Golf University

After last week's whirlwind trip to Trek in Wisconsin, the store has sent me to another "university" for golf here in town this week. The advantage- I can sleep in my own bed and see Amy this week. The disadvantage- it's golf, not bikes.

Before last night, I hadn't even hit a ball in eight years. My last time out was with Jim at Walnut Creek between Gas City, Upland and Marion, IN. The few that have actually seen me swing a club know that it just isn't my thing. It was about when Xander was born that I had to make a decision as to where my recreational dollars were going to go; bikes or golf? Any guesses as to which I chose.

Thankfully, Mike P and Erin are here from the Sioux Falls store with me as is Garth who's running the show, plus there are a few guys that I met last week in Madison that are here as well. It's definitely nice to have a few familiar faces around. Last week I felt like the odd man out a lot.

Last night kicked off with a general info session followed by a group time. They separated out the golf shop managers and the rest of us for the group time which was great for me. They had given us a list of terms to define and, even though I watch a fair amount of golf (sometimes with my eyes open), I only answered about three of the 35 questions. In our session, they filled in the blanks. I learned a ton and already feel less intimidated to sell golf. I honestly have been avoiding the golf area if at all possible because I just don't know enough to be of help to our customers in that area. That is changing.

After our group time, we headed to the dome behind Shopko to hit some clubs. The rep from TaylorMade was there and we had about 40 of us hitting clubs for roughly an hour. I was a bit apprehensive until a couple of the guys hit in front of me. Once I realized that I was probably not the worst golfer at the event, I calmed down and swung some clubs. I had always been hitting the Play-It-Again set that I bought in grad school and donated to the mission when we left Indiana, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much a good club can improve your performance. I hit balls better than I ever did when I was playing a few times a month back in the day. We didn't wrap up until about 10:30 last night, but at least I got to go home instead of having to go back to the hotel.

Today we hear from TaylorMade, Calloway and Adams, tomorrow from Nike and we're supposed to be hitting the driving range and maybe play a little golf today as well. Of course it's only going to be in the 30's and the wind is blowing like it always does in South Dakota, so our outdoor ventures may be a bit less enjoyable than they could be.

On a side note, things didn't start yesterday until about 4:30, so I hit the shop at about 11:00 and built some bikes while I was off the clock. I earned an extra $90 toward my next big purchase: a single-speed mountain bike. I'm only about $100 short of the goal now and am hoping that I can have the bike by Memorial Day.