Here I Come Tiger

A Wii owning friend of mine just recently purchased Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007. I'll go ahead and mention that he also enjoys golf, but you should have already guessed that. I've tried on countless occasions to play golf, but I have yet to get the hang of it. My most recent attempt was over Spring Break, when I went to a driving range and managed to hit around 3 balls out of a bucket full of 30 into the air and over 50 yards. Anytime I do make contact I have an awful slice that goes in a sharp curve to the right. So, any of you golf pros reading I wouldn't mind getting some free lessons. Anyway, the point is I'm terrible at golf, but alas, the Wii makes things that you might not be so great at fun.

Or does it?

He brought the game over one afternoon and after getting it set up we were ready to golf. He took the first swing, a perfect motion by my standards, that went in a nice straight path. Then I step up to take my drive. Of course it looks much easier then real golf, and you don't have to worry about humiliating yourself in front of other golfers who actually know how to play. (They always make me feel so incompetent.) I line up, and take a few practice swings with my awkward swinging motion, and try to get the gist of it and I feel like I'm ready to go. I get into position, pull my Wii remote back and swing. I watch painfully as my ball slices off to the right into the rough.

I wasn't necessarily angry at first, but amazed at how realistic it was. There went my ball sailing past trees to the right just like when I go up to the local Country Club. Then I felt like crap again, realizing just how inept I am, but as we kept playing I slowly started to loosen up and I started playing better. When I did poorly I didn't start burning with embarrassment like I would out on the real golf course with people watching. It was actually fun, I could laugh at myself, because it wasn't real and it wasn't serious. It was just my friend and I playing some golf in my living room and I had a lot of fun, unlike when I try to play a round in real life. Who knows maybe I can keep practicing at the video game and that might translate into the real game. It's no big deal if it doesn't, because now I can enjoy the game of golf even if it's just on the Wii.