Golf is fun, believe me... please

Golf seems to be a perfect way to unwind for a lot of people. Or is it?

Yesterday, I was again awaken from my golf slumber to join friends from the Mactan Export Processing Zone Chamber of Exporters and Manufacturers in their fellowship tournament at the Cebu Country Club.

For the occasional golfer like this deadline beater, trying to play once in a while sometimes reminds me of Saturday mass exercises inside our barracks during my days in military school.

Well, the major difference is that you get to be in the company of friends, who can help you giggle if not laugh through the ordeal the entire 18 holes. That's so much better than being with upperclassmen pounding drums or cans to make sure everyone does the exercise at exactly the same pace.

Eleven long years ago when my buddies taught me to enjoy punishing myself by walking through several kilometers chasing after a small ball and oftentimes hitting them into oblivion or sinking them into their watery graves, I thought it was really fun.

Fun to laugh at how ugly my swing looked. Fun to strike a golf pose and do some imaginary swings like you are afraid to lose the form you paid P200 and hour for a pro to undo what another or your buddies taught you.

It was fun buying anything golf that you can find from stores wherever you go from shirts, ties, socks, or accessories no matter how bad they really look to the rest of the world.

It was fun traveling to places carrying at least ten kilograms of extra baggage since you must bring your set anywhere you go just in case you'll get a tee time in an club that you spotted in a golf guide that you also bought from the store above.

Fun to start a round with a bag full of golf balls only to ask for dole outs from flightmates in the middle part of the back nine since you've already lost all of them in just one or two lakes.

Fun to laugh at how a flightmate seems unable to get out of the bunker and realize that the song "The Joke Was On Me" is your theme song when you reach the next hole and take several whacks before steering clear of the sand trap.

Fun to know that your family, friends, and colleagues would give you a golf item every special occasion making it easy for them to decide what to give you.

Fun to be practicing putting in the office when the boss or your employees are in the other room straining to complete their tasks.

Fun to get a call at 4 am telling you to get out of bed because you are teeing off at the first sign of light only to find yourself waiting for the heavy downpour to stop several hours since you got to the course.

Fun to be telling and retelling the same joke or recalling the same blunder everytime you get to sit down with buddies.

Fun to teach newcomers the rudiments of the game making you feel like the swing coach, who helped the top pros turn their careers around only to find your unwilling, or maybe willing student, ruin his game further.

Fun to miss those six-inch putts that a baby probably could not miss, but not a golfer with yips like you.

Fun to be sun burnt after a round since in your hurry to reach the club for you tee time you forgot to put it on since the weather was quite cold that day.

Fun to drive for several hours and to wait in line for a few more to get a tee time in a golf course that you so badly wanted to play at.

Fun to be writing this and realizing that I might have distorted view of life since I swung a golf club and whiffed several times in my first trip to a driving range.

Oh well, golf is a funny game. If you are a golfer, you can relate to the fun above. If you're not, you probably are laughing now at how weird golfers can be or decide to just stick to other sports that would make you live a normal life.

When I decided to play yesterday, I knew I was going to have fun, so who cares about the score. Harharhar…that's the number one alibi when you play a bad game.

But then, I'm already looking forward to next year's MEPZCEM Fellowship Tournament and have fun again. Yes, that's very true. Maybe I'll play better.