A Game for Life

Andrew Penner

Posted 2004-12-30

Welcome, friends, to the game of golf. You will not regret that you have chosen to play this great game. It offers more than you can imagine. Among the rumpled, wind-blasted dunes of Scotland is where the game began. Played first by the kings and queens of yesteryear, golf, as we know it today, has spread to nearly every nation. Yes indeed, there are hackers in China, bogey shooters in Africa, and an army of slicers in South America. The game is global. You have plenty of company.

But why the mass appeal? What’s so good about pegging up a little white ball and smacking it? Why do so many people subject themselves to the game’s interminable challenges? Why, on a personal level, is it right for you?

Well, just as the game is sure to disappoint and, at times, perhaps even humiliate you (over the years, these moments will be well documented!), there will be times when the game will invigorate you. When it will rescue you from a dull, work-filled week. When it will teach you something new about a place, about a friend, about yourself, and you will be better for it.

Golf has a grand relationship with the great outdoors. The elements – the sun’s warmth, the wind’s rage, the sea’s thunder – are often an integral part of a round. And the earth’s terrifically varied landscape is often centre stage. Canyons, mountains, deserts, forests, lakes, plains, rivers, oceans; these have a way of intensifying the experience. Between the bad shots – and, rest assured, there will be plenty of those – one can always look around and enjoy nature. For many, this is the game’s greatest attribute.

But just as golf is one of the greatest outdoor games, it’s one of the greatest social games as well. It’s a game that can be played and enjoyed by families, business associates who are closing a deal, and friends who just want to enjoy a pint or two and have a few laughs together. Walking down the fairway - chatting with a friend, a stranger (who won’t be for long), a son, a daughter, talking about the things that really matter, joking about things that don’t - therein lies one of the greatest benefits of the game.

And please, for the love of the game, walk as much as you can. Besides the obvious health benefit, walking better facilitates this camaraderie with others. The course and the experience of playing it simply go shooting by too quickly when you ride. Of course, I’d be a fool to say the game can’t be enjoyed when you ride. It can. But scooting along in a buggy cannot compete with the invigorating joy of walking a course and taking in all that a layout has to offer.

Whatever you do, don’t get too bottled up in the technicalities of the swing. This can take away from your enjoyment of the game. Enjoy your time with an instructor, practice as much as you can, grow in your knowledge of the swing, but don’t get too obsessive with mechanics. Your mind will thank you for it.

Speaking of instructors, they can be of great benefit to you. Employ one. Watching your swing on video, tapping into the wisdom of a trained professional can, undoubtedly, save you thousands of strokes in your career! Plus, you’ll meet a friend, someone who is interested in your well being out there. Someone who can help you along. Because, sure as the sky is blue and the grass is green, you’ll want to get better at this game.

When you take up the game you will, undoubtedly, want to talk about it, share it, and tell your story. You’ll think about the game incessantly, and they’ll be a spring in your step. You’ll have “the bug,” and you’ll have a tough time quashing it. It’s a bug that can eat away your stress, eat away your “couch potato” status from your previous life, and truly give you a pastime of value. Welcome, friends, to the game of golf.