Golf- Why We Love It, Why We Hate It, & Why We Come Back For More

Golf may be the only activity that one does that we enjoy, even though it is perhaps the most frustrating sport. To the casual onlooker, golf may appear to be a simple game. After all, the ball doesn't move, we hit the first shot every hole off a tee, and if one hits the ball as he should, the results are there for the asking. Unfortunately, however, the very things that make golf look so simple to the casual observer make it so frustrating to the occasional golfer. The fact that the ball does not move and we are hitting a stationary object should logically make it basic and simple to master, yet anyone who has ever gone out on a golf course realizes that it is not quite so easy.

Golf becomes even more frustrating because even the least talented golfer occasionally hits a good shot. Logically, if one can hit a shot well, he should be able to consistently hit reasonably good shots. However, actual results are not nearly so consistent and predictable, and many golfers will hit a miserable shot immediately after hitting a terrific one.

Golfers are often instructed to practice their strokes, keep their head down, turn, grip the club properly, and then, to relax. Golf instructors tell their students to either use a one plane or a two plane swing, as if the typical student actually understands the concept.

Many individuals go to a driving range and hit the ball consistently and well, and then go onto the course, and the results are dramatically less impressive. Many people have fabulous practice swings, but then when they actually take the shot, the swing is not so fabulous.

I am a typical unimpressive occasional golfer. I have taken lessons, and frustrated my golf professional. At least, I sometimes made his day, by being comical relief! My instructor has often said that "the golf ball is one of the two biggest impediments to a good swing." The other, of course, is that golf is a "head" game. If one thinks too much, and tries too hard, results suffer. If one doesn't concentrate, results suffer. I suppose ideally, the ideal situation would be somewhere in between.

So, why do I and so many other occasional golfers keep going back to the course for more punishment? Golfers have attuned themselves to remember the occasional good shot, or good round, or to really remember the occasional great shot, or terrific round? Indeed, golf is a very delicate balance between proper form and controlling one's emotions. It is often a therapeutic form of forced modesty. Golf permits individuals of various skill levels, physical attributes, ages, sexes, and abilities to enjoy themselves in the great outdoors, in what, other than the stress many of us force on ourselves, in a beautiful, pristine outdoor setting.

I recommend golf for anyone that wants to enjoy himself, yet doesn't mind, at times embarrassing himself, and being frustrated. That is probably why so many of us "duffers" keep coming back for more!