TORRANCE TRIBUNE July 12, 2012 Page 7 TerriAnn in Torrance Golfing in Torrance – A Mother and Son’s Adventure ByterriAnnferren This is a summer I will always remember because it marks the first time I have ever played golf. Yup. I finally did it. My son Christopher had a day off work and offered to take me to Sea Aire Golf Course in Torrance after I had told him I wanted to learn to play golf. The only thing is I didn’t exactly know what I was in for. I put on some tennis shoes and some casual clothes and got a hat ready. I thought of the outfits I have seen some men wear on courses—bright-colored slacks, sweaters, hats with pom poms and even kilts! I definitely wasn’t going to dress like that. The clock on the wall in my kitchen was striking noon as my son arrived to pick me up for my very first lesson. We headed down Anza Avenue toward Sea Aire Golf Course when Christopher turned down a side street toward a large area of grass and parked the car. He explained to me that he was going to first teach me how to swing and hit the ball before we headed toward the course for my first game. I was so excited. Christopher took three clubs from his trunk and six balls and we walked onto the grass where he proceeded to instruct me on how to hold a golf club. (Yes, I am a remedial golfer.) After I clumsily held the club, he taught me Kendal, Parker, and Mark Osborne. My patient instructor, Christopher Ferren. how to stand, swing, keep my eye on the ball and move. There was a lot to this golfing thing! After a while, he put a ball down for me to hit. I missed. I tried again. Got it! The ball went straight but not very far. It felt good to hit that ball and Christopher assured me the golf course we were going to was a small nine-hole course and I wouldn’t have to hit the ball that far. Thank goodness for that. After spending nearly an hour on the basics with a long list of new vocabulary words (e.g. loft, pitch, follow-through, iron, green, fore, putt, fairway, cup, pin, bogey, par, tee and birdie), we gathered the clubs and balls and headed toward the car and off to the course. Driving up the steep hill at Sea Aire at 22730 Lupine Drive in Torrance, I could see that the parking lot wasn’t full, which meant not many people were there. Actually, that gave me a feeling of relief. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t eager to have an audience as I learned this game of golf. We gathered our clubs, selected our balls and headed toward the course. As we walked toward the manicured green, I thought about all the beautiful golf courses I have seen throughout my life. Golfers seemed to always be having a great time in beautiful settings and here I was about to join the ranks as a player of golf! As we walked up to the office to pay for our round, I noticed a sign that said, “Join the Sea Aire Golf Club (50 and over) that meets every Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. If you are interested in signing up, call 310.543.GOLF.” William Pasley, Senior Recreation Leader, greeted us at the office with a broad smile. He asked me if I was a resident and I said yes as we paid for our round. After I told him this was my first time golfing, he laughed and looked at Christopher. William told us he has been working here for about eight years and lives two blocks away. “After you retire, you have to do something to stay out and meet people rather than sitting in a bar somewhere. It’s more fun and I can walk here,” said William. “When I moved from San Diego I checked all over and the weather is so great right here. You know I couldn’t go on the computer and plan a more perfect weather pattern than here.” William than looked at me and asked, “You have hit a golf ball before?” Christopher said, “Yes, today.” At which William said, “Will you need a hard hat?” We all laughed. I hoped the laugh would be funny and not true. Christopher asked for a divot tool that he could purchase, but William said he had some to loan only asking it be returned after we played our round. Off we went! Christopher and I decided to putt on the putting green before we began our game. We See TerriAnn, page 8
Torrrance 7.12.12
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