Girls Gone Golfing

Several months ago I was getting an afternoon coffee with a coworker. We made a detour on our way back since she needed something from her car. When she threw open her trunk, the shiny golf clubs immediately caught my eye. I believe I immediately blurted out "do you play?" I think she sensed that something was going to happen too. We probably looked and sounded like two giddy teenagers talking in rapid fire all the way back to the office. In those 10 minutes, we essentially created a group and made plans for future golf outings. I think we were so excited we were talking very long term not just planning for the first game. We both seemed to want this to be more.

It didn't take long for us to discover that both of us had been playing off and on for years. Always wanting to play more but never having time or really a dedicated group to go with. We shared the same stories of how we go with our husbands and maybe their friends but always longed to have a consistent group of girls to go golfing. We had the same thoughts of meeting regularly on early weekend mornings, starting out taking in leisurely 9 hole games, improving our game, chit chatting about things that were on our mind and having a nice cup of coffee afterwards. It became clear that this was going to be exercise, therapy, friendship and anything else we could justify.

So now that we had started our little group, there was no stopping us. The excitement was in the air. But two didn't form a group. As we started to think of who else could join our group, as if on cue, our third member walked right by us. We remembered her telling us recently that she had been golfing. It didn't take long for the three of us to come together and plan our first outing.

Within two weeks, we were doing just as we had envisioned. We met at a local course on a Saturday morning at 8:30am. Our tee time was around 9:00am. We got in some time at the driving range and off we went. All of us were a little rusty but the weather was perfect and we soon realized that we were very compatible. We are at similar skill levels with different strengths and weaknesses. The three of us are very well suited to play together. We are all courteous and pretty even tempered people. It wasn't long before we started talking about our next outings.

That morning was the first time I had ever played with "girlfriends." I love playing with my husband and other guys or even other couples but there was something very exciting about being a part of a group that wants to play the game regularly. We are also very well matched in skill level and enthusiasm. The fact that the three of us have a love for this game and each have a desire to improve our game is not enough to make this group successful. Alone each of us would probably still play the game as we did before. For me, it was always once in a while when the stars aligned and someone asked me or if we could manage to set something up. Each time I would go, I would tell myself that after this time I would go more often.

What will make this successful is that we now have three people who have the same love for the game and will play the game regularly with each other. At the very least, we will always think to call upon each other first whenever golfing comes to mind. At this time, I don't think we care if we hit birdies or have to maneuver our way out of a bunker, we're just excited to play the game and have some fun in the process. Now that summer is here and my ankle is almost recovered, we will certainly be adding tee times to our weekend plans. What's next? Getting ready for 18 holes.