Why I love golf, let me count the ways

As some of you might know, I play a lot of golf. I play a decent game. But mostly I really like golf. No, I really, really love golf! Here, I’d like to share my 10 joys from playing golf.

        First, one of the things I like the most about golf is the occasional sense of mastery we can feel, especially when we make a magnificent shot or do something extraordinary on the golf course. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a scratch golfer or a 30 handicapper, you are going to have special moments in golf that you can look at and know that it couldn’t have been done better – by anyone. That is one of the magic things about golf.

        I love golf because of the blurring and spanning of generations when we are together on the golf course. Fortunately, I can still play good enough to challenge some of the younger studs I get to play with. When I moved to Las Cruces in 1988 (time flies!), and occupied some of my spare moments on the NMSU Golf Course, I knew right away that it was a great opportunity to play with folks of all ages. I now have lasting friendships with young PGM Program graduates.

        And with that thought, I value the friends I have made through golf more than just about anything. Sadly, I have written obituaries in this space of those friends who have passed. When I was in the hospital recovering from a near-fatal accident 10 years ago, my wife and my golfing friends helped me get through it, and back playing golf. I feel like the most blessed person on the planet when I think of the wonderful friends I get to play golf with.

        Next, relish all the senses that are involved with golf. I love the smell of wet grass and the feel of soft ground. Sound is the most amazing thing of all in golf, and being able to tell instantly from the sound of the ball off the club whether it was a proper shot, trapped from the very center of the clubface. I like the sound of clubs rattling in the bag, the birds chirping, the thump of a shot from a sand bunker, and the click of a ball finding the center of the cup.

        Being able to play golf when traveling is a real joy. I hardly ever go anywhere where I can’t somehow manage a round of golf. I keep a spare set of clubs in Dallas, in Castle Pines (Denver) and yes, South Bend. Playing new courses is always special – and a challenge - since you have no local knowledge, and must test your skill against an alien layout.

        Over the years I derived great satisfaction from teaching golf, and coaching players of all ability levels in how to perform better. My mentor has been Hall of Fame Coach Herb Wimberly, who told me years ago that he would like me alongside him to teach the students at our Performance Golf Schools. It is a joy to help a beginner discover that they could actually play.

        I relish the complexity, the difficulty and the process of playing good golf. I don’t like failure and don’t like losing, but they’re part of the process. Striving for improvement is ongoing.

        Again, back to people. Like many of us, I have made lasting friendships through golf. Some friendships transcend golf and precede golf. One example is my former high school football coach, a terrific gentleman who retired in Orlando following 12 years as an NFL official. We have had an annual golf game in Florida. Then there is a Navy shipmate who I met at Navy officer school in 1967; we have an annual golf game in greater Cincinnati. I could go on.

        The fusion of technology, skill, psychology and equipment is quite appealing to me. Today golf has a fetish with technology, maybe too much so. But I like the fact that high level golf has become athletic, favoring those competitors with strength, flexibility, brains and stamina.

        If you have read anything I have ever written about golf you know that I believe golf is a metaphor for life. But let me be clear, golf is a game; life is not a game. Golf has rules; if you break the rules you get penalized. Some folks don’t like that notion; but in reality that’s life.

Dr. Charlie Blanchard is a licensed psychologist specializing in sports and leadership. Contact him at docblanchard71@gmail.com.