A good walk spoiled again...

Well, I did it. I played a round of golf with my dad, and it was fun.

I actually did a bit better than I expected, although I was pretty crap if you measure me against an experienced player. I've been using it as an analogy for learning to drive. What I visualised as I stood there with the club in my hands was a sweetly struck ball sailing straight up the middle of the fairway for hundreds if not thousands of yards. What generally happened in practice was that the ball would bobble along the ground for a few yards, or slice off at a tangent and into the nearest undergrowth. Still, I did manage to hit a few decent balls along the way.

Here's how it looks in statistics:

• Number of airshots:  - 1. Right at the beginning, my first shot. After that I never missed a single ball, although I frequently didn't connect the way I hoped.
• Number of lost balls: - about 5. Golf is more than just hitting the ball. You also have to try to keep an eye on it after it has gone or you won't be able to find it again.
• Number of shots to get around according to the scoresheet:: - 120. I'd hoped for 100 or less, but hey nevermind.
• Number of shots to get around really: - Probably a few more than 120. We weren't treating it as an ultra-serious competition.
• Number of holes in one: - None. Although I did get two pars.
• Number of cars damaged: - 1. Mine. I reversed into a wooden post in the car park and cracked the reflector in my rear bumper.
• Time taken to get around the course: - About 5 hours. We were following a couple of 4 balls, some of who were almost as bad as me, so we had to wait at every tee.
• Number of times my Dad swore at the four ball in front of us: - 439,027,803,928,409. He's a bit like that with traffic lights too.

Golf courses stand out easily in google earth. Here's Brackenwood municipal course, where we played.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Got suntanned, spent some quality time with my Dad, and got a bit better at something I'd not done much of before. Must do it again soon.