FOUR!

Or, is it F-O-R-E?

Regardless of how one spells it, it sounds the same when I shank a shot into the next fairway.

I didn’t grow up playing golf, or even watching it, for that matter. I have fuzzy memories of my Uncles watching golf on TV, and I recall being completely uninterested.

Fast forward to today, and I’m completely hooked. Don’t bother me; the US Open is on!

So how did I arrive at this juncture in life where I enjoy chasing a tiny ball around the grass in an attempt to knock it into a hole 18 times (9 if I’m short on time) with as few shots as possible?

If you’re an avid golfer, you may be asking yourself the same thing. Read below to learn enough about why golf is such a popular sport.

Brief golf history

The following historical breakdown of golf is from The Sports Historian:

The earliest form of golf can be traced to ancient Rome, where people played a game called paganica around 100 BCE. Players hit a stuffed leather ball with a bent stick.

Royalty provided the impetus for the spread of golf in Europe.  Mary Queen of Scots began playing golf in 1552.  Later, while studying in France, Mary introduced the sport there.  Interestingly, the term “caddie” comes from her French military aides, referred to as cadets. 

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (HCEG) established the first rules of golf in 1744. Twenty years later, the Old Course at St. Andrews reduced its total holes from 22 to 18, establishing the format for today’s game.

Montreal established the first permanent golf club in North America in 1873, Canada’s Royal Montreal Club, while in 1894 the United States Golf Association (USGA) was formed in New York with five charter members

In 1916, the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was formed, and the first PGA Championship took place at Siwanoy Country Club in New York.

Women shared the golf spotlight with the men beginning in 1932, when the United States team defeated the team of Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. 

More equipment changes followed World War II. Influenced by research in synthetic and composite materials, golf club manufacturing changed. In 1963, the casting method for manufacturing club heads was introduced.  This new technology lowered the cost of golf clubs, which led to increased participation in the sport.

Golf has a long and rich history. The game may have its roots as far back as ancient Rome and China. Certainly, the game as we know it today can be traced to Scotland in the fifteenth century. As technology changed over the years and equipment costs fell, more and more people began to play the game.

Adoption

The great thing about golf is that anyone can pick it up at any point in their life. You don’t have to grow up in a country club or start at an early age (though that certainly helps).

Golf is a game you can play from cradle to grave.

It’s adorable to see a parent practicing with their kiddo on the driving range. It’s equally adorable to see an old couple gingerly walk to the sports bar for an iced tea after getting 18 holes in on a hot Summer morning.

I love football, but it’s a dead-end sport. Only the best of the best can play football past the age of 30 and will most likely need joint replacement surgery a few decades later.

You can still enjoy golf even after your joint surgery!

My golf journey

I unofficially picked up golf in middle school. I had gone to the driving range with Dad a few times but never really played many rounds. In college, I went out with some buddies for fun but didn’t take the game very seriously until I began my career following graduation.

With a new job on a team with gentlemen 10 years older than me, I was often asked to join the occasional golf foursome. I decided it was time to take lessons and then invest in some clubs.

Golf was a bigger part of my life then. I was a young bachelor with a lot of free time. As life happened, my free time dwindled, and golf tumbled down my list of priorities. This was especially true after our kids were born. Sure, I got the occasional round in, but I couldn’t justify leaving my wife home with twin toddlers while I was out playing a round with the boys.

I have reached a new chapter in my life. Those twin toddlers turned into twin 7-year-olds who enjoy an outing to miniature golf or, gasp, the driving range with Dad! Those golf clubs I had purchased as a bachelor were now 15 years old.

One “Date Night” out with my wife, I asked (after the second glass of wine): “Since the girls and I are having so much fun at the range, would it be okay if I purchased some new golf clubs”?

“Sure”! My wife said, “Anything you can do to share time with the girls”.

I couldn’t wait to start reading through the Golf Digest Hot List and begin researching the latest golf club technology.

I’d highly recommend taking the time to do a club fitting if you are considering the purchase of new golf clubs.

The technology is incredible, utilizing monitors that analyze one’s swing and help your club fitter dial in the correct equipment for your swing and style. In a game of inches, any incremental improvement can save you strokes or a lost ball.

This year’s Father’s Day was spent playing nine holes of golf with my wife and daughters (the kids just took a Summer golf camp for a week). We had a blast, and it’s something that I hope my girls and wife will grow into because it’s another activity that we can enjoy together for a long time.

Why should you get in the game?

Social

I’ve only played one round of golf on my own. It was fun, and actually quite peaceful. However, there was still something missing. Make a great shot, no fist bump. Make a crummy shot, no peanut gallery. I enjoy golf, but I enjoy golf more when playing with people I care about.

As I said earlier, life changes. Careers, family, and responsibilities soak up one’s free time. My socializing outside of work is typically done over 18 holes. Golf is my opportunity to connect with friends I haven’t seen in a while, and to hang with Dad for some Father-Son bonding time.

You don’t have to participate in The Masters to play in a golf tournament. Pictured above is a tournament that I played in with friends from High School and new friends I made on the course that Saturday. I never would have gotten the visits that I did on that day had we not been out on the course.

Travel

There are golf courses all over the world, usually in quite beautiful locations. Not that anyone needs an excuse to travel, but one more reason to go, such as playing St. Andrews, Turtle Bay, or Pebble Beach, certainly doesn’t hurt.

Challenge

I watch the professionals get angry at a bad golf shot, and then I realize: even the greatest players in the world aren’t satisfied with their golf game.

I find catharsis in the realization that I will always be challenged by golf. I think that’s what keeps me and so many others coming back.

Just shot your best round ever?

Maybe you could have sunk one more putt or hit your drive a little straighter to give yourself a better approach shot. These are the thoughts that go through every golfer’s mind when leaving the course.

YouTube has me figured out. It suggests game-improving videos on my home screen. I find many of these tips and pearls useful. I try to practice them on the range, only to be disappointed when I go out onto the course.

Regardless of how many bad shots you may have hit in a round, every golfer has one shot that keeps them coming back. Man, that one shot is pure addiction! The ball just pops off the club face spinning straight towards your target or rolling right off the putter dropping into the cup.

That one shot makes you feel like Tiger Woods dropping the winning putt at a PGA Major Championship in front of a roaring gallery. Pure bliss!

Movies

There have been some fantastic films made with golf as the main theme. Happy Gilmore, Legend of Bagger Vance, and Tin Cup are just a few classics.

One of my favorite films of all time remains a little comedy about some caddies from Bushwood Country Club: Caddyshack

Caddyshack should be required course content for all business schools. In my opinion, Caddyshack is one of the greatest suppliers of content for social “ice-breaking”.

Game of life

Yes, it’s a game, but you can learn a lot about someone on the golf course.

How do they respond to adversity?

Are they competitive?

Do they have manners?

“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots–but you have you have to play the ball where it lies.” 

-Bobby Jones

It’s taken me a while, but I finally understand the hype, the addiction, and the love for the game of golf.

My friends and family are on the golf course.

Through golf, I can compete and challenge myself way past my physical prime.

There will always be another hole to play and a course to visit.

https://www.thesportshistorian.com/a-brief-history-of-golf/

https://www.golfdigest.com/play/equipment/hot-list