Golf is boring. Just a bunch of old men chasing a ball around in the woods. If you're not athletic, you can always play golf. I've heard these and many more. My personal favorite is, "Looks so easy. Anyone can play golf". Of course, if this were true then why aren't there many more playing professionally and earning that easy multiple thousands, even millions of dollars every year? 

 

Having played the game for 20+ years I can assure you that to do it you have to be somewhat athletically inclined and willing to devote time and practice to your game. Most important you better be very humble lest wise the course will send you away with a rash, bitterness, ulcers and the need to seek out a therapist. At most a closet alcoholic. 

 

Swinging the club is a challenge in concentration and ultimate body control. If you fail to keep your head down and eye on the ball through contact with it you will whiff it to your side or miss it altogether. If you drop your shoulder you'll hit behind the ball. If your knee bend is too deep or too shallow as you come through the ball your control is non-existent. There are so many other things that must be properly executed at the right time or your shot attempt will be so errant that your language will make a sailor blush. 

 

While playing the sport I had the good fortune of playing many great courses. The Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina is the most prestigious one that I had the honor of allowing to totally humiliate me and send me and my shattered self-esteem to the 19th hole to partake of a river of Absolute on the rocks as I swore revenge in the future if I didn't have my clubs melted down to teach them a lesson!!

 

While at Pinehurst I played the #7 course and the #2 course. The #2 course is the one that has seen many PGA tournaments. See Chart:

share ($)
1936	PGA Championship	Denny Shute	1,000
1951	Ryder Cup	United States	n/a
1962	U.S. Amateur	Labron Harris Jr.	n/a
1994	U.S. Senior Open	Simon Hobday	145,000
1999	U.S. Open	Payne Stewart	625,000
2005	U.S. Open	Michael Campbell	1,170,000
2008	U.S. Amateur	Danny Lee	n/a
2014	U.S. Open	Martin Kaymer	1,620,000
	U.S. Women's Open	Michelle Wie	720,000
2019	U.S. Amateur		n/a
2024	U.S. Open

    

I stopped playing several years ago. After I semi-retired I lost interest playing golf and traveling so much. However, I will admit I miss seeing strokes being made such as this: 

See you at the 19th hole