SULEIMAN RIFAI
Thoughts before the first lesson: When I told a friend about my upcoming foray into golf, she told me, "It is too difficult, you will not be able to manage." That only made me more determined to succeed.
I am always having visions of open fields of green with a symphony of birds chirping, but I am very unsure what I will find at Sunningdale. I've never been to a country club. But this anxiousness reminds me of how I felt before going to Alvin Ailey's studios for the first time. That experience changed my life. It took me out of a dark and depressing closeted life, so I have big expectations for golf too.
First lesson impressions: The drive with Rick to Sunningdale was fraught with nervous energy. Some people had told me that black people have not always been very welcome at some clubs. I was also worried if my outfit (khaki pants with a polo shirt) would be appropriate. Then we walked to the lesson area. Wow, so many birds. I could hear the robins, even some blue jays. I know their sounds from my bird walks in Central Park. This place was like Eden.
Michael's explanations were clear, and I liked how I could hold the club like I hold my cane. When Michael first placed a golf club in my hands, the rubbery handle felt like my walking cane. The shaft also felt familiar and reminded me of my cane. When Michael asked me to hold the club parallel to the ground and in front of my chest, I was quite comfortable. I could clearly feel where the clubhead was pointing, and the heaviness of the clubhead felt a bit like a hammer, which I vividly remember using as a child when I used to make things with wood and pound nails.
To hit that first shot, wow, it was so gratifying. I could feel the ball banging against the club. But I felt a little empty because Michael tried to explain the arc in which the ball flew, but I had trouble grasping how that looks. I am eager to figure this out.
It is a big challenge to be so precise with everything: the body, the hands, the head, the club, and how they are all positioned in relation to each other. It was especially helpful when Michael placed the two bags (he called them pillows) on the ground and put a rubber tee between them. The bags were supposed to guide my swing path. I could swing so the club went between the bags, but I could not hit the tee, and that was very frustrating. Gosh, I wanted to hit it.
One of the best parts of the first day was the end, when Rick took me to the locker room. It is so quiet. Where were the golfers? We were all alone and it was so luxurious, which is so different from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially the subway, where I must always be on super-sensitive alert. Here I can sit on the cushy benches and enjoy the wood-panelled lockers, which have exquisite lines and contours. I could get used to this golf thing.
