My favorite courses for 2024? They reminded me of what is important

We often use this space at this time of year to wax poetic – or at least try to – about our favorite courses we’ve played in the past 12 months. There are two reasons for that. First of all, this is a golf website, and it’s something we can write about to feed the machine. And secondly, we like to think it’s a great resource for our readers. Maybe it’s the lessons they’ve played with, but it’s actually the one they haven’t done yet, that can teach them and inspire them to put it on their to-do list. It’s an amazing thing – opening people’s eyes to great golf courses they might not have heard of.

But here’s a little twist on my entry. I have written about those subjects before. So instead of writing about my favorite places to play for the first time in 2024 — Chaska Town Course in Chaska, Minn., and Sedge Valley at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin — I’ll tell you what I told you. he studied on golf courses in 2024.

I’m sure I’ve written before that I have an unhealthy obsession with trying to keep my handicap as low as possible, and it hasn’t been easy. I’m 14, once I was 13, for a long time I thought I could be at least 11 but I never practice and I don’t play often.

This request to lower the handicap only led to more stressful rounds, as bad days on the course became incredibly frustrating and good days turned into white-knuckle rides, hanging on to get into the clubhouse before the inevitable crash.

But later in the summer, all this changed. I’m not sure if there was a specific time, but at some point I started to care Underneath but to enjoy More. Part of that was due specifically to my new strategy about what courses I played (like the ones mentioned above), which helped revive something that needed to be revived: having fun while playing golf.

I read a lot, but it doesn’t mean that I am very happy all the time. Even that beauty does not mean that it is better all the time. I’ve learned that golf courses are like a restaurant menu – there’s something for everyone, and not everyone will agree on what’s best. In short, my approach to deciding which courses I chose to play became simple: less on the punishing aspect of golf, more on the memorable. Places I can’t wait to go back to, not ones where I’m always afraid of danger. Maybe that’s the key for intermediate golfers like me. Playing. This word is sweet.