An afternoon at the Local Par 3

You know that feeling when you look at your calendar and see it all full? Every week something going on. Every day some task needs to be completed. It's so easy to get overwhelmed and try to "grind it out", but what are you accomplishing by doing that? Yeah, you're getting stuff done, but are there some things you are overlooking or not spending as much attention to? Welcome to a glimpse of my life as a Dad. A full-time bar manager living the industry life consisting of late nights and long hours.

On an off day one Wednesday afternoon, my boys came to me with clubs in hand asking if we could go play golf. It hit me I had been so preoccupied with work lately, I could not remember the last time we all went on a course together. We packed the car and made our way down the street to our local par 3, Countryway Country Club.

Walking into the clubhouse, we paid our fees and were on our way. It's a short par 3 tucked away in the suburbs of Tampa and by no means anything to brag about, but it's home. The course itself is small and at times very backed up due to overbooking, but every time we've gone we've had an amazing time. This afternoon was no exception, we spent the afternoon blaring their favorite tunes on the speaker and just simply chatting about things they wanted to talk about.

Making our way through the course, I felt like a superstar. I am not the best golfer by any means, but it was very endearing hearing them cheer me on and say "Great shot, Dad" to me after every shot, even the shanks. It puts things into perspective. No matter how bad the lie, shot, or outcome, it could be worse. These are the days you look back on and remember with a smile on your face when you get old. As a father you plan to teach and guide throughout your child's life, but don't have the answers on "how". It's moments and days like this where you realize your young ones are teaching you lessons, and you realize how beautiful that is. I had no intentions of going to play golf when the day had started, as I felt obligated to work and get stuff done for work. However, seeing the boys with the clubs in hand and asking to play was enough for me.

We finished the round strong. I birdied the 18th 110-yard par 3, and Cristopher got out of the bunker in one try. We turned in the carts and made our way back to the car as the sun was setting. "Today was the best day ever Dad, thank you for taking us," Judah says as we load into the car. He wasn't wrong as it was a great day. Did I play my best? No. Did I lose more balls than I'd like to admit? Yes. It's moments like these where I can see life through their perspectives and it's very comforting. I won't always have the answers, but for them as long as I try and am present that is more than enough.

There's something special about a short par 3. You don't feel the stress or pressure that you'd get from a regular course, and the accessibility of it is perfect for when you just need a cure for the itch. However, to my boys, this short par 3 is a completely different story. According to Mom, this is something they talk about for days afterward over and over again while I am at work on the weekends. This is their course. It's the first course they ever played and the first course they felt the true golf experience.

Afternoon rounds with the boys will always have room on my calendar.