Nineteen Comes After Eighteen

     Your round of golf is finished and you shot what you normally do. What is your next move?  Do you go to your car, take off your golf shoes and put your clubs in the car?  Do you get in your car and drive off for home because you know that you have to get home to mow the lawn or fix the toilet?  Your significant other has a project lined up for you that has to get done, so you leave and hurry home.  That cardiologist appointment you have been dreading can't be rescheduled for the tenth time.  You have to face the music.
     Yes, I have been there and done that. I really don't like to leave the course right after my round.  I prefer to stay and have a soda--or pop if you live eat of the Mississippi River-- in the coffee shop or bar and talk over the round with those in my foursome or others that I know or have just met who want to join in the conversation.  That is a very important part of the game of golf. The social aspect of the game is something that makes golf very special.  Golf is not a "Let's get our round in and get out of here" game.  It is a game that is meant to be shared with others and relived over and over with a little bit of embellishment. This is where lives are to be shared as well as golf.
     Many have said that the game takes too long. I can see their point.  For some it is hard to devote such a large block of time to one activity.  Stop and think for a moment though.  Isn't that the beauty of our game.  Our lives are so cluttered with "stuff" and much of it is so trivial that maybe we need some time to be away from that.  Even more importantly, we need time devoted to relating with other human beings in a non-electric or low tech environment.  Boiled down to it's very essence and I know that some would argue with me golf is a low tech game. That's the way it should be. After that game, we should give ourselves time to debrief and socialize with others. This part of the game is almost as important as playing the round itself.
     I know that it isn't always possible, but don't forget that nineteenth hole. I strongly recommend that you try it after your round. That is the beauty of golf.  Nineteen comes after eighteen.

Your table awaits you and others after your round.