One of my favorite activities these days is golf.  A friend said golf is like a mini vacation.  I totally agree.  Outside, among friends, a mental relief from work or life’s stresses to focus on getting this little ball in a hole.   Simple yet complex.  Golf for me is a great 4-hour escape.  Sometimes I can even find a little flow, getting my mind and body to work together in pursuit of scoring well.  It’s truly a wonderful leisure sport.

 

However golf certainly goes hand in hand with drinking.  Cart girls shuttle across beautiful grassy fields selling brewskis, tonic vodkas, warm ciders spiked with booze and fireball shots… Rounds take over 4 hours to play, so you can imagine how many drinks a golfer can consume in this time. Especially if frustrated with their game… ha.  What comes first the chicken or the egg?  They drink and play bad?  Or play bad then drink.  Anyway…

 

I actually remember when I was drinking that I enjoyed beers on the course.  I’d loosen up and swing away.  But I also remember being trashed on the course.  Or after a round, I’d be so tired and boozy that the rest of my day was shot.  I certainly didn’t feel like I played a sport.  Mostly felt like I hung out with buddies outside and got sauced.  It was fun at times, no doubt.  But I do remember the heaviness.  Literally feeling heavy and just exhausted from the long day in the sun, getting dehydrated.

 

Now after 2 years AF I see another perspective.  Yesterday I played in a really fun golf tournament.  I played with the head pro and some of the clubs best players.  A scramble so there was less pressure but certainly competition.   My crew was pretty controlled on the booze.  Not that they didn’t have any.  They did for sure.  In fact, I’d say my partner is a functional alcoholic of sorts.  At 10am.  He started with Vodka tonics.  About 3 of those by noon.  Then came heavy craft beer for the back 9.  The other guys in my foursome kept steady pace as well.  Finishing at 2pm, they had double their daily drinks and we still had a college football tailgate to attend.  In true honestly, they would probably consume 10 to 15 drinks that day. Easily.

And I’m not judging them. Just observing here.

 

What I would judge though is the whole scene.   The majority of the tournament players were day drinking.  Some causally.  Some heavily. Many of which do this daily if not a few times a week golfing.

 

What’s crazy is how freaking obnoxious the whole scene is.  A whole bunch of men.  All sauced up.  Red faced, many fat, sloppy.  Droopy eyes. Later in the round looking glassy eyed. Loud.  Making fun of each other in what would be considered a friendly manner. I guess that’s how guys communicate. But after a day of drinking it comes off so ridiculous.  Many going too far, being sexiest, or macho.  I’d say testosterone, but likely they lack it, because of their health…ha ha – low T.  My bad joke insert.

 

For real though.  The whole culture of drinking with golf is too bad. It’s such a beautiful way to be outside. I love the competitiveness of the game. The challenge.  The sport.  The camaraderie.  There are few other sports that you openly get housed when playing.  Not tennis.  Not mtn biking.  Not basketball.  Ok, maybe softball and bowling.

 

I can deal with it. For the most part.  But occasionally the talk is annoying.  Here is a real drink as they refer to something with alcohol as opposed to my coffee or diet coke.  No one is pressuring me to drink.  They don’t have too, it looks so unappealing anyways.  I just feel bad for many of them.  Their minds, their health.  Them missing out on a wonderful experience diluted with alcohol.

 

I may not be the best golfer.  I certainly could improve my putting.  But removing drinking from my game has been the best improvement I’ve ever made. Instead of losing balls, or losing my mind, I am gaining respect for my game.   Not just golf, but my game of life…