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You are here: Home / Course management / 75th? Bring It On!

75th? Bring It On!

September 11, 2020 by Stephen Altschuler 14 Comments

My 75th is coming up end of October. I don’t ask for much. Drives on the fairway, 230, consistent, bullet trajectory, on the screws. Pick the right approach club. Solid strike. On the green. Birdie chance. Good chips. No yips. No flubs. No chunks. No skulls. Nice putts. No pulls. No pushes. Nothing too short. Nothing too long. No, I repeat, no three putts. No 45 footers that wind up 12 feet from the cup. That’s all I ask. Is that too much for a 75 year old to want? Now that I think on it, probably is. But a man can hope, especially on a 75th birthday. Damn, I deserve it. It’s not easy reaching such an age in one piece. Well, relatively one piece. OK, maybe two or three pieces. But the heart still beats; and the legs still walk (yep, got a cool three-wheeler and still pushing’); and the hands still grip; and the eyes still squint and check the rangefinder; and, though I lost every one at one point, the hair still combs. What else? The fingers still write and keep score; the back still supports me, the brain still course manages; the ears still listen; and the pecker, though I lost the ability at one point, still pees.

So I’m grateful. I’m still out here playing golf. Ain’t that the bee’s knees! The cat’s meow. A corker. I’m out in the elements, playing a demanding yet fun game, having hopes of improvement even at 75. What other sport is like that? Beach volleyball? Basketball? Handball? Baseball? Bowling? Football? Soccer? Pickleball? Ironman? Nah. None of them really. But golf, golf you can play half decently until the day you die. I’ve played with a 90 year old who kept the ball in play and hit it on the screws. And with today’s equipment, he got decent distance as well. And most importantly, he was still having fun, and had something interesting to tell the wife other than how many craps he took that day.

So I am playing this game three years after my doc told me I had stage four lymphoma giving me some percentage to survive that weakened my knees. She was a great lady, that doc. Chinese American. Delicate as an orchid. Yet hard as a drill sergeant telling me she was going to “hit that cancer hard” with an ammo belt of chemo meds called R-CHOP. And she did, and here I am, close to celebrating my 75th, my wife, Ruth, still by my side.

Now what? A pandemic. But what do you know, golf courses are open. Maybe the best coronavirus-defying sport on the planet. Social distancing? No problem. As a shy kid, it was one of the reasons I took up golf at 14. Masks? At the grocery, fine. But playing golf, you don’t need them since you’re outside and far enough away from your playing partners. And golf keeps the immune system strong, which I just made up on the chance no one will fact-check me. But seriously, it does keep my mood elevated and even helps me sleep.

Fires and smoke. Can’t play or practice outside with this smoke. That’s OK. I’ll keep swinging without a club in my living room. Keep my positions intact and part of my memory map. Watch the pros on TV. Not just for entertainment, but to learn something of how they do what they do. Winds are supposed to shift some today. Even some rain coming in next week. Smoke will clear. Fires will end. Pandemic will fade. Eventually.

75. Bring it on. Pedal to the metal. Full speed ahead. Land Ho! First tee. Oh shit. I forgot to put my socks on!

Peace, y’all. Keep swinging.

 

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Filed Under: Course management, golf and the mind, Golf courses, Golf Equipment, Golf Improvement, inspiration in golf, mental game, Putting, short game, The drive Tagged With: cancer, coronavirus, fires, masks, pandemic, smoke, social distancing

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jim Stewart says

    September 11, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Stephen-
    At 70, I’m just a kid. Your hopes and wishes are mine as well. Thanks for still being here and writing this marvelous blog.

    Oh, and Happy Birthday!

    Reply
    • Stephen Altschuler says

      September 11, 2020 at 12:58 pm

      Ah, a mere babe in arms, a neophyte, a fledgling, a tenderfoot, an apprentice, an abecedarian (whadhesay!). Actually, Jim, anyone over 70, in my humble opinion, by nature of age alone, should get a medal (or at least a cigar band). So welcome to the club.
      Thank you for the kind words…and the early Happy Birthday.
      Be well.

      Reply
  2. David says

    September 11, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    Stephen
    Congrats on approaching 75. I’m going to hit 70 myself on October 30.
    I still have the golf bug like you. Let’s raise a glass to our birthdays and hope on November 3rd we can celebrate that the Donald will be headed into retirement, on his own dime. He golfs too much now anyway! Keep swinging and keep the blogs coming.
    David

    Reply
    • Stephen Altschuler says

      September 11, 2020 at 1:49 pm

      Thanks, David. Your birthday is one day before mine. Yep, I was a Halloween baby. Congrats on turning 70 and welcome to the club. Raising a glass in return. I am completely simpatico on the coming election. Check out my other blog at stephenaltschuler.com for more on this.
      Take good care.
      Stephen

      Reply
  3. Gail says

    September 11, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    Ah Stephen love the optimism & never stop swinging & doing that Tai Chi you taught to us at SRJC! Happy Birthday

    Reply
    • Stephen Altschuler says

      September 11, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      Thank you, Gail. Glad you still remember the Tai Chi class. Seems like ages ago. That meditation in motion is a particularly great practice for these pandemic times.
      Take good care and stay safe, my friend.
      Stephen

      Reply
  4. Richard says

    September 11, 2020 at 1:35 pm

    Good post, Stephen. I am one year behind you and have the same wishes as you. With lots of hope to see all the fires quelled and the smoke being blown away. Here’s to 75. I am lifting a virtual glass of something strong to you!

    Reply
    • Stephen Altschuler says

      September 11, 2020 at 1:51 pm

      Clinking your virtual glass, Richard, with deep thanks. I will try to set a good example for you as you approach 75 next year. Take care, my friend.

      Reply
  5. Elisa says

    September 11, 2020 at 4:17 pm

    Your words always brightens my day. Here’s to the survivors, and here’s to you my friend. Cheers!

    Reply
    • Stephen Altschuler says

      September 11, 2020 at 4:34 pm

      Thank you, Elisa. Glad I can brighten your day, these smokey days especially. And, yes, here’s to the survivors. Hope and courage and faith and a bit of humor.
      Stay well and safe, my friend.

      Reply
  6. Henry R. Altschuler says

    September 11, 2020 at 8:24 pm

    Well said brother. Talk to you later. Love you.

    Reply
    • Stephen Altschuler says

      September 11, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      Thanks, Hank. Talk soon.
      Love from your “l’l” brother

      Reply
  7. Phil Russell says

    September 13, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    Stephen,

    I don’t remember his name but he was a great pro basketball player. He was called poetry in motion. Your writing is like that. Poetry in motion.
    Phil

    Reply
    • Stephen Altschuler says

      September 14, 2020 at 11:47 am

      The entire game of pro basketball is poetry in motion which has led me to follow it for years. To compare my writing to that game is very kind of you, Phil. Glad you’re enjoying it.
      Thanks very much.

      Reply

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