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Good morning, folks.
There are many different formats to the game of golf.
You have match play, stroke play, alternate shot, fourball, Stableford, sklns, scramble, shamble, best ball — to name just a few.
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And then, of course, there are various levels of play within those formats.
There’s the type of golf the professionals play — the Corey Connors and Brooke Hendersons of the world hitting shots unfathomable to most of us who have ever picked up a club.
Within the amateur ranks, you have your scratch players, mid-handicappers, high-handicappers, hackers and smackers.
You have your Saturday morning foursome players and your Wednesday evening league players. You have couples golf and social golf. You have company outings, family gatherings, and high school reunions.
And then you have one of the more common events on the golf calendar: one that requires a unique set of skills. It’s the fundraising charity golf tournament.
Oh sure, you can hit a high fade down the middle of the fairway or use a 58-degree wedge to flop a shot over a bunker and roll it close to the pin. But can you putt into a clown’s mouth? Can you hit a marshmallow off a tee? Can you patienty wait for the group ahead of you to walk back to their carts that they’ve left 50 feet in front of the green before hitting your approach shot? Can you eat or drink something at every hole?
Most importantly — can you lighten up and have fun?
I’ll preface the rest of this missive by admitting that I have taken my golf game — and myself in general — far too seriously in the past.
It’s one of the reasons I stopped playing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never windmilled a club or anything, but I was far more focused on trying to play well than I was on having fun and appreciating my surroundings.
On Wednesday, I played in a charity event at Pine Ridge and the boss asked me at one point if I had enjoyed the game when I used to play a lot. It took me a few minutes to answer. My first thought was that my relationship to the game was kinda love-hate and that I had fun when I played well.
I got a nice note from one of you prior to my game on Wednesday, that included some sage advice:
“I don’t give two figs about the score or how the others are doing! I just go and enjoy the beautiful course, the weather, the beauty of nature, and the fact that I am still able to go and drive my little cart and swing my clubs the best I can!”
Wednesday’s event was to raise funds for a serious cause: the Toba Centre is working towards developing Manitoba’s first integrated, community-led, child abuse response centre.
Executive director Christy Dzikowicz gave a stirring explanation of where the centre is and where it wants to be — an inspiring plea for help — in her address to those gatheted for a lovely dinner apres golf.
Our Free Press team: the boss, VP of advertising Karen Buss, advertising executive Michele Prysazniuk, and yours truly.
But against that backdrop, the event organizers did a terrific job of putting fun in their FUNdraiser.
The quirky games at each hole made it fun.
Joey Aiello, still the best MC in town, made it fun.
Being outdoors and seeing folks with smiles on their faces made it fun.
Hitting a few good shots made it fun.
Laughing at the bad shots made it fun.
And the ice cream, really made it fun.
Yes folks, there was ice cream. In response to an earlier edition of this mailing Toba Centre chair Don Smith arranged to have an ice cream hole — just for me. Well, everyone else got to enjoy it as well.
I definitely had fun adding toppings, including crushed Oreos and caramel sauce, to the tasty treat.
When I was answering the boss on his inquiry about enjoying the game, I also added that golf had taught me many lessons about life.
It had taught me tempo. It had taught me etiquette. It had taught me to exchange pleasantries in the morning. It had taught me to take my hat off when entering a room and to leave the room when making a cell phone call.
After Wednesday, I was thinking perhaps it still has a lesson or two left for me.
I’m thinking that could be fun.
As always folks, you can reach me by replying to this mailing or by sending me an email here.
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