Monday, October 05, 2009

Attitude Change

I played a lot of golf this weekend, 18 holes with Dan at Bowie CC and 18 with Mark and AM at Glen Dale. I normally don't to play so much in a month, much less a weekend. Both times I was lousy on the front nine and much better on the back: 64/51 & 63/50. or something like that.

When I started playing golf I got the pretty colored balls specifically marketed to women. They had a clear cover over a pastel color which made them "sparkle." I loved playing with them, and for some reason I found them easier to find than the white balls. Maybe it was the "sparkle." I never hit the ball so far I couldn't find it, but occasionally I did. I hated losing these balls, it broke my heart, it felt like a piece of my soul was forever drowned in a water hazard or lost in the woods never to be found again. OK, OK, I'm being overly dramatic, but still, you get the idea, I hate losing golf balls.

(When AM and I were in Florida I lost my last two yellow balls, both to ball-eating trees, large palm trees with enough nooks and crannies to swallow more than just a few balls. Didn't matter how long I begged, the tree wasn't giving up it's new possession.)

On the other hand, or maybe I should say in the other hand, I often find other people's balls (OPBs) when I'm looking for my own. They were easy to identify, they were white, often with initials, dots, lines and other scribbles. This weekend I played predominately with OPBs. I didn't stress when then one got lost in the lake on No.4 at Glen Dale on Sunday. And it felt good not to stress over them. I almost don't want to put the last box of pink balls in the garage into my bag so I won't start stressing again. Who needs more stress?


I'm still doing the 'happy dance' over that 50 yesterday on the back nine. hee-haw!



 

5 comments:

AM Kingsfield said...

I think golf ball eating trees have meaner spirits than the ever-hungry water hazards.

Ed & Jeanne said...

I just don't understand golf. You hit it and then you have to go chase after it and find it. Don't hit it in the first place!

Anonymous said...

Golf is not a question of attitude! See:
http://www.brain-gain.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134%3Aparadigms-of-attitude-theory&catid=75%3Acat-attitudes&Itemid=112&lang=en

Golf is the question if subject, object and the act is sensed as one.

AM Kingsfield said...

I'm just happy to be out on a beautiful course instead of the usual rat race.

Hit 40 said...

I don't think that you live in Ohio?? I could use a golf partner. I will have to hunt one up for next summer.