I’ve been golfing since I was 10, making that over 22 years of enjoying the worlds most frustrating sport. As a kid, I was captivated by golf, often biking to the local par 3 course, spending my afternoons working on my game. After a few summers of these bike trips, aside from when my fiery temper flared up, I considered myself a pretty good golfer for a 13-year old. Trying out for the high school golf team the next year however, where you actually had to follow the rules of golf, quickly dispelled any myths about my prowess on the course. As I began playing summer hockey as a teen, all of a sudden the demands of hockey and baseball made rounds on the golf course next to impossible. From 15 to 22, I likely played a few rounds per summer at best, and not much changed when I entered the working world as a 23-year old, playing a few company-sponsored rounds per summer at most. I seemed destined to remain an occasional golfer. Enter COVID-19.
Living in Toronto during the pandemic, one of the most locked down cities in the world, golf was one of the few concessions that the Ontario government allowed for recreation. No gyms, no hockey, just golf. When the government introduced regional lockdowns in 2021 where less densely populated areas had looser restrictions, I found myself at my dads place two hours north of the city nearly every weekend. For the first time in 2021, I was golfing regularly, at least 10+ times that season. In the summer of 2022, I began golfing most weekends, finally playing well enough to consistently finish holes and keep score, and I became hooked. Though I still fluffed my lies, regularly employed the foot wedge, and capped my worst holes at +3, for the first time I knew where my game stood. On a good day, I could crack 100, and on a bad day, I probably stopped scoring around the 4th hole.
Heading into the 2023 summer, I am planning to golf as often as possible, aiming for a minimum of 40 rounds played. In preparation for the golf season, I recently bought new irons, and conveniently moved to an apartment with a golf net in it. For the first time since I took lessons as a kid, I’m going to actually practice golf the way I would any other sport, going to the range at least as often as I visit the course, practicing my swing on the golf net in between. For the first part of the summer (May through July) I’ll aim to play 20 rounds to establish a handicap, then in the second half (July through September), I’ll attempt to reduce that handicap to 17 or a net 89; breaking 90.
Breaking Ninety 