Golf Stories are meant to be shared...

Posted May 26 2009, 09:36 PM by Cathy Erickson
I really like a good golf story.  I am one of those people who actually likes the Jimmy Roberts snippets about a back story on a PGA Tour player, or the 18 quick questions with a player in any one of several golf magazines.  I'm a sucker for a golfer overcoming adversity, and I find myself becoming fans of players who are willing to let us, just a little bit, into their lives.

I also love hearing the play by play when my friends have finished their round.  Just the other day a golf friend gave me the replay on the 11 he took on a par-5.  Thankfully, he could laugh about it now.  I never get tired of hearing the highlight reels from great rounds or even a great hole or two...it's even more fun to be there to experience them.
 
It was easy to get drawn in to Erik Tammar's story last year, right here on Tees2Greens.  What golfer that has a passion for the game hasn't daydreamed of what it might be like to be on the professional tour...making millions...making every 6 footer...seeing their name on the top of the leaderboard.  Tammar decided to set his dreams in motion and we got to go along for the ride.  Unfortunately, Erik realized that now wasn't the time to pursue his dream.
 
I was excited to see the Phil Bundy story appear at the end of 2008...another PGA tour dreamer who is going to share his quest through his blog.  I've been hanging in there, and I realize that he is doing the things he needs to do, like getting a "dream team", but I want to know what he's doing to get his game ready for the tour - what kind of practice schedule does he have?  What tournaments is he going to play?  Is he going to try to qualify for the US Open?  I want to hear stories about how he is making his dream a reality, but I'm not sure he's there yet.
 
This past month has been pretty crummy weather-wise and even though I've been out on the course as much as I can, I still needed a good golf story fix.
 
And then I remembered reading another blog awhile back and last week I went and revisited.  Now this is the stuff I love to read about!
 
I'd like to introduce you to Mike Gray and his blog, http://www.lifeintherough.com/.  Mike has the goal of being a golf professional.  He's currently a software engineer, but golf is running through his veins and he's decided that it's worth the effort and sacrifice to make golf more than a hobby.  In one of his early entries he explains that his goal is like a ladder - step one is being a teaching or club professional - then possibly to play golf to earn some money - maybe not the PGA tour, but there are many options out there to play on a competitive level.
 
Mike also has great insight on the game, some reviews, lots of golf tips, discussion of the rules, and a lot more.  But what hooked me was this excerpt from his "About Me" page:  "Well, I've come to the realization that I want to make golf my life. I don't care how long it takes. I'm willing to put the work in. How far I go is something I'll figure out as time goes on."
 
I read things like that and I can't help but get a little jealous...life in the golf world would be a great place to be.  But what a chance to be a fan of his dream and root him on!  And it's also a great reminder to pull out my own set of goals and see what I can do with my own golf story.  I bet I can find more than a few great tips in Mike's archives.
 
So if you're looking for some good golf stuff to read (besides me & Sam Johnson of course) then stop over and acquaint yourself with Mike Gray - I bet it won't take long to find a little of you in his story.  Thanks, Mike, for giving me a great golf fix this week.
 
And better yet...if you have a great golf story or two, share them!!!

Filed under: rules, golf stories, Phil Bundy, tips, Erik Tammar, Mike Gray