Golf - An Old Man's Game?

I used to think that golf is a boring game for old men. The game just didn't appeal to me at all. And I used to wonder why people hit the ball as far as they could just to go search for it.

For me basketball was the perfect sport. In this game one gets to exercise every single tiny muscle in his body, and on his face too. In this game you walk, you run, jump, and sometimes you even dance. You push with your fingers, grab with your hands, nudge with your shoulder, warn with your elbow and intimidate with your scowl. Yes, I used to do all those things. Until one day my body got bored with all that and simply stopped responding to my brain.

I realized that as I was playing with a bunch of teen-agers from the neighborhood. These kids were running around me in circles and when I chanced upon the slowest, fattest, shortest little teen-ager dribbling the ball less than a meter from me, I thought that this was my chance to show them who's boss!

I poked the ball from behind him and watched his face with amusement as his expression changed from that confident smirk to a puzzled frown. With triumph in my eyes, I looked at the ball as it bounced off into my half of the court. I thought I'd make a quick dash for it, dribble it down on a fastbreak, and lay it into the basket with ease, as the audience cheered. Well, that was my brain thinking.

My arms wanted to grab the ball but it was just too far away. My legs wouldn't budge, as they were still resting from that major effort while positioning myself behind fatty boy a second ago. My heart just went "thump, thump, thumpity, thump". The audience (my lovely wife) was not even looking at us, but was discussing last night's episode of her favorite Korean soap opera with the neighbor.

That was my last basketball game. I though tennis was the perfect sport. In this game one gets to exercise a lot of muscles in his body. In this game you walk, you run, jump, and sometimes you even dance. But you only use one arm and you have a lot of resting time. You may rest while the ball boy is searching for the ball you hit outside the court, while waiting for the other player to complete his ritual before he serves the ball, and you can rest a lot more if you choose the right doubles partner. But one day I injured my finger while opening a new can of balls, after I hit all my old balls out of the court. (I guess that day we didn't have any ball boys on duty). That was my last tennis game.

About a year later, my friend Rey asked me if I wanted to play golf with his group. That time I still thought that golf was a game for old men. But Rey is an excellent sportsman. He used to play basketball and tennis in the local amateur leagues, so I thought that maybe, I should also give it a try.

My first golf experience was at the driving range of Bahrain's Royal Golf Club. My friend, Rey taught me the basics of the game and I realized how hard it is for anyone to hit the ball perfectly unless he/she knows the right techniques of the swing. I also realized that you need a lot of discipline and the right focus to get ahead in this game.

I fell in love with golf then. I thought golf was the perfect sport. I don't think of it as a boring game anymore. Neither do I think of it as a game meant only for old people.
The other night, I was discussing birthdays with my youngest daughter and she asked me, "What year were you born, Dad?"

I told her, and she said,"Wow, you're old"!

In spite of that, I still do not think anymore that golf is just an old man's game.