I played golf for the first time in my life yesterday. A couple guys on my team at work who started playing golf before I was born invited Prabhat and I to join them on a 4-person team in a tournament called a Scramble. A Scramble is a method of play where all four team members hit the ball, but only the ball that lands closest to the hole is used. Then, everyone drops their ball where the closest ball landed and the process repeats itself until you get within 6 inches of the hole. This ensures the game moves along quickly and other teams don’t get held up behind you.

I borrowed a set of clubs and went to the task of figuring out how this game is played. Golf sure looks easy on TV, but it’s really, really hard in reality. I see it a little like tennis, except the ball is smaller, the racquet is smaller, and the court is friggin’ huge. Oh yeah, and there are other factors affecting play like wind, sand traps, ponds, trees, and other landscaping annoyances. Overall, it took a while for Prabhat and I to actually make contact with the ball. Whiffs were a common occurrence…

What amazed me most about this game is the amount of time spent putzing around. After the ball is hit, you strain your eyes to see where it landed. Then, get in your goofy golf cart and drive around until you find it. Once you find it, you see three other balls in the vicinity and wonder which is yours, picking one with familiar markings. Then, race over to where the other guys are and drop your ball. Take a few practice swings, whack the ball, and watch as it flies off in the wrong direction. Hop in the golf cart and resume the process. The funniest part is that you can drink beer while you play. In how many sports is having a brew possible? Can you drink beer while playing football? Tennis? Basketball? Cycling? I think not. Golf gets points for that.

Afterwards, the tournament organizer handed out cash awards for various accomplishments (longest drive, longest putt, etc) and my team somehow got $20. With our $5 bills in hand, Prabhat and I trucked over to The Flying Saucer and had three rounds of beer. After talking at length about traveling, Germany, India, Golf, linguistics, and who knows what else, we went to California Pizza Kitchen and scarfed two amazing pizzas. It was a good day.