Golf and Friendship

Two weeks have passed since my last blog entry, and I have spent a good amount of time considering what makes golf so enjoyable. I will share some of my thoughts today.

Golf is the ultimate sport of companionship. All of us are social creatures, and we enjoy spending time with our friends and family. Golf creates a very conducive environment for enjoying the company of others. There is a good amount of time between shots, allowing for good conversation. Distractions, such as phones, noise, and television, are minimized.

I was 13 years old when I first began golfing with my friends. It was summer, and all of us had purchased a youth golf pass that allowed us to golf for free at a few county-run courses. My first round that summer was at a course called Riverbend. I played horribly, lost a dozen balls, and had generally no idea what I was doing. I remember sitting around a table outside the clubhouse after the round, sipping a drink with my friends and talking with them about how much fun we had. Sitting there with my good friends, laughing about the ups and downs of the round, is still one of my fondest memories. We spent several summers golfing together, forging the strongest friendships in my life.

There is no other activity I would rather do with my close friends than enjoy an afternoon golfing.

Introductions are quite common this time of year. There are new classmates, new professors, and new ward members. During the course of these introductions, the topic of hobbies routinely comes up. I have participated in these social rituals and divulged that golf is, in fact, my hobby of preference. I often find it necessary to defend the merits of this great game, as it is perceived by many as "boring", "dull", or "simply unbearable." I am here today to defend the greatest game ever played, also known as golf. If golf were a religion, this would be a proselyting blog. I would be as Paul before the Romans, in zeal if not in eloquence. So, as I begin this blog, let it be known that there is no better game to be played than golf. It is frustrating, befuddling, and sometimes infuriating. It is also challenging, rewarding, and quite often breathtaking. As the saying goes, if there is no golf in heaven, I'm not interested.