Playing many moons ago in a university competition, I was having the round of my life. I stood on the 18th tee of the Old Course at St Andrews, four-under-par. I couldn’t believe it – a birdie on that relatively straightforward par-4 and I would be round in 67. On the Old Course! 'Oh man – that would be incredible,' I thought prematurely
I’d been hitting it dead straight off the tee all day but, for some cowardly reason, I decided to err on the side of caution and aim a little left. In so doing I opened up my body and hit a raging block/slice into the old Rusacks car park (here's a drill to fix your slice).
I then repeated the shot for good measure before squaring up, finding the fairway with five off the tee, limping off with an eight to shoot 72 and to lose the competition by two shots.
That was a tough day and I don’t think I set foot on a golf course for at least 48 hours after that – I do say in the headline that I’ve played far too much golf.
But I always come back to golf, no matter how bad things are. No matter if I’ve suffered a bout of the shanks or the time I developed the putting yips (I went to the claw grip – A lifesaver!)
Golf has an uncanny way of drawing people back to the fold after roundly abusing them. It’s sort of like a cult in that respect, isn’t it?
And, like any good cult, golf holds us all in thrall by showing us/promising us occasional snippets of glory and pure joy. We keep chasing the dragon, even though we know we might never even touch its tail.
There are certain things in golf that never get tiresome or old – including these little joys – and they deliver a dopamine hit that has us yearning for more. Here are five things in golf I find utterly compulsive.
An Empty Golf Course
I love arriving early to a course and being first to tee off. The birds are singing and the morning dew is glistening on the newly mowed tee box.
I know I won’t wait on a single shot and the course will be unspoiled by any of the day's traffic.
I also love the feeling of opportunity I experience when looking down an empty first fairway. It’s all to play for and, at that point, I can see nothing going wrong.
I see long drives and piercing irons, perfect pitch shots and potted putts. I see birdies and eagles, par 5s hit in two, a real deep feeling that golf loves you too... and I think to myself... sorry, getting carried away here...
Anyway, I always feel that expectation, even though decades of past experiences suggest that all I really have is hope. You have to be in it to win it though I guess.
The Nutted Drive
I still feel a surge of adrenaline when I catch a drive perfectly out of the middle and it sets off dead straight at its target.
I find there are few better moments in golf than when you hear your playing partners say, “What a strike!” Or, “Absolute belter!”
Not only do I enjoy revelling in a little praise and the welcome feeling that, “Yes, I’ve still got it after all these years,” but also, there’s that tremendous sense of relief that the ball is going to absolutely fine and on the short grass.
There's no stressful walk down the hole, hoping it might have stopped before those trees or that 'We might just find it in that thick rough."
Holing A 12 Footer For Birdie
Properly finishing a hole I’ve played well always makes me smile inside. Again, there’s a huge sense of relief that a chance hasn’t been wasted.
If I’ve hit a decent drive and then a solid approach in fairly close, I always feel the pressure to convert and, far too often, a tentative stroke means I just miss out on what seemed a cast iron opportunity.
So, when I manage to play a confident putt, from 10 or 12 feet say, and bang it into the cup, that’s a feeling I would love to bottle. It basically feels like a job well done and that is hugely gratifying.
Holding It Together For 18 Holes
This is the thing that I probably get the most satisfaction from in golf. Playing an 18-hole round where I avoid disaster and post the best score I can on the day.
I don’t necessarily mean my lowest scores here. I’m talking more about grinding it out. All golfers, even the very best, have good and bad days. But a skill those elite players possess is being able to hold it together when they don’t have their best stuff.
I find I’m often more pleased with poorer 18-hole scores in which I’ve battled to the end, than far better scores in which I’ve frittered silly shots away.
For me, walking off the 18th green knowing that I’ve given it a bloody good shot and not let myself down is the best feeling in golf.
The post-round debriefing
Whether I’ve played well or badly, I love discussing the game with my playing partners over a pint or two.
If I’ve had a good one, my vanity is such that I like to remember some of the highlights… Maybe have them pointed out to me even!
If it’s been a poor day, it doesn’t seem nearly so bad when it’s put into context after some banter with friends or, maybe new acquaintances, who have suffered similar woes on the fairways.
I love the wind-down after a round of golf. It’s the chance to decompress, to gain some perspective on the fact it’s only a game. Maybe also to enjoy some good conversation on other subjects, while learning more about your like-minded fellow golfers. The post-round debrief never gets old.
