The other day a friend whom I had not heard from in a long time called me up and asked if I had time to go golfing with him. Immediately, I said yes.

Golf is the type of activity that allows you to get away from things for a few hours, and in this case it was a chance to do something I hadn’t done with this individual in a long time.

We grew up together and had regularly gone golfing or practiced at the range.

When we were both younger, we had dreams of what we wanted to be when we became adults. I dreamed of becoming a pro golfer. As crazy as that may have seemed, I was drawn to the sport by what I had watched on television, in particular Lee Trevino. The Merry Mex, as he was known, had such an unusual approach to the game. He played quickly, always with a huge smile on his face and talked non-stop. He didn’t have the most pristine stroke, but he was the most entertaining player on the professional tour. I also liked Johnny Miller because he had that All-American look. He has turned out to be an amazing golf analyst, telling it like it is.

My dream of playing professionally became nothing more than a fantasy. I knew fairly quickly that I had neither the skill nor the commitment to be anything more than a recreational player.

So that’s why the chance to reconnect with an old friend brought back so many memories. We have grown up, married and have families, and for a variety of other reasons had lost contact with one another.

But when we got together, it was as if we were still the best of friends, talking about the old times. Over the course of the five hours we played, we lost ourselves in old memories which made us laugh. Growing up, we had no pressure on ourselves, aside from perhaps making a crucial putt or hitting one off the tee without burying it in the woods or plunking it in the pond.

It’s funny, but it was as if time had stood still because after all these years we still managed to repeat some of these mistakes and laughed about it.

Mark Twain has been quoted as saying golf is a good game wasted, but there is nothing better than whiling away a few hours with a friend on the golf course. I know a lot of businessmen like to golf to talk about deals, but golfing with friends is so much different. It’s just so laid back and the conversation can drift into so many topics. More than anything, you can be yourself.

After my friend and I completed our round and had a nice meal, we made a promise to ourselves to do it again without waiting so long this time.

Image Credit: Active Adults Delaware