Obsessions

Please note the following precautionary statement: You may want to skip this column if you are offended by the following four-letter word—GOLF. There it is. I’m sorry if I have offended anyone. Golf is a chronic seasonal affliction for which, in past years, I seemed to have a natural immunity. I have always been an outdoor person, enjoying hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, etc. But golfing never entered my mind as a worthwhile sport. When asked if I played golf, my response was quick, proud and derisive, “I have other things to do instead of chasing a little ball around with a stick. Besides, I’m not old enough to play golf.” So, when the golf scourge hit me, no one was more surprised than I. I was minding my own business one summer evening about five years ago, when my husband asked if I wanted to go “hit a bucket of…