My Love and Hate Relationship With Golf

I've played golf since I was 5. Dad used to take me out on the weekends to the Par 3 course by our house and we would spend hours driving, putting, and generally arguing about who got to drive the cart (yes, my Dad even rented a cart on a Par 3 course). It was a time for us to bond, talk about what was going on in school, and learn how to play a game that required way more strategy than I ever thought.

And then I got older. Golf was no longer that fun time shared between my Dad and me. It became competitive. It became a job. Monday - Thursday was range practice with full games falling on Tuesdays and Fridays. I was getting all teenage angsty and I no longer wanted to hear how to correct my back swing or how I was getting out of a trap all wrong. I argued more with my Dad than I listened and it all just became a chore. So, like a stupid teenager, I walked away from the game completely and refused to play all through high school. I refused to go out with my Dad and his friends. I focused more on team sports and I was just an all around pain in the ass.

I've played sporadically since then... picking up games with my Dad when I visit for holidays... but I never really went out with friends or initiated going out for a round until this year. I've found a decent foursome to play with who don't take the game so seriously and make it a ton of fun. It's more like the golf that I remember playing as a kid and its way more relaxing. Its nice to be back even though I completely suck but I suppose its like riding a bike except I can totally hit people with balls. I try not to, I swear!