Golf Cures Hangovers

Last night, I did not have a sip of alcohol. This morning I played golf. Golf Cured my Hangover. — being a form of fatigue from previous action or inaction. The hangover I’m referring to here has to do with my own internal psyche of not giving myself permission to do things Version A (of me) wants to do because Version B (of me) took an action and now Version A has to pay the consequences for Version B’s action. (Like Version A is your working self, and version B had a few too many drinks Thursday night — Version A pays the consequence Friday morning)

It’s funny we can separate out versions of ourself in so many instances of life (while not fully realistic, the show Severance plays into this theme quite well).

Today’s Round

I’m decent golfer. As low as a 5.8 Handicap after religiously playing during COVID, I’m now closer to the 8-9 range.

While I’ve been playing for as long as I could remember, only recently have I developed a little bit of a love-hate relationship with the game. Over the past few years I’ve gone many months without even picking up a set or seasons with 4-5 rounds total. When I lived in Denver for 7 months, there was 0 golf in my life — which is quite a stark contrast from previous years where in college I played multiple times every week or high school every day.

Sometimes, it just takes one moment. One action that changes it all.

I busted my a** this week. One of the harder yet fulfilling work-weeks in a while for me. And finally I decided to reward myself with a 7:20 solo tee time this morning.

All I could say is, this was the first driving range session since 2023 that I was consistently catching balls flush (like hitting the bulls-eye every time in darts). I made a small change to my wrist position at the top of my swing and it did wonders.

For those that don’t care about golf, it’s a simple concept: I was in a bit of a rut, negative association with the game. I get to a peaceful course early in the morning and hit golf balls and feel great. Beginning and end of story.

The level of optimism I felt going into the first tee was unmatched. I thought today was my day.

Hole 1: Quadruple Bogey

Golf is a Humbling Sport.

-Jack