Every spring (from roughly 2001 – 2009), I would create a schedule that would be passed around to my foursome (and one or two subs that would fill in from time to time). The schedule would include dates and locations of each course we would play.

And we would play a lot: 18 holes every other weekend and 9 holes on the weekends that we didn’t play 18. From April through most of November, my Saturdays (or Sundays) were spent on a different golf course within 1-2 hours driving distance from my house.

Since 2010 though, things have changed. That year, I played 15 times. 2011 was just 8 times. Last year, 14 times. And so far this year, I have yet to step foot on a tee-box (yes, I realize it’s already well into June).

So what happened? Well, the wife and I (a kid-free couple of 10 years) decided to, well…have kids. My son was born in 2010 and my daughter this past March…and I love them both to the moon and back.

But adding just one kid cuts into a good chunk of your leisure time. Adding a second (as I’m finding out) seems to cut into a much larger chunk than the first did!

The funny thing is I didn’t even really think about not playing until now. Seriously – so far this spring and summer we’ve been to an amusement park; a baseball game; two strawberry festivals; the zoo; the beach (twice); and the local natural history museum (twice). Golf? Not one thought.

Actually I take that back. I did text a buddy to play 9 one Sunday morning about a month ago. What happened? Woke up that Sunday to rain…go figure.

But I guess I really didn’t realize until now that I hadn’t played yet this season, which is strange considering I write for a golf blog. You would think it would always be in the back of my mind. But having kids has a way of changing you.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m itching to get out on the links. This is the longest I’ve gone into a season without playing.

Yes, back when I used to play golf, I loved every minute of it. And the next time I play, I will love every minute of that too. It might be next weekend, or next April – who knows? But the bottom line is you never stop loving this game – whether you play once or 100 times a year, golf has a way of endearing itself to you.

In the meantime, I’ll settle for swinging at a practice golf ball with a plastic 7-iron a foot too short for me. Though it’s not too short for my 2 year old – it seems golf has already endeared itself on him. And that my friends, is the light at the end of the tunnel – soon enough (probably too soon), spending time with my kids will include spending time on the golf course.

How great is that?

Come on now…admit it.  Deep down, I know most of us golf fans have a little voice telling us how much we’d like to see Tiger and Sergio come to blows right on one of the tees, mid-tourney.  I know some of you probably just gasped.  “How could he say something like that?”  But think about it from the stand-point of adding attention to the game.  Something like that would add so much more coverage to the sport, which in turn will lead to more viewers and more fans.  people who are not even golf fans are going to be curious about that.  Hell, they may even tune into the tournament just to see if something else erupts!

I used Tiger and Sergio as examples.  But in reality, it could be anyone on the tour really, however it would only help if at least one of the brawlers was a bigger name on the tour.  The younger generation of sports fans has fewer and fewer golf fans within.  Younger fans look to more physical, fast-paced sports.  And with the rising popularity of extreme sports or X-Games type sports in recent years, several sports are either losing fans or gaining them at a slower rate.  But none more than golf.  So something new needs to happen.

More attention needs to be drawn to the sport, and not only during majors.  I’m sure many people will think that a brawl will just be a black eye on the sport, and maybe it will…temporarily.   But like a brawl in any other sport, it will blow over in a pretty short-period of time.  Afterward, it will just be remembered something like “Hey, do you remember that time when (insert golfer here) and (insert other golfer here) went at in during their round?  That was awesome.”  Well, as long as the fight is a good one and doesn’t look something like this:

Because if it does look anything like that, then the sport is about to lose several more potential fans and gain a whole mess of hecklers.  Talk about a black eye…

Swing ’til you’re happy!

The baseball and apple pie stereotype of growing up American were substituted for football (a.k.a. soccer) and sfogliatelle. See, my dad came to the U.S. in his late 20′s via a few year stay in England after leaving his home in Italy. Oddly enough this not so stereotypical upbringing is also very American. The diversity is why I love this country.

After a recent conversation with my dad, I walked away laughing. My father wants to start golfing and asked me to take him. Normally, it’s our dads who show us how to golf and swing a club. Now the roles are reversed. This should be interesting. Should I get revenge for the times he’s embarassed me as a kid? Tempting, but karma can be a mother.

Well, it’s off to the old track with the old man. Since we got the spitting down pat, I’ll start with the fundamentals…proper use of four letter words. Happy Father’s Day!

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

It’s been a while since we’ve added to this series of posts (see related posts at bottom), but finding an interesting take on the game of golf isn’t something you happen across every day. FootGolf, however, is a worthy golf variation to write about.

“…Combining the distinction, elegance and precision of golf with the passion, energy and fun of soccer in a marvelous sport full of life…” is how the American FootGolf League (AFGL) website (footgolf.net) describes this twist on two world-renownoud sports.

Founded in 2011, the AFGL is associated with the larger Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG). The AFGL represented the U.S. in FIFG’s first FootGolf World Cup in Budapest last summer (there were 12 countries represented in total). So as you can see, the folks who play FootGolf take it very seriously (and it seems to be growing in interest). But what really is this game about that boasts “our balls are bigger” as their slogan? Well, according to footgolf.net:

“FootGolf is a combination of the popular sports of soccer and golf. The game is played with a regulation #5 soccer ball at a golf course facility on shortened holes with 21 inch diameter cups.  The rules largely correspond to the rules of golf.  FootGolf as a game is played throughout the world in many different forms, but as a sport it is regulated by the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG).  The American FootGolf League (AFGL) is the exclusive member of the FIFG and governing body for the sport of FootGolf in the United States.  The AFGL is organizing tournaments throughout the U.S. We are working with golf courses to bring FootGolf to their clubs as another avenue for revenue and to develop the game further.”

As much as the image above might seem photoshopped, it’s not. Make no mistake – the powers that be in FootGolf are specifically targeting regular golf courses in this tough economy. A quote on the site makes the comparison to skiing – when the sport was struggling and snowboarding came along. Ski resorts carved-out a section of the slopes for snowboarders and subsequently added another revenue stream.

It’s in this vein advocates for FootGolf want to see normal golf courses accommodate their hybrid sport. And it’s hard to argue with their logic – everyone in the golf industry is aware of the current economic environment – anything that could help would be beneficial.

I have to admit – while I’m not a big fan of soccer, there’s something about FootGolf that entices me. I’ve never played, but I wouldn’t mind giving a shot. If you watch the video below, you’ll see that there’s no extended running involved – it really is in the style of traditional golf, but instead of using clubs you use your foot (it gives a whole new meaning to the toe iron)!

But can it help the traditional golf economy? That depends on how quickly it can grow – but if the snowboarding analogy holds true, this may not be the last time you hear about FootGolf.

Related Posts:
Variations on the Game of Golf – Disk Golf
Variations on the Game of Golf – Mini Golf
Variations on the Game of Golf – Adirondack Golf
Variations on the Game of Golf – Speed Golf
Variations on the Game of Golf – Project Flogton
Variations on the Game of Golf – Ladder Golf

But we understand that some golfers are a bit nutty over the rules.  Many golfers carry that book with them in their bag.  Heck, some of these golfers practically have it memorized!  But my question is, why so serious?  What is it about golf that makes its players take it, as well as the rules, so seriously?  Like every game they play is a major with a million dollars on the line.

Just a few guys out on their local course with their buddies is pretty much the equivalent of a few guys out on a local basketball court, right?  Or some guys playing in a local softball league.  Well, I’ve done all three, and no players are as passionate about the rules as golfers.  Now, I said “passionate,” but that can easily be replaced with “annoying.”  I’ve seen golfers pull out their rule books on the local course.  I’ve seen players hold up the group behind them by following the rules to the point where every I is dotted and every T is crossed.  I’d like to see someone head down to a local basketball court and try to call an intentional foul…or just about any foul for that matter.  In any pickup game I’ve ever played, I have never seen a technical foul called.  But some golfers?  Come on now.  Same out on a baseball or softball field.  Anyone ever see a balk called during a game?  But I’ve seen golfers pull that damn book out for anything questionable.

So what is it?  There’s nothing wrong, obviously, with playing by the rules. So I’m not knocking it, unless you’re holding everyone else up.  Then that just gets us right back to the whole etiquette thing.  But why is it that people playing other recreational sports can separate the rules from just simply having fun, but so many golfers can’t?  I would ask if it’s a competitive thing, but I can tell you right off the bat, that’s not it.  On the basketball court we’re playing for fun.  But I’ll be the first one to tell you, in my experience, no recreational players in any sport are as competitive as basketball players.  Even in my softball league…we all understand it’s mainly for fun, but no one on my team has the “I don’t care if we win or lose…I’m just having fun” attitude.  First and foremost…we want to win.  Yet still…not one of us is playing the game with a copy of the rules in our pocket.

So do golfers just think they care more about their sport?  Do they feel they are doing the sport more justice by playing as “by the book” as possible?  Do they truly believe they are cheating if they don’t do everything exactly as written?  Are they missing out on some of the fun by acting this way?  Are they putting too much pressure on themselves and therefore losing some of the enjoyment?

See, golf for me is a release.  I have a full-time job which puts enough pressure on me as it is.  The last thing I need is more pressure when I’m trying to do something that should be an escape from the rest of my life.  So why do people do it to themselves?  If you’re one of those golfers who are strictly by the book, then please let me know what I’m missing.  Because I don’t quite understand, but I sure would like too.

Swing ’til you’re happy!