Cameron Burechails
I’ve always enjoyed fishing because it gives me a chance to relax. There is nothing like sitting in the boat on a quiet morning while the mist hangs over the lake and the only sounds you hear are the waves and the sounds of a calling loon.
It never really occurred to me until just recently just how many similarities there are between golfing and fishing. Both golfing and fishing are quiet sports, and they provide you with the opportunity, if only for a few hours, to get away from it all.
You can golf and fish all over the world. There are no age or gender limits and you don’t have to be very good to enjoy fishing or golf.
In golf you need to know how to set your wrists in your back-swing in order to create more power in your swing. When fishing, you need to understand how to properly set the hook, so that that ‘big one’ doesn’t get away.
Both require skill to be able to maneuver around hazards. Golf has trees, bunkers, lakes, ponds, and streams, while fishing has rocks, stumps, floating docks, and sandbars.
Both sports require bug spray and both make worms very nervous.
Both require proper etiquette. You need to be quiet, take your time and maintain your space between yourself and others, and of course, both sports teach you patience.
Both sports allow participants to stretch the truth.
You have good days and bad days in both sports. It’s the good days that keep bringing you back.
Both sports have hooks, while golf has mostly slices!
Each sport has their own superstitions and idiosyncrasies and players follow these to a tee. Either sport can be played competitively or just socially. Golfers like to stay out of the water, while those who fish prefer to stay in the water.
Although it is fun to fish and golf alone, it is often more enjoyable to share the experiences with others.
I enjoy both sports because they truly create an environment where it is you against yourself. Both golf and fishing force me to relax and my performance in both sports is usually better when I don’t try too hard.
Next Week: Positive Swing Thoughts
Cameron Burechails (Teaching Professional), The Georgian Bay Golf Academy, baygolfacademy@bell.net, or www.baygolfacademy.com.
