Weekend Rambler

Well it is Masters weekend in the world of golf, a celebrated time among the azaleas, redbuds and dogwoods of Augusta National and its storied past. The final round will begin with all of the top five in contention for an extended day of golf after the rain delay today with clear skies in the forecast it looks to be a real horserace with the best poised to come out on top. I love this game as much as climbing mountains or tough bouldering routes because it is me and me alone against the forces of nature and my ability to perform, no one helped me hit that golf shot. I may receive advice on yardage and and whatnot but I still have to perform and hit the shot and our reaction is a vision into who we are.
There is a reason alot of business is done on the golf course, a person's true temperment is shown there, a gentleman's game played on the honor system. It will teach you about yourself and others as difficult challenges always do. It is not an easy game, requiring thought and physical ability to play well lending to its intrigue and addictiveness where a smart and not so gifted player can beat a more physically toned individual.
Tiger somewhat changed that formula by being both physically powerful and mentally astute to the nuances of the short game and a new tier of players has come up, like Phil, Retief , Vijay and a whole slough of fresh new faces with a fire in their gut. I am a long hitter and learning to temper my fierce almost reckless competiveness with a thoughtful approach to a golf course was my biggest obstacle, playing smart I won, playing reckless I got mad. It appears golf can be a microcosm of life and how you approach it, perhaps that is why I love the game so much, it makes me a better person by striving to better myself at a game.
After all, a nice walk in a park chasing a little white ball into all reaches of that park is a good way to get some fresh air and bird watch, in one way or another, if you are lucky an eagle may even be seen to be discussed at length at the 19th hole, the pub.