The Long Walk...

What a great four days coming up! It’s my version of the World Series or Super Bowl. The Masters!

http://www.masters.com/en_US/index.html

I spent a lot of time as a kid on the links. During my Summers, it was common to be out on the course by sunrise and not pick up my ball until I could no longer see it because of dusk. Heck, me and a few friends were known to try and finish the 18th in the dark and rely soley on our feel off the tee to locate our balls in the fairway. All for the price of an $2.75 junior green fee. Fifty-four holes in a day carrying our bags was standard. Riding in a cart was considered taboo, and, while most courses today require a cart, I still consider it a ruinous part of the game. The course was meant to be walked. It gives one time to think about the next shot and stay relaxed. Average finishing times nowadays are abhorrent, even though riding around in a cart is status quo. We used to play in three hours. Anything longer just meant we didn’t have as much time to play another 9 or 18 if the light was available. Three hour rounds is a distant memory for most nowadays.

In 2005, I stopped playing golf when I began trail running, even though I had a scratch handicap. Of course, handicaps didn’t matter to us. You either won or lost and it was common to play for money to keep it interesting. As a kid, we played for 25 cents a hole. Can you imagine if they had a handicap system for trail running? I miss playing just as much as the balata Titleist, a Bentgrass green with a freshly-cut hole, and a dead-solid-perfect 4-iron blade into a tight pin. I even enjoyed practice just as much, maybe more, than playing a round. I was known for spending hours at the driving range and practice green. There was something soothing about it for me. Now, my bag sits in the corner of the bedroom closet, just in case the time comes when I can make it back out to the links. The golf course was my escape from everything else and being outside was where I wanted to be. Maybe, that’s why I enjoy trail running so much.