“Golf Adventures”

Since first starting to play golf, I have always looked at it as an adventure.  My playing partner and I have experienced some fabulous adventures in golf. 

One of our golfing adventures had us attending the Women’s Lexus cup in Singapore.  There we had front row seats to the team competition and celebrations.  I even had dinner with South Korean professional LPGA golfer Se-Ri Pak! 

Another time we traveled to Bali and played in a tournament with friends.  There my adventure bug was scratched as I played in a volcano and looked out over the sea to the Tanah Laut Temple.  

In Scotland, we celebrated our 25^th Wedding Anniversary by playing a round at the Old Course at St. Andrews. This adventure had a certain mystique and a unique charm that is timeless.  The memories and adventures formed there will stay with me forever.

My adventures don’t stop on the golf course!  

I am always looking for adventures off the course as well.  I have participated in a Tough Mudder competition and a Spartan Race.  One summer I ran in nine separate ½ marathons trying to see the Czech Republic 13.109 miles at a time.  I have witnessed the midnight sun while running a ½ marathon in the artic circle, and I have white water rafted in Turkey and Indonesia.   

I have driven the million dollar highway on my own motorcycle in Colorado and I have skied Off-Piste in the Swiss Alps.  Because I enjoy the adventure of hiking, I jumped on the adventure to climb The Gran Paradiso (the highest peak in Italy) and Mont Blanc (the highest peak in Western Europe). My golfing partner and I have bungy jumped off the Kawarau bridge in New Zealand – even though it took me 3.5 hours to get up my nerve! I have even rode my bicycle from Prague to Vienna and I have taken a 7-day live aboard dive trip in Bali!

I have driven a U.S. Navy destroyer

and sadly,

I have seen first hand, the devastation of war. 

To me, adventure means stepping out of my comfort zone and breaking from the monotony of what is expected.  It means taking a risk and challenging myself.  

But does adventure always have to entail jumping off airplanes or diving through shipwrecks? Both of which I’ve actually done! 

What Is Adventure and

What Does It Mean to Be Adventurous?

To find the answer I turned to my trusty friend Google. Here is what Google says is the definition and meaning of adventure:

 “Engaging in an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.”

Sure, that covered all the bases, but to me, adventure means so much more!  OK, OK, I realize that my idea of adventure may be completely different from the person sitting next to me.

For instance – my golfing partner might find that eating strange Chinese street food (like fried bugs and animal innards) is adventurous to him, but to the average local person, eating those is part of their everyday life.

Although somewhat perplexing, I realize the part that is the beauty of adventure, is the fact that each person has a different opinion of what adventure is!

In a couple of weeks my golfing partner and I are going to participate in my next big adventure.  Yes, I said “my” next adventure!

For the record, in the beginning – my golfing partner wasn’t all that keen for this next adventure!  

We are riding our bicycles across Iowa in the great American bike ride known as RAGBRAI.  RAGBRAI is an acronym that stands for “Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa”.  It is an annual bike ride that has been on my bucket list for several years now. 

But honestly, I believe RAGBRAI is more than just a bike ride….it is an epic seven-day bicycling adventure that will test my endurance and mental abilities.  And you know what? I am excited and ready for the test!

My Reads from the Reds – Adventure is about going out of your comfort zone to open yourself up to the experiences and beauty that life gives you, no matter what path you choose to go on.

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting!

Written by Kathy Festa