It may be belated, but reviewing experiences and accomplishments of the past year can be both a rewarding nostalgic revisit and can lead to shaping and revealing goals as to the year ahead.
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions many golfers only focus on a number. Whether that is their desired handicap or a round of a lifetime, the unyielding figure that is in the forefront of a golfer’s mind can be both a blessing in the form of motivation but also a curse – casting the shade of inadequacy over future rounds. Abandoning numeric resolutions allows for more detailed focus on parts of the game, especially the invaluable moments that the game of golf can provide.
Remembering golf experiences from this past year, no number stands out. There were some good rounds as the summer wore on, but it was not the digits that were memorable. It was the jokingly overused phrase ‘best of the year’ throughout the first golf round of 2011. When the entire family went golfing as a birthday celebration – yes we were that fivesome that you were eyeing with pace-concerns. The one-dollar-game the family invented as a friendly competition with a dollar exchanging hands throughout the round and the previous hole’s winner announcing the next wager’s conditions – next one-putt, closest to the pin, longest drive.
Thoughts of summer 2011 bring a rush of excitement and a joyful smile: the chance to play golf in Hawaii. Playing on Mauna Lani South and North courses created memories of lava rocks tightly constricting the fairways – which both my playing partner and I never entered except for a photo opportunity – and some of the most breathtaking golf holes that led up to and played alongside the ocean. A chance to play Arnie’s course (Hapuna) on the Big Island not be missed, coming straight from the beach and teeing off with sand still lining your socks. Highlight of that round – one very attached duck on the par five hole number three that followed me from the tee to the green. The prestigious Mauna Kea was especially challenging with winds threatening to knock not only your approach shots down. Its signature third hole hitting over the Pacific Ocean to the green was astounding. Playing the Waikoloa King’s course was quite enjoyable especially due to my familiarity with the architects’ work – Weiskopf and Morrish. The displayed Hawaiian names given to each of the holes added allure; a favorite was “Kao ‘ai mau’u” (grazing goats) where there were actually goats grazing in the rough off the fairway. There were also glimpses of the US Open into the weekend and finally being able to sit down and watch Rory win while waiting at an airport sportsbar.
The fall offered the thrill of watching some local golfing heroes Scott Piercy, Nick Watney, as well as my childhood favorite – David Duval – through volunteering at the Shriner’s Open. Walking the final pairing in, as Kevin Na won his first tournament, was an experience all golf fans should experience at least once.
Another golden golfing memory of this past year did not occur on a golf course but a cow pasture. This moment was one where the game brings family closer together. Visiting extended family is a holiday tradition often stressed over, but when you hit on a shared passion the tradition becomes joyful. With no real golf course nearby, the old cow pasture was a necessary substitute; add a bucket of water-logged balls and a set of clubs a few decades old and an afternoon of hilarity ensues. And that is how I learned to hit off a cow-patty.
A lasting image of this year and for the rest of my life would be the figures of my mom, dad and sister running down the fairway at Cape Kidnapper’s Golf Course in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Besides the adventure of a lifetime, travelling to New Zealand also offered a spot of golf along the way. However, with only three and a half hours allotted so as to not miss our scheduled departure and a water-logged course banning cart usage, we were forced to create a round of sprint golf. Utterly unprepared for a round of golf, the transaction for two bags of rented clubs to share and a couple sleeves of the cheaper golf balls occurred at light speed. This course is listed as number 27 on the world’s best golf courses according to Golf Magazine and plays like it. Without the proper golf footwear we were soggy, slipping and sloshing right off the first tee. The course is very much a links-style golf course, and we had limited time and number of golf balls. Unsure which would run out first, we created a system of teeing off, jogging down the fairway while delegating the pushcart of clubs and individual clubs to the owner of the nearest ball, occasionally searching amongst the fescue in a desperate hope to maintain our dwindling supply of golf balls. Somehow this became a rhythm that allowed some brief photo opportunities at the golf holes with oceanside cliffs directly off the fairway, and at the 18th green. Yes, somehow we were able to complete our water-logged, two-bag-four-golfers round of a lifetime in time to enjoy some very hot tea.
As the new year opens up to all the ambitions and dreams of what could be, I will remember the tally of last year’s scorecard and how so many moments with family defined a memorable year of golf.
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