I just don’t get it. Thankfully, many people I associate with don’t get it either. But every once in a while, some douche will brag about getting a “tee time” at some prestigious club and I’m like, uh, so what? Worse, the people that regularly golf talk about it like everyone does it and understands it – they assume it is a desirable thing for everyone. The moment someone starts talking about golf, I do my best to change the subject, because it is clear that its the sports participation equivalent of name dropping.
Typically its some wholesaler or sales guy with nuclear-brick-white teeth and Brylcreem hair who is basically bragging about the fact that he plays. It’s so freaking gauche, man. I don’t get excited by that at all. In fact, what I’m thinking is, you’ve really just wasted a Saturday where, if it was me, I can and do easily find a hundred infinitely higher value-added activities to do do instead.
Golf, for real goflers, is a way to challenge themself in a patience, testing their temper, and maintaining clear composure. These folks are good.
The guys I can’t stand are those who are just posers. Need to keep up with the Jones with the fruity clothing, brand new clubs, custom golf carts, and so forth. These guys are the tools. It’s the “Look at me, I’m elegant, established and proper playing golf!” To them it’s keeping up with the Jones’ with all that crap. These are the guys that you are describing. Those, who instead of playing the old traditonal game of golf, are using the game as a means to sell their crap, land clients, and push their products.
I’ve even swung a few clubs in my day thanks to Tiger. It’s fun on a bright sunny day when you have a few cold ones. But I’m not one to engage in the sideshow when one should be focusing on finess of a approach chip shot.
Every man needs to have a hobby and I don’t bash anyone’s hobby. I’m sure I engage in pleasing activities that others find crazy.
I don’t get it either. It’s popular among the higher ups where I work though; even their kids play.
We get request occasionally asking for volunteers for a program to teach kids golf (no golf experience needed). They seriously think, I’m going to get up early, on a saturday, drive all the way to the nice part of town, to hand kids golf clubs and watch them swing, for no pay!!!
Winston Churchill described golf as “a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an ever smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose.”
Meh, I love golf. Heading out to the mountains with my wife for an early morning round is something I value. Its a challenging game that tests not only physical ability but focus and mental toughness. And its played in a beautiful peaceful environment. Having decent golf skills opens up huge networking opportunities. I’ve been invited out to play with the execs numerous times when they’re short a guy and want to do well in a tournament. Getting six hours (including the after tournament dinner) time out of the office and spending time with execs and their peers is invaluable. So if you don’t like golf, that’s fine, but it is a great game and has business upside. Guys bragging about clubs or tee times or what not are annoying though, I agree. But I’m not sure its any different than some douchey kid bragging about his entry level BMW or some douchey booze snob bragging about what scotch or bourbon he polished off. There are annoying folks everywhere. But seriously: why are we talking golf in January?
I’m more on geo’s side of the fence here. I’ve played golf in one way or another for as long as I can remember, since both my dad and grandparents played a lot. I was halfway decent in college since I had the time to play and the encouragment (when dad would pay my fees at the club). One summer I was playing 3x per week, but that’s what it takes to get good.
Now I play only a few rounds a year, usually with family. Not many of my friends play though and I can’t get the motivation to dedicate the money to getting better at it. Though it is immesely satisfying when you swing your driver perfectly and it sails a couple hundred yards down the middle of the fairway, and you forget, if only for a moment all about the downsides of the game.
Both are less than an hour from my place, and I play both a few times a year. Silver Tip is world class, Stewart Creek is ok (but has better lunch). Kananaskis was fantastic and a good value but was mostly destroyed in the big flood. They’re rebuilding now though. That was our regular place due to the good value.
As usual, a few idiots ruin it for the rest of the population.
I recently got back into golf, it’s a lot of fun and an individual challenge. It isn’t mightily strenuous but definitely tests physical and mental attributes that aren’t covered by traditional north american sports.
Golf bashing is easy and often you just end up looking like an immature neanderthal. It’s all about your perception of the game that ultimately decides whether or not you will give it a go, and love the sport.
He’s saying that they, de facto, _ look like _ an immature neanderthal.
In fact, they could be a mature neanderthal, or a Cro-Magnon (mature or immature), or another species altogether (again, mature or immature). But they’ll look like an immature neanderthal.
You guys don’t get it do you? You just don’t get it.
Golf is a social sport. A sport that allows us to enjoy the prosperity and wealth of the situation. I have golfed with many famous people at my prestigous country club. These people include a former college basketball national champion coach in Tubby Smith, and the CEO of Caribou Coffee Michael Tattersfield. These gentlemen are titans of their respective areas of expertise and I am honored to have golfed and exchanged conversation with them.
I do apologize you do not have these experiences as a golfer. I certainly couldn’t have these same opportunities at a bowling alley. Enjoy your mediocrity everyone.
^ Drive the ball 350+ yards consistently with some semblance of accuracy and then tell us it takes zero athelticism.
I agree some guys with above average body fat percentages play golf, but it still takes a high degree of physical talent. The recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibres to consistently hit clean, powerful shots is insanely difficult.
It’s funny how people that can’t possibly be good at a game tell others how little ability it takes.
