Lessons

I first pick up a seven iron in 1996. Before that, I could spent hours in front of the television watching Jack Nicklaus play.

It was a driving range in Pontiac, Michigan. I was doing my residency training in Family Medicine.
The instructor handed me a seven iron. He showed my how to grip the club. He told me to imagine that I was in a phone booth, turn to the right and then turn to the left. That's it.

He put a ball on the tee. I turned and turned. The ball went up towards the sky, made a beautiful arc, and landed 100 yards away. I was hooked.

Since then, I bought custom clubs, expensive clubs. I took lessons, had video lessons. I also read many magazines and books. I did it to pursue the ultimate dream of a par golf. Sometimes it felt like work. Sometimes it was very frustrating. After spending all those time and money, I am back to square one.

The golf world these days can be very confusing. We allowed people to tweak our swing. Before long, we are lost. It is no different than life. All the education, rule and tradition get us so tight up that we sometimes forget what's important in the basic human interaction. We are lost in the game of golf. We are lost in the game of life.

It is my hope this year to simplify and remind myself of the real purpose of golf. It is recreation. It is a pastime. It is spending time with nature. It is human interaction at its best. Many times, after playing nine holes with three strangers, we look like we were good friends for years. That is one of the beauties of golf!