Wed 12 Nov 2008
Recently a couple of things happened to that really encapsulates to me the game of golf.
I played in an unofficial competition organised by a group of golfers from an online forum at which guys had travelled up to 300 miles to play golf with complete strangers. What other sport or game can you think of in which that would happen?
But that’s golf isn’t it? A game in which people from all walks of life can meet up and enjoy their pursuit, I didn’t ask what these guys did for a living, their politics etc and they didn’t ask mine it just wasn’t relevant. All that mattered was that we played fairly to the rules of golf and enjoyed our game and company together.
During the round we had a that’s golf moment on the Nearest the Pin hole. One of our group duffed his tee shot into a water hazard and elected to play 3 from the tee. Inevitably, this time he hit a great shot six feet from the hole. “That’s Golf” we agreed it’s a universal law, all golfers know that a provisional ball always, always goes on the green or straight down the fairway.
Sir Winston Churchill had this to say about our game, “Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into a even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose.” Yup! That’s golf. 
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November 12th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Yup, that is golf! I played with a guy from Texas who was in town on some business and whom I had met on stracka. He thoroughly whooped me and I swear it felt like my worst game and on the 19th we both came to the same conclusion, “that’s golf.”
Good post!
November 15th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I am frequently asked to play golf by business people who are just learning the game. Some of the things that happen with beginners really tickle me.
My Story:
I was playing with a group of golfers that had been playing golf less than a year. The pace of play for that day was atrocious. We came up to a short par three and as I chatted with the group while we waited on the group ahead clear one of the gentleman asked if he could go first. Naturally we we were playing ready golf so he teed it up and let it go. His timely was such that the group in front of us had just left the green but they were sitting in their carts very close to the green writing down their scores (or something). The gentleman’s shot went directly towards their cart, hit the cart path, came down and hit one of the clubs in one of the player’s in front of us bag, ricochet off the club towards the green, hit the flag and dropped straight down into the cup.
After everyone gave him a high five he was asked how he did it..he said..”That’s Golf”.
The story does not end there.
After I got all these guys settled down and back focused on hitting their ball, the worst of the group of beginners hit his ball about five yards off the end of the teebox and as we all watched it trickle down into the lake in front of us..he turned around and said…”No, That’s Golf!”.
(I hope you will check out my Business Golf Country Club Group over on LinkedIn..we are having a great time over there. Lots of real golfers over there.)
November 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Years ago my dad was in a foursome that was playing in a charity scramble. They approached the tee to a Par 3 where the Hole in One prize was a brand new car(the make and model escapes me). This is a 175 yd, downhill over water set up. One of my dad’s playing partners hit his tee shot woefully short and went in the drink. He teed up #3 and proceeded to jar it for a par. No new car, but one hell of a way to make a 3!!
That’s Golf
November 15th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Guys.
Thanks for your “That’s Golf!” stories, they’re brilliant.
If only the ricochet shot could have won the car. Lol
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I can’t express how exciting golf is. I really enjoy your story, it’s a reminder that no matter where we come from, we all belong to humanity. Golf brings us together.
January 29th, 2009 at 4:07 am
Short Par 3 the 8th at Manor Park in New Zealand….just a wedge at 103 metres with the pin down the front….had my shag bag with me, 8pm one night no one around…..83 balls later alas no hole in one ;( …..took me a awhile to repair pitch marks too