It's Not Really Exercise

There are two basic categories of golf: professional and amateur. Within these two categories there are a number of tiers. The professionals are all well above average. In fact, I refer to them as "freaks of nature" because they can do things with a  golf ball and a club that defy imagination. So there are simply two tiers: superstars and the rest.

In amateur golf, there are no tiers either, really, just a range of horrible to excellent. But we tend to arrange them into tiers: beginners, average, high handicap, low handicap, mid-handicap. The "average" golfer tier is actually mostly high handicap types. The general consensus is that the "average golfer" doesn't break 100 most rounds. I am a mid-handicapper; somewhere between a 12 and 16. That means I tend to play rounds in the mid to upper eighties with occasional trips into the nineties and the rare visit under 80.

I break my golf into two phases: pre-1986 and post-2001. You see, I started playing golf in 1974 and played fairly regularly until mid-1986. I just walked away from it. As I approached retirement... avidly... I decided I needed something to fill my idle hours and decided to take up golf once again. I had broken 80 only once in the first phase, shooting a 79 while holding a 15 handicap (which gave me a net 64). I have done this a number of times since 2005; shooting 77, 78, or 79 a number of times... even as low as 75. Breaking 90 was very important to me and happened, for the second time, in 2002... making me feel like I was back, since I felt my skill level indicated I should play in the mid-80's.

Something I learned along the way is that I get less exercise (and feel less tired after) with a round where I break 80. Also, that I do not even feel the contact on my best drives or other shots. A friend claims he can see the ball compress as he hits it with his driver. I have no reason to disbelieve this but cannot do it myself. In fact, I cannot even see the ball as it is struck. I just do not have quick enough eyes.