Setting the Stage
I decided to learn to play golf at age 30. Back then, my life was defined by a windshield and an isolation-heavy career in computer repair. My days were spent behind the wheel, my weekends were spent on the couch, and my physical health was in a steady decline. I truly believed that, based on my family history, I was destined for a heart attack if I didn’t find a way to get off the couch and move.
I signed up for six lessons, bought a range pass, and purchased a yearly pass for the 27-hole property where I lived. At the time, I fell into the classic beginner’s trap: I felt I had to “play well” before I dared to hit the actual course. I learned how to hit the ball, and while I enjoyed the game, I never truly excelled.
The VA Course Era: Building the Engine
For years, I played sporadically until I found my rhythm at a 9-hole course in Murfreesboro. It was owned by the VA and run by the city. It cost $6 a round, required no tee times, and functioned on a “show up and play” basis.
That course changed everything. I met a group of golfers there, and we became a permanent fixture every Saturday and Sunday. We played what amounted to “speed golf”—walking the nine holes in just under an hour when we were the first group out. I was playing more than 100 rounds per year. I played decent there, typically shooting 3 or 4 over par. But whenever I took that game to the local “big courses,” my hopes and dreams were routinely crushed; I’d walk off those 18-hole tracks in the 90s, humbled and frustrated.
The Pivot: From Nomad to Indian Hills
When the city stopped managing the VA course, my access to cheap, quick golf evaporated. I spent a year as a nomad, struggling to find a rhythm on bigger courses where the pace was slow and the routine was broken. What I missed most wasn’t just the price; it was the ability to play early and dictate the pace of my own game.
I eventually committed to a yearly membership at Indian Hills, about 15 minutes from my house.
It was a transformative move. It gave me a controlled cost of play and unlimited access to the course, range, and cart. After some early struggles in year one, I am now in year three, and I have the booking process down to a science. I secure the first tee time out every Saturday and Sunday without fail.
