Golf is one of quite competitive sports, I believe.
It was almost 40 years ago in Spain when I learned how to play golf for the first time.
The teacher was Manuel who was a young professional golf player and had some teaching lessens while he did not play in professional games.
He forced me practice swings for 30 minutes at every lessen for several weeks.
At last, I asked him the purpose of the lessen.
He said, “At first, you have to master the way of correct swing.”
I asked,” What’ next?”
He answered,” You go to a course and try to play around 90.”
I said,” It is impossible”
He said,” You can do it if you hit 3 on the fairway and 2 pats. This lessen is to train in fundamentals”
I could not be a good golfer to break 90 as a result, but I liked playing golf.
It was 30 years ago in Atlanta USA when I played golf with an elder fellow of the office I was working at a very traditional and beautiful golf course named Cherokee Country Club.
He hit a ball not in a good way but his score of each hall never exceeded 7.
I asked him,” Was it 7?”
He answered,” Yes and No. The actual score may be 8 or 9, but nobody including me is happy even if I declare the correct score. And anybody else does not care of my real score.”
He probably excluded the idea of competition from his golf and decided to enjoy
playing golf according to his real ability, not being bothered by real golf score.
I remember that I was impressed by his way of enjoying golf itself.
Just before the retirement age, I started to go to play golf with my wife.
I proposed her not to exceed 7 rule which I was impressed in USA.
She agreed with my idea and also proposed against me to use a hand iron when she liked to
choose it.
“What’s that?”
“As I am not good at bunker shot, may I grasp a ball in a pot bunker by my hand and throw it to the fairway?”
That was not a golf play any more, but I agreed with her proposal and determined that we would enjoy walking in a beautiful field with swinging an iron bar instead of playing serious golf.
After the agreement, my wife and I have been enjoying our golf play with burst of laughter and much satisfaction.
It has been more enjoyable than playing strictly according to the golf rules.
I know our golf cannot be call a golf play, but what matters?
It is a completely stress-free entertainment for us even though a little bit expensive.
After retirement and within a closed society, we could make and change anything we like if it would not embarrass anybody else.
Not limited to playing golf game, we could create new entertainment by utilizing some existing ideas and instruments by deleting any annoying rules.
Retirement might mean to return to a childhood to create a new entertainment by modeling an existing game.