Golf's the Greatest Game

Baseball might be America's pastime and number one sport of the summer, but golf is the summer's greatest game.

Golf is a relaxing, athletic activity that requires skill, luck, patience, and the ability to accept one's inability to achieve perfection. Things in life going great; need a reality check; go play a round of golf. Even if you play the pitch and putt, you will undoubtedly shank one or pull one or blade one or catch one fat. You will push a putt or leave a four-footer for par six inches short.

The game immediately relegates you back to your rightful place in the world. You will be humbled, again and again.

That big tee shot you hit with your new driver as you caught it pure and flush against its shiny new face is now in the creek that splits the fairway. And just as you have found your swing and hit the perfectly pure 8 iron right at the pin, a little gust of wind from heavens knocks your ball down and it splashes down in the greenside bunker.

Golf has a funny way of laughing at everyone who plays. Whether you are a naïve novice that thinks the game will come easy, a beleaguered leaguer playing against an impossible handicap, or a persistent PGA pro dealing with 670 yard par fives, the game is going to get you. That's what it does.

It gets everyone. It gets you, and it gets to keep you. Anyone who plays or has played this game knows that for every frustration and every curse there is one shot, and it maybe the only shot that round that feels right. And it's that shot, that keeps players coming back.

Golf requires so much. Balance, flexibility, power, and finesse are all necessary qualities, along with the mental stability to stay focused for four hours.

Most people don't even consider the mental side of the game. An eighteen-hole golf course is like a giant maze. There are twists, turns, traps, and dead ends all along the way. All of which can ruin your day. Every time a club is pulled from a bag, the player must first think, "Where do I want this ball to end up? Which club will get it there? Where do I not want this ball to be (hazards, traps, trees, rough, short-sided, etc.)? Which way is the wind blowing, and how fast? What's the shot I need to make to make the best score I can on this hole?"

All of these questions must be considered for every shot. Now, factor in that you are constantly on the clock. You feel the pressure of time like an NFL team trying to decide between Vince Young and Matt Leinart before their turn is up. Every course expects every group to play at a certain speed to maintain happy golfers and maximize their profits for the day. Not only are you on the clock with your group as your three jerk buddies comment on your bad lie, the wind kicking up in your face, the water to the right, the sand in front, and the fact that you're between clubs, the foursome behind you managed three pars and a birdie and are now waiting on the tee box behind.

Everyone is watching. There is a foursome on the fairway to your right and another on the green to your left. One guy on the next green just chipped in to save par and all four of them are going crazy. One of your buddies just badly bladed a seven and is too busy calling each of his clubs a new name to realize that you are in your set-up. You fight the urge to put your seven back after watching how far your pals went, knowing it's the right club. You take a deep breath, remind yourself that tempo is everything, and swing.

It felt good. But you weren't sure how good until you partner yells, "Be the right club." You get all the confirmation you need when the group on the next tee claps and tips their hats. Three high-fives, and a beaming grin later, you are already planning your next trip to summer bliss.