For the first time in 30 years of golf, I haven’t gotten in even 20 rounds. First, there was the new shoulder (thank you, Dr. Mayer), sidelining me until May 9. Then, a torn meniscus needed physical therapy and arthroscopic surgery (thank you, Dr. Noonan), confining me to the gym and occasional cart rounds.
That’s given me a lot of time to think about golf and, mostly, to miss it. In the Colorado spirit of the season, here are a few reasons why I’m grateful for the game. I hope they’ll get you counting your own golf blessings!
1. The exercise.I used to enjoy hiking, but golf gives my hiking a purpose. I get to enjoy nature, burn calories and sometimes even win! Walking 18 holes burns somewhere between 1,200 and 1,600 calories, depending on the terrain and layout, which could justify devouring one of those ever-shrinking pints of Haagen-Dazs. Even riding burns 800 calories or so, just for the effort and explosiveness of the golf swing.
2. Common ground with an array of uncommon people.In my newspaper days I was included in weekly games with the publisher, editor and managing editor. One day my first husband and I went out to play a casual weekday round and were paired up with a pleasant young man named Sebastian. As we enjoyed the round and chatted, I learned that he was from Poland, but not until the final putts had fallen and we shook hands did I ask, “Sebastian Janikowski?” The star kicker for the then-Oakland Raiders grinned and nodded. It wasn’t the last time we’d play together. Over the years, I’ve played with many people I would otherwise not ever have met. We may not think we have much in common – but through golf, we find out that we all want the same things for ourselves, for our loved ones.
3. Speaking of loved ones…Back in my single days, while other women complained that there were no single men, I put a simple ad on Craigslist, just looking for someone to golf with. I received more responses than I could possibly answer. And some of the men even had clothes on in their photos!!!
4. Friends!Join a golf club or league in Colorado and you’ll meet people of all ages who share a passion with you. Many will become your pals.
5. It’s so easy to keep score. Pickleball players, let’s be honest: You’re constantly forgetting the score and who’s serving. We golfers are given a little scorecard with a tiny pencil and just have to count our shots on each hole. If we’re not very good, there are beads or electronic counters we can carry to track the damage. Simple!
6. Global rules.We don’t have to speak the same language to speak golf, because the Rules of Golf are universal. Sure, you and your friends might be making modifications/cheats, but when strangers play by the rules it’s wonderfully unifying. Golf’s rules may be more nuanced than those of other sports, but the more we learn about them, the more they can help us.
7. The challenge.Don’t you love the way golf makes everything else seem easy? Driving on I-70, earning that degree at DU, raising kids, cooking, yardwork – all easy compared to golf. Yet it teases us with enough good shots in a round to make us come back, try harder, play again.
8. Lessons in patience. Eighteen holes is a long time to spend with someone who irritates you, and we’ve all had that experience – the guy who critiques every one of your shots, the gal who can’t stop talking. It’s an opportunity to look for the good in another human – or just play nine!
9. Golf takes us to beautiful places.I am so grateful to have played golf in places from Whistler, B.C., to the Kintyre Peninsula, Scotland, from Bandon Dunes to Pebble Beach, and such gorgeous courses here in Colorado. I would not have been to any of those places without golf. I used to avoid even flying through Colorado, until I met Mr. McMulligan 11 years ago and dug some roots here.
10. May 9, 2025.The first time out on a golf course after shoulder replacement is pretty scary. But it was Mr. McMulligan’s birthday, and, six months after my surgery, Dr. Mayer said, “Get out and play.” I was so nervous that my arm was going to fall off at the short but challenging nine-hole par-3 course at Broken Tee, I teed off with a half-swing driver at every hole, no matter how short. It was going surprisingly well before I climbed to the green on the blind, uphill 5th hole. I went to a ball where I thought I might have gone, but it wasn’t mine. “It’s probably in the hole,” Mr. McMulligan said as he inspected the grass behind the green. I walked by the hole, looked in and then pointed at it. Yes, the golf gods had welcomed me back with a hole-in-one. I got the message:
Here’s to more golf in the season ahead!
Who Says It Isn’t Golf Season? For diehard players, the game’s not over until the course is closed
The McMulligan Guide to Golf Travel
Train Your Brain: Ideas for those who spend their offseason thinking about how to play better golf in the spring
