According to dictionary.com, a hobby is defined as an “activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation”.  Although I don’t think of golf as a traditional hobby, it certainly fits the definition since it is not my main occupation.  I also derive great pleasure in playing golf, and it can even be occasionally relaxing.

My first interaction with the sport of golf was courtesy of the same co-worker that introduced me to investing in silver.  After working a night shift, we went to a local driving range which turned out to be a small shack next to an open field.  Not being a golfer myself, I did not have any clubs so I used a driver provided by the range (basically just picked one out of the lost and found).  I scrounged the ground for a few tees and went with my medium bucket to the tee area.  Several swings later I was able to at least connect with the ball.  It was by no means a life changing experience.

It was seven years later when I was 29 that I finally took up the sport of golf for real.  My brother-in-law had been golfing since he was a kid and played in high school and college on the golf team.  (My wife even has a cousin who is a teaching pro at a course in the eastern United States.)

Her brother is the one who taught me to hold the club and took me to the driving range for some real practice.  He is also the one who went with me for my first round.  We picked a relatively new and flat course the wasn't very busy.  I certainly was an interesting day.  I ended chasing my ball back and forth from one side of the fairway to the other.  I wasn't hitting it far enough to end up too far off the fairway.  About 75 or 80 strokes later, I had completed the front nine.  Not an auspicious beginning, but I sure had a lot of fun. 

I will always remember when I started playing golf since it was the same year that Tiger Woods began playing professionally.  There was certainly a lot of excitement and press coverage at the time.  I developed a true appreciation of the game.  I remember as a child seeing golf on television and thinking that it was absolutely boring.  Now I find it very interesting and have a much greater understanding regarding the amount of skill and practice required to achieve that level of expertise.

For me golf is a way to get away from the everyday concerns of life.  I find that I am competing more against myself and the course as opposed to anybody else.  I have managed to beat my brother-in-law on occasion, but that is not the main reason that I play.  Out on the course, it is hard to focus on anything else but the task at hand.  I enjoy being outdoors surrounded by beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Some of my best memories relate to golf and golf trips. Each year my brother-in-law and I travel with others down to South Carolina in January for a week's worth of golf. It has become a much anticipated trip that breaks up the winter doldrums. He and I have played golf in Florida and Germany as well. I remember many of the times we have played the day before family weddings.

Golf provides a common bond for many and can be played throughout your life. I had the opportunity to introduce golf to my father as well as my two sons. Hopefully, we can play many rounds together throughout the years and create many memories as well. I certainly plan on bringing my boys on several golf trips over the years.  And if my girls develop a love for the game, they can certainly come along.  If not, they can shop and go to the spa while I golf and relax.