So where does golf sit in your life?

First topic message reminder :

As we all talk about golf on here I think we just assume we are all hard core golfers and that it is our favourite sport. For me it is the sport I like to play the most but I also love playing football. As for watching golf, outside the majors and bigger events I tend not to be that gripped by it. Other than the playing of the game my main interest in golf lies in the history of the game and the architecture.

The sports I watch the most often, and in fact probably have a greater expertise in, are firstly F1 and then football. I would be interested to hear what other sports you people are into and where golf ranks in your sporting life. Hopefully this will be a way to unearth some common interests and some interesting snippets about our sporting life’s.

Actually it would be good to hear about other passions in your life as there is nothing to say a sport is one of your main interests. For me, potentially sadly, my main interests are the sports I play and follow. It would be refreshing to hear that someone on the board had a passion outside sport and especially golf.

McLaren wrote:I drove past the Ardennes American Cemetery the other day, was tempted to pop in but as I have no link to it was not sure it was the done thing.

What were you doing in Belgium, Mac?

To try and get this a little back on track I think it might be interesting and useful when deciding what golf means to you to consider what things in the game have made you emotional.

So what is the most moveing moment people have had relating to golf? This could be a personal moment or one connected to someone elses fortunes.

McLaren wrote:I drove past the Ardennes American Cemetery the other day, was tempted to pop in but as I have no link to it was not sure it was the done thing.

You should have. Can still honour them even without a direct link.

dynamark wrote:NBS Thats a beautiful memory.Thrashing across from Torquay to Brixham and back on the trapeze hanging off the side of Fireball 1891.About 1974.May have raced against you.The 505 took a bit of keeping upright for a couple of teenagers too much canvas.

I did of, course, mean Brixham...rather than Brixton. Looked wrong when I typed it but posted anyway. Doh.

Yeah. Had trouble with the 505s; many capsizes had by all but great fun all the same! 1974 is a bit early for me; would have been around '78-'82 when I was sailing semi-regularly. The more I think about the sailing though, the more I want to go back to it; something serene about it but can be very exciting.

NBS: inded have been there, whilst based in Germany as a singleton me and a few of the guys once a month would have a long weekend jump on a train on a thursday night and go off to varying places around europe to make pilgrimage to former sites of WW2.

We went there for much the reasons you state a feeling that we should go just to witness the scene and see what it ws like. To this day I cannot describe the feeling of evil that I felt around the place, we went on a hot summers day yet even pulling on a thick jum[et could not warm any of us up for many hours after

McLaren wrote:To try and get this a little back on track I think it might be interesting and useful when deciding what golf means to you to consider what things in the game have made you emotional.

So what is the most moveing moment people have had relating to golf? This could be a personal moment or one connected to someone elses fortunes.

Father's funeral wake at the club I learned at. Still need to go back and play the course at least one more time. Memories, memories....

Maverick wrote:NBS: inded have been there, whilst based in Germany as a singleton me and a few of the guys once a month would have a long weekend jump on a train on a thursday night and go off to varying places around europe to make pilgrimage to former sites of WW2.

We went there for much the reasons you state a feeling that we should go just to witness the scene and see what it ws like. To this day I cannot describe the feeling of evil that I felt around the place, we went on a hot summers day yet even pulling on a thick jum[et could not warm any of us up for many hours after

Were you an officer, Mav? You've managed to fit a lot in in 31 years!

What were you doing in Belgium, Mac?"

I love chips and mayo.

McLaren wrote:

What were you doing in Belgium, Mac?"

I love chips and mayo.

McLaren wrote:To try and get this a little back on track I think it might be interesting and useful when deciding what golf means to you to consider what things in the game have made you emotional.

So what is the most moveing moment people have had relating to golf? This could be a personal moment or one connected to someone elses fortunes.

2 most moving moments in my golfing life,

1. as a 15year old playing in a mens medal which we were allowed if we were single figures, I was playing in a 4 ball with my dad and 2 of his friends. Whilst playing what was then the 10th hole gillingham golf club, had just played my approach from a fairway bunker and was waiting for one of my dads oppo's to play his when he collapsed (my dads mate that is) mid backswing, died there on the spot from a Coronary failure. That put golf into perspective immediately.

2. Seeing my 11 year old Daughter this week play in the Womens club championship final in her first year as a member of the club and becoming the youngest ever to make the final. She lost 2&1 but so proud

McLaren wrote:

What were you doing in Belgium, Mac?"

I love chips and mayo.

Unlike Jerome d'Ambrosio, I discovered at the weekend.

Mercurio wrote:

Maverick wrote:NBS: inded have been there, whilst based in Germany as a singleton me and a few of the guys once a month would have a long weekend jump on a train on a thursday night and go off to varying places around europe to make pilgrimage to former sites of WW2.

We went there for much the reasons you state a feeling that we should go just to witness the scene and see what it ws like. To this day I cannot describe the feeling of evil that I felt around the place, we went on a hot summers day yet even pulling on a thick jum[et could not warm any of us up for many hours after

Were you an officer, Mav? You've managed to fit a lot in in 31 years!

Nope no way not ever. I worked for a living... I made it to 2 stripes and loved that, best rank in the forces that one, never took my 3 stripes exam as I loved being a full screw to much. I have done a lot in my 31 years, but I wanted to make sure I made the most of my life after what was literally a mispent youth and some good advice from my dad and his dad. Even now I try to make trips tp places to fit it all in and drag the family along

What is up with Jerome d'Ambrosio, i though everyone likes chips?


Come people lets have some more tear wrenching golfing episodes.

Maverick wrote:Nope no way not ever. I worked for a living... I made it to 2 stripes and loved that, best rank in the forces that one, never took my 3 stripes exam as I loved being a full screw to much. I have done a lot in my 31 years, but I wanted to make sure I made the most of my life after what was literally a mispent youth and some good advice from my dad and his dad. Even now I try to make trips tp places to fit it all in and drag the family along

Oh, get that dig in!

I considered doing Officer Training and went down to Winchester for 4 days to have a look around the Adjutant General Corps mess/barracks. I may have gone ahead with it as well if there wasn't a complete and utter plumsac on the tour with me who liked to tell everyone that he could speak a bit of Polish and Russian because his girlfriend was Polish.

Even in the Q&A session we had he managed to get it into a question

I decided that if I was in battle, I could end up shooting him first which could prove to be problematic for my career/freedom.

McLaren wrote:What is up with Jerome d'Ambrosio, i though everyone likes chips?

I think it's just the mayo he doesn't like.

Mav Im not going to say anything but Im sure we are all thinking off several well known golfing gags.
Attended a friends funeral where his wife spoke emotionally of how much he had enjoyed his years playing golf with us (the rest of the regular fourball)bit of perspective

Maverick wrote:...I worked for a living...

Good answer. Not knowing the real ins and outs of the roles, what put you off going for the additional stripe? From the reading I've done, not enough is made outside the forces of the role the NCOs play.

McLaren wrote:...Come people lets have some more tear wrenching golfing episodes.

And your own contribution would be?

That is why I would never have wanted to be an officer... Was happy with being a Corporal and it's a great rank to have especially in battle, as you run the section you make the calls and get to tell the officers what crap their tactics are as your the one carrying them out. So you get best of both worlds.

SR Colditz a place i'd love to go, My Grandad was there for a year of the war would never talk about the place other than to say he was their, even a couple of pictures to prove it, my dad has those locked away with the medals

Maverick wrote:...1. as a 15year old playing in a mens medal which we were allowed if we were single figures, I was playing in a 4 ball with my dad and 2 of his friends. Whilst playing what was then the 10th hole gillingham golf club, had just played my approach from a fairway bunker and was waiting for one of my dads oppo's to play his when he collapsed (my dads mate that is) mid backswing, died there on the spot from a Coronary failure. That put golf into perspective immediately....

Something happened very similar to a close friend of my dad and someone I knew well as he was always great with us as juniors. He had what turned out to be a coronary while playing but seemed not too bad. Ambulance took him to hospital but he just declined the same day and that was that. Quite apposite as well given the war-talk as he'd lost an arm while on army training as a young man throwing away a grenade some twit had dropped having armed it. He played golf off about 10-13 one armed, playing in either a left- or right-handed style.

Navy

Not really the emotional or sentimental sort but the magic of playing the old course always gets me.

navyblueshorts wrote:

Maverick wrote:...I worked for a living...

Good answer. Not knowing the real ins and outs of the roles, what put you off going for the additional stripe? From the reading I've done, not enough is made outside the forces of the role the NCOs play.

NBS indeed they do not get enough importance put on their roles, they are the day in day people that run the forces on their feet, and for that should get more recogniton but such is life

navyblueshorts wrote:Something happened very similar to a close friend of my dad and someone I knew well as he was always great with us as juniors. He had what turned out to be a coronary while playing but seemed not too bad. Ambulance took him to hospital but he just declined the same day and that was that.

That sounds like the Seville player, Antonio Puerta, who had a heart attack during the match. He was treated, walked off the pitch and then quickly declined after that.

If you like to be ghoulish, there's a video of it on You Tube.

oldparwin wrote:Must admit I do love watching golf, yes I have sky and I am addicted to the live golf from Thursday to Sunday, its ideal its on about 8pm as the wife can enjoy her soaps, in the lounge, and from my den, I can enjoy the fairways of America

So, I get back from the gym, pop in a pizza, open up a chilled bottle of Badger's Hopping Hare and sit down in front of the TV and then I'm reminded that the golf doesn't start until tomorrow.

I've played golf (badly) for over 30 years now. Growing up as a lad in Glos (big rugby area) played that at school and club level but used to get completely mullered by the bigger lads (a lot of the Gloucester and England boys grew up playing rugger at the little local club 1/2 mile from my dad's home). Used to play a lot of 5-aside footie and when I worked for the 'Q' played cricket for Cheltenham Civil Service for several years. These days golf and exercise classes are about my lot and the dubious pleasure of watching Blues ebb ever closer to the foot of the Championship and the burgers they serve up outside the ground are bloody vile! Not much time for anything else except for drinking beer and (unsuccessfully) chasing tail around Nam

Just opened a chilled bottle of Nottage Hill, settled down to watch live golf, like Mercurio, one day to soon, so back to Time Team on Discovery History!! well cant waste a nice bottle of wine

Just read this thread...

Golf is recently new for me. Football used to take up a lot of my time, training twice a week and playing on saturdays. Had to give this up due to injuries and less time available for 'leisure' activities. So golf replaced my weekly sports fix. I try to play every saturday, more through the summer, and practice at least once a week. If it comes between spending time with family, friends and more importantly my wife then I'm not that bothered to miss out a little. However, I would go crazy if I didnt have some sort of physical activity to do, which is probably down to being involved in football for so long. 2 weeks is about the most I can handle without either playing golf, running, cycling or swimming. I didnt grow up sitting infront of a telly or computer compared to most of my friends and certainly didnt live in an environment where sitting on my bum 9-5 5 days a week consitutes a weeks work. So whilst I do love golf I think it probably could be replaced by something that keeps me busy.

Lairdy wrote:So whilst I do love golf I think it probably could be replaced by something that keeps me busy.

Blasphemer!

Laird

OUt of interest how does sitting on your ass 9-5 not constitute work? I could go chop down a tree or dig up a road but it would hardly stretch your mind would it?

On another note, what level of football did you make it to?


As to golf v friends/family I have chosen golf in that scenario many a times. I see nothing wrong with that as long as you dont do it too often.

McLaren wrote:
As to golf v friends/family I have chosen golf in that scenario many a times. I see nothing wrong with that as long as you dont do it too often.

Ditto.. I try to figure out just how much golf would annoy my wife.. and then play just a little less - to be fair she's quite supportive and my son is old enough now to play competitively with. So I play three type of golf - corporate golf as part of my business life, fun golf with friends and family and serious golf in the club competitions and monthly medals.

Have to say like you Mac and Bob I too have done this and will probably continue to do so. As long as I make sure I spend time with my wife and Kids then they really dont mind how much golf I play.

As for friends most of my mates play golf anyway so no issue there, and as i no longer live in the area my friends do this is not an issue as we arrange meet ups once in a while that revolve around 18holes and a few beers after

What is the saddest thing anyone has done to play a game of golf?

So this could be something you missed to play the round or maybe you went to extreme lengths just to get to the course?

I trapdoored a stag weekend a night early to ensure I didn't go a weekend without a game.

To be fair SR, why anyone thinks a) you want to be involved in stag do and b) if you do go, why they deserve a whole weekend of your time is quite astonishing. I really don’t get the appeal of stag do's and would happily skip one to play golf.

All stag-dos should be based around golf, no?

Dumped an ex girlfriend the night before a round as she had arranged for me to go to a weekend away with her parents at their summer cottage. The ultimatum was miss one weekends golf for a potentially life changing weeked as they were very rich. I chose the golf over her and the money in her family played a damn fine round of golf and ended up playing in a matchplay knockout final v's her dad later that summer and I beat him....

Turned out well though now have the mest Mrs and family imaginable so don't regret that at all.

Another was missing my parents 40th Wedding anniversay to play a competition. My mum was not happy but my dad defended me saying if he had a comp the same day he'd have missed their anniversary too.

Mac, that's a bit harsh, I've had some excellent stag weekends providing they are based around decent activities. I've played golf at some, been fishing, gone shooting, mountain biking, England Stags V Scotland Stags at football.
It's all good fun. I'm not a fan of the debauched weekend in Prague as it makes me ashamed to be British, but I don't see the harm in a well organised weekend, such as I've had in the Highlands lately, opportunity to meet some new mates before the wedding reception and hear about the stag from a different point of view.

Im off on a stag tomorrow. Dont know the guy that well, my wifes a bridesmaid but know a couple of other guys going well. Its a day white water rafting at the Olympic canoeing site and then a double header at Twickenham of premiership games followed by beers in Richmond.
Im not a big Union fan (internationals aside) bit its nice to do something you wouldnt normally do and meet a few new faces, also means there will be more people you know at the wedding which makes it more enjoyable.
Wedding is in Italy and the hen do was San Sebastian so best not to add up teh whole cost or yo uwould never do any of it but hey, you have to spend money on something.

My wife thinks I have some sort of compulsive order, where I just throw myself at something like I cant just have a medium interest in something. Could be right! I already know that any children on the horizon would replace golf as my thing. I dont think I can be that person at the club who has a baby or young kids and still get to the course 2 or more times a week. There is plenty of them btw!

Mac, perhaps I over done it with the work comment. I do actually consititute sitting on my bum as work and my job does require a fair amount of thinking but I really miss activity when I dont have it. I grew up on a farm where physical activity makes up a lot of what you do (as does thinking like in any other business). Sitting around a lot and not doing much physical activity ends up doing my head in! I end up struggling to concentrate on anything. (probably why I come here a lot during work!) I dont know if its a red blooded man thing or not? I wouldnt be that proud to say it was really.

Played only at amateur level. Fairly decent level though, not that sat or sun am stuff, proper sat 2pm amateur football! My team got to the premier div of the stirling and central district and are still there as far as I'm aware. Wish I ate healthier during those times. If I ate as healthy as I do now I would have been so much fitter, not that I really struggled thro 90mins but it would have made some sort of difference I'm sure.
-------
The secret is to get the family into golf! I might tell the odd white lie to get an hours practice in but wouldnt stretch it to a full round!

Maverick wrote:My mum was not happy but my dad defended me saying if he had a comp the same day he'd have missed their anniversary too.

Heh - Top Man!

Since people are putting their football careers on the table, I'll throw in Northern League Football.

Good man! Wonder why so many people are interested in the same two sports when they are so different? Because they are different?

Mercurio wrote:

Maverick wrote:My mum was not happy but my dad defended me saying if he had a comp the same day he'd have missed their anniversary too.

Heh - Top Man!

Top fella my dad, my mum turned 65 last week, she went to work he went to Wentworth...

As for footy careers. Ryman Premier 2 seasons only, was my only ones allowed to play in this country when I was in the Army as they have to sign off the papers. In Germany a further year in their 3rd division probably the equivalent of our conference. then came the tours of duty which meant the only football was the odd outing in Satruday afternoon premier league for my mates team

As far as viewing, baseball first and golf second (but not by much). That said, can the Yankees/Red Sox game take any longer than they do?!?

The history and architecture of golf interest me a good deal. Amazing when courses that were built nearly 100 years ago or more still challenge golfers of all levels. Golf also demands precision of your large muscle group, small muscle group and (most importantly) your mental state. (Which is why to this day I find Tiger Woods golfing accomplishments so astounding.)

Bit of food/wine guy. Living in the "Peoples Republic of Pennsylvania" and their archaic liquor laws has given rise to many exceptional BYOB restaurants. Great food and great wine at a very reasonable price. If any ever find themselves in Chester County PA food here absolutely rivals anything I've had at The French Laundry, Per Se, and Le Bec Fin (although reservations are about 2 months in advance). http://www.birchrunvillestorecafe.com/

First round of golf in 6 months this morning. Golf doesn't even register on my list of priorities anymore.

Marcus wrote:First round of golf in 6 months this morning. Golf doesn't even register on my list of priorities anymore.

Any reason for falling out of love with the game? Do you think you will ever get back into the game?

McLaren wrote:

Marcus wrote:First round of golf in 6 months this morning. Golf doesn't even register on my list of priorities anymore.

Any reason for falling out of love with the game? Do you think you will ever get back into the game?

We had our first child back in April, and she takes up a lot of time. I'm also really busy at work, and when the weekends come around I much prefer to relax than to get out on the course.

I actually played pretty decent yesterday, all things considered...I just didn't enjoy it. I doubt I'll get back in to golf. I gave up once before at 18, and didn't miss it for the 9 years I didn't play, so I doubt I'll miss it if I don't play again.