The Early Lead: The curious case of Caiden, the golfer

By BRANDON HURLEY

Sports Editor

sports@beeherald.com

@BrandonJHurley

----

It’s a strange phenomenon, but the world’s most mentally grueling sport is my son’s favorite. 

Let’s try to ignore the fact he thinks every time he makes a putt it’s a birdie. 

He’ll even offer to pay for the next round - he’s catching on quick. 

Somehow, someway, my seven-year old son, Caiden, who is anti-sports as they come, is into golf. 

But let’s be real, he probably only enjoys the sport because he gets to ride in a cart and be outdoors – two of his favorite things in the world. 

I asked him what he likes best about golf outside of driving the cart and he said he likes to hit the ball in the air. 

Fair enough. 

A solid drive off the tee is quite the feeling – though he is far from accomplishing that any time soon. 

He’s still got a ways to go with etiquette as well – and patience, for that matter. He wanted to play on my phone two holes in and tried calling it quits after hole nine. 

But It’s pretty cool to be able to share a sport with my son, even if we both struggle mightily at it. 

I grew up on two sports in particular in the summer – baseball and golf. They consumed my time away from school 

There was a course just within walking distance in Ames that a group of friends and I played daily in elementary and middle school. You would be hard-pressed to find us playing anything less than 27 holes on a given day. More often than not it became a competition who could play the most holes in a day. We’d even try to sneak in rounds before it got too dark to see – telling the course attendants to go ahead and remove the flags but let us finish out our rounds. 

I never could corral my slice – and still can’t to this day – but some of the best parts of the round were when we went searching for balls in the woods. 

A friendly wager here or there can make the sport even more exciting. Most of us are not very good at the sport, so why not liven it up a little bit? 

The moments following the rounds are almost just as fun – whether you’re young or old, in grammar school or retired – the post round recaps, the card games and the thirst quenching sit-downs are a great way to relax. We all can remember vividly that way-ward drive into the pound or that blown five-footer for double-bogey. It’s a spot that has so many different intricacies to it. 

Above it all, the pure simplicity of golf along with it’s pound-the-fairway-with-your-club frustrations are what make the sport so enjoyable. 

What other sport can you play with your friends or by yourself for four hours in the great outdoors, mucking it up? Bachelor parties, reunions, business meetings – golf is a great way to reminisce while also allowing a glimpse into someone’s true personality. 

The blown birdie putts, the chunked chip shots and the bladed long irons can drive anyone crazy, but can you bounce back from it and shake it off?  Golfing shenanigans are the best kind. It’s how kids really used to test how good their imagination was. Bored? Hit the links for several hours and get out of the house. Don’t get me wrong, golf can get very expensive, but if you pick and choose your moments, you can have a blast. 

I once threw a driver in the tree out of frustration, nearly had an embarrassing bathroom mishap, fired one too many tee shots in the group in front of us and even missed a good friend’s hole-in-one while I was digging through my bag. The stories golf produce are endless. 

It often takes you to some of the most scenic corners of the earth – and though it can frustrate the hell out of you, if you just take a moment to look around, it will pull you right back in. 

Taking in the sun and beauty this world has to offer while testing your patience is my definition of summer fun. 

I hope Caiden continues his enjoyment of golf, it’s certainly a sport that can bring families and friends together.