Greetings all from British Columbia, Canada

[Lefty 1975]

A little something about my golf history...

I played pitch and putt once in a while as a teenager and into my late teens. Back then, golf was a man's sport and considered a bit 'un-cool'

When I hit the age of 19, my older brother influenced me to buy a set of clubs and start golfing with the big boys. Heck, I'd been pretty awesome at hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer and tennis, so how hard could it to go and play a 'big' golf course? Hehe, oh to be young and naive.

I bought a set of MacGregor clubs, and they had to be graphite (which was the latest thing). They cost me $500 in 1995 so at the time I thought that meant they were great clubs. I paid for them and walked down to the driving range - the first time I swung the 3-wood I dented the underside right near where the shaft connected.

So, my first ever game on a big course followed soon after. My brother booked a foursome at Northview in Surrey BC, (which at the time was the home of the PGA's Greater Vancouver Open) We played that day on the Ridge course just two weeks before the PGA event. I was so 'green' just getting good contact was my primary focus.

I can still remember the shot that day which made all the other 100+ strokes worthwhile. The shot that began my obsession with golf which still lives on almost 20 years later to this day.

Come to hole 14, I was shooting my third in a fairway bunker about 180 yards from the hole, water all around the green to the front and right. Since I'd never been in that situation I ask my bro "what do I do?"

He says "maybe a 5-iron and you want to hit the sand on your downswing 5-inches behind the ball"

I just went ahead and took his advice...and let fly.

When my ball landed dead straight ahead on the green and stopped 10 feet from the hole, I felt the game of golf fill my entire soul with joy for the very first time. Although I probably shot 120 that day, that one shot made it all worthwhile. Burned into my memory forever.

Then I learned the ugly side of golf. As a natural athlete, I was always 'above average' in any sport I played. I thrived in team sports where you can see the play before it happens and make the perfect pass/shot/move without thinking and without a second to spare (b-ball, hockey, soccer). Throw in an affliction of Perfectionism (where you hold yourself to ridiculously high standards and beat yourself to pieces when it doesn't work out) and me and the game of golf became enemies. Golf and Perfectionism is a toxic relationship. As I became better at driving from the tee, my trusted short game would go to crap. If I had a good day approaching the green, my trusty putter would let me down in ways I could never imagine.

When perfect wasn't achieved, the 'ugly bastard' came to life in the most juvenile and fiery outbursts. Throwing clubs, smoking my bag with baseball swings, swearing at full volume...snapping clubs over my thigh. I thought I was getting better but still sucking here and there just boiled my Germanic blood. When I design a golf course there will be a big punching bag at every tee box   :)

I gave up on golf right around the time I gave up my willpower and allowed alcohol to invade my life, body and soul. You can't play golf when you spend your Friday night destroying your mind and drinking yourself into numbness. Self destruction replaced everything natural and golf went bye-bye...

Until 2012!!!

After achieving sobriety for 678 days I sat back and thought "I need to re-connect with my sporting side"

Team sports I used to thrive in were all out of question now.

- too much frustration playing with average team mates

- too much 'drinking culture' in adult leagues

- too much wear and tear on my ageing body

Golf. Plain and simple. Golf is all I have left now. No one to rely on. No sore knees or pulled muscles. Just me and the sport until I die. It's all I care about now. I feel like a million bucks waking up every Sat at 6am to play this lovely game now. Saturdays have been reclaimed! I am so alive on the first tee box as my weekend begins with a sport I love.

Thanks for listening (if you made it this far)

PS - I have just returned from my Saturday round. I lost 13 balls, shot 107, and my new Callaway clubs just aren't feeling right yet. The worst round of my season no doubt. I just booked my Sat tee time...there's no stopping me now

All the best to my golfing brethren!

[mvmac]

Great to have you.  If you have any other questions about using the site, check out our "Using the Site" section ,

Here are some great threads to get started and familiar with The Sand Trap

"What do you Do for a Living?" thread .

"What'd You Shoot Today?"

"Best Shot of the Week"

"New Posts" page , too.

The Marketplace

Want to follow some bright people and some awesome members? Check out this article . Want to talk about more than golf or quickly find like-minded folks? Check out our Groups .