Meditations on golf

We’re just wrapping up that nice time of the year in Texas. Technically, we get two nice parts of the year: the one after "winter" and the one after SUMMER. It’s nice in that you can sit outside with the dogs and just enjoy the air, the sounds and the fact you can sit idly without wishing you were in a climate-controlled environment.

This year I’m actually taking advantage of this part of the year by golfing. All the public courses are blooming: the fairways are green, the bunkers are as sandy as they’ll get and the greens are in peak condition.

My golf game is improving; a novel experience. I’m hitting some fairways, some greens and making the occasional nice putt. It’s like seeing an investment pay out. Hopefully I’ll finish the summer hitting under 100 on a regular basis.

Golf is nice, for me, because it’s as close as I get to meditation. I don’t think about code, politics, or finance. I just think about the previous shot and the next shot. In fact, the less I think, the better I do. Golf is my chance to attempt nihlism.

Golf is relaxing. It’s a little vacation. I sometimes see guys out with their wives. They’re doing it wrong. The point of golf is to spend some time away from everything. By this definition, professionals like Tiger Woods are doing it wrong too. Maybe I’m on to something here.

There’s a moment in my game, somewhere on the last three holes, where I realize I’m going to have to go back to being responsible. This moment is like hitting a bad shot; you think you can do better. On the other hand, it takes a long time to play eighteen holes, so getting back to responsibility is a good thing.

What would I do if I didn’t play golf? I don’t know. Golf, as lame as a lot of people think it is, does good things for my brain. Maybe that explains my obsession/addiction. Luckily, I’ve given up my Call of Duty 4 addition. This Old Republic game could prove troublesome though…

Adam Keys @therealadam