Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 14, 1991 TAG: 9103150630
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GRACE BOSWORTH/ SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Members paid no attention to the royal threat and went on playing. Records do not indicate whether the king ever bought a set of clubs but, for his sake, I hope he did.
Midway through 1989, I retired from the classroom and, in calendar 1990, I played 110 rounds of golf, more than I had played in the preceding nine years. I'm still not too good at it; my handicap ranges from 21 to 26. Let's agree that the above information will serve as my credential.
National golf analysts predict that in the next few years about 2 million people will take up the game each year, joining the 20 million Americans already on the fairways. What excites me is the belief that, among the new players, six out of 10 will be women.
In a sport where men are urged to buy golf balls with names like "Cannon" and "Gorilla" but women are offered pale blue and magenta orbs with butterflies on the logo, one must sense at least some trace of gender distinction. But, just as golf is no longer a rich man's game, it is no longer primarily a man's game.
What is the allure? Golf is painful. Everyone has heard "the cry of the wounded golfer." That's the variety of strange noises we make when a putt won't drop or the ball shanks off into a pond. We've seen the air turn purple around the head of a creative cursing player. We have seen violent manifestations of pure rage in broken and thrown clubs. Why set yourself up for such pure torture and then label golf as a game of rules and etiquette?
Well, let's start with the fact that it is played outdoors, away from traffic and pavement for the most part, and that a round usually takes between 3 1/2 and five hours, looking at 12 to 15 minutes a hole.
Golfers are aware of the seasons, the flush of pale yellow-green on spring willow trees, and the feel of the earth underfoot. They relish the birds, rabbits, chipmunks, frogs, turtles and snakes that share the links. Occasionally, golfers here encounter deer or even a black bear.
Jean Ferguson, retired from Roanoke city schools, started to play as "a way to escape from the confined work environment, the schedules and the stress. I needed to be out in the fresh air and sunshine."
That's close, but it doesn't quite explain playing one April day in hail and snow, nor the acquisition of thermal underwear and earmuffs.
The sport is addictive. All beginners suffer the ineptness that comes with learning to hit the ball well and stand in the most unlikely postures. And it takes forever to find out what each club will do for you. For example, with a 5-iron you have a hitting area about 2.5 inches across with which to strike a ball 1.68 inches in diameter. Ball and club are together for about 0.00035 of a second and the club is traveling more than 80 miles per hour.
"Golf makes you do a lot of soul-searching," said Sally Jack, who plays Countryside regularly. "Aside from a tendency to be very angry with yourself, you can also keep in touch with your conscience."
She's right. The Rules of Golf require a high degree of honesty and remembering them requires dedication and concentration. Last month, every real golfer bled for Paul Azinger who was playing in the Doral Open in Florida. According to the Associated Press report, "Azinger shot a 65 that didn't count. He was disqualified after a television viewer questioned his second shot out of the edge of a lake.
"A review of the tape showed Azinger, in taking his stance, twice made a pawing motion with his left foot, moving rocks of coral. It violates rule 13-4, moving a loose impediment in a hazard, and requires a two-stroke penalty.
"Azinger, unaware of the infraction, did not assess himself the penalty and signed for a par 4 on that hole. He was disqualified for signing an incorrect score card."
Later reports said that misstep cost the golfer about $50,000.
Audrey Najjum, one of the most respected golfers in the valley, plays at the Roanoke Country Club. "I've always been in sports of some kind, ever since high school. I bowled for a long time, and then I developed trouble with my hand. I turned to golf which, surprisingly, didn't bother the hand. I enjoy it and a particular part of the enjoyment is the people I meet."
She is reflecting what most golfers feel. You do make friends on the course. Golf can be played alone, but most people find like-minded souls to share the round.
Some players are highly competitive, others lower-key. My own approach is not to be as concerned about beating the person I'm playing with as I am about beating the course. The challenge is in figuring out whether the grass is just mowed, growing fast or high. Is the wind blowing, how hard, which direction? Where's the best landing area? When did it rain last; the greens will be hard or soft accordingly. Have they moved the cup or rolled the fringes? No hole will play today the way it did yesterday.
Fortunately for Roanokers there are a number of driving ranges, a par-three course at Brookside, several public nine-hole set-ups and a vast number of backyards where beginners can learn the fundamentals before venturing onto the full-scale courses.
Once beginners get a handle on the game, they'll understand the addiction:
The "high" that comes with blasting a good clean shot out of a sand trap; the "rush" when a long putt drops and clatters in the bottom of the cup; the joy of a birdie or par - these things stay with you for years. You never forget the day you broke 100, or 90. I'm still working up to the memory of breaking 80.
However, if you have time to listen, let me tell you about my first hole-in-one! It was June 8. . . . I had a 6-iron on a par 3. . . . there wasn't much wind . . . .
by CNB