted it was the high 80's, but it was legit, no mulligans, cheating, etc. And I could say that with a straight face and feel good about it. My game had come around. One day a friend commented on my chipping around the greens, calling me Mickelson or something. The jinx was officially on. The next time I stepped up to a ball within chipping distance of the green I proceeded to "flair" it way off to the right. Uh oh, figured I got a little cocky, would get em next time. But next time came around and the same thing happened. At that point it wasn't consistent though and the season was almost over. It went away over the winter and by next season I was back to my normal chipping self. Until the end of the season. I think over the course of the year, as I got more confident in my game I tried to get more cute around the greens and that is when the dreaded flair would rear its ugly head again! But, the end of the golf season was nearing again and I figured it would go away over the winter. But this time I actually thought about it a lot over the winter and never truly got it out of my head. The next spring, the first time I went to the range it was all I could think about, and it was back. A very simple problem from lack of follow through, I would slow down the club on impact. I knew what I was doing, but I still couldn't stop it. I kept playing but dreaded any shot less than 100 yards in, which was a full swing Wedge for me. The flair always happened when I had to do anything less than a full out swing, because I would mess up my speed, balance, etc. I got creative for a while, on certain courses I would putt from the fairway as far as 40 yards out or ask my playing partners if I could put the ball BACK to the 100 yard marker if I was sitting at 75 yards. The flair was in my head from the moment I laced up the golf shoes and stepped to the first tee. So the game became less enjoyable and more painful as I constantly stressed about this. Not exactly a good time. But I continued to play occasionally.
Last year I told myself I would take the year off and not think of my problems. I ended up playing once, in October! It was a work thing, a tournament that I host the foursome in for an association for my profession. I hadn't even been to the driving range, but still gave it a go. It was ugly at first, but it was a scramble so the pressure wasn't crazy. The flair came to visit occasionally. But since it was a best ball scenario, it wasn't enough to make me too frustrated. By the end of the round I was actually showing some promise. And after we finished our 18 holes, we played an additional hole in a traditional manner. It was a Par 5 and I actually parred it. I needed a 45 yard putt from the fairway to get on in 3, and a 2 putt for par. But I did it and actually thought I might be tempted to get back in the swing for the next season.
Well, the next season has been here for a while. I drive by a course frequently and never get the urge to play like I used to. It's still a combination of things. Money, home owner responsibilities, time with kids, etc. But to get an offer to play, on the clock, at a nice course, on a beautiful June day and not hesitate to say no. Might be time to put the clubs on Craig's List. Nah, I'll hang onto em for now, never know when the itch could come back.
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