FORE!!!

As part of my exploration of The Artist's Way, I have to commit to these things called Artist's Dates. That's a time for me to go hold hands with me. Doing something that I've always been interested in seeing or doing, but never made time to do.

It's also an opportunity to learn to say, "Yes," to experiences instead of the more predictable, "No thanks, I'll pass," that seems to fall out of our mouths more frequently. A chance to step out of a comfort zone or our predictable boxes.

Let loose with things and just have an experience. So, I did it. Yep. I went golfing! You heard me, golfing. Well, not on a golf course of any import. I didn't show up at Arnold Palmer's stomping ground, Latrobe Country Club and announce the arrival of The Queen. I could have, as it's just up the road. But, I thought I'd better start small.

So, on a delightful, as they call them, Executive Par Three course I walked the links and did 18 holes! You heard me...18. I am too much.

Now, if you know anything about golf, and I really don't, you know that the Par Three means you're in the hole from the tee in three swings. HA HA HA HA HA!!! Yeah. That didn't happen.
Not once. But I am proud to admit that on two of the 18 holes, I did it in FOUR! Yes sir, Tiger watch your back. The rest of the holes? Well, let's not go there.

Still, for my very first time, I am feeling all smug and self-righteous. I am the least athletic person I know. I decided to take my camera along because we all know that golf courses tend to be beautiful pieces of property. I figured, if I hated the golfing part, I'd just take pictures.

So, I stopped to watch the blue sky reflected in the water of the stream...

And, I thought about the fact that I had to cross this bridge to get where I was going. And, wonder how to get a ball all the way across this vast divide.

The sky was so clear and blue which seemed to celebrate one of the very last days of Summer in the Laurel Highlands.

And, I had to stop for quite awhile and sit with this fallen sentinel. This massive oak that had come down recently. I couldn't help but wonder how much noise that must have made when it toppled.

For the time being, it's now a hazard on the course. The tee smelled of new wood and the forest. The warm air brought out the fragrance so very clearly.

And, I'm happy to say that I was able to hit my golf ball over the hazard! Cleared it, baby! No small feat considering I never once got any of my shots up off the ground very far. They seemed to hug that earth like a bur!

I closely considered all the various shades of green more than I did any of the swings I took. And, lost count of how many I saw. But, loved every second of this new experience.

I'm not sure I'll take up golf as a hobby. It's quite stressful. And, I learned quickly that I still have quite the Potty Mouth. Not like I needed a new experience to confirm that.
And, knowing how much I love irony in life, I just had to throw in this last picture. This is a prime example of a Marketing person being very opportunistic. Very. Trust me, I'm fairly certain that more than one golfer has had to go to rehab due to this sport, game, or whatever you want to call it. Truth in advertising for sure in this case!

But, don't be surprised if you hear me say that I'm going again.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Tiger's Competition In Her Own Mind