The golfers pictured are not just smiling because they have won the “Guys & Dolls” tournament, but they have just experienced a morning of lots of laughs, new friendships, and a pleasant lunch with others golfers on a beautiful fall day.


One wonders, what is it that attracts so many people to the game of golf?  Golf is a game of self-competition-you attempt to lower your score through continuous improvement.  If you have a great game, you want to come back to show “you can do it even better”, and ironically, if you have a poor game, you can’t wait to come back to prove to yourself “you can certainly do better than that”.

However, for many golfers the joy of golf is the exercise, fresh air, time spent with friends in a common pursuit, and the beauty and tranquility of the surrounding environment-contrasting colours and textures of grasses, wildflowers, forests, and water.

The opportunity to hear the birds or occasionally spot a deer, an otter or a fisher enhances the experience.  For some, golf is a way to unwind from the stresses of everyday life.  The act of thinking only about hitting a little white ball induces relaxation.

People regularly choose a particular time of day to play.  Some (including the publishers of The VOICE) love the early morning-the quietness, the beauty of a dew-drop on each blade of grass, the meadows untouched by man, the solitude of the wilderness and the gurgling of the rapids.  Late in the day, those who have toiled all day, enjoy a round of golf when the shadows are long and the course is quiet.  For individuals looking for someone with whom to play, the ladies and men’s groups offer social, non-competitive opportunities on a weekly basis.

Golf is a game for all ages.  Tiger Woods began to swing a club at 2 years of age, appeared on television putting with Bob Hope at 3 and was featured in Golf Digest at 5.

Many people take it up as a retirement activity.  Eleanor Kerr, a cottager on Chandos Lake took up the sport at 73 years of age after both hips were replaced and she had had carpal tunnel surgery on her right wrist.  Ten years later, she regularly plays 9 holes at Marvel Rapids on Tuesday mornings and 18 holes at Owenbrook on Thursday mornings—always walking!  Her philosophy is summed up: “I just want to have fun when I play, not take it too seriously”.  Courses are designed for people of all ages and abilities by offering different tee decks on each fairway; therefore, changing the distance the ball has to be hit.

          In case this all sounds so easy, consider these “Golf Definitions”

• When a struck ball unintentionally veers to the left, it is called a hook.
• When a struck ball unintentionally veers to the right, it is called a slice.
• When a struck ball does not veer, but flies straightforward, it is called a miracle.