450 Balls

Last weekend was a little busy.

Nope, it was a lot busy.

So was last week to be honest.

Despite a busy schedule, I'm managing to squeeze in some driving range practice and golf lessons on a fairly regular basis. It has been 12 days since I started learning how to play golf.

I have had two lessons and three trips to the driving range. Plus one golf game.

I have hit 450 balls at the driving range since I started.

Some balls I miss three times in a row before I make contact.

Some I hit and they roll off the tee and stop about five feet away.

Some I hit really hard and they roll really far but never take flight.

Every so often, I hit a beauty. It sounds perfect when the club hits the ball. It soars in a perfect arc and it lands really really far away.

It's those ones that keep me going because I know I can do it.

On Sunday, I headed to the driving range on my own. I set up 6 tees in a row and put six balls on them. I hit one after another. Set balls and repeat. I missed some, I hit some, I carried on.

I tried, at one point, to add a bit of extra power to my stroke. I wound up, took aim and swung the club. I knocked two balls of two tees...two tees that were about 6 inches apart. I have no idea how I did that.

I also almost managed to kill a bird that was flying by. I missed by a few millimetres and it lived to see anther day.

Surprisingly, I never felt anything other than peaceful. When things got rough, I felt resigned. Never frustrated. Never annoyed. I think, if nothing else, I'm pretty pleased with my ability to take this game in stride.

A stranger came up and tried to give me pointers. I would have been appreciative except that his tips didn't really make much sense. So I politely thanked him and told him that my coach wanted me to work on specific things. Which was true.

Golf is a game of millimetres and improvement comes in baby steps.