S. Worthen | Weblog

I went golfing for the first time on Sunday. (Technically, there is a great deal of mini-golf in my distant past, but that only helps when putting.) The weather was perfect, the course apparently cheap, and definitely beginner-friendly, and the company delightful. haggisthesecond coached me through basics on the driving range, and then we were off for 9 holes of golf (the whole course).

Under the circumstances, I did remarkably well. My lowest stroke count was 8, my highest a fluke 23. Most of the time I hovered around 10-12 strokes per hole (where par was mostly 3-4). I beat my coach on two holes, to my astonishment. Admittedly, she's only been playing for three months, and one of those holes was a disaster for her.The last hole was over a water hazard, and on the fourth try, I crossed it, with applause from a watching elderly fellow on the bar patio. It was fun and, to my surprise, physically tiring as sports are. My muscles ached the next day.

Now I know the different between a 5 iron, a 7 iron, sand wedge, and a wood, all of which were meaningless terms to me before this weekend. Also, on the improbable offchance I ever end up in a job where golfing matters, I'll have the basic etiquette of the game down - if not any real competency. (Etiquette note: I knew that whoever was furthest from the hole went next; and I knew this from playing Wii Golf.)