I have had a love-hate relationship with the game of golf for going on forty years. I’ve probably quit more times than Sinatra retired from show business or Brett Favre retired from the NFL. I began playing on a nine hole pitch and putt course at Ashleigh Road with my dad in Swansea, and entered putting contests held on the Promenade near the Guildhall where I worked for 28 years. My dad had great hand/eye co-ordination but never took the game seriously. Pity really because I believe he would have been a very good golfer. He could hit a ball a country mile with a five iron, but had no interest in putting pleasantries.
I’ve received a few lessons over the years, studied instructional videos and watched the Golf Channel religiously since its inception several years ago. I’ve learnt the basics of grip, alignment and stance and so forth, but it’s such a technical game and any subconscious change in your mechanics can completely change your swing detrimentally. Just think of the coaches, trainers, psychologists and gurus that professional golfers include in their touring entourage.
Take for example my round of golf yesterday which prompted me to write this blog. Recently I have the tendency to slice the ball when using my driver and I’m possibly losing 40-60 yards of distance. Something prompted me to stand closer to the ball on the tee when I was about to drive. It had the desired affect because for a few holes I was hitting the ball straight down the fairway. I thought I had cracked the formula, but began slicing my drives while standing nearer to the ball. Go figure.
In theory the game of golf should be quite simple to play. You are attempting to hit a stationary ball with a myriad of clubs. It shouldn’t be too difficult. The ball is not moving while you are addressing the ball, but it comes down to your damn mechanics again. I don’t care what coaches preach but woods and irons require completely different mechanics. You use a sweeping motion when hitting the woods and you hit down and through when striking the irons. Chipping and putting also require specific skills.
I used to be a good iron player but lately I’m hitting them either fat or thin. I’m more comfortable using a 3, 5 and 7 wood these days, so I’m really tempted to buy some hybrids to replace my irons. Unfortunately they haven’t yet designed a hybrid to replace the pitching or sand wedge.
I popped in to Dick’s Sporting Goods in the afternoon to look at some Adams hybrids. The assistant asked whether I had been measured for the correct length of clubs which he claimed made a big difference. However he was less convincing when trying to explain the merits of graphite or stainless steel shafts.
I often wonder why we spend hundreds dollars on drivers, woods and irons when half of our shots are made with the putter on the greens. If I had applied logic to this game I wouldn’t get out of bed in the wee small hours to make the early tee time.
I can’t remember the last time I broke 90, and you may be wondering what enjoyment I derive from playing the game banally. Well I sometimes achieve a good drive, hit a fairway wood fairly well, or occasionally sink a 60 foot putt. It’s the intermittent good shot which gives the hacker hope of better things to come. The hacker keeps telling himself that it is possible to string a series of good shots together which encourages him to come back next weekend.
I have played some beautiful courses: Royal Porthcawl, Pennard, Chateau Elan, St. Elmo and St Pierre to name a few and probably haven’t done them justice. But along the way I have experienced breathtaking sun rises and serene sun sets across fairways sparkling in the morning dew or bathed in shadows as the light fades away. I have enjoyed the company of several friends who play the game the same way with humor and rancor. There’s always to-morrow.
