Who do you golf with?

Golfing is a wonderful thing. It brings people together and gives a common thread to hold onto.  You may end up golfing with people that you would otherwise never do anything with. And you will have a great day doing it.

Kathy and I have golfed with people from all over the world and from all walks of life. We have found in almost all instances, a joy for the game from all of the people we have played with. That joy has bonded the four people enough for five hours that we all had a great day.

Here are some of the people we have played with and their personalities. 

I have played in a few Pro Am tournaments with three different LPGA players. All three were friendly and a joy to play with. But, as soon as we started the round each of them focused on the task at hand and played to win. I’m really good at one particular thing in golf. Hitting the ball long off the tee. After that, I’m just a regular as everyone else. So, once the LPGA players saw that I could hit the ball further than them they wanted me to go last. That way they could put one in the middle and let me swing away. I’m good for about 6 fairway shots of between 275 and 325. That gave us an edge over the other teams and, took some pressure off the Pros. It also allowed the LPGA players to relax. Everyone on the team started talking and walking. We all had a great experience. 

Kathy and I have played in a golf league everywhere we have lived. That allowed us to meet people that we would have never otherwise met. Those people love the game and love to sit around after the round to eat, drink and talk about the points they left out on the course. They love having a chance to be a winner every month. And, they love winning golf balls, wine and whatever else is up for grabs for the skill prizes. 

We have played golf with people that have shared the same tee time as us. Sometimes it is those golfers that turn out to be the most fun. Because you don’t know anything about them except that they play golf. However, that is enough. The good part is, most of the time you don’t ask about what they do or ask too many questions about them. You just talk about golf, why they are there and where have they played. Then, after a nice day of on and off chatting, you stay together for a nice cold beer in the clubhouse. 

We have also played with very new players. They seem to complain about every shot and how they are better than what they are shooting. Or how on the range everything goes down the middle. Sometimes they ask for some tips or complain that the clubs they are using are not that good. I almost never give tips while I’m playing. Or at most, one on the front and one on the back. I don’t like giving tips durning play because it makes the new player worry too much when they should just be playing. 

I have played with people that think they hit the ball far and love trying to “crush it”. I love these people the most because as I said, I excel at hitting the ball off the tee. My longest shots in the fairway were recorded as 417 yards, 365 yards, 360 yards and 350 yards. The 417 yarder was with a little wind assist, but the others were fare and square. I have also hit the others several times. Because I can hit like that I love to mess with the “long hitter”. I will let them drive first then use my 5 wood and put one out there past them just a bit. That way when they hoot and holler about how far they hit it then ask why I use my 5 wood, I will say. “Just to plunk one out in the middle”. Then as we walk up to the first ball it is almost alway theirs. After a couple of tees like that they just try to hit it harder and harder. And, well, everyone who knows golf knows that is the death of a good drive. Once they are good and worked up about it, I pull out my driver. A nice smooth swing will send the ball off the tee like a rocket. That is it. The other player tries to swing out of their shoes. Then I have them. Inside I’m laughing and having a fun time. They on the other hand are getting more and more frustrated. 

Then there is the player that gets mad at every bad shot. Now every player knows that there are going to be bad shots. Even the pros have bad shots. The trick is not to let the bad shots bother you. But, some people get so upset that they are going to quit playing golf every other hole. Or they slam the club to the ground. I have seen people throw the clubs and I have even seen people break their clubs. I don’t really like to play with this last group of people that much. But, sometimes it’s fun to watch a meltdown. 

All in all, Kathy and I love playing golf with anyone. We love the people we have met, the friends we have made, and we look forward to playing with them again. We also look forward to playing with the next new someone. It may even be you.

Fairways and Greens, we are 18 Holes and Counting.  Written by: Marc Festa