A "Good Golfer" Day

The amazing world of golf has changed my life. I was a "once in a while" golfer for years until I stumbled upon an organization for single (as in marital status) golfers. I'd been looking for something to give me a broader social opportunity, and wound up improving my game as an added plus.

You really can't progress in golf if you only play a handful of times during our short summers in Michigan. But crank that up to two or three times a week and you'll be playing with the best of them. So of course I wanted to play more, and I wanted to 'play' more (okay, if I have to explain it to you...I mean in the social sense as well).

It was 2001, and a cousin of mine forwarded an article she found in a local newspaper about a singles golf organization that was having a meeting a few nights later. Being single I was sure about, but was I a good enough golfer to join an organization? The only way to find out was to attend a meeting and discover what the group had to offer. And I liked what I found.

The American Singles Golf Association has chapters all across America. I joined the Southeast Michigan chapter shortly after attending that first meeting, and it's been a great venue for meeting new friends with common interests, while advancing my skills at golf and giving me more opportunity to play. You don't have to be an expert to join, and if you participate enough, you won't be at the opposite end of the spectrum either. So it was the niche I'd been searching for.

It was so much my niche that I found myself as President of the local chapter after I'd been a member for two years. I'm somewhat sure that besides my impeccable organizational skills and stellar personality the bona fide reason I became President is that no one else wanted to step up to that daunting task at the time. But step up I did, and it's been the best thing I ever did for myself.

But let me not digress, we were talking about golf. Being in this club has afforded me the opportunity of playing often and at some of the best golf courses our state has to offer. I never thought I'd get passionate about golf, but that's exactly what has happened. Now I not only want to play golf, but I want to play golf at a remarkable course, one that has elevated tees, lush fairways, and undulating greens. Many people will call a course 'difficult' but I call it challenging....a golf course architect has lovingly and painstakingly created something for me to conquer. But he also has created something that I'm pretty sure he wanted me to have fun with!

I found that golf courses have character and individuality. You tend to remember things like the fact that you lost a dozen balls during one round, or the fact that there was so much water and marsh surrounding the fairways that you swear you'll never play that course again. Lots of trees right smack in the middle of the fairway, bridges, rocks around ponds, and rakes around sand traps will cause you to recall all the really 'creative' trick shots that played havoc with your game. Other courses will cooperate entirely and give you the best and most satisfying round of your life. Then you have your "good golfer" personality and your "bad golfer" personality and you're never sure which one is going to show up on any given day. When the good golfer shows up you want to play again the very next day. When the bad golfer shows up you want to deposit your clubs in the nearest dumpster on the way home. That's just the way it is. Fickle.

But I wouldn't trade it for anything. It can be exhilarating and exciting. The first time you score under one hundred you feel great about yourself. But then your next goal is to break ninety. And someday you will. But then you'll want to break eighty. And it goes on and on and on. Besides that, there's nothing better than being in a picturesque setting enjoying all that nature has to offer and playing a game that you love with people that you care about. By the way, you can really get to know a person while riding around in a golf cart with them for four hours as their true behavior unfolds! When I was younger I thought golf was for rich people. I found out I was wrong. But I'm certainly 'richer' for having golf in my life!