May means many things to many people: Mother’s Day, the end of school, allergies, and time to garden. For me, it also means golf season. Golf is my husband’s favorite pastime. He’d tee off everyday from May to November if he could. Three years ago, I realized that once our kids are grown, golf will be the key to our marriage. That’s when I decided to start my ten year golf plan. As the busy mom of three little kids, finding the time to learn a new sport is not easy to do. Squeezing in an hour or so a week for a month or two a year, is about all I can manage at this point.
Luckily, I was able to recruit some of my closest friends to adopt the 10 year golf plan with me. It helped that my country club hosts a popular couple’s 9-hole event every July, called Margaritaville. This event provides just the motivation we need to get our “act” together on the golf course, and by “act” I mean coordinated outfits and show-stopping performances, like balls that disappear and golf carts that float on water.
Learning to play golf, I have had to grow a thick skin. My instructor does not hand out praise easily. Any time I think I’ve hit the ball well (for example, when my club makes contact with the ball and sends it sailing straight ahead), he’ll say something like, “Ginger that was a good miss.”
My group of golf novices has had a different goal each year. The first year was about learning the lingo and how to use a few clubs that could get us through Margaritaville without looking like fools (the rescue club and the putter). The next year we added more clubs and a bunch of tricks to remind us how to play with each one. This year, we’re working on steps for improvement – ball placement, swing position and follow through. Unfortunately for our golf instructor, we are not the most focused group of pupils. One of our most recent golf clinics went something like this:
David, the head golf pro, said, “Okay ladies, I asked you to meet me at the practice green today to work on your pitching.”
My mind immediately started to wander. “Hmn, Caroline pitched a fit this morning which is unlike her. I wonder if she’s coming down with something,” I said.
“Maybe. There’s a lot of things going around. I’m not feeling well either. I could really use a massage,” Julia responded.
“I miss seeing you guys. We need to plan a lunch,” Monique added.
“What are you doing after this lesson? Maybe the Club will open the dining room a little early for lunch,” Paulette said.
“Great, does anyone have a watch? How much longer until we can go eat?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m getting eaten alive by these enormous May bugs,” Julia whispered.
At this point, our instructor realized we were losing interest and introduced his prop of the day. He’s used many over the three years we’ve been taking these golf clinics. There was the scythe that we used to cut the grass. It was supposed to help us level our swing, but resulted in a mess on the driving range lawn. There was a mirror that we were supposed to use to check out our backswing. But instead Paulette noticed that she needed a highlight, Monique commented that she’d like to lose two pounds and I couldn’t believe that my reflection was really me – golf outfits just aren’t flattering! On this particular day, he introduced a pool cue. We attached the cue to our clubs to stiffen our arms for the pitch. It was what my instructor called, “breakthrough city” for me. I’m glad something has actually worked. Maybe this summer I’ll be able to get through Margaritaville without needing a margarita for confidence. Stay tuned.
Team Lilly Pulitzer (2010) - Our Outfts Will be Better This Year
Come on David - That is Not a Miss!
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