Golf has always been competitive for me. While I learned to play by hitting balls at the Hack Shack golf range, I learned to score – to golf my ball – to post a number by playing junior golf tournaments. At the time, I was not aware of the lasting effect playing in the eight or ten tournaments a year would have on my approach to golf. The experience has had it’s positive and negative influences.
The negative is that simply enjoying a nice day while playing golf is difficult. There is a constant desire to hit the best shots that I can hit, and when I fail at this frustration sets in. Learning to deal with this frustration by accepting the poor shots during leisure rounds is something I still work at to this day.
Playing competitive golf starting at ten years old has had several positive effects as well. I credit competitive golf for some of the development of my honesty and trustworthiness. Golf is a gentleman’s game because it requires a great deal from its competitors. It’s rare that a player playing any sport but golf calls a penalty on himself or disqualifies himself. In golf, you see this every week.
Competing and playing well makes for a healthy ego. So long as the ego is kept in check, it is a great source of inspiration and confidence.
Playing in tournaments is fun and a great way to meet other driven individuals. Whether you compete on a high level or in the high-handicap league at your club, the back-and-forth of a friendly match is often a very rewarding and memorable afternoon. I’ll never forget some of the highs and lows and laughs I experienced while playing in junior golf, high school, and amateur golf tournaments.
With this said, I haven’t played a competitive round of golf in over three years. The last round I played that “counted” was probably for the Traverse City Country Club Championship. It has been tough to play consistently in the past couple years because of working, moving, going back to school and traveling or working during the summers. But I’m declaring now that my goal is to play in at least two golf tournaments during the summer and fall of 2008.
Watch out, World! Ha ha.