Do you remember your first time?
Was it awkward, frustrating, and over before you knew what was going on? Did you feel unprepared and slightly embarrassed after?
My first time playing on a full-size, legit golf course was all of the above.
Cog Hill Golf & Country Club not only played host to the City Tour Championships - where the best City Tour players took the course to find out who was going to be crowned the first #CityChamp - but it also was where I played my first ever round of golf.
Armed only with a borrowed set of clubs and fresh off a 5:45AM flight from Boston, I donned my new Oxford golf skirt and headed to Ravines (Course No. 2) for a 9:15AM tee time.
Now, I won’t lie - I didn’t really play 18 holes.
I don’t think I even played a full hole. At least not in the true spirit of the word.
I managed to hit a lot of awkward drives, wayward shots, and a few solid putts (thank you, mini-golf). I don’t know a lot about playing on the course, but I knew this thing called ‘Pace of Play’ was important, so I kept looking over my shoulder checking for the group behind us - if I saw their cart, that was my sign to pick up my ball and keep moving.
Every time I swung and missed or the ball ended up in the trees or a few feet in front of me I could feel the eyerolls. Like, “oh gosh. here we go again” or “what is she doing over there?” I tried my best to laugh it off, as I ran to pick up my ball and rush back to the golf cart. You can only repeat “I’ve never done this before” so many times.
Doing anything for the first time is a humbling experience.
I remember a similar feeling when I struggled through my first marathon finish line, or when I dove head-first into the vast world of B2B Internet security solutions. Slowly, with time and patience, things started to become more comfortable. I started to learn the ins and out and started to understand what I was trying to do.
Let’s just say, I’m really looking forward to that day on the golf course.
Christina recently passed along a Ben Hogan quote to me:
“The most important shot in golf is the next one.”
So instead of sulking because my first time was not what the movies made me think it would be, (gee thanks, Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore...), I’m going back out there. I’ve got my next tee time set, and I’ll only be taking on 9 holes, but I’m going to be trying my damndest to keep looking forward to my next shot.
In the meantime, at least my first time is out of the way.
Do you remember your first time? What was it like? Tweet me your #firsttimegolfing stories @afakhreddine!
