Sunday, November 21, 2010

It's a Golf Thing

I think we can safely say that summer is now here. Finally! Drinks in the sun, the sand on your toes and socializing with friends, who does not like summer?

 However, I find summer can be a frustrating time for women who have partners or husbands interested in golf.

 It certainly can be for me.  

I have learnt one important thing about boys - they are not just obsessed with football, but every other sport including cricket, table tennis, tennis, basketball, Wii sport (if that counts) and golf, and during the summer months, these addictions are at their peak.


Over the years I have noticed that golf has become one of the single most popular pastimes among my male friends. Hitting the fairways and spending countless hours under the sun seems to be the way they prefer to spend their summer days.

Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with this. It however frustrating when I only really see my partner (Tom) on weekends which happen to be the days most men play golf.

I had wrongly assumed that my partner would, after a long morning of training in the sweltering heat want to retire to the comfort of his air-conditioned living room, or maybe, possibly want to spend time with me. But no.

Just Golf, Golf, Golf, swim, golf, golf and bed.

Last year he played in `the Wanderers' golf tournament down at the National at Cape Schanck. Twenty men his age were playing and roughly 70 (older) men, including my father.

When Dad returned I asked him how he went. His reply? ``Fit men under the age of 25 should not be allowed in the tournament...Tom won''.

I already knew this, because Tom had sent me and 10 of his friends a photo message of the trophy he picked up.

It was this time last year when Tom was leading up to his fifth day in a row on the golf course when he was on his way to Lorne to visit me. And much to his annoyance, instead of venturing back out on the fairways, he came to the beach with me.

 I was very much looking forward to a relaxing day on the beach reading my book with him (silly me).
 When we got there, we saw about 20 of our friends with beach cricket sets, tennis balls, Frisbees and more.

 Alas, more sport.

Yesterday I realised, this was all going to happen again.

It has begun.

 Tom’s one day a week where he does not have to do physical activity is on a Sunday. So what does he do? A 6km charity walk and a round of 18 holes of golf.

Crazy?
 I think so.

So, after a bit of research, I've worked out why men love sport so much, particularly golf, and was surprised how it also relates to my favorite pastime - shopping.

1. Time with boys. Sure they love the sport but it is being out of the house with their mates that makes men love to have a hit of golf. Like me with shopping, it's a great excuse to spend time with my girlfriends.

2. Exercise. Walking the fairways is exercise. Again, like shopping, it's amazing how many kilometers you can walk in Chadstone.

3. Competition. Men are competitive by nature so it's not surprising how many slabs of beer or dinners are lost on the golf course. I also get that competitive edge when I'm shopping in the sales, I love nothing more than snatching a great bargain ahead of all the other bargain-hunters.

Don't get me wrong, I think watching and being involved in sport is an extremely important part of life.

I just don’t understand the whole golf thing. 


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