きのうは高校時代以来の友人たちとの気の置けないゴルフ会。仕事人生のひとつの区切りはついたわたしなので、楽しい仲間との交友も可能と考えていたのですが、やはり住宅というフィールドからは無縁ということには至らず、いやむしろより自由な立場から関わることが多く、また新たな領域への挑戦も始まっているのでなかなか時間にゆとりがない。というか、ゴルフへの積極的やる気不足。ということで、定期的にやっているゴルフ会には参加意思を持ってはいても、事実上すっかり足が遠のいていた。
ところが今回は東京から参加の友人のクルマ運転手的な立場で、参加致しました。幹事の友人からは「そんなにやっていないのなら少しは練習しとけよ」「練習は絶対条件だからな」というような叱咤激励・脅迫もあって、一応、２回ほどは練習に行ったけれど、各回ともボール20発くらい打つと、それ以上のモチベーションを維持できない（笑）。打ち放し練習はあくまでも「鍛錬」みたいなもので、それは重要だけれど実際のゴルフとはまったく別物。どうにもやる気は出ない。
体調の維持については毎日10,000歩近く散歩をしているので、特段カラダを動かしていないワケではない。事実きのうのゴルフ会での歩数は以下。
最近のゴルフではほぼセルフカートで昔のようにずっと歩いてではなく、ほぼ半分くらいはカート移動という条件ではあるけれど、歩数的には東京都内をあちこち移動して活動しているときの方が多い。で、今回のゴルフで体力的にへばるということはなかった。ただ、ゴルフはカラダの使い方がちょっと異常な体動なので、とくに腰回りに負担が掛かって、筋肉痛が出てきました。たぶん「打ち放し練習」に行ってすぐにイヤになるのはこの体動の異常さ、局所筋肉の負担感に拒否反応があるのではないだろうか。
・・・というのはまったく「引かれ者の小唄」恨み辛みの発露でしょう（笑）。結果は非常に無惨で人生初めてゴルフをやった頃のスコアに近づいていた（泣）。案の定、上がってみたら栄えある「BB賞」を受賞させていただいた。わかりました、しばらくはゴルフからは離れて暮らします、と思っていたらなんと、追い打ちのように来年の会の「幹事」役の拝命であります。う〜む陰謀だ（笑）。
さてここらへんが人生の分かれ道（？）のようでもあります。まぁしかしキッパリゴルフをやめるというのもカドが立つので、細々と続けながら謹んで役務を遂行し、しかるのちに今回ゴルフでの屈辱に大いにリベンジしたいと思います。
English version⬇
I have not played golf for a very long time and my body is sore in various parts.
Practicing without hitting a ball at all is just a difficult and arduous task with little motivation. I don't want to make excuses that I have limited time in my life and that I have to play golf with unnatural body movements... (laughs). Laughs.
Yesterday, I had a casual golf outing with friends I have known since high school. I thought that I could enjoy the company of my friends since I had already reached the end of my professional life, but it is not the case that I am not involved in the housing field, and in fact, I am involved in many things from a more liberal standpoint and have begun to take on challenges in new areas. I am also beginning to take on new challenges in new areas, so I don't have much time to spare. I am also beginning to take on new challenges in new areas, so I don't have much time to spare. So, even though I have been willing to participate in the regular golf meetings, I have been virtually absent from them.
This time, however, I participated as a driver for a friend from Tokyo. My friend, who was the organizer of the event, gave me a pep talk and threatened me, saying, "If you haven't been playing that much, you should practice a little," and "Practice is an absolute requirement," so I went to practice twice, but after hitting about 20 balls each time, I couldn't maintain motivation any longer (laugh). (Laughs) Practicing hitting balls out is just like "training," which is important but completely different from actual golf. I can't seem to get motivated to do it.
As for keeping in shape, I walk nearly 10,000 steps every day, so it is not that I am not moving my body. In fact, the number of steps I took at yesterday's golf outing is as follows.
Although most of my recent golf outings have been in a self-propelled cart and not on foot as in the past, with about half of the time spent in the cart, my step count is higher when I am moving from place to place within the Tokyo metropolitan area. So, I was not physically exhausted during this golf outing. However, since golf is a slightly unusual physical activity in terms of the way I use my body, it took a toll on my lower back in particular, and my muscles began to ache. Perhaps the reason why I hate it as soon as I go out to "practice hitting the ball," is because of this abnormal body movement and the sense of strain on the local muscles.
I guess it is a "little song of the Hikareta" (a little song of the Hikareta), a manifestation of resentment and bitterness (laugh). The result was very miserable and approached the score I had when I first played golf for the first time in my life (tears). Sure enough, when I went up, I was awarded the prestigious "BB Award". I thought, "Okay, I'll stay away from golf for a while," but to my surprise, I was asked to play the role of "secretary" for next year's meeting as a follow-up. Hmmm... a conspiracy (laughs).
Well, this is a fork in the road (?) of my life. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. I would like to continue to play golf in a small way and fulfill my duties respectfully, and afterwards, I would like to take great revenge for the humiliation of playing golf this time.