The Masters tournament is always that prestigious spring tournament that gets everyone's juices flowing for golf season. Couple that with today's 80+ degree reading, and if you haven't golfed already, you definitely have the itch to play.
Certainly the Masters was not memorable for Rory Mcilroy, but here's your chance to share your golf misery story, or maybe brighten the mood with a happy golf story.
I’ll bring up some of my own golf memories in 2010, and hope you’ll add yours too in the comment section below.
I’m not a very good golfer, even though I get to play an average of once a week, twice if I’m lucky. I’m “decent” in the average crowd. Just how rough is my game? While playing the 2009 Turning Stone Media Day at Atunyote, Course Superintendant Matt Falvo commented “Oh, so that’s how I’m getting divots on my par 4 tee boxes” after my switch to a 3-wood off the tee proved even less effective than my erratic driver, and blemished an otherwise pristine course. I’m a firm believer though, there are so many memories to be had on a golf course that it doesn’t matter the level of play you have, just have fun and enjoy the surroundings….and come on I’m not THAT bad.
One example is one of my last outings of the year, Matt Mulcahy actually blogged about it. No contest, he’s a much better golfer than I, but scores didn’t matter on this day as when you get to play on October 28th, you know you’re playing with borrowed time. The leaves were gorgeous, even if they made a great shot turn into 10 minute search for your ball. A buck even ran across our fairway, just another perk of the game. (And the surroundings at Green Lakes) The wildlife you can encounter wherever you play.
It’s funny, for as cold and snowy as we get here in CNY, my last outing of the season in 2010 was on November 17th at Liverpool with my good buddy Dan Johnson from the Syracusefan.com forums. Meaning about 75% of the year, I was able to swing the club, not too shabby for the snowiest big city in the U.S. While conditions were far from optimal that day (if I recall, 40’s with a drizzle) it’s still the principle that counts, right?
Talking about outings with 40’s and drizzle probably isn't getting the golf juices flowing much, so let’s talk about some earlier season rounds. The story of my golf season every year, is missed opportunities. I remember it was July playing Hickory Hill with one of our interns Tom Cunningham. It was a real humid day, quite unpleasant actually, not to mention I had undergone a root canal earlier that day. Sounds like a blast, right? As we approached a 260 yard par four, maybe the novacaine kicked back in because I figured that’s about how far I hit my driver, let’s go for it all. Sure enough, I nailed it within 5 feet of the pin. Naturally I’m thinking it’s time for my first eagle! Of course, as per the norm, throw another cliché here, I missed the putt and settled for birdie. A similar situation came up while playing The Big Oak Golf Course in Geneva before a wedding. It was the 545 yard par 5 15th, and some how, miraculously I was about 10 yards shy the green in two. Once again, my mind was racing as to how I’d text all my golf buddies about my first eagle, on a tough dog-leg right hole no less. Welp, I completely shanked the approach chip to the left of the green, nearly missing it completely leaving a long putt. In anger, as I’m sure you all do. I grabbed the spare ball from my pocket, dropped it down and chipped it. Wouldn’t you know? That shot? Landed right in the cup. Does that still count?
The Big Oak is not to be confused with my home course. I’m a member at the Olde Oak in Kirkville and there’s nothing better than on a hot summer day than an Olde Oak Tube Steak (kind of like a coney) The course is challenging with plenty of water and trees but I’ve been playing there since I was 14, so I semi-know how to navigate the grounds. But everyone has fond memories of their home course. For me at the Olde Oak, there’s nothing better than being greeted by the resident Golden Retrievers Amber and Koby (spelling?) and watch them keep the geese in check and even walk the links with some regulars on nice days.
That brings me to my next point, that’s what the game offers, a chance at friendship and even conversation where there normally wouldn’t be one. When you pass someone on a parallel hole, or something of that sort, it’s common courtesy to say hi, chat about the weather, that slow foursome on 11, or whatever the topic of the moment is. Answer me this, would you stop the person you walk past in the mall and strike up a conversation for no reason? Probably not. You can make friendships that can last a lifetime. Heck, while playing at Foxfire this past summer, a man joined my group. Turns out, he’s a state trooper, great guy. Rest assured if I get pulled over soon, I’ll drop his name, probably to no avail.
We know golf rounds are some of the best times to talk sports, where I correctly predicted to the aforementioned Dan Johnson that SU would make the Pinstripe Bowl back in July; point being that’s what’s part of making the game special. It’s a chance to enjoy your surroundings, the people you know, all while playing a game that’s fun even when you have that round of shooting over 100. So hold on tight Central New York, it’s late March, we know this cold stretch won’t last forever, and soon enough we’ll have a new golf season full of more memories that would warrant an article longer than this one.
Until then, all we can do is talk about golf glory, or in my case blunders.
Have any stories to share? A course you recommend trying out? Let me know in the comment section below!
