Golf is Like Sex

I think it was Jimmy DeMaret who observed that: "Golf is like sex. You don't have to be good at it to enjoy it." And, I suppose truer words were never spoken.

If the saying is true, a good number of golfers, and if I'm pointing a finger here, three are pointing right back at me, are missing out on so much pleasure and enjoyment because they are so busy working on their game instead of playing their game. If you must work on your game, because there is certainly nothing wrong with trying to get better, try to do so on the range, or while you're playing by yourself. Because if you are working at golf, you're not playing golf. And if you're not playing golf, you're missing all the fun.

Perhaps that is one reason I like the teaching of Bobby Jones so much. His teaching was not aimed at turning the average golfer into a scratch player. It was aimed at helping the average player get the most, and by most, I mean the most enjoyment, out of his game.

We need to listen to Jones' advice and, unless we have the time and inclination to devote a great deal of practice and study to the game, we should be content to do the best we can with what we have to work with, rather than ruining our walk on the links worrying about our golf swing, or our score for that matter. We need to play as hard as we can, savour the good shots, accept the bad ones, and add the strokes up at the end of the round. 

If we play more and work less, we just might find we play better and, even if we don't, we'll still have a lot more happy memories.