You're a Bum, Rock

I am a horrible golfer. Maybe it's not correct to say I am a golfer. I am horrible at golf. This is not only a statement about my skill, but also my attitude toward the game. The few times I have played, I got bored... by the third hole. It seems a bit repetitive to me.

I understand that other people enjoy golf. I see the sport and skill in it. I can see how people might find ways to challenge themselves and become obsessed with it, develop their talent, hone the physical aspects of their game, whatever else one might do to be better. I am not one of them. I don't play golf. I am also not someone who finds it necessary to belittle the sport because I don't enjoy it. Even if you can smoke and drink alcohol while you do it- it could still be a sport. Maybe especially because you can smoke and drink. I don't know. Like I said, I'm not a golfer.

I do however whack balls with a golf club. I do this for my dogs. But a while ago someone pointed out a good deal that was wrong with my swing. He implied I didn't know how to swing a golf club and hit a ball correctly. What's to know? I wind back and swing. The club head hits the ball. The ball goes in the general direction I want it to. A dog chases after the ball and brings it back. I do this well enough for my dogs.

My mistakes were pointed out, I was told exactly what I would need to do if I wanted to not only swing better, but swing correctly. He talked as if the position of my knees mattered. Like I should look someplace specific. Like he knew what was right.

He did, he was. With his advice I could hit a ball straighter and farther than I could before. I still don't have a desire to play golf. But I could if I wanted to, and I could do it right.

It turns out there's more to it than whacking a ball. Even if I did it with a lot of passion, even if I felt that God was leading me to whack that ball (maybe?) I needed somebody to tell me how I might do it better.

You might say I was coached and that coaching involved telling me what I was doing wrong and how I might do it correctly.