I’m slowly but surely continuing my efforts to think and write about delight. It kind of surprise me how little I’ve shared about 2 things that in general bring me a large portion of my overall delight, that is my grandkids and golf. Again, referencing my initial post, delight is about specificity and so in that regard, grandkids and golf are far too broad. I will dive deeper into both in the future but today’s delight is something that’s always been a source of delight: finding golf balls.
I remember one summer when I was maybe 11 or 12, I must have mentioned I was bored and so my Dad told me I should go to the golf course and look for golf balls. This was a year or two before I began playing regularly and my Dad said there was a tournament on the weekend and there would be lots of balls in the bushes. I went with a friend and came home with a pillowcase full of balls. It essentially was Halloween. That started a unique relationship with golf balls. I’ve never bought a golf ball in my life. My garage has buckets full of them, hundreds, maybe even a thousand balls. I have no idea why I keep them. But if you’re ever short, let me know.
There is something about waiting for the group in front and walking into the woods and coming out with a handful of balls. When you find a premium ball, it’s like cash. Top-end golf balls are upwards of $4-5 each. I’ve developed a pretty good eye for following errant shots and my playing partners know I’ll usually find their ball. While I’m searching, I’ll take a little extra time and look for more. Certain courses lend themselves to finding balls more than others. My home course isn’t the best but a course full of trees is a gold mine. It’s not unusual for me to find 30+ in a round. Lately, I’ve taken to only keeping the very best and leaving the rest in the cart or hitting them into a lake.
I love golf for many reasons. Most are more important than this one. But my personal treasure hunt brings me delight. Just another reason to love golf.