Passions of a 50 year old man – Number 2

Apart from enjoying the ABC (in which, it seems, I am not alone – YAY!) there are other indicators suggesting my premature ageing.

The second is my love of the game of golf. Now I know that many young men and women enjoy the odd hit of this ancient game, but I have taken it to extreme. I play almost every Saturday morning with my dad and my brother, usually crawling out of bed at around 5:30am. Obsessive? Maybe… but I really do love it!

When I look around the golf course on a Saturday morning, there are many who share my passion. But very few of them are under 40 years old. I have my brother there, but at 30 – he’s no spring chicken!

The young guys who do play regularly, more often than not play regularly because they are quite good. The guys who work in the pro shop, the reps on the club pennant team, all have considerable talent. I on the other hand, am not very good. I play despite my ability, not because of it.

What do you think? Is this Saturday morning ritual of early rises, silly outfits and frustratingly chasing a white ball over 18 well manicured landscapes a mark of a man rapidly losing touch with his youth? Or can I be the exception: a cool, young, obsessed golfer?

Artificial long weekend

I have already told you of my longing for the long weekend. So this weekend, I again extended the traditional two days to three in order to play a little bit of golf with some friends.

I must say, taking Monday off certainly gives you a whole new level of appreciation for Sunday. There is no rush to get the shopping done, less stress about finishing household chores before the week begins and a more relaxed Saturday-type vibe about the whole day.

Sunday morning, Bruce was back at the pulpit after some time away and he preached a cracker on Hebrews, especially the first four verses. He talked about the situation of the Ugandan church (where they have just been) and the situation with the worldwide Anglican Communion. He discussed the danger of drifting away from the authority of Christ both personally and congregationally.

Monday was golf at the crack of dawn. Dave Keun and Aidan Carleton joined me for 18 holes at Castle Hill GC. It was a pleasure to catch up with these guys, even though I chopped it up (I came third!). Highlight was Dave’s tap in birdie on the 4th.

Monday afternoon was spent relaxing and watching the Olympics, doing the shopping and just the smallest amount of study for good measure.

I really should take a day off more often! Or maybe we should push for the standard 3-day weekend?

Golfers live longer

Here is that article I alluded to earlier.

It says it controls for other factors. That would be hard to do though I’d think.

Still, any excuse will do. I must play golf every weekend – it’s science!

Maybe I should start hitting up the life insurance companies for a discounted rate?

Golf

Golf is a marvellous though, at times, frustrating game.

Having been frustrating for the past few months, yesterday, it was marvellous.

I broke my handicap for the first time in a long time, bettering it by 4 strokes. I came second in the Saturday morning competition and my handicap now moves from 19.1 down to 17.6.

It was just a matter of getting my chipping right. But you’ve probably lost interest by now…

Golfing with and gorging on gators

This story has come out of the Zurich Classic Golf at New Orleans. An alligator has wandered across the fairway during a pro golf tournament!

That reminded me of the time I played at this golf course in South Africa , where one of the key attractions is the 13th hole with its very hazadous water hazard! (Crocs, not gators.)

But even more interesting than that was this link from the gator story on the BBC website. A snake explodes after eating an alligator! Wow!

Loooooong Weekend.

I’m back.

What a monster weekend!  We were up at Hallidays Point and we had a fabulous time. In brief, the highlights were:

1. Shooting an 87 on the golf course on Friday morning.
2. Kayaking under the Forster-Tuncurry bridge. (Or the Tuncurry-Forster bridge…)
3. Eating roast goat.

Tops weekend.

Got to get stuck into some study this week. Risk Margins and Reinsurance recoveries. Woohoo! Oh, and back to work tomorrow.

Cinq premières choses à faire durant le week-end – Numéro trois

3. Play Golf

Well picked turns. I looooove to play golf.

I attempt to play golf every Saturday morning (it used to be Sunday, but we had to change for 10:45 church).  I say “attempt” because sometimes something comes up and I can’t play, and when I do play, my attempts aren’t always successful.

Lately, I have been in a bit of a form slump. My handicap, an indication of how well I’m playing, is now the highest out of Tim, Dad and I, and has been for some time. My driver has been performing alright, but my short game has been abysmal.

We play on a stableford scoring system which means that, if you play to your handicap, you should score 36 points. Unlike other golf scoring methods, the more points the better. I haven’t scored 36 points since Aus Day and I haven’t bettered 36 points for over a year. I must be on the verge of a big round!

We play in the Saturday morning competition at Castle Hill Golf Club and if you win the comp you get your name in the paper and a gift voucher to the pro shop.