Back on the golf course
I used to be a competitive golfer. I started to play golf when I was 13, played all through high school and then played for the Men’s team in college because there was no women’s team. More on that later.
After I had kids, I stopped playing. I work full-time, and at the time, in hotels so my schedule was nuts. I felt I could not take 6+ hours to go play a round, let alone get practice time in.
About a month ago one of my P.E.O. sisters asked me if I wanted to play in a tournament at the end of August. My immediate thought was absolutely not. It’s the busiest time of year for me at work, my teenagers are busy and & need me, and I simply did not have the time. I talked it over with my husband and decided to go for it. We would figure it out together.
I signed up for a lesson at a local course since it has been ages since I swung a club. Then, as I was chatting with a girlfriend she told me she had a tee time in a few days and I should join. I played 18 holes of golf after not stepping on a course in 15 years (at least). I was terrible but there were glimmers of my former self every once in a while. I had the absolute best time. A week later, I played the same course and knocked off twelve strokes from my score.
I was “out of pocket” from 12:30-6. I didn’t check my phone once (I had 80 text messages, thank you very much family chat) and it was glorious. The only time I had not spoken to one of my family members for that long was when I was on a plane to Charleston by myself last year. It was a strange and lovely feeling!
I had to be very aware of myself going into this. I used to be a 6 handicap golfer, which means I consistently scored in the high 70’s to low 80’s for a round of golf (most courses are par 72) and I always plared from the men’s tees. I shot well over 100 my first time out, from the women’s tee which give you a yardage advantage. I let it all go. I’m 20+ years older than I was when I played competitively, my body is not what it used to be, and I haven’t swung a club in years. Being successful in golf is mostly mental. It’s a grueling sport for the mind and if you get in your head bad things will happen. The Elisabeth of 20 years ago would not have been happy with this score at all and I would have beat myself up about it. Instead, I drove home and had a good but happy cry in the shower.
The tournament is in two weeks and I am having an absolute blast playing golf again. I’m so glad I’m doing this for myself, I wish I had done it sooner!