… for decades to come. Enjoy every moment. Handicaps will level the competition.

It’s when they beat your ass one on one as your knees and ankles fall apart, coupled with the realization that you don’t belong on a hoop court with the kids anymore - that’s when it’s time to quit the sport.

Good. If all else fails, start drinking.

You probably can't. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the game and accept that, on some level, you suck at golf. But it's still fun to try to do better. Enjoy your son's golf talent and don't try to compete with him, just play.

I’ve never been better than a 10 handicap, no matter how much time I’ve spent practicing. I’ve picked up some really good tips from his golf lessons but whatever gains I’ve had in short game only offsets the hooks and slices that inevitably lead to multiple double and triple bogeys.

One day you will go out and slice it and shank it, hit into all the traps and miss every green. The next day you go out and, for no reason at all, you really stink. - Bob Hope

I’ve come to enjoy watching his game and accepting that mine is, and has never been, nothing like his.

For the opposite reason. My dad made me hate it.
But I wasn’t shooting 83s either, neither was my dad.

I was about 13 or 14 when I could match my dad.

It’s more about the time spent with your son vs your score.

Spoiler, you ain’t making the Tour.

Now that my dad has passed, I look back fondly at all that time spent with him on the golf course as I was the only sibling that played.

He was very Zen like in both life and golf which he passed down to me. No throwing clubs, etc.

If I shot an 83, great! 93? No big deal, enjoyed it, try to do better next time.

Grab a cigar and have fun with your son. He’ll remember it. Trust me.

“Golf is a good walk spoiled.” - Mark Twain

And if he’s bragging next time he beats you, remind him he can’t drive home and it could be a long walk with his bag. I heard that one before.

I’ve gotten to that point where I relish his good shots more than mine. I’ve even opted out of playing so I could carry his bag and help him where I think I can, which is course management and telling him to slow down. It truly is amazing how fast these kids can do things I can’t!

Father's day I had a free pass to play 36. I would walk 18 in the morning with my regular buddies, have lunch, then play another 18 in carts with them. One year, we reached the 6th hole and my son turned to me and said "You've had nothing but pars so far, Dad" My next tee shot on the par 3 went into the water. I finished with an 81, which was my lowest round for many years until yesterday when I shot an 80.

When the 3 of us teed off on the first hole, we usually had a gallery as not too many groups include 3 generations playing together. We lost my dad in 2019, and I still think of him on different holes when I play. My son is my annual Member-Guest partner