Lately I have started taking up golf, and I am so glad that I did. There are so many reasons. When I was in high school, I was interested in golf, and tried it out once in Alabama when I was at a family reunion. That was when I realized how truly difficult a game it is. In those days, I was too impatient and impulsive to stick with it.
Fast forward 25 years later. Nearly one year ago, I became a member of my local Elk Lodge . A lot of the Elks members appear to be avid golfers, and at the lodge the Golf Channel is often on the satellite TV. This piqued my interest again. I remembered enough of my previous experience, that I knew it would be difficult and not to expect too much too soon, but being in my early 40s now, I have a little more patience.
Here is where the Elks jumped in to help me. Golf is an expensive sport. Art Walker, one of the other Elks members, told me he had a set of clubs he wanted to get rid of. He did not accept any money for them, and he gave them to me, bag and all! They are very good clubs, and I am not even sure how much money this saved me, but it must several hundred dollars at least! I also play on public courses, and usually for 9 holes each round at this point, which saves me money, too.
Another friend from the Elks named Kevin McMahon gave me a quick orientation on the driving range, enough to get started. Then I started going out to the Needwood Executive Nine course, which is part of the Needwood Golf Course, with David Johnson, who is another friend from the Elks.
It must have been March or April when I started playing, and on average I play two times per month. I took my first golf lesson in May, and right after that I played in the charity golf tournament that the Elks hosted. I just took my second lesson, and now I play the Executive Nine at 7:00 AM almost every Saturday morning (I have done this for the past couple weeks at least). It is now becoming part of my routine, and getting out and walking a little is great! This golf course is in the Derwood area of Rockville, which is really close by, and yet is surrounded by beautiful nature, including lakes and forests. Have a look!
For me, Golf is the perfect mix of my love of nature with a competitive sport. Even more than that, I can play it closer to home and not have to drive for hours (as I do when I go hiking), and I know a lot of people who enjoy playing it. It is much more popular and well-known than some of the other sports and pursuits that I have taken up.
Hi David-
How are you? I just love reading about your new hobby-golf. It almost make me to join a local golf club. Haha. I doubt if I will be so diligent as you about it. It sounds like you really like it. Congratulations! Keep up with the good work! The pictures are beautiful!
Thank you Hem Young! I’m not that diligent at all, in fact my friend David Johnson and I don’t even keep score when we play. He started a league which I have now joined, called the BGA (Bad Golfers Association). As a matter of fact, we played the same course this morning and I did not do well, I got extremely frustrated. Not to worry, though. It is a fun game, and you might want to start playing–real estate agents tend to like golfing, it’s good for networking. One friend of mine-Kevin, he gave me some starters, and then I took a lesson. Since then I have just played once every 1-2 weeks. In some places, the game can be elitist, but I go to cheap public courses that are better for beginners. Choosing the right people to golf with is also important, and if you do these two things you can both have a good time and save money.