By Kathleen Guthrie Woods
I have a new passion in life: golf! A gift card to a local driving range was among last year’s Christmas presents, and I’ve gone out and hit a few buckets worth in recent weeks. Here are a few things I love about my new sport:
- You don’t have to be particularly fit or strong.
- You don’t have to be young or fast.
- You don’t have to be totally coordinated.
- You don’t see a lot of babies and kids hanging around.
- PLUS—bonus for our single sisters—it’s mostly men out there!
Turns out I’m not the only childfree woman who has embraced golf. A quick search online reveals that some of the greatest golfers in history are cheros (heros who happen to be childfree)!
Babe Didrickson Zaharias—ESPN named her the 10th Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century. Read her full bio here, which includes a mention about how authorities wouldn’t allow her and her husband to adopt a baby. (The FAQs page on her organization’s Website states “They tried to adopt a baby, but the rules were too strict during that time period.”)
Kathy Whitworth—She won an astonishing 88 Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour tournaments during her career, which is more wins than anyone else in the LPGA or the PGA. View her stats here.
Mickey Wright—Wright was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1964. During that period, she won at least one LPGA title in 14 straight seasons, a feat made more impressive by the fact that she retired at 34. Read a recent article about her here.
Even though I have no illusions about being competitive (apparently I’m what’s known on the course as a “duffer,” someone who hits a lot of bad shots), I’m enjoying trying something new—and I’m gaining a new appreciation for the achievements of our cheros. FORE!
Kathleen Guthrie Woods is a Northern California–based freelance writer. She is mostly at peace with her childfree status.
Golf is fun. I haven’t played in a few years (and I’m sure I’d be more of a duffer than you), but it is something I would like to take up a bit more seriously at some stage.
I started playing golf as a way to network with other lawyers because so many men play.And i thought it was something my husband and I could do together. My husband loved it and would go play in the afternoon with other men when I was at work. I couldn’t get the hang of it and was very self-concious playing on the weekends because people would get frustrated waiting to play after me. The last time we played, it was 100 degrees, I got heat exhaustion, and finished hacking away on the 9th hole. It was such a bad experience, I never played again. Golf also caused a lot of pain in my hands and wrists because of carpal tunnel so I gave it up.