“The Pace of Golf”

Like many in south Texas a couple of weeks ago, I watched the Valero Texas Open. In fact, as Veterans, we received complimentary tickets to attend one of the days – which of course we took complete advantage of.

A very “Big” thank you to the sponsors!

On the days we didn’t attend, we watched on TV, to include the last round, where Denny McCarthy really gave Ashkay Bhatia a run for his money. But in the end, Bhatia came out on top and took home the trophy and the $1.6 million cash prize…. as well as qualifing for the Masters Golf Tournament (more on the Masters in a few moments).

It really was a great final round.

While there are a few things that stood out for me while watching the tournament. For instance: Justin Speith’s golf ball stuck in a gutter. After pulling his drive left through the fairway on the 618-yard par 5, Spieth’s second shot ended up near a drainage ditch area. It appeared like he’d punch the ball back into the fairway, but then turned the opposite way and launched a wedge that found a gutter atop the TPC San Antonio clubhouse. Yep, his ball landed in a gutter! Wow, for a moment I thought I was watching myself play.

Another memory from the day for me was seeing Rory McIlroy hitting the green with his drive shot on the 17th hole, but then sadly missing his chance at an Eagle.

However, the thing that I find myself thinking about the most regarding the tournament, is how long Brendon Todd took to hit his last shot onto the 18th green during the last round while he was paired with Bhatia and McCarthy.

I just couldn’t believe how long Todd took to study the shot angle and talk it over with his caddie. All while Bhatia and McCarthy were waiting for him to hit the dang ball!

Now I know that a good majority of you that play golf, probably have no problem with this. After all, he was playing for fourth or fifth place (depending on his score), that had a cash prize of $335,000 and some change on the line.

But seriously?

Honestly, I am always surprised how long the pros take in a round. I don’t get it. I mean, they never have to hunt for their ball because:

• There is always someone in the gallery, a volunteer or PGA staff, who will identify where their ball landed.
• The greens are in tip-top shape.
• The fairways are clean and cut nicely.

Yet, the Pros really are some of the slowest players I have ever seen playing a round of golf!

I guess if I had that much money on the line, I would slow down too!

Like the pros who played in this year’s Master’s Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Some rounds went as long as six hours!

I like my golf round to be about four hours – certainly not six!! However, I notice I do tend to play my best when taking my time and while moving at a good pace. A good pace to me means no groups rushing me and not waiting on any shots or a group ahead of me. If my golf round does slow up, more times than not, it can be attributed mostly to the difficulty of the golf course. And lets face it – Augusta National Golf Club can be a very difficult golf course under certain conditions.

I guess it has to be acknowledged that playing tournament golf under the conditions that the pro players play under, is hard, and the pressure that’s involved certainly weighs on the time it takes to play a round.

With the wind swirling all the time. The impact of downhill lies and uphill shots. And then when they have putts, they can’t just go, “okay, it’s straightforward, uphill putt.” Augusta is just that hard of a course.

I guess if I was to really think about it, golf is a game that is best played slowly. Things just fall into place better.

Isn’t that they way things are in life too?

It’s an irony of our modern lives that while technology is continually invented that saves us time, we use that time to do more and more things, and so our lives are more fast-paced and hectic than ever.

Life moves at such a fast pace that it seems to pass us by before we can really enjoy it.

However, I don’t believe it has to be this way.

For me, as I age I am finding a slower-paced life means taking time to enjoy my mornings, instead of rushing off to do something in a frenzy. It means taking time to enjoy whatever I am doing, to appreciate the outdoors, to actually focus on whoever I’m talking to or spending time with – instead of always being connected to my phone and social media. It means single-tasking rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and focusing on none of them.

Slowing down is a conscious choice, and not always an easy one, but it leads to a greater appreciation for life and a greater level of happiness. Perhaps Mae West was right when she said: “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.”

My Reads from the Reds: Slow down and enjoy life!

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting!

Written By Kathy Festa