Why do we play golf?

Sunday, September 9, 2001

Why does the average golfer participate in such an aggravating sport? Most of us have no hope of “average” performance (doesn’t “par” mean “average” or “normal?”) over the course of 18 holes. I’d go so far as saying most of us have little hope of achieving a par score on any hole. Not that it’s impossible, just highly unlikely, and an event worthy of celebration if it ever happens.
 

And yet, these same people who have such limited prospects for “average” achievement eagerly spend hundreds of dollars on accoutrements and paraphernalia in homage to their chosen frustration. Does their unacknowledged craving for a little time with Mother Nature overwhelm their frustration with poking around in the underbrush for a little white ball? Does the solitude of spending some time in isolation with three of their closest friends compensate for seeing the target of their interest go “plop” in the middle of an interfering pond? Or is the challenge of getting that little sphere across the links into a little hole, 9 or 18 times over, a big enough draw to overcome all obstacles?
 

I don’t know the answer. I haven’t played enough golf to have any hope of figuring it out yet. But I expect I’ll be at a nearby driving range in the near future, trying to make my golf swing second nature.