More Than a Game

“The game is about the human connections made, the friendships and relationships we create over time.”  –James Dodson

Through a series of circumstances (to be shared at a later date), we had the pleasure of hosting celebrated author and The golfing author of our generation, James (Jim) Dodson and his delightful wife Wendy, for two days in Lancaster, PA. Conversations started easily, laughter came quickly.

Oddly enough, Jim and I have a few things in common:

• Age
• Reverence for our fathers
• (JD) Arnold Palmer/Brooks Robinson (JS) Arnold Palmer/Mickey Mantle
• No regular weekend golfing group
• (JD) Responsible for breaking his mother’ forearm (JS) Responsible for breaking my mother’s ribs
• (JD) Skippy Crunchy (JS) Jif Crunchy
• Both world renowned writers.  Okay, okay, only kidding  But I do have an Instagram follower from Japan!
• We choose to play golf with our friends

I choose to play virtually all of my rounds with two close friends and my brother (Dave, Joe and John). A significant percentage of those rounds are played with Dave (twosome) at the crack of dawn at the Highlands of Donegal on Saturday mornings. We tee off with one bag on a pull cart and one bag on a back, long before the pro shop doors swing open, a half hour before the first green is mowed and at least an hour before the first “authorized” tee time. Two friends, getting around the sometimes frosty, sometimes foggy, all times wet fairways, roughs, bunkers, and greens in approximately two and a half hours. I’m always anxious (sometimes as early as 7:45) to get inside and address the “How Are You Doing/What’s New/How Was Your Week” part of the morning while having a few beers, a few burnt hot dogs, a few bags of chips, watching ESPN/Golf Channel and having more than a few laughs.  The best days are when the patriarch of the Highlands of Donegal, our buddy Abe, joins us and the stories of his experiences flow.  These shenanigans can go on for hours!

Back to the Dodson’s!  One of our agenda items with Jim and Wendy was a round of golf at Lancaster Country Club, hosted by my new friend Mark; an enjoyable affair. Mark and I quickly discovered the Dodson’s are practicing members of Laird Small’s congregation that enthusiastically embrace his doctrine according to “NATO” (Not Attached to Outcome), suggesting a round of golf is about hanging out with friends, beautiful scenery, stories and laughter…never/ever to be spoiled with one’s performance/ expectations. No one kept score, no one cared about their score, there were no wagers, balls were sometimes marked, sometimes not. It was quite simply four new friends, chasing four white balls and interesting conversations.

Note:
Later in the day, Jim mentioned that a golf swing lasts roughly two seconds. Two seconds, multiplied by ninety swings, equals three minutes. An average round of golf lasts four hours, leaving three hours and fifty-seven minutes for fellowship!

My playing partners were kind when I hit my best drive of the day on the par five, four-hundred and ninety-yard seventh hole. My playing partners were also kind when I hit a reasonably good five iron to the one-hundred yard mark. My playing partners didn’t seem to care when I pushed my approach shot to the right of my intended line, landing smack dab in the middle of the pond. My playing partners didn’t seem to care when I proceeded to blade my fifth shot into the face of the pond’s retention wall, rebounding back into the pond. The funny thing about this meltdown was my yada-yada-yada-nine wasn’t catastrophic. A truly foreign concept!

When I break it down, I would rather hang out with friends than play golf.  When I have the opportunity to do both simultaneously, it is very special.  I would like to think there has been a subtle shift in my perspective;  less time focusing on the outcome (NATO) and more time focusing on my friends.

Thank you to Jim, Wendy and Mark for a wonderful afternoon!

Thank you for following Bad Golf Guy!

The back nine can only get better!

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