Ever since my football playing career ended in November of 2015, I have not been as active with participating in sports. Aside from a few intramurals, leisure fishing, occasional bowling games, my final high school gym class, and a few bicycle rides and 5ks, I haven't really done much in my post-high school sports career. This summer, I want to execute my mission of teaching myself how to play the one sport that I have always wanted to learn to play for the last couple of years, golf.

For the last three to four summers, I have headed into the summer always telling myself that this is the summer where I will finally get some lessons and maybe even play some golf. Aside from a football team outing in summer of 2014, where I ultimately golfed with two of my coaches, I have never actually played the game before. But this summer, I feel more motivated to play the game at least once. Here is the reasoning as to why I am itching to give this sport a try this summer.

First of all, ever since I was nine or ten, I have enjoyed days on the driving range at my local sports complex. This began at a summer camp that my elementary gym school teacher hosted for kids of my grade every year, and eventually found fun in just hitting golf balls as far as I can as the years progressed. Back when I was 16, I was trying to get some new hobbies for myself, and I decided to use going to the driving range as one of the things which brought enjoyment to my leisure team. It was also that summer when I first played the actual game with my coaches with their assistance. Even though I did not fare to well and had to play under beginner's rules that summer day, I found that just hitting the links for nine holes was a fun way to spend an afternoon and to relieve some stress. Even though I have never played a single game since that one round in summer 2014, I have always had the desire to get some golf lessons or play some more games. It was other factors that contributed towards me not being able to play a game in nearly four years.

First of all, I never really have made much money for myself to get lessons or to play the game. I never once got myself a part-time job until I was 19 years old and out of high school. Which meant that I did not have much money for personal leisure expenses throughout the previous three summers. In the summers of 2015 and 2016, I had pretty much no money to spend for myself because I did not have any income for me to take upon my interest in the sport. As for last summer when I did make money for myself, I chose not to spend money on lessons or a game. Ultimately, I chose to save up most of the money I had earned for college experiences that cost money such as, going to the bars, tailgates, house parties, clothing, and even random late night food runs. Additionally, I was hoping to join a fraternity this year at the University of Iowa, and since those cost a lot of money, I was inclined to save up a lot of my money for fraternity dues, which can get pretty expensive depending on what chapter you join. However, heading into summer of 2018, I feel a different vibe where I do not have many financial obstacles which will hold me back from golfing. I got in extra hours over my winter break, and because I was not offered a bid to any fraternity this year, I have been provided with more money for leisure spending because I have not needed to dip into my checking account to pay for an expensive organization. Even after I pay back my parents for all of my spending this previous semester, I will still have plenty of money in my savings where I can afford some lessons, and maybe even a round or two of golf this upcoming summer. Knowing that I finally have money to pursue I game I want to learn how to play will certainly help my cause.

Additionally, I just did not have too much motivation to get out and play in previous years. But, I am changing my mentality for this upcoming summer. I am only 20 years old, and I have been telling myself that I am never too old to learn how to play golf at this age. I look at my introduction to the game from this perspective: Every golfer at some point had to learn how to play the game. So it is never too late, neither am I too old to learn how to golf. In fact, twenty may even be the right age for me to learn the game, as I could catch up on my skills for office charity tournaments 10-15 years from now. Besides, it's not like I am looking at playing professionally or on competitive tours. I only am using the sport as a hobby, rather than something much more than that. Plus, I have established a heightened desire to travel to various places around the World in my future. Whenever I get to go to places that are known for their golf, like Hawaii and Ireland, maybe even Disney World again, I want to ensure that I have the skills needed to golf on bigger courses meant for more advanced players. One of the things I wanted to do on my last trip to Disney World was to go play golf instead of going to the theme parks every day. But I was prevented from doing that because Disney's courses are designed for advanced golfers, and not for beginners. That was a bit frustrating for me because I want to do different and interesting things on my vacations. And that just wasn't my time to golf on the bigger stages. But I know if I ever travel to unique places, I want to polish my skills at the game so I am not held back from playing on interesting courses again.

Heading forward, I know my golfing experiences will be frustrating for at least the first few rounds, maybe even the first few years that I play. But, I am keeping my expectations about my introduction to the sport reasonable. When it comes time for me to play, I am going to start out at the same local golf course that I played on with my coaches, because I have been told by some of my friends who golf frequently that this course is a good one for beginners. I will start out by doing 9-hole games at this simple course before I move onto country clubs and advanced courses or playing 18-hole rounds at any golf course. I also am aware that whether or not I choose to take lessons, I have a lot to learn about the fundamentals of the sport. Once I get done with my finals in a few weeks, I will look at YouTube videos, and other useful Internet materials that can show me the basics such as, how to swing, how to hit a ball well, which club do I use in any given situation, and how do I distinguish between which club is which. It will be frustrating at first, but I know to just keep my head up because starting out a new sport is all a learning process which will take some time to learn and adjust to.

Written by future office tournament champion,

Matt Roleck