Because I\u2019m not a sadistic parent, we didn\u2019t keep an official score when my son and I golfed 18 holes earlier this month. It was his first time playing a full round of golf on large course.<\/p>\n
The idea was to let him in on the game\u2019s fun parts: cruising around in a golf cart, stocking up on Gatorade and a couple of hot dogs, and feeling the sun and breeze on our faces while sharing some laughs.<\/p>\n
Who could ask for more on a summer morning?<\/p>\n
As a bonus, my son even parred a hole, while at the same time I scored a double bogey (translation for non-golfers: he did great, and I didn\u2019t).<\/p>\n
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A patch of sunlight shines on the Grover Cleveland Golf Course in Buffalo. Many will drive themselves crazy while seeking perfection on the links.<\/p>\n
Joed Viera, Buffalo News<\/p>\n
But The Boy, 13, also learned about the more frustrating aspects of golf, which is, frankly, \u201cgolf.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Checking in on the Sheldons, the family buried in the shadow of Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAarrghh!\u201d he said, as he shanked one into the woods.<\/p>\n \n People are also reading\u2026\n <\/p>\n I will paraphrase what he told me, because it cuts to the heart of what golf often feels like for us mere mortals who will never be on the PGA Tour, but who are nonetheless hooked on this big, weird game.<\/p>\n \u201cLast week, I was hitting everything pretty good. And today, I feel like I\u2019m doing the exact same thing but it\u2019s not working anymore. What\u2019s happening?\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, I laughed out loud. \u201cMy condolences,\u201d I said. \u201cSounds like you\u2019re already a golfer.\u201d<\/p>\n While we may know people who can always hit the ball beautifully, and have deadly aim when shooting at the green, the majority of us can\u2019t do it the way we want to every single time. And some will drive themselves crazy while trying.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Here’s some firsthand reporting for you: It feels great to win at “I Got It.”\u00a0On Thursday afternoon at the Erie County Fair, I threw up my arm and shouted “I got it!” as loud as I could.<\/p>\n To stay serene, I stick to a small number of rituals and habits. The first is to stop keeping score for a few rounds if I\u2019m going through a slump. The other rituals are food-related: One Labatt Blue Light per 9 holes, and a hot dog at \u201cthe turn,\u201d which is the halfway point of a round. The game is telling me to remain calm. How stressful can a sport be if it\u2019s customary to order a hot dog mid-round at the on-course snack bar?<\/p>\n There are no snack bars located on a football field, or at center ice of a hockey rink. But people will still lose their cool, even when there\u2019s nothing at stake except their own self-esteem. Have you ever seen a golf club in the woods and wondered how it got there?<\/p>\n I\u2019m not saying I don\u2019t understand. I\u2019ve cursed myself after lining up a fairway shot and then instead of a solid thwack with a 5-wood, nicking the top of it, causing the ball to dribble and bounce away from me instead of soaring through the air. I\u2019ve missed the ball completely and fallen onto my butt (give me a break, it was raining).<\/p>\n As my son discovered, there is often a wide gap between what we imagine we can do, and what we actually do.<\/p>\n I took a golf lesson not too long ago, and the instructor told me to hit a few balls so he could diagnose whatever flaws I have in my swing.<\/p>\n
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