The Beginning Part 2

A couple of guys at work were throwing around the idea of playing golf over the weekend. They had heard that I also enjoyed the sport and invited me out with them. I was playing golf on the weekends still and made time to hit up the range after work before the sun went down so I knew that I could still hit it pretty good. I actually found a golf course next to our offices and would sneak in some putting during lunch. I never was the one to seek out golfers at the office. I just told them that I enjoyed the game and use to play a little. They can come to their own conclusions.

Rip (photo by Randy Ornelas)

I was a few months removed from the golf course world. I traded in my 75 acre office of green grass for a row of cubicles. The market wasn’t at complete rock bottom in 2008 for the mortgage business, but it definitely wasn’t booming like years prior. I was working for a sub-prime Mortgage company and removed from golf. After not making a few cuts and a change of guard at the Golf course it was time for me to try a new career. I was definitely burned out. I was at a great place with good people at the office and I really didn’t miss golf as much as I had expected.

We got to the course pretty early Saturday morning. It was pretty easy to wake up since I was quite certain we had not gone to bed yet from Friday night. Plus the gallon of homemade bloody Mary’s we were passing around on the driving range helped. Golf was definitely different now. No longer was I worried about the course we were playing or the competitors in the field. The most important things on my mind were where the cart girl is and who is driving home? Even my even par rounds were looked at like greatness from my peers. Not knowing that even Par means absolutely nothing at the playing Pros level. But it was nice to feel like a ‘Cool Guy’ every once in a while.
This was perfect!!! I could make a great living and not have to worry about not having money for bills and I could afford to pay for golf on the weekends. In the golf business you forget that when the tables turn, you are now responsible for purchasing balls, gloves and greens fees on your own. I could play golf on the weekend with buddies or just wait and let my co-workers talk me up and then get invited to play in scramble’s or events with the VP’s of the company. I’m not going to lie…I secretly waited for some hot shot to run his mouth about how good he was and I would chime in asking if they had room for a fourth. Although I did have a couple of close calls on a few occasions. They may have had the chance to have beaten me on those days but I was use to the pressure and just waited for them to fold on the back nine or faked an excuse or injury. Most of these types didn’t re-invite me back for more. My true friends were who I really enjoyed playing golf with and I liked it when they beat me. It usually meant they played well and they still rub it in my face to this day. Thanks a lot Yarkee!

My friends and I would get together and have the most fun possible on the golf course!! The Company I worked for changed but the golf buddies just got better and bigger. I can vividly remember going to a Charity golf Event one weekend with a few guys. No one expected the result to be as good as it was I can tell you this. Did I mention free booze at the event yet?

Well I am pretty sure no one took us serious as we pulled into the parking lot at 6 am and one of the players was vomiting out the window due to the previous night’s shenanigans. They may also have not been amused of our portable stereo we brought with us the cart playing mostly Gangsta rap. I might have fallen down once or twice during a swing that day and one of us regretted wearing white shorts. Thank god they gave us t-shirts at check in so he could use it as a skirt.

At the closing dinner after golf the rest of the field was getting really tired of hearing our teams name announced for all the hole and tee prizes we won. Shit really hit the fan when they announced our -18 score for First Place. Even when we said sorry then challenged any of them to play 9 more holes against us for grand a piece no takers.
Life was great!! Work was going well, still had time for golf. Well not real golf, beer bong golf and Playboy Tournaments. (Playboy Tournaments were the bee’s knees, but that’s a whole different story)

Then the jobs changed and the market changed and the fun changed. I went from playing golf 7 days a week to being a weekend warrior due to a normal work schedule all the way to the rock bottom only playing 10 rounds a year. Living in Arizona where it’s sunny 340 days a year and only play 12 times!! Things were changing and golf wasn’t invited to the dance.

When times were good it was great! But when things got bad they got real dark and scary real quick. I spent almost 9 months unemployed and didn’t know what to do. Here I was Employed since I was 16 years old in the golf business to being unemployed for 9 months and 5 different jobs in 6 years. Only thing I knew I was good at was golf. But I never really found out how good I could be.

My mind set is better and my maturity is for sure better than it was 7 years ago. I told myself I was going to get back into golf to learn how to play again. This is the journey I am on now.
1 year into the rebuilding process and I’m still growing and getting better and better each day mentally, physically and spiritually.

One tournament is in the books and I have a few more coming up quick…… Stay tuned my friends and thank you for following the Foo Golf Journey!