Personal Narrative: The Sport Of Golf

Golf is a sport that takes a lot of practice to get to a point when a person is happy with their abilities. Also Golf is a mind game where the person playing cannot get mad, give up, or change your form to try and dig the round out of the hole its in. A lot of people say the whole game is between the ears and there is a lot of truth in that, but it also takes a lot of practice and time. At the beginning of my freshman year I didn’t practice and didn’t take it very seriously, but as the season grew old my work ethic changed completely. I was at the range 3 days a week and hit the range before matches. Never give up when your not doing your best keep trying practicing because it will change. It was a cold Saturday morning and the day of my first match. I had made up a plan to keep me busy before my match. The plan was that I would eat breakfast, chip in my backyard, then head to the course and go to the range before the match. My dad came to watch and he gave me a few pointers. My dad said; “keep
your head down and stay within yourself.” It’s one hour before tee time and tensions are starting to flare. My hands are starting to sweat, I’m doubting myself, and thinking about topping my first tee shot. As I’m on the range my coach is walking behind us watching and of course, I’m trying to impress him. That doesn’t go very well pushing shots left and right, duck hooking every drive. He pulls me aside and says; “calm down” Chuckles and says; “you have already made the team, now let’s have some fun.” In my head it helped a lot, but when I walked up to the first tee everything my dad and my coach told had left my mind. I grab my driver and walk up to my ball. Hands are sweaty, chills running down my back, and scared to pull back my club. As I pull back my club I feel confident and swing through and I split the fairway. A big smile grew on my face and I’ll never forget that moment for the rest of my life. The first tee shot was good, but the rest of the round didn’t fair that way. The next shot I fly the green and bogey the hole. The second was the most nerve racking of al the holes. A par three straight downhill with a river on the back of the green and the wind in my face. Club selection is the most important part to hit a good shot on this hole. I hit a great shot, unfortunately, I chose the wrong club. My ball flew into the water and my heart sunk. I drop the ball by the water and chip up on to the green and two putt for double bogey. The next six holes didn’t go very well either. I went: bogey, par, bogey, bogey, double bogey, double bogey. As I walk up to the final tee my coach is standing there. He says; “Hows it going” I reply; “not very good” He says; “that’s alright just end strong!” His words remained in my mind for the rest of the hole. I hit my drive right down the middle. Hit my approach shot onto the green and two putted for par. As I walk off with my head down, I sign my card go over to my team. Just hoping that no one asks me my score. But of course one of my teammates says; “whatd you shoot” In a sad voice is say; “48”. Later on I found out I was the highest scorer and I had knot in my stomach the size of and apple. After this match my determination changed. I was always at the range either hitting balls or chipping around the green, I was not going to let that happen again. As the season grew on I was getting and better each day and that’s because I changed my work ethic and never gave up. Finally, the final match has come, it’s time for me to show what I’m made of. That match was at Hyde Park Country Club, a course ive never played before, so I’m already nervous because I have no idea what to expect. As I walk on to the practice putting green my mouth drops. I said; “wow! This is incredible.” That course is one of the nicest I have ever played on. The grass was perfectly cut, the trees were green and big, and the greens were incredible. As I step onto the tee, more confident than ever, I tell myself that this is what I have been practicing for. First drive I hit a bomb right down the middle of the fairway. As I hit my ball my coach said; “You really got a hold of that one!” My next shot is an uphill shot and I hit an even better shot and put it on the green. I walk off the green with a par and a big smile on my face. I walk up to the second hole confident in myself, I hit a decent shot, but I’m in front of a tree. I choose to go over the tree and im successful and hit it over the tree. My coach saw this choice and said; “risky shot, but good shot.” The next two hole aren’t the best, I bogied the next two hole. As I was walk up to the next hole my confidence has been going up and down and im not sure what to do. Instead of pulling out my driver and aking it worse I hit a hybrid. I hit a great shot in the fairway just a little further than I wanted. I have an uncomfortable 60 yard shot, so I pull out my wedge. I struck the ball well, as im looking at the ball in the air I think I hit it too hard. I yell; “down!
Down!” I guess the ball heard me because it dropped right next to the hole for an easy birdie. The next hole is a straight par 3 with a valley in front of the green. Confident in myself again I pull out a seven iron knowing I will need every bit of it. I hit one of the most beautiful shots of my life on that hole. I knew it went dead straight and right where I wanted it, but the sun blocked my view of where it fell. Suspension increases as I inch closer to the green. I see two balls one out of bounds short of the green and one 2 feet from the hole. As I look at the ball next to the hole all I’m looking for is the Elder Golf logo on the ball, and I look down and there it is. Back to back birdies and I couldn’t be happier at this point. The next hole is a straight away par 4 and I play it great and record a par. As I walk up to the eighth hole I have no idea I’m even par, but my opponent nicely told me I was, and that brought a whole lot of weight on
me. My teammate I was playing with knows how im feeling so he says; “You got this just keep playing like you have been.” Those kind weird didn’t fair very well, my next shot I pulled and I ended up in nines fairway. As I get closer to the ball I am hoping I have a shot at the green. I get behind the ball I find I indeed have a shot and a very good one, the only thing that could ruin it is the big bunker in from of the green. I choose to go for the green, and I hit a great shot, unfortunately, I didn’t make it and landed in the bunker. While im in the bunker im thinking of my perfect round going down the dump, but I hit a great shot out of the bunker and I have a good look at par. I blew my par putt by and my bogey putt lipped out and my heart sunk. A double bogey was my worst nightmare during this round. The only good that came out of that was now I have nothing to lose. So, I play the ninth hole perfect and end with a par. At the end of the round I found out that I had the lowest score and it was the happiest moment of the season for me. In conclusion, never give up when you get knocked down always get back up and try again. When I was the highest scorer of the match I got knocked down pretty hard, but I didn’t let that define me. I practiced harder than ever and never gave up. Then when my last match came I was ready to play my heart out and be the lowest score on my team. Practice makes perfect, even though I’m not perfect yet if I keep practicing I’ll get closer and closer.