RSSDave Barry
You have surely noticed that a big golf craze is sweeping the nation, as aging Baby Boomers discover the benefits of participating in a sport where the most physically demanding activity is ordering putters by mail.
It has reached the point where, if you don't play golf, your career can suffer. I know mine has. In my newspaper office, the two senior editors -- let's call them "Tom Shroder" and "Bill Rose" -- regularly go off together during business hours to play golf. I'm sure that while they're out on the "links" hitting "bogeys," they discuss important business matters and formulate newspaper policies in conversations like this:
TOM: Bill, before I attempt to "shank" this "birdie," I'd like to know your "gut feeling" on the use of quotation marks in the newspaper.
BILL: Tom, I feel they are overused.
TOM: I agree. Let's formulate a policy on that.
BILL: And then let's try on evening gowns.
TOM: Yes! We'll accessorize with brooches!
I'm not saying "Tom" and "Bill" discuss exactly these topics. I'm merely saying that, because I don't play golf, I don't know what they discuss, and so I'm "out of the loop." Perhaps you're "in the same boat." Perhaps you would like to learn about golf, so that when your colleagues talk about it, you can join in and be "one of the persons." That's why today's topic is Basic Questions About Golf, starting with the question that beginners ask most often:
Q. Has anybody ever used a 9-iron to kill emus?
A. Alert reader
I called Linthicum, and he told me, after some hemming and hawing, that although the story he had related to columnist Strait was essentially correct, the golf-club part was not 100 percent accurate in the sense of being true. Linthicum also made these points: (1) If you are ever offered a gift of live emus, you would be wise to turn it down, because "those things have feet like something out of 'Jurassic Park'"; (2) If it gets printed in the newspaper that you dispatched emus with a 9-iron, even for a good cause, you're going to hear from some extremely angry animal-rights people; and (3) If a person, for whatever reason, did have to dispatch an emu with a golfing implement, it would make more sense to use a wood than an iron.
Speaking of "Jurassic Park," another question often asked by beginning golfers is:
Q. What happens if a snake eats my balls?
A. Don't worry! The snake will be fine, provided that it gets proper medical care. I base this statement on an article from the
No, seriously, according to the
No, I'm kidding about that last part. But I'm not kidding about our final common golf question, which is:
Q. If I do not wish to stand around on a golf course listening to a bunch of business clients drone on about their mulligans, can I hire somebody to play golf with them for me?
A. Yes! Alert dentist
Me, I love the idea of paying somebody to play golf with your clients, and I'm thinking: Why not take it further? Why not pay somebody to have meetings with your clients, and take your clients to dinner, and smoke cigars and drink brandy with your clients, and then throw up on your clients' shoes because you hate brandy and cigars? This company could be called: Businesspersons In Action.
So those are your golf basics. Good luck out on the "links," and be sure to say "hi" to my editors, "Tom" and "Bill," who will be easy to spot because they get stuck in the sand traps with those high heels.
This column was originally published
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Cyberspace Cadet
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(c) 2009 The Miami Herald Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.
