Golf goes all-inclusive
Editorial Department • Published 5 Jan 2012 13:00
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How golf has changed. Golf is used to the odd sniper taking potshots at its integrity but the tired old arguments wheeled out to beat the sport about the head no longer hold water.
Images of exclusivity, where women were banned from the clubhouse etc. may once have made big headlines, but paint an inaccurate picture of golf in the 21st century as anyone who plays the game will testify.
The reality is that golf is hugely popular and accessible, in fact it's now considered positively hip and cool - a fourball with mates and beers to follow is about the perfect summer's day out for many.
At its most rudimentary level, its appeal lies in the fact that there is something innately satisfying about teeing up a ball and thrashing it as hard as you can. It conjures up memories of youthful indiscretion, of throwing stones as far as possible and seeing them hit their intended target - a disused garden shed window or abandoned old car - and the resulting clatter/thud/crash of success.
It's not just about golfers seeking a cheap thrill or adrenaline rush, golf proves strangely addictive for altogether much more subtle reasons.
It's partly the ritual involved - packing your golf bag for a day's golf is a bit like planning a trek up K2 with every contingency to be covered - rain, sun, cold, hunger, thirst, new glove, pen, scorecard, tees, balls (plenty of those) and the latest gadgets.
Then there is the equipment itself to marvel at - the tools of the trade. Gleaming silver irons, drivers with heads the size of Pluto, fairway woods, hybrids and putters of infinitive variety.
Once you're primed for action, bag loaded complete with essential gadgets the real business begins - the addictive, gripping part of golf that keeps you coming back for more - the round itself. Four hours of mostly pleasure but sprinkled with various doses of agony, joy, frustration, hope and not a little despair.
The course is where the love affair is cemented. The first tee on every course brings with it the potential and thrill of anticipation of what might be, the first shot of every new round heralds the start of something special. Eternally optimistic, it's always the same, today's the day you cast off the shackles of your handicap, unleash your true potential and blitz the course like the great golfer you know you really are.
Of course reality then kicks in - you top the shot, the ball shoots off like a heat-seeking missile, maintaining its perfect height of just a foot off the ground for all its 90 yard journey.
Dream over for another round but there's still another 17 holes to go and hey, hold on, if I get my five wood to this, actually manage to get a half decent connection, I'll still have a chance to get on the green, sink the putt and...
But it's not all about competitions, draining putts and shaving strokes off your handicap.
Golf is something more too, a chance to let day to day stresses drift away to be replaced by a kind of happy golfing stupor.
To book Golf lessons or any other enquires about Golf Equipment: Call to Enniskillen Pro Shop or call 028 66325250 or email liam@thegolfcabin.co.uk
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 05 Jan 12
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