Can someone tell me what drives middle-class men (& women) to play golf? Seriously. I’ve always understood golf to be an effete (sp?) sport for elitist rich guys. How many members of the PGA tour come from the 'hood (or the trailer park)?
My brother-in-law is a deer-huntin’, truck-drivin’, Hank-Williams-listenin’ good ol’ boy, but he loves golf. I don’t get it.
Also, what posesses you to build a house on a golf course? I mean, I love bowling, but I’m not going to build an apartment inside South Town Lanes! Do you enjoy having wayward golf balls fly into your yard and through your windows? Your homeowners insurance must be sky-high.
Seriously, I’m not trying to flame you golfers. I seriously want to know. The two times I played golf I was bored senseless, and I could tell I was being looked down upon by the other guys on the course. Just by the way they looked at me.
And since this is the Pit: fuck asshole three-dollar crack whore.
Different strokes for different folks (pun intended). I love golf because of the challenge. No two games are ever going to be the same, even on the same course. Golf also can take you to some absolutely beautiful places all over this country (actually, this whole world). I don’t think I’ve ever been to an ugly golf course.
Thank God for people like you who dislike the game; if everyone golfed, think how difficult it would be to get a tee time.
Oh, and as for living on the golf course - First, you have a really nice view (especially if you LOVE golf); I lived on the 18th fairway of a private course for a couple of years and loved getting up to watch the sunrise over the rolling hills of the course. Second, living on the golf course was very convenient; I could just hop in the golf cart anytime and hit the course. It was a hell of alot better than lugging the damn clubs around, in and out of the car, etc., which is what I have to do now.
I think I’m qualified to respond to your (very mild!) rant. I don’t play much golf but my husband is a fanatic (at least twice a week actually playing, several times a week to the driving range, putting practice in our living room). He grew up in a country town in Australia, his parents barely making ends meet. They didn’t have indoor plumbing until he was in his teens, but they learned how to play golf by the time they started school.
It’s decent exercise if you walk the course and a great way to enjoy the fresh air. Better than sitting around playing on the Playstation.
We live on a golf course because 1) my husband enjoys being able to walk over after work and hit a few balls and 2) in our area, property values and, therefore, resale values are better on the golf courses. We’ve never had a problem with broken windows, tramples lawn, etc. They designed the lots with huge backyards so you’re not sitting right on the fairway.
As far as why you felt out of place on the golf course…
My husband is a scratch golfer. He takes his game very seriously. He’s not a snot, though…he enjoys playing with people of all abilities. His regular golfing buddies shoot in the 110+ range. What will elicit dirty looks from him, though, are people who don’t obey the etiquette of the game. You know, people who hold up the pace of the game, people who throw their clubs or cuss loudly, people who tear up the greens…did you do any of that stuff? If not, people probably weren’t looking down on you.
I enjoy golf, for the challenge it brings. In a lot of other sports I’ve played it has been rather easy to perform at a given level consistently. It is a challenge to perform consistently in golf (I’m losing that challenge badly). So in addition to camaraderie and competition with others, there is the added aspect (pressure) to meet your own expectations.
As for golf being a game for the rich, I think that is more an image cultivated in the past that has yet to be fully eradicated. Granted golf is not free, but dollar per hour of play, it costs me less than playing hockey. Even equipment costs are less than hockey. Yet hockey though obviously expensive and with limited participation from low income and inner city youth, does not carry the stigma of snobbery that golf still does.
I love golf. I just took it up about a year ago. I usually take a day off work (a plus right there) and head out to the course with some buddies. I dont really like sports usually but how can you possibly dislike this one?
I like golf for the following reasons:
1)Fresh air
2)None of that running and sweating bullshit that I hate about other sports
3)You get a chance to not only play a fun game but also shoot the shit with your pals
4)Funny clothing
5)Golf carts
6)BEER BEER AND BEER!!!
7)Beer
8)Sometimes I like to drink beer while playing.
9)Theres a beer cart
10)EVERYBODY IS BAD AT GOLF. I love it. I never hear anyone at the clubhouse say, “I am awesome at golf”. They all say they stink. It really helps my confidence playing a sport in which everyone sucks. It means I stand a fighting chance
Hear, hear! Not even the pros say that they are great.
I’m a terrible golfer, and nobody I’ve ever played with has ever said anything discouraging to me. It’s always “Hey, that would have been a great shot if that was the green instead of a water hazard.”
Even better – about once every 200 shots (which is to say, about every other game ), that ball goes exactly where it’s supposed to.
Maybe it’s a drive that doglegs off the bounce with the fairway. Or maybe a 6 iron from the rough that hits the green so clean that the ball settles in the ball mark. But man, it’s heroin.
I once hit a drive that went waaaay to the left, bounced along the cart path, bounced over the bridge that went over the water hazard and hit a tree…which knocked right into the middle of the fairway. Best shot I ever made.
Many say that golf is the best way to ruin a pleasant walk in the country, but I enjoy it nontheless. I first started playing when I lived in Denver, CO, where basically the only green places in the summer were the municipal golf courses. It was also pretty cheap entertainment for residents (IIRC, $6/18 holes back in the early '80’s).
I have a feeling what keeps me coming back, like MH, is the joy of striking the ball and (occasionally) having it travel further than is possible for any other human-powered object. That, plus the fact that one ALWAYS has the potential to do better this game than the last.
As for living on a course, have no interest in that, myself.
Never broke 100 yet. Doesn’t matter; hope springs eternal.
I was never interested in the game. I played hockey and football so anything without a lot of contact was a pussy game. Then three years ago someone convinced me to play a game with him to keep him company on a business trip. After bribing me with beer, I agreed. The very next day after playing that stupid fucking game, I bought clubs because I was hooked. I hit ONE shot that went straight and about a mile and a half. I played violent sports, very well, so there was no way that a sissy game like golf could kick my ass.
I’ll be buying a dress soon.
Why do I keep playing this fucked up game? Because of the personal challenge. I KNOW that it’s easy as hell to hit a little ball that doesn’t move. I KNOW that swinging a golf club is an easy task. I KNOW that I can beat my last score every single time. I KNOW that I can play as good as Tiger next Saturday. It’s just me and a ball. Nothing else. So why the HELL am I not at the U.S. Open? I KNOW I can break 100 NEXT time. So why can’t I???
Want to waste time? Play golf. Want to challenge yourself? Try to play golf well. There are 5,453,291 ways to fuck up a golf swing. I’ve found them all, which means there are a few more ways that I just haven’t found yet… but will next week.
I’ve been bitten too.
It’s actually a lot more work than I thought it would be, and getting that ball to go straight is so damn hard it’s maddening.
Then there’s trying to hit it out of a sand trap. Diabolical.
What’s utterly disgusting is watching the pros use an 8 iron to go 190 yards. If someone were to do that to me during a game I might feel obliged to kneecap the person.
Ah, but putting. I am the master of putting.
Swear to gawd. Thing is, our local range has a miniature golf course that doesn’t have windmills or anything else. Just greens with little obstacles on them. Great for learning how to putt. Which is what I did after playing countless games there with my son.
So if I can just get the ball to the green, I’m set. My brother-in-law, a frequent player who basically taught me all I know about how to swing a club, is in awe of my putting. Makes my day.
), that ball goes exactly where it’s supposed to.