Why don't I like golf better?
Should I take my clubs out of the trunk and give it another try?
Maybe this time it will sink in.
Have I mentioned my father's business was manufacturing golf clothes or that he often entertained famous golfers and other pro athletes at our house, or that I beat Arnold Palmer in a game of miniature golf my father set up in our yard? Golf was the centerpiece of our household for many years. There are many, many golf stories I can tell.
But the game has never interested me. I played one entire summer trying my hardest to care, but felt little beside anxiety (golf makes me nervous!) and anger (if you've ever wondered if you have a temper, take up golf). I appreciate a good golf shot and watch excellent pros with admiration when I see them on TV. I 'get it'; I get what the draw is. It's a quietly seductive game.
Mostly its the anxiety that stands between me an golf. I just can never relax and enjoy playing. It's known to be a 'mental game' and my admiration for the pros is often for their abilities not choke under the very intense pressure that is built in to even the most casual recreational game. Ultimately, though, as with Tiger Woods, the anxiety will get you, so defeat is at the heart of golf. You may have one good hole or even a good day, but you can be sure this will not continue. Like playing against the house at casinos, golf, not you, will prevail.
Then there is the time involved. It's a long game anyway, and often the course is so crowded it becomes twice as long (4 to 6 hours on a bad weekend). The weather certainly affects my ability to enjoy the game; wind, humidity, heat are not fun.
And it is a big male bonding game. Women play, but the game really belongs to men - which isn't a bad thing at all to me. It's just that one of the more important aspects of the game isn't available to me.
Just kind of noodling here. The bottom line is probably that golf is a great game; it just isn't my game, and I doubt it will be.
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