As the tournament drew near, I had to deal with the reality that I had to play with a group of guys with much more experience than I. I was worried over whether my team was going to consist of ultra-competitive guys who would grow quickly frustrated with the inept new guy. I was worried with even being able to hit the ball off the T… much less working from the fairway and putting… I was really a wreck worrying over this.
When I finally arrived, with my rented clubs and my company shirt, the team was a fun, positive, very gregarious group of guys. They were thrilled to offer tips and see me show improvement through the day. We played a type of game in which our score is a team score (not scored individually). So, if I were to hit a bad shot, it would not effect the score of the team. This also proved to be of great relief to me.
Once the anxiety was set aside, I began to experience the game. It is funny how much more we experience in life if we let go of anxiety, isn’t it? Another blog for another time!!
But as I began to breathe the morning air… smell the course… drink in the vibrant fairways… feel the spongy greens under my feet… not just as an observer, but a participant… it was more than I would have expected. It was more than a game, but an experience.
So in this way, I was getting a feel for this “walk ruined.” It was so, so far from that. I could begin to see how, in some way, these courses could hold the same therapeutic value you find in Japanese meditative gardens. The crafted greenery… the beautiful scenery… all of it. But really, this is only about the environment, or the playing field, and not the game itself.
The game itself, though, is something different altogether…
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