GOLF

I have been trying to golf since I was seventeen. When I first moved to Alberta, my dad took me to the golf course on the Base and showed me how to move the ball closer to the hole. I wasn’t much interested at that time. At seventeen my mind was on other things. Through the years I have joined ladies’ leagues and golf clubs and learned the intent and the rules of the game but until recently I hadn’t taken an interest in the score or the swing. Now I find that those two things are related.

As a retired person living with a golfer on a golf course, I have begun to take the game seriously. I have put in more rounds of golf this year than in complete seasons before now, and it is still June. Since COVID made golf one of the few things you could still do outside with other people, I have played regularly, once or twice a week with some wonderful friends who were very encouraging and who introduced me to experts who could influence my game. I even joined an online golf school to learn more about how to improve my swing.

This year, having spent more days at the course, and expanded to 18 holes at a time with Norm, I am finally seeing results. The Swing is the thing. There are so many things to think about when you swing. There’s the setup that has up to 10 things for you to do to prepare for the swing. Then there is the stance. Every part of your body needs to be in the correct position. During the swing you are aware of the back swing, the ball contact and the follow through and with each club type you have to adjust that and then there is the grip. Yikes!

Here’s the thing. When you ‘approach’ the ball you have to forget all that and rely on body memory to hit the ball and move it closer to the hole. I have adjusted my grip, my stance, and my position relative to the ball. I have created a mantra to sing to myself during the backswing and the follow-through, and I have swung enough times that I no longer take 5 minutes to get ready to swing. It’s coming together. My swing and my score are improving.

Patience and encouragement from my fellow golfers and my golfing roommate have helped. I enjoy the game more now that I feel like I can play with greater confidence that I can make the shot and lower my score. I also find that the words my father used to teach me the game years, no decades, ago are finally making sense to me. Max always said…”Don’t hit the ball. Swing the club.” Thanks, Dad. I get it now.