Check The Attitude (Part 2)

     Greetings to those of you who are new to the game or are thinking of taking up the game. Those of us who have been playing the game and enjoy it very much welcome you to a future of great fun and fellowship.  Golf is more than just a game and it will stay with you for all of your life if you let it. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but that is only a small part of it. The game and family welcomes you with open and inviting arms.
     As you learn the game I want you to keep something very important in mind. You must keep the game in perspective.  Just starting out you have a lot to learn. Going out and shooting par your very first time on a golf course is not going to happen. I shot a 152 my first time out. Not everyone is a Jordan Speith or Tiger Woods. It takes time and practice and you want to know a secret? You may never get to that point. The key is to enjoy the game where you are at.  It is your decision to get better, but you are where you are now.  Take time to enjoy it and know that you will get better the more you study and play the game. Stay in the moment and know that you are not there forever. How well you play this game depends on you.
     Golf is a game of perfect imperfection. You can never be perfect and there is always something that you can learn about the game and from the game. As you play and get better you learn a lot--both large and small things--not only about the game but about yourself as well. You will never know everything there is to know.  I don't and neither does Jordan Speith, Rory McIlvoy, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods or Lee Trevino. You may ask David Feherty because he seems to know everything there is to know about golf--maybe not.
     The game builds lifelong learners and since you are never perfect unless you were Bobby Jones or Ben Hogan.  I, of course don't mean that. Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan were two of the greatest golfers who ever played the game, but they still practiced and would pick up little things to improve their game. That was one of the great things about their golf genius.  They studied the game and learned.
     My last bit of advice is to hang in there. It does take time and that time is well spent. Think of it as an investment in what is truly ageless and will stay with you forever.  I have been playing for almost fifty years and like a fine wine, the game only gets better to me even though I am not playing much right now or playing that well. Even playing as badly as I am playing right now, there is still that moment that keeps me coming back. I LOVE THE GAME!
     I will have more about being new to the game in future posts but for now I will close.  Don't forget to visit our website at http://golfisforeveryonemd.com. We have some big plans for the website and I would like to hear from you.  I want to hear about your struggles in learning the game.  What stories can you share with others to encourage them or make them chuckle?  I would like them and put them on the website. Send them to me at golfisforeveryonemd@gmail.com.  I am not going to promise they will all be published, but I will get the best on the site. I can't do that though unless you send them to me. Until next time, keep swinging!

The game of golf begins way before the first tee.