The Story of a Man Arbitrarily Aiming for the Title of 'Yachimata City's Strongest Golfer'

The 42nd Yachimata City Golf Tournament⛳

Participating alone, I went on a warrior's pilgrimage again this year👊

The city says it's a 'tournament for fellowship'.

But however
for me, it's not just fellowship❗ This is a serious battle with myself❗😡 Because if I take the
best gross (the person with the best score without a handicap) here,

“Yachimata City's Strongest Golfer”

I can claim that title, right?

...No, there is an opinion that 'maybe the really good players aren't showing up,' but that's the fault of those who don't show up, and I want them to come to a tournament like this, win under the same rules and conditions, and claim to be the strongest... so I'm participating while arbitrarily creating my own

my world
🤣

My apologies to all the citizens of Yachimata🙇‍♂️

◆ This year, I wasn't planning on participating💦

To tell the truth, I've been in a slump all year... My swing is off, my shots aren't sharp, and I'm not feeling motivated. I was feeling a bit weak, thinking, 'Maybe I'll skip it this year...', but then I got a call from the

person in charge at the Sports Division
of Yachimata City, and they invited me, saying 'Aren't you participating this year?'

'Ah! Damn, I had already lost before the match even started💦' I thought, and

“The meaning is in participating”

I remembered that original intention and decided to enter👊

I resolved to do my best as long as I'm participating❗

【The warrior's pilgrimage of participating alone】

Golf is also about having fun chatting with acquaintances. But taking on this kind of competitive
open competition alone is completely different from my usual golf!
It's totally different!

Complete strangers share a round with
following golf rules I still don't fully understand while being considerate of others, and
seriously aiming for my best score through 18 holes❗

This is training that wears down your spirit more than you'd imagine💦

Nerves make my body stiffen up and I'm not allowed to play as I usually do lol

”If you hit an OB, the atmosphere freezes”
”If you don't know the rules, you'll easily get a two-stroke penalty”
”You also have to read the room with people you're meeting for the first time”
”It's a living hell if you get paired with mean people”
”Managing your own mental state is your biggest enemy”

There's no choice but to gain experience and get used to it but perhaps this

nervousness and pressure are the true thrill of competitive golf...

In the first place, once you're an adult, unless you're in a club or something, you don't really have matches where your hands shake from nerves, right?

Golf allows you to experience this kind of no matter how old you get tension😊

Having said that, the Yachimata City Golf Tournament has friendly rules and everyone isn't that uptight, so it's perfect for those starting competitive golf!

◆ And, of course, the trials come

My condition wasn't great and I was thinking of giving up on participating, but I thought, 'Well, even at times like this, I have to
gain experience...' and came anyway, but...

The first shot of nerves❗
With tournament officials, the group behind us, and my playing partners all watching in silence, my hands were shaking as I teed up, and I could feel my body stiffening up even during my practice swings as I went to hit it,

No matter how many times I participate, I get super nervous every single time❗

"This is awesome~~" I said, enjoying the tension, while praying, "God, Buddha, Jesus, Allah, please, just don't let me
swing and miss!" and with a mental shout of

"Here goes nothing!" (though my inner voice was loud, my swing was quite

slow lol
Peshishin
—the weak ball flew forward but sliced, got caught in a cross bunker, and from there I fumbled it along

Starting with a double bogey⤵️

"Don't mind! Don't mind! It's just the start, plenty of time left!" I screamed in my heart lol, trying desperately to correct my trajectory, but...

my form didn't return💦

Nothing I did clicked, and in the end, the round finished just like that.

My performancewas around "lower-middle." A best gross score is a dream within a dream 😭

I didn't hit the mark in the New Peoria system, didn't get near-pin or longest drive, and without leaving any
markat all, I quietlyfaded away ⤵️

......Completely just Participant A!

◆ Still, I really love this place 😆

I want to test my own strength!

It's not that I want to compare myself to others, I want to know my own evolution right now
"I've become able to enjoy this tension!" as they say ♪

Competitive golf is interesting because of that, I think. Every single shot is a serious battle, shaving off strokes is a dialogue with myself, and the

frustration
when things don't go well, and the pleasure when they do, are all real.

Because of this, I can't quit.

I've been playing golf for 30 years, but
it's really deep, isn't it?

◆ Final Note: Conditions for the Title of Yachimata City's Strongest

By the way—
I have arbitrarily designated this tournament as the "Yachimata Strongest Golfer Decider," but the true strongest are the kids from the Chiba Reimei High School golf team💦
They were playing rounds at 3-under again this year😮

They're so strong that they're alreadyin a league of their own. I'm
excluding these kids from my legend of strength lol

Will I be able to reach the pinnacle of Yachimata City next year?
...No, I will make it reach👊

My golf warrior training is still far from over❗

Stay tuned for the next installment❗❗

【Postscript】

Competitive golf, do you like it? Or are you not a fan?
For those of you who say, "My hands were shaking too!"
please tell me about your nervous moments or stories of failure.
Let's encourage each other and do our best😆

#Golf #CompetitiveGolf #BestGross #WarriorTraining
#ArbitraryStrongestLegend #ChallengeOfAnElderlyMan #GolfEssay #YachimataGolfLegend