On Golf!

 Golfing ...

   The 2013 British Open will soon be upon us.  The third of golf’s four “Major” championship tournaments begins July 18 at the Muirfield Club in Gullane, Scotland.

   Professional golf tournaments, especially the Majors, are compelling to watch. Consider that it takes around eight months to crown an NBA or and NHL champion, and only four days to crown a Masters Champion. The drama at a Major really starts with the first round on Thursday, and continuously builds until the Sunday evening climax.

   Yes, golf is an individual sport, and that’s fine. It’s part of its beauty. Phil Mickelson was entirely on his own playing during the closing holes at Merion Country Club near Philadelphia earlier this month, as the 43-year-old dueled with Justin Rose for a U.S. Open title. Five times a runner-up, Mickelson desperately wanted to reward his family, friends, and fans with that elusive US Open Trophy. Sadly for Phil, he again finished second. But many fans had to relate to Phil as an individual, knowing that time is running out on his career, knowing of his personal generosity, and knowing that he took time off from the tour to support his wife and his mom when they both had breast cancer.

   Modern broadcast technology with its superb graphics, expert camera-work, and high definition television makes watching a Major on TV a delight compared to the old days when it was so hard to follow the flight of the ball on black and white television sets.

   Yes, the individuals do make the sport. Tiger Woods may be the world’s most recognizable figure. And I don’t mind the occasional TV cutaways to his new girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn. But what really makes golf fun to watch are the venues, the courses themselves. A tennis match involves two players hitting a ball back and forth, trying to keep inside the lines, which are standard everywhere. In golf, every course—every hole—is different.  There are hills and dales, water hazards and sand traps, trees, spectators and more. Tennis is one on one. Golf can feature 36 (or more) players out on the course at the same time, with a like number of balls in play.

   Full disclosure: I have been playing more golf lately, which has increased my interest and appreciation for the sport.  Loudon Country Club.  Canterbury Woods. The Owl’s Nest in Campton.  And Den Brae, that wonderfully forgiving nine-hole course in Sanbornton. I played the same ball all nine holes, which especially nice. I’d earlier lost quite a few golf balls on a different course and am still battling the poison ivy problems I contracted from searching for them. Further, after borrowing a friend’s driver and almost reaching the green on the Par 4 fifth hole, I realized I needed to get a real driver to replace the ancient one-wood in my old golf bag. The nice folks at the Den Brae Club House gave me a deal on a real driver and extended it two inches with a new grip. This new weapon in my golf arsenal positioned me for more of those exhilarating 250 yard drives.

   I just need to keep them straight and out of the poison ivy.

 

   Bring on the British Open!

 

    (Predicted winner – Rory McIlroy.)