18 Things That You Most Love About Golf

Love is in the air. Apparently! For some of us, Valentine’s Day represents an opportunity to spoil the special people in our lives. For the rest of us it's just another commercial rip-off.

So have you bought your card, ordered your flowers and booked your table for a romantic dinner for two at a hugely-inflated price? Or will you be completely ignoring it?

No matter which camp you happen to be in, it is impossible to get away from it. And that got me thinking about the things we love about golf (trust me, you really don’t want to know how my brain works)!

Hope

Don’t you just love the fact that no matter how bad your last round was, you turn up for the next one full of hope and expectation. Until you hit your opening drive. Oh dear! Well, there’s always next time...

Scenery

For me, golf is now all about taking the time to enjoy my surroundings. The very nature of our sport means that the courses upon which we play are usually surrounded by beautiful countryside. And even if they are not, the chances are that at some stage you will see some wildlife. Like most of us, I am not a fan of hitting a brand new golf ball into a lake, but where there is water then there is always nature.

Flushed Drive

Is there a shot in golf that anybody loves more than the drive that comes right out of the middle of the club, soars into the air with a gentle draw, hits the centre of the fairway and then rolls out for a further 40 or 50 yards.

Fresh-Cut Grass

You can keep your extortionately expensive after-shaves and perfumes for which you need a second mortgage. For me, the best smell of all is that of freshly-mowed grass. I love following the greenkeeper as he cuts the fairways.

New Equipment

I have not yet met the golfer who does not enjoy shopping for new gear, whether it be clubs, clothing, shoes, bag, trolley or even just golf balls. We all buy golf clubs in different ways but the one thing we all have in common is the anticipation, getting those clubs home, gripping them, putting them in the bag, heading to the driving range and then to the course, where all your friends eagerly gather round to see your latest purchase.

Opening Drive

We all head to the first tee full of hope and expectation. We can’t wait to get out there. Don’t you just love reaching into your bag, pulling out a brand new ball, taking umpteen lurching practice swings and then, for once, seeing the ball finish where you wanted it go?

Long Johns

Now I have to tell you that this is something I never thought that I would be including on a list of things I love about golf but I just adore my long johns, and I don’t care who knows it. If you have never succumbed please trust me on this one - go out and buy a couple of pairs if you play winter golfer. Nobody needs to know. But I guarantee that you will love them.

Longer Days

Don’t you just love it when you know that you can step on to the first tee at 4pm and know that you are going to be able to play 18 holes before it gets too dark to finish your round. And that you don’t need a thermal top, jumper…..or long johns!

Warm Weather

Ah, I remember it well. Having spent the winter wearing 1,000 layers of clothing, what is not to love about being able to get out on the golf course while wearing a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved top?

Cold Drink

You are well into your round on a warm summer’s when you realise that you have forgotten to put a drink in your bag. Is there anything better in those circumstances than that first cold beer on the terrace at the 19th hole?

Hot Drink

Following hot on the heels of the cold drink in summer is pulling out a flask of piping hot coffee on the 10th tee on a freezing cold winter’s day - and then adding a tot of whisky! Heaven on earth!

Hot Shower

For those of us who play all year round, we know how it feels to come off the 18th green on a freezing cold January day, unable to feel the ends of our fingers and toes. What better than to jump into the shower in the changing rooms, knowing that the water is going to be piping hot?

Bacon Butty

Golf clubs have a pretty poor reputation when it comes to the quality of the food they serve, but don’t you just love that tea or coffee and a bacon butty before teeing off?

The Perfect Round

OK, so there is actually no such thing as the perfect round but we all love those rounds of golf when everything feels just right, the ball comes out the middle of the club and the putts drop. And you can’t wait to get into the clubhouse to bore everybody rigid, talking them through your round, shot by shot until their eyes glaze over.

The Shot Saver

No matter how badly you have played, there will always be at least one shot in a round of 18 holes that will bring you back for more - and we should all love that shot and hold on to the memory of it.

The Chairman

Every golf club has a member or two who will always sit in the same chair. Always. There are few things to love more than getting into the clubhouse ahead of him and making a point of grabbing his place.

Passing It On

You may once have had dreams of striding down the 18th fairway on your way to collecting the Claret Jug. It didn’t happen. It was never likely to. So the next best thing is to introduce your son or daughter (or grandchild) to the game of golf. And the best bit is when you realise that they are not only pretty useful but, like you, they love it, just love it!

Banter

Let’s face it, while we may all have different reasons for playing this great game, surely the thing that keep bringing us back is the company of like-minded people, the banter we all share and the sound of laughter.

Quite frankly, I believe that if you don’t love all of these things then perhaps you should be thinking of taking up another sport.

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