Just Playing Golf…

Did you ever play golf and not keep score?

The other day, I played Lido Golf with a friend and it we decided not to keep score. We started at the back nine because the course was being aerated. We got through it so fast that we decided to play the front nine as well.

It was the first time that I felt that golf was actually relaxing.  I’m sure the company had something to do with it, but it also had to do with the fact that we were just playing golf. We weren’t keeping score.

Usually, I’m so stressed out about how I play the game.  What if I top the ball? What if I hit the dirt first? What if I miss? Thoughts jumble through my head in conjunction with an old golf pro telling me to: “hinge and hold,” “keep the ball off the front foot, the back foot, middle in your stance….” and “remember to hit straight on every shot.” And what if I get over 110? 120?  I will feel so embarrassed…

Now, I’m not saying that I don’t like to be competitive. I do and I try to win (or at least come in second.) But not keeping score was just simply nice.

I didn’t feel any pressure when I played golf without scoring. It was relaxed, stress free and it gave me an opportunity to practice all these things that the pro taught me in golf school in a comfortable, supportive environment.

When I came home, I was talking with my son who also played golf with his father and his father’s friend. He told me he got very frustrated and only shot a 56, when his dad shot a 44 and his dad’s friend shot a 48.  I said the score really didn’t matter and one day he would get a 34! I told him about what I did today with my friend and he said he would love to try that.  “If I did that,” he said, “I would just enjoy the game!”

Tell me about a time when you played a competitive sport but didn’t get competitive…