I have made several golfing trips to Ireland, a place dear to my heart. Last fall, I played The European Club, a magnificent modern seaside links owned, designed and built by Pat Ruddy, the dean of Irish golf architecture.
A Stormy Day on the Golf Course
The wind was raging 40 MPH. The rain was sliding sideways in sheets. There was no one else on the course as everyone with half a wit had canceled. Being the last day and course of my trip, this was a WTF moment I couldn’t resist. Starting on the forward tees, I quickly took off my rain-covered glasses. I could barely see and often got blown over by the wind. The ball wouldn’t stay on a tee. I laughed at myself much of the way, acknowledging the insanity of what I was doing. But I purposefully hit short shots all the way around the course, usually finding my ball, and managed to complete 18 holes. I even made a few pars. The experience evoked the storm scene from “Caddy Shack”.
The Return to the Course
Yesterday, my wife and I played the same course, but this time under sunny skies, balmy breezes and perfect conditions. I lost at least 10 balls, mainly trying to hit shots that were beyond my skills, especially on an unfamiliar, unrelentingly difficult course. Why would I do that, instead of carefully working my way around the course, scoring where I could, avoiding the deep rough and railroad tie-lined bunkers so deep they needed stairs to access their crater-like depths. The answer is simple: I’m a guy.
The Lesson
After the round, we had the pleasure of enjoying a pint with our gracious host, Gerry Ruddy, son of Pat. He said, in a lilting Irish brogue, after Gale told him how much she enjoyed the course, “Women have a much easier time here. Their egos aren’t on the line, so they tend to pick their way around the course and stay out of the trouble. Men attack the course and fool themselves that they have the game to do well. So unless you play like Tiger Woods (who holds the course record of 67), this place will eat you alive. Thanks for all the lost balls!”
If you think you see an allegory here, a bigger picture, a tale of men and women and life, you are correct. Gentlemen, sometimes (all the time), we need help to get out of our own way.
Slainte! May the gorse be with you!
