Hudsonrivergolf.com is dedicated serving golfers in the Hudson Valley and golfers who want to play golf courses in the Hudson Valley. Our web site gives you information on many of the aspects of golf in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. The site lists all the public golf courses, places to get lessons, golf shops and pro shops that sell merchandise and links to other golf sites that we think might be of interest.
Any of the Golf Courses in the Hudson Valley is a fabulous “daycation” if you enjoy the game of golf.
If you play golf and love the game as I do, just being on the golf course brings a smile to your face. For me, even if I play golf well or (most often) not, I enjoy my game of golf. In fact, just the act of getting ready to drive to any of the golf courses in the Hudson Valley which I play is enough to make me feel a sense of release and relaxation. I feel like a soaring eagle (which you can occassionaly see on some Hudson Valley Golf Courses) free and yet also grounded in reality at same time.
Golf to me is relaxation, reward, and a time when I can completely turn off the rest of my life. Each moment playing golf brings me alternating feelings of peacefulness, excitement, adrenalin rushes, quiet enjoyment, intense mental focus, pure satisfaction and lots of fun. The feelings which I experience when playing golf are powerful and positive. It is also a game where I meet kindred spirits who also share my passion for the great game of golf.
There are some days when you go out to the course, approach the first tee, choose your target, swing away and then watch as your ball arcs like a brilliant white beam of dazzling light towards its target. What a feeling that is! On the other hand there are those days when you are at the tee, and you pick your target and the golf ball shoots off into the trees or brush, seemingly defying all the laws of physics; and then the feeling is quite different. You now have a new challenge of an interesting or tough lie in the rough, or behind a tree, and a demanding shot which you actually look forward to.
That small round white ball sits there demands intense focus and the use of your imagination to create your next unique golf shot; that’s an incredible feeling also. Golf definately keeps your attention; as you play it, the game has the ability to play YOU like a puppet on a string. You can either rise up to the challenge of the game or surrender to it.
We all love the days when everything in your golf game comes together; the tee shots fly strait and true down the fairway, every putt stays on course, the sun shines but the temperature isn’t overly hot, your playing partners are also having a fun day, everything seems to click. But that doesn’t mean that you cannot enjoy those other days when things don’t go so perfectly. The key to enjoying those days lies in your ability to focus on the aspects of your golf game which you do enjoy no matter what the end result might be.
And so, here is my list of ten things which are guaranteed to make me and should make any other serious golfer smile.
1) A beautiful golf course in the scenic Hudson Valley which is kept in peak condition.
2) A great weather day – not too hot, low humidity, and not cold and wet. A gentle breeze helps.
3) Your first tee shot flying down straight and true down the middle of the fairway to your target.
4) The satisfing sound of a long putt “plunking” into the middle of the cup.
5) Making a decent chip shot into the cup (or even better, a hole in one).
6) Making a great recovery shot with an iron.
7) Sitting in the 19th hole with an adult beverage, talking (or exagerating) excitedly about the previous 18 holes.
Going to watch a tournament like the Masters, the Ryder Cup or the Open or participating in a local Hudson Valley Golf tournament.
9) Gaining a higher level of mastery in your golf game.
10) Being in the zone and the feeling that it creates.
It is quite difficult to pick only ten things which can make a golfer smile, for me at least. There’s not much about the game of golf which doesn’t make me smile!
Hudson Valley Colf Courses offer so much joy and relaxation.
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