Why I host this site

by HENRY A. LISTER
OTBCP Host

Many of my friends have been notified of my assuming the hosting of this site. They are intrigued, mostly, and amused of my further involvement in some golf-related venture. But one friend explored more deeply my motives by asking, "Who would care to read about obscure, out-of-the-way courses? Wouldn't it be better to visit, play and write about the more popular courses?"

The question revealed more about my friend than it did about my motives. Surely, I am not a

golf snob. I love the game for different reasons. His reasons were based on prestige and what it says about him. It is as if he is conquering territory, putting notches on his bed-post, and absorbing some of the aura of the courses he plays. "When I played the TPC in . . .", he makes a boast, like saying, "When I had dinner with the Governor last week . . ."

For me, what is of greater interest is what did I learn from the course. And more frequently, the question for me is, "What did I accomplish playing today?"  The answers I seek relate more to conquering my mental challenges, achieving better tempo, enjoying the wildlife or routing of the course, and who played with me. The course almost becomes immaterial.

That is not to say I don't enjoy a great course, one that golfers of all caliber of expertise can agree is a special track. Perhaps this is what I bring to the NC Golf Panel as a member - an interest in a golf course not solely because it is superbly conditioned, or has golf assistants who wipe the dirt of the day off my clubs when I am finished, or that the 19th hole serves a local microbrewed beer (although the last item does carry great weight in my ranking).  My discussions with other NC Golf Panel members can be as deeply philosophical about the golfing experience as I can find anywhere, and rarely do we discuss the quality of the turf, or careful manner in which the course's edges are manicured.

In Michael Bamberger's book, "To The Linksland," the author is bidding farewell to his Scottish golf teacher, Stark. The following conversation I record here for you to contemplate.

This was my last chance to say thank you.

"You've improved, Michael, you've improved," Stark said. He was wearing the tie of the Scottish Golf Union. I was wearing my Machrihanish tie. "You're golfing within yourself now, and that's magical. But you've got some Scot in you now, so you can no longer expect to measure your improvement simply by numbers, aye?"

I remember how his face looked as he said that: his white hair, his gold teeth, his blue eyes, ageless and wise.

"Why does the game grip us so, Michael, what do you think it is?"

He paused. I know that I was not expected to answer.

"Because it gives us energy, Michael, that's the single best thing about the game. The better we play, the more energy we get. From now on, ask yourself, after every round, if you have more energy than before you began. 'Tis much more important than the score, Michael, much more important than the score."

Comments

[Dick]

You aren't alone Henry, come visit Golftrekker at http://golftrekker.blogspot.com/ would love to trade OTBCP stuff with you.

Golftrekker