[Billyjack]

I swung a golf club for the first time in over 25 years a few weeks ago.



As a teenager and into my early twenties, I averaged over 150 rounds a year, which is almost daily during the short golf season in Minnesota. I had a dream of going pro back then but could never perform to my ability in a tournament atmosphere. “Choking” would be a very good description.



After a particularly painful and embarrassing meltdown in the state am, I just quit cold turkey. I’d had enough and it was time to start living a real life. I threw my beloved Macgregors off a bridge into the Mississippi and I never looked back. I knew it was the right thing to do, if I had kept those clubs I would have been back chasing the impossible dream the next morning.



Fast forward to 2008. I was at my sister and brother-in-law’s place for a BBQ on the July 4^th weekend. They live on a lake and he just started playing golf a couple of years ago. After a few cold beers he starts talking golf and then he hauls out a 5 gallon bucket half-full of range balls that he pilfered from a driving range and starts to hit a few into the lake with a driver. He’s hitting ugly high fades but he’s pretty proud of himself.



Of course, he wants me to give it try but I politely decline. My sister gives me a sympathetic glance, as she is well aware of my golf history. She, along with my dad who is deceased, were my biggest fans and she knows full well how I struggled with being good but not good enough. No one else there, not even my wife and kids, has any idea that I ever played golf.



I start feeling agitated because the sound of that driver contacting the ball is so obnoxious. It sounds like a softball bat on steroids not the satisfying “thwack” that I remember. I’ve heard it before on TV but it’s much different in person. And his swing is a blur that makes me dizzy. Absolutely no tempo, he is just trying to crush the ball like he’s killing a rat with a broomstick.



Everyone starts to migrate to the house, as it is dinnertime. And I find myself alone with this hack’s golf bag and an uncontrollable urge to grab a club. I pull the cover off a Cleveland 3 wood and it reminds me of my old persimmon driver. It has an ugly gold graphite shaft but the head looks perfect. It’s a metal and I’ve never swung a club with a graphite shaft or a metal head before.



So I did what I never thought I would do again. It was like riding a bike, you never forget. Two practice swings and then I tee it up. My heart is pounding and I feel almost faint. I step up and stripe a high draw 50 yards past where my brother-in-law was hitting his driver. It was perhaps the purest golf shot I’ve ever hit. I could feel the ball “hang” on the face of the club. I held the finish for a good five seconds.



I sit down still holding the club and thinking I’m alone in this moment. And then I hear my sister say, “We’re eating, come on in”. As we walk towards the house, she says, “Great swing” and I have to take a moment to compose myself.



PS So here I am wondering whether I should return to a game that holds so many bad memories (and a few good ones). I’m a relic that used to tee off with a 2 iron four to six times a round and my driving range was a weedy pasture where I would spend an hour trying to find all 20 of my practice balls. I stumbled across this site trying to get caught up with the new technology. I’m an old dog and I don’t want to learn new tricks. I just don't want to "choking" dog again...

[astamm8]

start playing again mate. sounds like you've already got the bug back. just play it casually with friends, and i don't see a bad side. plenty of people in this game (including some of the very best) play a big new driver, and the rest 'old style' clubs, e.g. blades and small headed fairways. give it a go, and best of luck.

[FreddyG]

25 years is a long time to stay away so I suppose there must have been some good reasons. You certainly sound eager so I say go for it and avoid whatever situations caused you to put your sticks away the first time.

FYI - check ebay and you can probably replace those old MacGregors for a song.

[jamesduncan]

I took 18 years off and recently returned.

i played competitive jr golf then stopped after 17 when i played in the Canadian Jr to pursue another career path.

man, while it was something i enjoyed back then, I certainly struggled with tournament golf, as I was a very small kid and didnt hit it very far at all.

Somehow I stumbled into getting free tickets to the PGA event up at Westchester in 2003 when I lived in the NYC area for a number of years. I followed an old friend who was now playing on the Tour and had a nice day.

I was so out of golf I didnt even know, care or realize that the 2002 US Open was held at Bethpage. Infact I didnt even know what/where Bethpage was.

Anyways, flash forward another season and i decided to buy a set of irons off craigslist and start playing again.

flash forward another season and I was a 2 handicap at Bethpage Black. I played in the USGA Public Links qualifer in 06 and made the cut at the qualifier. I was really proud, as I hadnt played any amateur golf at all and all of those college bags sure are intimidating.

I never worry about choking or anything. After being away from golf for so long, I now just think of it as another part of life. Somedays things will go our way and some days they wont. All I think about is simply trying to get better and maximize my game to its full potential.

We can always get back on the horse and as long as we give it our best shot and dont beat ourselves up (that means not thinking of screwing up as choking!) we've done all that we can do. And thats alot to be proud of!

btw the game has changed sooo much since I was playing in the 80s. To me thats half the fun and there are deff some new trick to learn.

so welcome back!

[aslan]

Wow, you really had restraint. To be that good and walk away. Anyway, give it a try. With so
many years passed, forget about the demons and enjoy the scenary and that occasional great
shot you just hit on the lake.

Good Luck!

[shoebox69]

Nice story, it had to be hard to walk away. I hope you will come back. It is the greatest game (I want to stress that) in the world. Given the stress that most of us deal with on a daily basis there is no better way to enjoy a day with friends. Especially with some friendly competition.

[eyezlee]

Get back in. Its all for fun now. Plus buying all new equipment, rocks!

[drdlowc]

Get back in my friend. I took off seven years due to foot problems. I'm more consistant than I ever was, playing in the short grass far more. I have lost 30 yards on my driver. I've only been back about 4 mounths. i have already gained some yardage. Start back playiing. Who say you can't play without being in a competition. One of the guys I play with palys just for the fun of it and we dont keep score. That take the pressure.

Hit em straight,
David

[Crayaco]

I took almost 18 years off until last year. Got out the old Ping Eye 2 Irons and went to the course.

The up side is the exercise and the weight I have lost. I feel better and have more energy.

The down side is all i had was irons so I have become a club "Ho".

BTW, You may find that your body will not do what it used to. Mine sure didn't. After a year
and a month, i am just now getting a little of my old swing back.

[trek1500]

Man that is a loooong layoff..I've gone a stretch without playing but that is something!

Sometimes you have to walk away from the game..

It's funny I used to post like a banshee in this forum and just got back to it today after a long layoff...

But I began to realize how much I missed playing and reading about the game....

So hopefully, after an extended layoff I can discover the joy of playing again!

[alcap26]

I took 2 years off and the first time back to the range I pured everything. Vheck on ebay and you can find some stuff pretty cheap. Good luck with what ever you choose and one thing that has helped me in my return is I just don't take it as serious.