Fun and frustration of golf

WE all know that golf can totally frustrate you, especially after a poor round, so why do we bother?

We’ve all been there, the days when you feel like catching your bag of clubs and throwing them into the nearest rubbish skip because you’re mad at yourself for playing so badly, and anyone who doesn’t admit to having experienced these feelings is not being honest with themselves.

The very best of us have off days because as my late father used to say, “golf is a great leveller”, and having played like a professional for weeks on end you can suddenly turn up one day and it’s like you’re a beginner all over again.

Golf does that to you, so did you ever wonder why we all play it and go back for more punishment?

I think that there are, in fact, several reasons, starting with the fact that golf is arguably the only sport that you can play in your old age.

There comes a time in your life when football, hurling, rugby, etc, have to be given up because you’re simply too old to play, but if you stay reasonably healthy you can play golf into your 80s and beyond.

Secondly, and equally important, is the fact that golf helps you escape from life for a while and it gets you outdoors into the fresh air.

It’s a true saying: “A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at work”.

Another reason that we play golf is for the people that we meet through the game, and I can certainly stand over this as I’ve been fortunate to have met and made many good life-long friends through the game of golf, and I’m sure it’s the same for most of you.

Golf offers us competition, that is, for those who want competition. Many who have played other forms of sport in their younger days still crave competition and golf certainly offers that, whereas others just mainly play for the pure enjoyment.

Finally, there’s the social aspect but like many things these days, that’s on the way out too.

The vast majority of golfers have to drive to get to their local course and the days of a few pints in the clubhouse after a round of golf are now, for many, a dim and distant memory.

I’m sure we’ve all seen it and I’ll bet that there isn’t a golf club bar in the country doing the trade that they were doing, say, ten years ago.

However, apart from the fact that the social side of the game is on the wane, there are several good reasons for getting yourself out on the course, even in the winter months, and as a playing partner of mine regularly says when we’re passing the graveyard on Ballybunion’s first hole: “There’s a lot of people in there who’d love to be out here playing rubbish”.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

AS it’s the last issue before Christmas I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers and their families a happy and a peaceful Christmas.

Thank you for all your help, support and contributions during the year and I’ll be back in the next issue with a review of the golfing year that was 2018.