{"id":1052,"date":"2011-04-21T10:50:15","date_gmt":"2011-04-21T10:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buffalogolfer.com\/wordpress\/?p=1052"},"modified":"2011-04-21T10:50:15","modified_gmt":"2011-04-21T10:50:15","slug":"the-first-round-of-the-year-what-the-heck-was-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buffalogolfer.com\/wordpress\/the-first-round-of-the-year-what-the-heck-was-that\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Round Of The Year: “What The Heck Was That?”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author’s Note: This is a reprint of the first column I ever wrote for BuffaloGolfer.com six years ago. It’s about the first round of the year, which I imagine many area golfers are experiencing. Much of it (other than my college references) still rings true today.<\/em><\/p>\n

That was the response of my friend as he and I watched my first tee shot of the year clip a tree branch and bounce into the fairway of the hole running parallel to the hole I was playing.<\/p>\n

I pulled the brim of my hat a little lower and watched the ball bounce and bounce in the wrong direction as I pretended to not hear my friend. I tossed my driver back into the bag and shook my head in wonderment.<\/p>\n

My friend, knowing I was ignoring him, reiterated his point.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the heck was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Slyly, I replied, \u201cWell, I\u2019d say that\u2019s golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two of us shared a laugh as we trekked after our balls. It had been almost nine months since we\u2019d last teed it up together.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For many college students like me, the first round of golf doesn\u2019t come as soon as the weather gets nice. Instead, it often comes a few weeks later when students return home to their nine-irons and home courses.<\/p>\n

The weeks spent watching and waiting while other people lace their Foot-Joys and head to the course ignites even a stronger passion inside the hearts of many young golfers. And sometimes, it can drive them a little bit crazy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf only I had a five iron,\u201d they\u2019ll say to themselves. \u201cI\u2019d go over to that course and hit flop shots and stingers. I\u2019d shoot par with a five iron and a shoe horn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, \u201cGod I\u2019d give anything to get buried in a greenside bunker and make triple bogey right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0However, as my friend and I were learning on that warm May day, the first round of the year is always well worth the wait. For people who truly love the game, playing the first round of the season is like catching up with an old friend for a good couple of hours.<\/p>\n

However, it isn\u2019t just college students whose hearts beat a little faster when they dust off the clubs for the first time. The love of golf, and the newness of the opening round, transcend all ages. After spending most of my last six summers working at Elkdale Country Club, I\u2019ve seen many examples of this.<\/p>\n

It happens to young adults as they tee it up for their high school matches and get to experience the thrill of competition for the first time on the links.<\/p>\n

It happens to middle aged men who barely can find time to play the game they love.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere you been all year Tom?\u201d they\u2019ll say to their friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been busy. You know with the kids and the wife and the new house,\u201d he\u2019ll reply. \u201cBut it feels good to be out here now. It\u2019s a great day for May.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the friend will reply, \u201cUmm, Tom. It\u2019s August.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe the group that experiences the joy of the first round the most is the elder population. For some of them, just making it through the winter months and getting to tee it up for another summer is an accomplishment. Others spend their winters in the south and are overjoyed to play with their old friends in the North.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh gee,\u201d they\u2019ll say when they meet up with their old playing partners. \u201cI broke 90 once down there. It\u2019s always a good day when my scores lower than the temperature. But god it\u2019s sure good to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you, too,\u201d is the common response followed by a warm embrace.<\/p>\n

Whatever a person\u2019s age, it seems that there is something special about the first round a golfer plays every year. In many cases, a golfer\u2019s usual foursome is as strong a family is the one he has at home. People who would never even speak to each other off of the course often build lifelong relations amidst sand traps and spike marks.<\/p>\n

I asked my friend if he had any ideas about what it was that made the opening 18 holes of the year so magical and magnetic. He shook his head and responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly. I think it\u2019s a combination of all the emotions and feelings the game brings. When people spend four months or six months away from the game they miss out on a lot. They miss out on friends, memories, stress relief and joy. They don\u2019t get to experience the agony of missing two-footer. They don\u2019t get to be overcome with joy when they chip it in from 30 yards. They don\u2019t get to feel so nervous that they want to vomit in their golf shoes as they stand over a match-clinching putt.<\/p>\n

More than anything, I think when a golfer\u2019s away from the game for a long time, they get lonely. A part of them is missing and when they return for that first round, they get to feel alive again. But, in all honesty, I don\u2019t know what you\u2019d call that.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, as I watched my punch out shot bounce in the fairway and into the rough on the other side I replied, \u201cWell, I\u2019d say that\u2019s golf.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author’s Note: This is a reprint of the first column I ever wrote for BuffaloGolfer.com six years ago. It’s about the first round of the year, which I imagine many area golfers are experiencing. Much of it (other than my college references) still rings true today. That was the response of my friend as he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-mouth"],"yoast_head":"\nThe First Round Of The Year: "What The Heck Was That?" > BuffaloGolfer.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/buffalogolfer.com\/wordpress\/the-first-round-of-the-year-what-the-heck-was-that\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The First Round Of The Year: "What The Heck Was That?" > BuffaloGolfer.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Author’s Note: This is a reprint of the first column I ever wrote for BuffaloGolfer.com six years ago. 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