Today was my 16th consecutive day playing at least 18 holes. Retired, every day ends in "y" and begins with 18 holes of golf. My scores have varied all the way from a 75 up to an 86. Most have been in the 78 to 82 "box". Some days you hit the ball well, but get bad bounces. Some days it feels like you are off on every shot, yet you scramble to a relatively decent score. At 71 years old, some days one body part aches or screams in pain. The next day it's another muscle or joint. But...
If I'm on the golf course I woke up this morning. So many didn't. I'm one of the lucky ones.
I'm playing golf. How many people would love to be where I am but due to financial, physical, emotional, etc. issues they cannot. I'm one of the lucky ones.
I play with a group of guys ranging in age from 60 to 78. We are about as far from "serious" golfers one could find. Depending on schedules, we will have between 4 and 10 show up to play. If we have more than 5 we split into two groups. We trash talk. We tell old jokes over and over and over and ….. We play for BIG bucks. We play for quarters. On any given day you can win or lose from 50 cents to a couple dollars. Any one of us is pained greatly when we lose 50 cents!!! Our game is a game of social interaction, entertainment, not sitting in a recliner and rotting away, and competition. We are the lucky ones.
All I can say is this Great Game is just a game. It is to be enjoyed. If one takes it too seriously, you begin to no longer enjoy the Game and that is not fair to you or the Game of Golf. Find a copy of Harvey Penick's "Little Red Book". Read it cover to cover and memorize some of the tips he tosses out. Relax. Hit the ball. Go find the ball and hit it again. Block the last shot(s) out of your mind and only see the next shot. Laugh with your playing partners and at yourself. Be one of the lucky ones.