Turn Golf’s Clock Back
We may have just added an hour for Daylight Savings Time but golf needs to turn back its own clock. Although FootGolf and larger golf holes are valiant efforts to increase interest in golf they are not golf. Just like touch football is fun and a kind of football it is not the real thing.
The New Society is now under technology’s grasp and the ubiquitous cell phone is dictating policy. This gadget and its Eyes to the Screen syndrome are now many people’s world. Golf is the opposite—it is Eyes in the Sky, to the wonders of nature, to the sights of deer and birds and the beauty of white, contoured bunkers offset by stunning green landscapes. People have enjoyed the outdoors for centuries and this should continue.
I remember as a youth that my goal was to get outside and away from the house and other restraints. Whether it was playing ball hockey in the streets with the dreaded orange ball all Canadians feared, or hitting plastic golf balls over rose bed hazards in my back yard, the world was outside. Now people hover around small gadgets, constantly sifting for information and Facebook exchanges. This is an addiction of another kind. They are missing the sun and dew that the outside world magnificently offers. People want quick responses, instant gratification, and anything that is easy.
Golf is not easy, just like life’s struggles. Golf demands patience, strategy and time. Character building and many other terrific qualities are part of its benefit. Maybe today’s society has shifted where these traits are no longer important and golf has been shunted aside. But view golf as the great balancer of your hectic life. Righting the ship, so to speak.
Venture out to the golf course like yesteryear and with your great friends and beloved family. Walk don’t ride, if you can. This closeness to the ground connects you more with the game and makes you feel you are part of the past and the game’s heritage. Too much use of GPS, and range finders will cause you to miss the essence of the game. These technological crutches belong in the New Society.
Playing golf should be an escape from technology that is now overwhelming us. In fact, I believe that there will one day, be a terrific backlash against all the time consumed on computers, cell phones and other gadgets. People will just want to yank the plugs, leave the electronics at home in a comfortable spot and unwind. The golf course cordially invites you to visit.
What trouble can you get on the golf course? Not much if you see every round as a new and great adventure. Score should not be the driver for getting out there. It should be for comradeship, contemplation, hitting majestic shots that you will remember and wonderful bantering that cannot remotely come close while participating in a texting exchange.
Golf can be for a short 9 holes or a full 18. Drop the devices (if you can) and see the world. My memories are of hitting the perfect, faded drive on the 18th at Pebble over the beautiful ocean, with the trees and the clubhouse in the background. Or, of standing on the 1st tee at St Andrews and soaking in the sights of the Royal and Ancient Building, the historic Rusacks Hotel, the 1st and 18th holes and Scotsmen leaning on the fence wondering where I will drive the ball or top it, if so overwhelmed by such an experience. My hands may have been shaking but I know it was caused by excitement and anticipation, not by a vibrating Samsung phone held in my left hand.