Spring seems to have arrived earlier than normal in Alaska this year. After recent cold, snowy winters, we finally got a mild one and I even heard George at Palmer Golf Course has had to chase golfers off the course. The weather is so nice, people are just marching out and playing without permission.
While trespassing is usually a bad choice in life, let us be reminded we all have choices to make every day. In watching Sam Olson’s latest interview on Foretee9th golf, I’m reminded that competing is a choice. Rich Teders talks at length to Olson about the lifelong commitment he made to competing at golf and the payoff that took literally decades to achieve. Teders’ journey from struggling to break 120 at Eagleglen to becoming a state champ is full of educational moments.
The apparent questions: do you want to be a competitor? Everyone loves to win, but do we love to make the sacrifices necessary to compete?
It was 12 years ago that a friend of mine from work talked me into competing. We were playing a casual round and he said you should really try practicing and getting in tournaments. I resisted, but then gave in and started committing to my game for the first time in 20 years or so. I hit balls at the Eagleglen range every day and played 18 holes on each day off from work, so two rounds per week. The grind resulted in reaching the semifinals of the state match play tournament. I played in the final foursome with Adam Baxter, Greg Sanders and Marcus Dolejsi, who eventually defeated me.
It was so much fun, I quit practicing altogether and never returned to that level. Instead, I’ve been focused on seeing how well I can play with no practice, which has been an interesting journey of its own. I’ve started entering tournaments just to secure weekend tee times. Last year, I found myself not wanting to win my first match in the net division of the state match play, because I didn’t want to play 36 holes that day. I ended up playing one of my best rounds of the summer and had to walk another 18 in the rain.
I wasn’t there to compete. I was just there to play golf.
I only had one round in which I can say I was truly competing last summer and that was against Todd Santangelo in the Birdie Juice Cup. When he nearly aced the par-3 third hole to take the lead in the match, my juices started flowing and I honestly tried to beat a very worthy opponent. I barely won, 1-up, on what turned into one of my most fun days of the summer.
Even with that, I look ahead to this summer and don’t really want to compete, because it means total commitment. It means being exhausted all week from mashing work and golf together in an all-encompassing fight for glory that you are more than likely going to lose. Then, again, I want to compete for all those same reasons. Dare I say, it is the full on Shakespearean “To be, or not to be?” staring us all in the face.
Is it all worth it? Yes and no. It is your choice. We all have to make up our minds whether we want to attack this summer ahead and find out how good we can get, to find out what happens if we give it our all and play with passion. To do so means willingness to shed blood, sweat and tears all for Alaskan golfing glory that no one on the planet cares about. It’s amazing when you stop to think about it. It’s possible that Alaskan golf provides the most raw, real, honest competition experience on the golfing planet. Do you want to be a part of it?
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