By JON KELLEY
Tribune golf columnist
June 02, 2007 11:57 pm
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In my last article, I mentioned that there are golfers who just can’t get enough of golf. It could be playing golf, watching golf, reading about golf or just thinking about golf. It made me wonder, is there such a thing as golf addiction?
The typical types of questions you ask to determine if you are addicted can be modified with a slant for golf. How would you answer these questions? I will give you some extra thoughts on each.
Do you lose time from work due to golf? (I hope not, everything has it’s time and place.)
Is golf making your home life unhappy? (You better be honest about this one!)
Is golf use affecting your reputation? (I hope you don’t cuss or throw clubs!)
Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of golf? (I guess a membership at Pebble Beach is out!)
Does your golf make you careless of your family’s welfare? (Don’t swing that club in the house with family around!)
Has your ambition decreased since taking up golf? (Ambition to do what?)
Do you crave golf at a definite time daily? (Yeah! Every morning when I drive past Wildcat!)
Do you want to golf the next morning? (See last answer!)
Does golf cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? (How about when you are leading the county tournament with one round to play?)
Has your efficiency decreased since taking up golf? (Are you keeping your house clean?)
Is golf jeopardizing your job or business? (Be careful who you play with!)
Do you golf to escape from worries or trouble? (Isn’t that what all recreation is for?)
Well, so far so good! You might answer yes to just a few questions or more. Unfortunately, a “yes” to three or more questions indicates abuse or addiction is present and corrective steps need to be taken. You might want to think about this some more.
Wait, the list of questions is not yet complete! How about these strange ones?
Do you golf alone? (I don’t want anyone to see my swing.)
Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of golf? (What did I shoot on that last hole? I can’t remember how much I owe you.)
Has your physician ever treated you for golf? (Do bad backs count?)
Do you golf to build up your self-confidence? (Actually, golf does just the opposite.)
Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of golf? (Does the game drive you crazy?)
As far as these questions go, you might think half of the golfers are addicted to golf. Let’s look at some signs and symptoms of addiction to see what they show.
Do you have uncontrolled cravings? (Hopefully, they are controlled.) Do you have obsessive thoughts? (I just have to break 100 before I turn 50!) Do you spend a lot of energy on golf? Do you have behavioral changes when playing golf? Are you hyperactive when playing golf? Does fatigue set in when playing golf? Most of these signs and symptoms don’t seem to indicate that you can be addicted to golf.
However, if any of these sound like you, you probably are addicted anyway.
Do you shake when you pass a golf course?
Can you hit just one shot?
Can you play only 18 holes in a day?
Do you get morning sickness if you don’t play?
Are the only magazines you get golf magazines?
Do you get Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golf Illustrated, GolfWeek and the Golf Channel?
Do you have more than 1,000 golf balls in your basement or garage?
Do you have more than 100 golf clubs in your basement or garage?
Do you take your infant child with you on the golf cart?
Do you play in the rain and snow?
Do you write golf articles at 11:30 at night before leaving on an international flight the next morning? (Oops! How did that get in there?)
Let’s say you are addicted. How do you break your addiction?
You could just stop cold turkey by keeping busy from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Maybe you could volunteer as a starter. OK, that would be cheating! You could play until you can’t play another hole. Maybe you would get sick of it. Better yet, you could play 36 holes a day for three weeks. They say that you form or break a habit in 21 days. (Be careful with this one. It could have the opposite effect!)
I hope you enjoyed the change of pace for the article this week. Now it’s 11:45 p.m. I got to go!
Until next time, have more fun playing more golf!
Jon Kelley may be reached by e-mail at jpkelley@netusa1.net or through the sports department.
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Jon Kelley
Tribune golf columnist