Golf to me is a good walk ruined. Too many things to go wrong--hit the ball in the wrong place, the wind, arm is not right, and on and on and on.
But this weekend, I had the opportunty to volutneer for the Civil Air Patrol at the Sioux Falls GreatLife Challenge on the Syemtra Tour. This is a tour for women trying to qualify for the LPGA tour. These aren't even the best of the best but they are incredibly gifted--and polite--young women.
Some of the women can hit the ball off the tee over 300 yards. That is way futher than just about any guy reading this. And they do it not because they are strong--they are--but because they have perfect form, speed and flexibility.
Not being a golf fan, I figured I'd be dealing with a bunch of prima donnas.
Hardly.
Many of the golfers thanked me for volutneering before or after they'd tee off on a hole. I'm the guy who held up the "quiet please" sign when they teed off. Even I, a non-golfing person, could do that.
The gal who was in first place at the time Sunday when she came to my hole, Wichanee Mechai from Thailand, made it a point to give me a warm welcome and a thank you while she was in the midst of the hunt. She ended up in second place.
I don't know about you, but if I had $30,000 riding on the line, I probably wouldn't be talking to some old guy in a Civil Air Patrol uniform. This is not an athlete with a huge ego.
I also got into a "thank you" contest with Canadian golfer Jessica Wallace. She thanked me for volunteering before she teed off. I thanked her for coming to the tournament in Sioux Falls. She said, "I can continue this thanking contest and you'll lose."
After she teed off and went to the next hole I told her, "Of course you're nice. You're from Canada. Everyone there is nice." She laughed then she was down the fairway on the par 5 7th hole.
I'm still not much of a golf fan. But I'm a fan of the young women who put their blood, sweat, tears, money, bodies, and grace on the line every week for a shot at their dreams of being on the LPGA tour. That's not a good walk ruined but a walk toward excellence, taking chances, and living your life to its fullest.
The video I've posted has two golfers teeing off the Willow Run hole 7 in real time and some players putting on hole 6 and teeing off on 7 in time lapse. That is the good walk not ruined but sped up.