At an impressionable young age, 11, I was introduced to shredding concrete via a wooden deck; on the side streets of suburbia. My first board, a G & S, with a blonde hair babe riding a rocket, with humps upfront for shifting weight, (something that would become obsolete) I learned to ollie up curbs into the grass, a memory that can’t be forgotten. My skateboard career would peak at age 19, I was able to ollie 4 decks locked, 360 fakie ollie, inward fakie heel flip, 360 kick flip, and my ace of spades, impossible, better than anyone. Plus, I was still able to bounce off the concrete without harm. I wasn’t the most talented skateboarder but it was a different kind of sport, it was more geared toward style and artistic expression, opposed to who could land what trick. Everyone was admired for the “their” trick. I’ve grown old, 39, with medical issues, skateboarding retired and my attention has turned toward golf. The correlation between to the two sports, I find paradoxical, let’s explore.
In my return to golf summer 2018, I played a course close to the city, and you could see the few skyscrapers of Winston-Salem over the trees of par 3’s. The holes were on top of each other, and it was clear immediately I didn’t belong. I wasn’t wearing my Titleist visor, I didn’t have Ping clubs, Pro V-1 balls, or even golf cleats. Instead, an untucked polo, khaki shorts, and black Under Armor sneakers; oh, and my Nike white headband, as I pushed a white wooden tee into the lush tee box on hole one, nerves tingling. This, ironically, is the same feeling I felt arriving at unfamiliar skate spots. What kind of deck you got, trucks, wheels, what’s your best trick, and really what the tribe wants to know, are you a poser?
There is the same type of vibe at the golf course and the skate-park, I know hilarious, who would of thought. Two totally different worlds you would assume, but the similarities are many. For instance, new golfers hold up others because they can’t par a hole; as new boarders who can’t a land grind on the box, hold your run up. Their board bounces off the asphalt, just as your drive flies onto the fairway of hole #2. Nerves hit their height in both instances, because it’s just you out there, no teammates. The disappointment of your peers discharges in a crack of a new beer or light of a smoke. The golf ball stares at you, not moving, as the board cruises the concrete, staring at the black grip tape, both are on you. Can you stand proud chipping onto the green or landing a rail slide smoothly? Everyone is watching and waiting to see if they accept you.
The faineance it takes to land an impossible flawless or take a six iron and put it on the green of par 3, are related. You start with visualization, what does this trick/shot look like in my mind’s eye, what does it feel like as I strike the ball/tail? You get set, begin grasping the club and setting your feet, just like the placement of your Vans on the black grip tape. You breathe, knees bend, kick, kick, push; bring the club back and strike, boom. Is your head down, did you get air, follow through, not think, and exhale? Or do you deviate, looking for the shot, similar to bailing on the board under your feet? Riding away clean as both feet hit the board in flight, like Willie Santos, the timing and feeling is the same as striking a pure golf shot; with the reverse C for the Golden Bear!
For someone who is above average at most sports, golf and skateboarding really have a long learning curve, as opposed to more traditional sports. Baseball and basketball came with ease but these monsters require constant practice of mind muscle connection. I recall gifted athletes that would try and ride my board; they had major difficulty. As teenagers, we played here and there, never figuring out golf, nobody taught us. Both sports take an understanding of balance, environment, and most importantly, confidence.
It’s been a year in of regular golf for me. I bought an inexpensive membership, ($450) for a course in the boondocks, to test out my Play-It-Again-Sports, Wilson, $65, set. I figured with its difficulty, (More in the foothills of the Appalachian) laid back environment, and affordable rates, I could become a golfer. Same as when I refined my SB skills in local skate spots, before hitting downtown scenes. An individual needs to train and feel comfortable to reach their potential in a public setting to achieve greatness.
With time comes routine. The same feeling I had 180-ing a gap, backside shuvitting a sewer cap, and 360 board flip are similar to; a clean drive that doglegs to the right, followed by a 9 iron, crisp, up and down swing, to a 15ft put that drops for bird. A run has to be put together to feel accomplishment when one is out on their own. These timings, or flow, are a common expression in all sports. But, to be on one’s own, alone, in one’s head, and being able to perform is a triumph. Bragging rights that come along with a birdie on a par 5; are the same as a kick flip landed on set of stairs.
Finding belonging in the sport of golf has taken me back to the 90’s. Now as I tee off, lighting a smoke and penciling my name in, (Stu-Par) I anticipate the feeling of command on club and ball, as I do on the tail of a brand new deck, pop. Following through, I exhale, clean ball strike with a perfect divot on approach to the green, for a GIR, with a 5 hybrid. A soft golf clap goes off in my head and I hear, “Great shot,” from the locals; instead of “Golly!” My time at the golf club has brought much satisfaction, getting outdoors for hours like skating, friendly competition, and belonging to tribe. I guess golf and skating share a parallel universe.
