The Game of Golf

No, I don't work at McDouglestein & Benson Investment Banking Enterprise. But, I do work in an office, and on some levels there are similarities. I posit that on a topical level - interest in golf is one of them. I have been to a driving range a grand total of four times in life. I am somewhat interested in this game as a new pursuit and challenge. So I have been talking to the guys about it as much as possible because 1) people who golf love to talk about golf and 2) the second best thing aside from actually doing something you find fun, is talking about it (some might say more fun). The reaction people get when you say the word "golf" is astonishing. Above and beyond the reaction the word evokes from it's purveyors is when you say you are new to the game and are eager to learn. I have received roughly 411,731 pieces of advice over the last three days since I began to be interested in "getting into the golf game." It is the number one thing to bring up in a group conversation better than the weather, traffic, and movies you've seen. For me, this could not be understated. It is clear that the three aforementioned subjects are the most frequently discussed topics, but the most fervently discussed topic in the corporate work place is golf.

Just now in the lunch room I was barraged with comments, thoughts, suggestions, prices, and everything to do with golf. It was a smorgasbord of topics relating to golf. People love it, people hate it, but people will talk about it with you and have a story of something great or horrible that happened to them regarding this sport. Maybe how they suffered years trying to get good - and then gave up. But still, they have things to add to the conversation and not just topical "I take the 10 to the 405 south if its after 4:30 on Monday" -esque type things. There is a substance and level of sincerity that is unique to most work conversations.

I would be amiss if I were not to address that IAMBA. Also, most of my life should be about getting my cake up. These two factors position golf front and center. Golf may possibly be a sport than no one enjoys. I may or may not completely agree with the previous sentence and could make arguments (strong ones at that) that would support it. I won't. But let's operate under that assumption in the forecoming discussion that immediately proceeds. People golf because other people golf, because other people golf, because their boss/client/future boss/future client/networking opportunity/overall hustlin opportunity/ golfs. There are millions (billions?) of people all over the world who are golfing because it is a way to lube damn deals, and advance their lives and generally help to get their respective cake up. The logic as it pertains to me is as follows:

IAMBA -> Trying to Get Cake Up -> Going to start golfing.

It's not a complicated issue, but it is not trivial. If you leave out the middle step, you will see why me (and many others) don't golf. It is the cornerstone. If you don't got it, you won't golf and you won't ever really be a "member." (The discussion of what exactly a "member" is, is assumed by the Blogmaster to be known by the readers, but a more rigorous analysis is necessary, possibly at a later date.)

So that is what the game of golf is. It's about spending hours and hours and hours and years and years and years doing something that aint nearly as fun as a man sport like basketball - but what's important here is pickup basketball ain't gonna get you a crib in the hamptons.