Beautiful day today, even though I got up at the crack of dawn to play…golf! My first time, got home to find that the Sunday after I left on holiday, Davin, Tafarai, and Chris had started going out Sunday mornings to play…coincidence or did they need something to fill the void I left in their lives? When invited I thought I would go, after all, I have never really understood the lure of golf and found it quite curious…and my internal clock is still waking me up abominably early do what I will…this is what the world looked like on the way to Davin’s in Lincoln Heights:
Sunrise over the scenic LA river and the assorted school buses and factories that line its banks…must say, they almost look beautiful in this light!
Went to Pasadena, bumping the Young Jeezy (It’s understood, I do it for the hood) in Chris’ “new” truck, I think we made quite an entrance. Had breakfast first, then hit the driving range for a warm up. Chris showed me the ropes initially, but the guy next to me was hitting the hell out of his balls, straight and all the way to the end of the range, more impressive than I can say and making me feel quite low. Until that is, I had what can only be called a “beautiful girl” experience, though I was unshowered and not especially nice looking this morning. Now, I’m sure everyone knows what these are: beautiful women get the special treatment wherever they go, and men carry their things and do things for them and help them when they just stand around looking like they need it. Needless to say this never happens to me. But this lovely Japanese man stopped his practice, fixed my grip and stuck two tees between my thumbs and forefingers so I could tell I was holding the club right, fixed my stance, watched me hit poorly and gave very helpful suggestions, and even lent me his glove. Would have let me hit some of his balls too when mine were done, but by then the others had finished our buckets so I had to bid him adieu. He said he really hoped I came to love golf…and I think I do! He’ll never read this, but I’d like to thank him because he really did make a world of difference in my swing!Went to the shop which was open by that time and bought my own glove…feeling like a cross between Michael Jackson and hot professional golfer, we started the first hole. First shot went 10 feet to the right directly into a large bush, but I remained uncrushed.
Anyways, here is Chris…he is the only one of us who actually knows what the f$%k he’s doing and came in at 11 over par…
And that’s in spite of the fact that he had to work all of last night. He gets to wear his name on his shirt, I’m a bit jealous, and shall add it to the criteria of what I’m looking for in my new job.
This is Davin, his fourth time playing and he came in second, shan’t give you any more scores cause they’re a bit embarassing…still, he came in second after hitting three balls into the water, so that gives you some idea.
And Tafari in third on his third Sunday, though I beat him on the first 9! Was feeling like a prodigy until I really started playing like crap.
No photos of me, sorry to disappoint…but I shall never more talk shit about golf as a sport, and must admit I’m feeling it a bit in places I didn’t know I was supposed to have muscles. Though the fact I hit the ground rather hard a couple of times could explain the sadness of my right arm, especially going into the second 9, I would have been quite happy to call it a day before that. The good news is that I can hit straight, just not far – that will come, right? And I don’t like putting, it makes me feel like Happy Gilmore with the cursing and breaking things, but shall work on it. Because I can think of few things that feel as good as getting a clean hit on a good swing and hearing that sound the ball makes when you hit it square and watching it sail away (not too far away in my case, but still)…it’s like that perfect shot in soccer when your foot catches the ball in that sweet spot and it feels absolutely effortless though the ball rockets off and goes exactly where you want it to go…I miss that! I should try and start up soccer again…
It was quite extraordinarily entertaining, I admit I was a bit dubious, but think after all I shall be joing the Sunday ghetto golf brigade. Might even buy myself a polo shirt. I shall wait on the shoes, what right have they to charge $150 for golf shoes? Makes me want to liberate a pair, but my conscience makes me keep pretty well to the straight and narrow.