Well, hello again dear readers! Still learning the ins and outs of this blog writing thing. I'm naming this one "Birdies and Booze."
All you golfers out there know what I’m talking about…it’s tradition to have a “shot” of liquor or liqueur when playing golf if you score a birdie, which is one shot under par. Remember, in golf, it’s the lowest score that wins not the highest (sorry, Barney Fife). When one player in a group scores a birdie, all players in the group take a shot! How many times did my golf game go straight down the toilet after that shot? A bunch.
Of course, you can turn the shot down and drink a swig of water or other beverage you have with you. WHAAAATTTTT????!!!!! Well, that never happened with me. In fact, if my group was struggling to get birdies, I would suggest that we start having shots if we made pars. And, as my game deteriorated…maybe we should have shots for bogies. And did I mention that I always had booze in my bag for such events? Might as well drink if you’re playing bad that day, right?
It’s a well known fact that many people play golf more for the drinking than the sport. Many golfing accidents involve alcohol, whether it be hitting someone with a club, ball, or flipping a golf cart. Sad, really, that such an honorable game can be so chaotic.
So when I found freedom from alcohol, it was interesting to see how I would react when that first birdie came. Well, I made one. And then I made another birdie. And a few pars. And then you’ll never guess what happened…my handicap index fell, which basically meant I became a better golfer. Who’d a THUNK??? For literally decades of golf I was under the impression that a drink or two made me a better golfer. Relaxed my swing. Helped me focus and not choke under pressure. I had experimented with this concept before…telling my golf friends I was passing on a beer after nine holes if I was playing well. But then, if the bad hole showed up, the experiment was over. And my score went higher… and higher.
Playing well was an excuse to drink. Playing badly was an excuse to drink. I should have stayed home and spent four hours with my cooler on the back deck instead of even going to the course!
You know what? Alcohol lied to me. Alcohol is NOT my friend nor is it my secret weapon to do anything well.
So my challenge for all the golfers out there is to put water in your coolers instead of beer, leave the shots at the liquor store on the shelf, and go get some natural birdies and pars! You may find you enjoy the game of golf much more than you ever did while drinking. And you will also note the beauty of simply being out in nature.
So FORE-go the drinks and go have some real fun out there!
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