Golf Essay, Research Paper

Golf Goes Like This

Golf is a part of the lives of millions of people all around the world, and I have been playing long enough to recognize the different types of golfers. The golfing world has been flipped upside down since the entrance of notorious Tiger Woods and his ace rival David Duvall. I have been enjoying this incredible sport for over thirteen years, and I still can’t get over the wonderful morning aroma that fills the air when I walk to the first tee at a six o’clock tee time. From my experience on the course, there are five major groups of golfers. The groups consist of the Sunday afternoon amateur, the social status golfer, the I think “I’m the next Jack Nicholas,” the know it all golfer, and the scratch play enthusiast.

The Sunday amateur is always one of the most fun to watch and also play with. These golfers tend to be very relaxed and carefree. To them it is all about being out on the open course enjoying time with friends. The game is a refuge from all the hard stressful events that occurred during the previous week. It is always easy to spot these golfers because they wander into the pro shop like a lost child who just found a room full of milkshakes. Their equipment on most occasions is either brand new or looks like it came straight from the red light special section of Grandpa and Grandma’s last yard sale. Sunday amateurs come out for one thing only, and it’s to have a good time. This makes for very entertaining play, especially if the course has lots of deadly water hazards or annoying trees that seem to always be moving in front of their ball.

If there is a golf course, a driving range, or even a golf shop nearby, there will always be the social status golfer. The name says it all for this group, they only play so they can say they play and more importantly, be seen at the course. It is fairly easy to spot this type because they are usually wandering around with flashy clothes, expensive equipment, the latest color and style of a Cadillac golf cart, and a very direct sense of superiority. On most occasions these golfers will huddle around each other like a group of old time high school buddies who still think they’re trying to win most popular award in the annual yearbook. Playing with this type can be frustrating. It is often times hard to concentrate when the only thing talked about is the wine of the month or who’s going to pay for dinner after the round. Ironically, the conversations seem to always end up the loudest right at the top of their opponents back swing. Normally, if these golfers could only play half as well as they said they could they would be on the leader board of every major PGA tournament held. Once the round is over, there will always be some kind of argument over who owes whom what. What’s funny is, out of all the bets placed, most of them are never followed through with, which is just one more reason why these golfers really aren’t golfers at all, but more like something to laugh at.

After being around the sport for a while it easy to spot the third group. It is only fair to call these players the I think “I’m the next Jack Nicholas group.” This group almost always consists of young teenage boys who hit the links as often as possible, and each of them believes they’re God’s gift to golf. They always like to stop off by the pool and spend lots of time lounging with the lifeguards. They always try to convince the young ladies they will someday be on national television giving a profound victory speech while holding the world’s best golfer trophy. This young group of teenagers has a tendency to be a real energetic group, always making way too much noise and giving the course manager a headache. Most of these young people are fairly average players with the image in their head of something much more, but every once in a while there will be someone who actually has a swing that’s as sweet as their strut.

The one type of golfer nobody likes to play with is the know it all golfer. Every golfer dreads playing a round with anyone in this group. As soon the ball is teed off there will be a voice explaining what was wrong with the swing and how to fix it. It’s irrelevant the ball landed on the green, and only six inches from the cup. The know it all golfers are very hard to spot, and it’s vital not to be unexpectedly paired with one of these pests. Having to play with a golfer that has this sickness is a catastrophe and could very easily ruin the whole trip, although no matter how cautious one is, it’s basically impossible to know who the know it all golfers are until it’s too late. These golfers have no distinctive trait revealing they belong in the know it all group, but this is definitely one of the worst groups to be classified as. Lots of avid golfers all over the world try to figure out why the game is infested with this bug, but unfortunately the answer and cure are yet to be discovered.

Playing scratch golf is a huge achievement and is a group that any golfer would love to be in. Playing scratch golf simply means the golfer is as good as the course or better. Once a golfer has entered this elite group there is no going back. Lots of times the best of these golfers will never show it. There is methodical feeling that comes with this territory, and most of these players are so good it is impossible to figure out what they’re thinking. Being able to master the game is something very few can say they have felt. This group of golfers is so confident in themselves it doesn’t matter what their opponent is doing. Once a player has entered into the realm of par golf, a great deal of respect follows. This respect is felt by everyone around in the golf community because anyone who has ever played knows the difficulty of the accomplishment.

The sport of golf is not like any other. Regardless of the category or group, the golfing community shares a bond that is much different from all other sports. The drive that must be acquired to endure all of the infinite hardships that come with game not only teaches lessons in the game but also life. Golf is a sport that teaches the value of inner strength and perseverance. The list of things that can be learned from the game is endless, but the one thing instilled in every true golfer is that sense of self production. The simple fact is, in the game of golf, the only person that can make a great golfer great is the golfer himself.