Call us the golfophiles; the folks who need to find a way to weave our sometimes frustrating yet always beloved sport into whatever we are doing and wherever we are. Case in point:
It was a Chamber of Commerce day; perhaps the most lovely Saturday of the summer so far. On a sandbar beach that appears off the shore of Massachusetts at every low tide, hundreds gathered. Beach chairs were set in circles; kites flew in the air. Adults and kids alike dipped in the Atlantic and a tiki hut boat served shoreside lobster rolls and hot dogs. Put simply: It was paradise.
Me? I was absolutely soaking it all in. But deep down, as the low humidity breeze cooled my sunsoaked face, I was thinking “man, it’s a perfect day to play a round.”
Across the flat, ocean-formed sandbar, I suddenly spotted – to my delight – folks who got it.
Meet Mark Wolforth and John DiNanno, two South Shore buddies with not just a love of the sport but, like me, the drive to find a way to add it to any day. With flags placed as holes (tapping the base counts as draining it), a few irons, driver and putter in an old-school bag cart, they’d created a super cool golf experience,
Careful to wait until no other beach dwellers were in the line of their sandy fairway, they teed up and then let it rip – sending their drive soaring into the stiff salty breeze.
Super cool.
Wolforth and DiNanno and their tradition of finding that cool sand bar beach and “playing it” represent perhaps the highest level of the art of weaving golf into all parts of our lives. I salute them for that.
There are other ways for those of us jonesing for the sport to get a taste of what we love. Beyond the basic striking up a convo with that guy in line wearing a club logo shirt, we can stay in our game mode in so many ways. Consider these.
Screen time: For real, the Netflix series “Full Swing” has transformed the way the world looks at golf. Players are now familiar; we get to know their backstory, family, goals and even struggles. With 23 episodes over three seasons, there’s plenty to dig into in a way that not only shares those player stories, but leads you to think about your own. It’s a great way to be golf immersed with friends or alone.
And then there’s the big golf viewing of the summer – Happy Gilmore 2 – the long-awaited sequel to the golf movie that launched a billion running hockey swing drives. While critics aren’t over the moon about it, that’s because they just don’t love golf like the rest of us. With more than 46 million views in its first three days, it’s Netflix’s biggest US film opening ever.
With oh-so-many pro golf cameos (and with your encyclopedic knowledge of current pros from “Full Swing,” it’s a fun romp with all our favorites.
Download it – like I did – and you can feel the golf joy anywhere. I’ll be watching it on a long early morning flight I have this week. I may be stuck above the earth I want to hit the fairway on, but I’ll be marinating in golf fun.
Dress the part: Happy Gilmore 2, like its original, goes all in on embracing the unique fashion choices men (and women!) can make for golf play. The vibrant and attention-grabbing jerseys Happy himself (as well as others) wear in the film can be your look too. www.sundayswagger.com sells all kinds of unique and *noticable* attire, including the actual ones worn by Happy Gilmore in the film.
Missing a good golf day for something else? Pop on your Happy Gilmore-inspired jersey and just wait for someone to ask you why it looks so familiar. Smile, swing your arms like a gentle chip and say “Why don’t you go ask Shooter McGavin,” and then just saunter away.
Golf fun can be had anywhere. Mark and John? I’m bringing my fairway wood and seven iron next time. Be ready. Because we golfophiles always find each other – and the fun.
