Gary you said “Golf is for life, or until you can't drive that creek anymore”. However, I feel that there is more to it than that.
What about the interest in the architecture of the course, track, field etc., etc. What other sport spends as much time discussing and proving who did what and when to the courses. Tennis, Cricket, Football (all types), base/basket ball, rugby, athletics track/field, Horse racing, fishing river/sea, the list goes on, but none of these sports care who designed their field of play or course. Why, well that is simple, they are all standards and like the Hilton worldwide they offer the same interesting or boring appearance depending upon your viewpoint. However, Golf is different. Our courses are designed (and thoughtout for the most parts) to challenge the golfer while getting the best out of the location, totally unlike the other 99% of sports.
The Clubs/Courses or golfers that show no interest in the GCA or history of the game are missing out totally on the complete experience. What other sport actually offer you the opportunity to PLAY some of its original grounds, to experience the courses where our past heroes has played and been able to follow more or less in their footsteps? Golf is nearly unique it can offer far more to the older player than again most other sports. The Game of Golf does not stop when you cannot drive that creek anymore. I cannot play due to my back problem, possible an operation may allow me back on the course, but you do not see me putting down the mantel, in fact you see me fighting even more for golf (well for cart-less golf
).
There are other activities still closely associated with golf from the history of the game (either in your country or Scotland), through to finding lost or closed courses and perhaps even seeing if some can be re-constituted back into a course. Therefore, it may not give you the thrill of hitting that ace shot on the course, but it does give more that just satisfaction to uncover that MR X or Mr Y was involved within the design process and even more when you find a site of a long lost and closed course. In fact, I would go as far as to say it generates a tremendous thrill when you suddenly realise that Old Tom or Fernie, Dunn, Campbell or Braid had once walked this land and had produced a golf course here.
Sorry, Gary but there is still life in golf well after you have driven your last ball IMHO. Is that not the real Soul of Golf?
Melvyn