Back in Colombia, golf carts aren't a thing. We walk the course, and caddies carry golfers' bags.  Contrary to popular belief, weather in Bogota, Colombia isn't hot and tropical. We are high up in the mountains and we get chilly rainy weather year round. No seasons. No palm trees. Oh, and in case you were wondering, cars replaced donkeys a few decades ago ;). Constant rain means beautiful golf courses, a lot of them (seriously) but it also means no ball roll, lots of divot marks, and very muddy pants and shoes. Our caddies wore thick overalls on top of their regular clothes and sponsors always jumped in to print their logos and ads on them. The one that always stuck with me is this particular Johnny Walker ad that said “Golf is outdoor masochism”. 

I loved this saying. I still love this saying, simply because its 100% true. If you have been hiding under a rock and need a reminder of the meaning of the word masochism here it is: masochism is the tendency to derive pleasure from one’s own pain and humiliation. Is it coming all together now? Us golfers are the world’s rarest breed. We love pain. We seek pain and keep on coming back for more. It would be so easy to stop, but we don’t and we never will! It would take me every single day of the rest of my life to remember all the times I cried at the course when I was a kid, or every time I smacked a club against the ground as an angry, frustrated teenager. Or every curse word I have uttered loudly as an adult, and every time I just gave up and burst out laughing at the sucky-ness of a particular round. Now here’s the funny part, I kept coming back for more EVERY SINGLE TIME!

So, why are us golfers such outdoor masochists? The answer is easy: faith. Insert cheesy quote from movie Miracle on 34th street here: “Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to”. Or in golf lingo, faith is believing you will hit that awesome drive again, make that putt, chip it in, repeat that personal best round again. We keep on coming back for those single shots, putts and rounds that blow our mind away. In true Hunger Games fashion, the odds will never be in our favor but we don't care. Because after all, we are all outdoor masochists.

Fit Golfer Girl. Carolina Romero. (All Rights Reserved)