Why Do We Love Golf?

I recently went on a cruise vacation with my family and decided to play a round of golf on Grand Cayman Island. This was not a cheap excursion, as I spent $300 for 18 holes, which, when you’re a golfer who rarely breaks into the 90’s, seems a bit ridiculous. But I wanted to play a round of golf in a new location, just as I had always done when on vacation.
Why would someone whos scorecard resembles a keno sheet over pay to play the game of golf? I admit it, I’m not that good. And I doubt that will change as I never seem to make time to play regularly, or even hit the range. Yet I will spend a ridiculous amount of money to play when on vacation. My friends try to equate it to going to a fancy restaurant on a special occasion. It’ll cost more, but you’ll do it because you want to try something new. My response is that when I eat at that new restaurant, I will most likely enjoy the food, service, atmosphere, and not get frustrated by the fact that I can’t hold my fork properly, or that I ordered food, took one bite from it, and tossed the remainder away. That pretty much sums up my day at the course: I have to work on my stance or swing, and after paying $10 for a sleeve of new balls, they usually become 1 hit wonders and end up lost.
And what about lessons, you ask? I’ve taken lessons. I’ve taken instruction from 3 different pros at 3 different clubs. The first thing they do is look at your swing. Then, they try to break you down and adjust you to their program. Well, I’m sorry, I can’t keep my left arm straight on the backswing, and right arm straight on the follow through. So, I listen to their tips, apply what I can remember, and plod along shooting 105.
And then there’s the equipment. I have a friend I golf with that spent $600 on a new driver, hoping to get another 20 yards out of his drives. Most of his drives went another 20 yards, either left or right, rarely straight. I have another friend who has issues with his putter. On more than one occasion, after missing a 3 foot putt to save bogey, I could hear the familiar “whoop-whoop-whoop” of his stroke saver finding its way into the nearest water hazard. Needless to say, he has spent a lot of money blaming his equipment.
So why am I sharing this? I’ve admitted that my game isn’t good enough to be spending this kind of money to play. Instead of my friends spending hundreds on equipment, maybe they should work on their mindset. And rather than spending thousands on lessons, maybe we should work on our mental game and the fundamentals of golf. More than half of your golf score is made inside 100 yards of the green. This is the money zone. The mental game. This game is played between the ears.
Want to work on that part of your game? I have resources that will help. Go to http://www.etailnotretail.com, click on the Sports Nut tab, and gain access to some of the e-books that are helping me get better at my game and score better than my friends. After applying what I learned from “Mind Game”, I won enough in a skins game to pay for the download. It’s a mental game. Use your mind.

By Scott Cordon
Scott Cordon is an adult who once had high school glory, dabbled in intra-mural activities throughout his 20s, and hit the physical/mental wall at 35. Then, while raising his children, he realized he had lost his identity and evolved into “so and so’s dad”. Now, having reached 50, Scott shares with us how he became the 50 year old recreational everyman he currently claims to be. Some of the tools he used to reach this level can be found at http://www.etailnotretail.com.