Golf Tea: No Wait. Like I Literally Don't Care About My Score.

I had a realization recently. Probably spurred from one too many diet cokes, but I digress…

There are two very different kinds of women golfers.

The first knows exactly what she shot on every hole, what her handicap is doing, and whether she gained or lost strokes compared to her last round.

The second couldn't tell you her final score if you offered her a cash prize and a front row seat to a Bravo reunion show.

But lo and behold…both of them are having an absolutely stellar time.

When I started playing golf, I definitely assumed everyone cared about their score.

Not because anyone told me they did. Not because they were judging me.

I just assumed that was the point. (Rookie move, I tell ya.)

After all, golf is a sport. Sports have winners and losers. Scorecards exist for a reason. Like, it makes sense.

But the more women I've met through golf and had the opportunity to play with, the more I've realized that's not necessarily true.

Some women absolutely love the competitive side of the game. They set goals, track progress, celebrate personal bests, and genuinely enjoy the challenge of getting better. Their GHIN becomes more important to remember than their garage door code.

I admire those women.

I am not always those women. Cuz lawd, that’s exhausting.

Some days, I care.

Some days, I want to know exactly how I played.

Other days, I genuinely could not care less.

I'm there for the fresh air.

The conversations.

The friendships.

The excuse to put my phone away for four hours.

The one seemingly miraculous shot out of my fourth bunker that day that keeps me coming back despite everything else that happened during the round.

And I've started noticing that a lot of women feel the same way. 

Some are chasing a lower handicap. Hallelujah.

Some are chasing a little peace and quiet. Hallelujah.

Some are chasing a birdie. Hallelujah.

Some are chasing a break from real life. Hallelujah.

Most of us are chasing a combination of all of the above. Aka me. I’m “us”.

So, listen, if keeping score makes you happy, keep score.

If competing makes you happy, compete.

If your version of a successful round is making solid contact three times and laughing with your friends and twerking to Yacht Rock while you wait for the group in front of you the rest of the afternoon, that counts too.

Golf is one of the few things in life where you get to decide what winning looks like.

For some women, it's breaking 90.

For others, it's leaving the course feeling better than when they arrived.

Honestly?

Both sound like a pretty great round to me.