I was thinking about this the last week or two and it really shocked me how much my life has changed since I started playing golf. I started two years ago at the young age of 37. My story is a little different because I never understood why anyone would want to play golf growing up and things all changed for me. At the time, I was about 1 year in to being in the real estate business and I had a 1 year old son. I really only considered the game because I knew it would help me with business relationships but more importantly I knew I was not getting any younger and I wanted to find something I could enjoy with my son as we both got older. Football, baseball, basketball, etc. all seemed like something that would not work very well as I was not exactly starting a family at a young age. Looking back on it now, I actually expected to hate the experience but felt like it was something I should at least try. I must admit, I was a bit wiser then most and knew I should seek lessons to at least learn the basics and I did that before ever starting on the course. I was quite surprised how much I was enjoying myself and the game. Lets face it, I can definitely use the exercise. Within a couple weeks I found myself on the interwebs looking for more and more information and trying to learn as much as I could and that led me to THP.
Just over two years ago, I never cared about what the weather was doing unless it was hunting season. Now part of my weekly plan has me checking the weather and trying to work in time for golf on the good days. I was not the most active person in the world and rarely had a tan as I just did not spend a lot of time outdoors except during hunting season. Now I find myself at the course or range at least twice a week. I am definitely not Casper the friendly ghost anymore and I am also losing weight and feeling much better health wise. That is definitely one major change. I also find myself on the internet much more then I ever expected. What I mean by this is that I never really expected to find a community of people on the internet of all places that I actually really enjoyed conversing with and getting to know.
Getting invited to the 2018 MC was a major life experience for me. First off, CPG and THP were amazing hosts and treated us all so well I was floored by it all. I probably looked like a deer in the headlights all weekend trying to take it all in. More importantly, I have been amazed every day since how close I really got with all the participants on both teams. A year and a half later and we still have a group text with most of us in that is constantly making my phone go nuts all day every day. I know more about these guys then I do about people I have known a lot longer. We really bonded so well we crack jokes on each other and give each other a hard time but we also celebrate each others successes and are there for each other when times are tough. Never in my wildest dreams, or maybe nightmares with these guys, did I ever expect picking up golf would lead to such solid friendships. That also led to some heartache when we lost our brother P4B as well. Again who would have thought a guy I never met in my life would have such a huge impact on me in such a short period of time. I am not sure I ever met someone who had such a heart of gold. That is why when my wife and I found out we were having another child, due anytime now I might add, that when we started discussing names I kept coming back to Jason. I have said it before and will say it again, as a parent I want my kids to grow up and be the kind of person P4B was and with that in mind I could not think of a better name or a better person for him to aspire to be like. It still makes my eyes water every time I think about my brother but it also brings a big smile to my face knowing I was one of the lucky ones who got to know him a bit and I have golf to thank for that.
I have been fortunate enough to meet a lot of people playing golf and I am definitely a people person and like meeting new people. I have been lucky in that regards and made friendships with other THP members including quite a few that were not in Florida with us last year. I have also made several very good friendships here locally with people I have met through golf and still play regularly with. I am also thrilled that my son, now 3.5, thinks golf is the greatest thing in the world. He is already a club ho like his dad and has multiple putters and his own little wedge. All he wants to do every single day is go out in the yard and swing his clubs or go to the course with dad and play a round. It has even brought my wife and I closer as it gives us something to do. She doesn't play but she loves to ride with my son and I and watch us. It gets us out as a family for a couple hours and there is nothing I like more then to see that big smile on his face when he is on the course and doing his best to hit the ball. That little boy can hit some good wedge shots already and some days he is a heck of putter as well. Right now, I don't try and teach him anything at all and just let him have fun but I am looking forward to a few years from now when he really starts to learn how to play and can not wait for our time together on the course as he gets older. Hopefully his new brother will follow suit and be the same when he is born and starts to grow. I can not imagine how much it is going to mean to me to spend time with my boys playing golf.
It is almost a bit overwhelming every time I think about the impact golf has had on my life for the last two years and knowing how much it is going to be part of my life going forward. I am really interested in hearing how the golf has impacted other members of the forum. Whether it is something you grew up with from a parent or grandparent or something you took up at a later point in life like me how has it impacted, changed, or shaped your life?
Just over two years ago, I never cared about what the weather was doing unless it was hunting season. Now part of my weekly plan has me checking the weather and trying to work in time for golf on the good days. I was not the most active person in the world and rarely had a tan as I just did not spend a lot of time outdoors except during hunting season. Now I find myself at the course or range at least twice a week. I am definitely not Casper the friendly ghost anymore and I am also losing weight and feeling much better health wise. That is definitely one major change. I also find myself on the internet much more then I ever expected. What I mean by this is that I never really expected to find a community of people on the internet of all places that I actually really enjoyed conversing with and getting to know.
Getting invited to the 2018 MC was a major life experience for me. First off, CPG and THP were amazing hosts and treated us all so well I was floored by it all. I probably looked like a deer in the headlights all weekend trying to take it all in. More importantly, I have been amazed every day since how close I really got with all the participants on both teams. A year and a half later and we still have a group text with most of us in that is constantly making my phone go nuts all day every day. I know more about these guys then I do about people I have known a lot longer. We really bonded so well we crack jokes on each other and give each other a hard time but we also celebrate each others successes and are there for each other when times are tough. Never in my wildest dreams, or maybe nightmares with these guys, did I ever expect picking up golf would lead to such solid friendships. That also led to some heartache when we lost our brother P4B as well. Again who would have thought a guy I never met in my life would have such a huge impact on me in such a short period of time. I am not sure I ever met someone who had such a heart of gold. That is why when my wife and I found out we were having another child, due anytime now I might add, that when we started discussing names I kept coming back to Jason. I have said it before and will say it again, as a parent I want my kids to grow up and be the kind of person P4B was and with that in mind I could not think of a better name or a better person for him to aspire to be like. It still makes my eyes water every time I think about my brother but it also brings a big smile to my face knowing I was one of the lucky ones who got to know him a bit and I have golf to thank for that.
I have been fortunate enough to meet a lot of people playing golf and I am definitely a people person and like meeting new people. I have been lucky in that regards and made friendships with other THP members including quite a few that were not in Florida with us last year. I have also made several very good friendships here locally with people I have met through golf and still play regularly with. I am also thrilled that my son, now 3.5, thinks golf is the greatest thing in the world. He is already a club ho like his dad and has multiple putters and his own little wedge. All he wants to do every single day is go out in the yard and swing his clubs or go to the course with dad and play a round. It has even brought my wife and I closer as it gives us something to do. She doesn't play but she loves to ride with my son and I and watch us. It gets us out as a family for a couple hours and there is nothing I like more then to see that big smile on his face when he is on the course and doing his best to hit the ball. That little boy can hit some good wedge shots already and some days he is a heck of putter as well. Right now, I don't try and teach him anything at all and just let him have fun but I am looking forward to a few years from now when he really starts to learn how to play and can not wait for our time together on the course as he gets older. Hopefully his new brother will follow suit and be the same when he is born and starts to grow. I can not imagine how much it is going to mean to me to spend time with my boys playing golf.
It is almost a bit overwhelming every time I think about the impact golf has had on my life for the last two years and knowing how much it is going to be part of my life going forward. I am really interested in hearing how the golf has impacted other members of the forum. Whether it is something you grew up with from a parent or grandparent or something you took up at a later point in life like me how has it impacted, changed, or shaped your life?
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