Why People Do It

Play golf, that is.

All sporting activities have a certain level of irrationality embedded in them: why 4 balls and 3 strikes in baseball? why 4 downs and 10 yards in football? and on and on...

But I strongly believe that the level of absurdity in golf simply dwarfs all the other sports combined. As a result, golf is the source of the best sports jokes. Take a look:

-- http://www.ahajokes.com/golf_jokes.html

-- http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/sports/sports_golf.htm

But why does anyone bother? Golf is expensive. It's often terribly frustrating. It takes years of professional lessons to learn how to play well and half a day to play a single round.

While there are many reasons why people do it, let me tell you one of mine:

Imagine looking down at a small white ball, located between and slightly in front of your two feet. Imagine taking a beautifully engineered piece of equipment (which is what a golf club is, by the way...) and holding it down so that it almost touches the ball. Imagine taking a swing at the ball -- a motion that you have been perfecting for years. A most satisfying movement and one that you're proud of.

Now imagine the ball simply disappearing midway through your swing. Disappearing with a most satisfying "thwack!" And seeing it reappear 200 yards away. Exactly where you planned for it to go. Magic? Oh, I think so.

Now goodness knows, it doesn't always work like that. But it doesn't have to. Just once or twice per round of golf is enough to bring you back.