For as long as I can remember, I have been compulsively competitive. Where this urge comes from is difficult to trace. My family would be more aptly described as “talkative” rather than “competitive” and I cannot think of any other formative forces that would have imbued in me such a streak. At any rate, my desire to win is not reserved for opponents only; I am constantly striving to beat myself, to improve my personal record, regardless of the task.

I also have this odd tendency to seek out sports and tasks that I am not particularly skilled in and pursue them. As an example of this, my Sophomore year of high school I decided that my Spring sport would be soccer as opposed to track despite the fact that I had proven to be somewhat successful at the four hundred meter dash and had not played organized soccer since the second grade. Who knows what would have happened had I stayed with track? In the end all that matters is that I enjoyed every minute of soccer.

It is at the intersection of my competitiveness and my unique desire to engage in activities that do not lend themselves to my strengths that we find my third hobby/interest: golf. It is well known that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So, I suppose, on one or two occasions (if I am lucky) a month, I am temporarily insane for anywhere from three to five hours, typically on a Sunday.

Why do I subject myself to such torture? Is it for that one shot that miraculously lands where I intended it? Or maybe that put that could, with just enough gas to die at the hole and make that gargle noise at the bottom of the cup? Could it possibly be that one hundred and fifty-eight yard nine iron hit with a textbook draw even though there was only one hundred and thirty-five yards left and it was a dog leg right? To hell with the pin placement that was a fine shot! “Hey, that was solid contact. Can’t be upset with that” my father in-law might add. He is kind. But we all know it was just another display of poor golfing on my part. In spite of all the lost balls and endless penalty strokes, I play on and I will tell you why.

In Genesis God commands man to subdue the earth, and around the 1800’s man really started to take that command seriously as he created an early form of the modern golf course. In truth I am neither a biblical scholar nor a golf historian but one cannot ignore the majesty of the links.

That is the primary “why” for me. Golf is a wonderful excuse to spend time outside in a meticulously manicured environment. One can appreciate the rolling undulations of the earth and will gradually learn how to respect Mother Nature in a unique way. This is particularly true when Mother Nature comes in the form of, say, a lake or a well-placed pit of sand or even a pile of recently fallen leaves. If you looked hard enough, you could find a few of my lost golf balls in all of those places.

The secondary reason for me is the mental fortitude that it takes to keep going in spite of all your shortcomings. What a great lesson to learn indeed! This is where my competitiveness kicks in. I may not be competitive in the sense that I can score low or consistently hit textbook shots, but you will never see me give up on a hole or pretend not to care. That would be too easy.

The final main reason I enjoy golf is improvement. I genuinely want to be decent at golf in the future and that will not happen overnight, nor will it happen if I allow my poor play to drive me away from the sport. Becoming skilled at golf at an older age is akin to learning a different language after childhood. That is to say, it is really difficult. But I will try nevertheless.

If you enjoy golf let me know and perhaps we can get on a course sometime. I have become adept at receiving unsolicited advice on the golf course over the past couple of years* so I am open to any kind of tips anyone has to offer. Please share.

*you know who you are