From Young Gun To Ninety-one Year Old Senior Lady: We Are Golfers And We Have A Lot In Common

     I posted last week about a couple of exceptional people in the golf world.  No they were not professionals and didn't play on the stage of worldwide TV or anywhere in the media.  They are two exceptional people who present what golf is.  Kodi Phizer and Patty Bondie are the heart of what golf is.  Although one is an up and coming young gun and the other is a ninety-one year old distinguished lady who still plays golf, they have much in common.
      As I mentioned before in earlier posts, Kodi and Patty were guests on Mark Croft's Desert Southwest Golf Show.  We talked to both Kodi and Patty about their love of golf and what the game meant to them.  If you took all their answers and distilled them down, you could say that the game is very important to them and for many of the same reasons.
      Golf is a game of honesty, integrity and respect.  It is unlike any other game that is played because there are no referees.  The game is dependent on the player to make sure that the rules of the game are followed. It is the only game where you call a penalty on yourself.  In today's society, this is very rare.  Players are expected to follow the rules to the best of their knowledge and should a violation of the rules occur, a penalty must be assessed. Integrity and honesty call for that penalty to be assessed and the golfer gains respect for that decision to call a penalty on themselves.  Let's face it, there is cheating in golf but most cheaters know who they are and so do the players they play with. These cheaters show a lack of integrity and honesty, losing the respect of other golfers. Both Patty and Kodi were very quick to point this out.
      Both Patty and Kodi talked a lot about how golf has allowed them to meet many new people who in most cases become close friends. These are friends that will stay with you in most cases for the rest of your life. Golf is a wonderful activity that brings people from all backgrounds together for not only the game itself, but for the social aspect of the game.  You are meeting new people or playing with friends and just as important as the interaction and fellowship during the round is what happens at the nineteenth hole after the round over lunch or a soda pop or iced tea.  It is important that you enjoy just being out there.  For many of us like Patty and Kodi, golf day is a day we all look forward too.
      I got a very strong sense that both Patty and Kodi were strong optimists. Patty made the comment that golf is a game and you don't want to take too seriously in that winning is not what is most important.  Playing the game is. You don't get down on yourself for hitting a bad shot as it is not the end of the world. Golf is played one shot at a time. As Kodi put it, there is always the next shot and you have to think that it will be better. Normally, it is.
     Both talked about the issue of improving their game. Patty said that in her opinion just because you swing a club doesn't mean you are a golfer. The goal should be to improve your game, even if it is a small improvement.  Kodi pretty much echoed this in that he told us that he keeps the question in his mind, what am I going to do to improve my game. Both Patty and Kodi were committed to keeping their game going forward. Both agreed that the best way to do this was to find a good golf teacher and take lessons.
       Probably the most important thing to keep in perspective that both Kodi and Patty talked about is to keep the game fun.  Reasons for the game being fun may be different, but the idea is the same.  To Kodi, the fun was that he could hit a ball a mile and do it again and again. The keen competition of The Arizona Antigua Junior Golf Tour and playing in tournaments is a lot of fun for Kodi.  So is playing in the club tournaments at the course Patty plays at just as important.  To Patty, going to the social events based around her playing is important to her.  It doesn't matter.  Golf is a lot of fun.  Isn't it time for you to take up the game?
      One last thing that I must say.  Yesterday, our Golf Is For Everyone blog smashed the 25,000 hits barrier.  This is an important milestone for us. Mark and I want to thank you, our readers for staying with us and reading.  We have more planned for Golf Is For Everyone as far as our blog, our website, our Facebook Page and other things so stay tuned. Once again, Thank you for joining us for this journey and being a part of The Golf Is For Everyone family.

Golf knows no age barriers. Time and age is not a problem as far as those who play the game.