Raise your hand if you sometimes look at your to-do list and ask yourself, how will I get this all done? 

Or, who secretly wished a friend would cancel or some natural (but completely harmless) event would happen to remove a commitment from your schedule?

I know I’m guilty. 

Let’s face it, regardless of our life situations (kids or no kids, working or not, young or old), we’re all REALLY BUSY. I mean, seriously, here are just a few of the things that might be on our lists: work, working out, grocery shopping, paying bills, doing laundry, cleaning the house, going to appointments or meetings, nails, hair, taking care of kids/family members, attending kids’ sporting events/activities, going to school, spending time with a significant other, returning calls and emails, binging Netflix… are you stressed out yet? Plus, many of these happen on the same day or over the course of a few days, effectively burning us out and leaving us desperately craving downtime. 

With all these obligations, it would seem perfectly reasonable to cancel activities every now and then. Right?  

Well, while I’ll go to my grave condoning getting out of meetings or kids’ birthday parties (sorry, not sorry) any day of the year…  I’m here to tell you one activity that should never be canceled. 

Your weekly golf date with friends.

You heard me.

Repeat after me: I will not cancel my weekly golf date with friends.

And here’s why:

  1. A weekly golf date with friends forces you to be CONSISTENT and COMMITTED to improving your game. Think about it: if you can’t commit to working on your game with your friends – the people you love, trust, laugh, and have fun with, then just what will get you out there to play and improve? The next work outing where you’re stressed about messing up in front of the boss? A busy Sunday morning when fast golfers push you, and you get so flustered that you fall apart slowly and miserably? Um, probably not ideal conditions for practicing your game. So get out there, play with your friends already, and notice how you improve when investing in your game. 
  2. A weekly golf date with friends offers a diversion from the daily grind. Look, I get it – you’re slammed at work and home, your kid has 3000 after-school activities, you’re behind in laundry, and still haven’t filed 2020 taxes. Well, Sunshine, that’s called adulthood. There’s always something we need to do… and sometimes the best thing is to get yourself off that hamster wheel and onto the golf course, where you can recharge and stop thinking for 2-4 hours. You’ll race to the course each week when you think of it this way.
  3. A weekly golf date with friends is also a commitment to get exercise and fresh air.  Since golf is good exercise, you can cross “boot camp” off your to-do list and POOF! You now have a free spot on your calendar. Better yet, you’re getting yourself outside – away from home, the office, the home office, or wherever you’ve been all day. And it’s fun exercise, too – walking, talking, and working on your backswing and chips. You’re not only helping improve your game, but you’re also building strength and getting some cardio in. So, go play golf. It’ll do you good. 
  4. Your weekly golf date with friends is one event completely your time. Think about it.  Most of our commitments are for others – our boss, spouse, kid, family member, this or that committee, etc. But your weekly golf date? That’s all you, baby. Don’t cancel the one thing that is your ticket out of the house, your ticket to be with friends, your ticket to PLAY for a few hours once a week. In the scheme of things, you definitely deserve this time… in fact, you deserve a whole lot more. This is your take-charge moment- work on your golf game with your friends.  
  5. Your weekly golf date with friends is… with your friends. And friends are essential. We need friends to survive in this completely insane world. And you need them just as much as they need you, so show them some love and don’t ditch them for a night on the couch. It’s easy to take friends for granted, cancel, and say, “So sorry, I just can’t meet this week.” But that’s the slacker way out, the adult equivalent of ditching your friend in high school when your crush finally gives you the time of day. Friends deserve more than the easy way out. By honoring your golf date as much as you honor your monthly roots touch-up, you strengthen your bonds and get a weekly dose of deep convos, belly laughs, and the chance to complain about your boss/inlaws/kid/fill-in-the-blank. When you think of it like that, how can you even consider canceling?

So, amigas… please, lose the PTA, leave the work holiday party early, or fake sick for the next neighborhood meeting… but be there for your friends at the first hole. 

Every. Single. Week. 

You’ll be glad you did, I promise.