When rugged individualists take up golf
A New Golfer from Wardner, B.C. asks:
I have been practicing my golf shots across the Kootenay River at Wardner—should I swim across the river to retrieve my balls or should I just let the ravens pack them away?
Here is my opinion, based on anecdote and personal experience:
Neither. While I understand the desire for a beginner to practice in a comfortable, private environment, and can imagine the charge you must get from hitting the ball all the way across the river, I think there is a lot to be gained by heading to the driving range or booking a lesson. You could have problems with your swing and never know it. Hitting a hundred bad balls will not increase your skills. Please do not swim across Kootenay River, especially at low water. That stretch of river is known for its undercurrent. A visit to the historic Wardner graveyard will confirm this, with its many gravestones of kids who drowned in the early 1900s.
Golf balls seem innocent and inert—but hitting balls onto the shore is still littering. I can imagine that ravens, as intelligent birds, might be entertained by a golf ball—but wonder at the hazards presented once the ball breaks down and the urethane elastomer cover eventually cracks open. Unlike the first golf balls, which were hand-sewn leather, packed with boiled goose feathers, modern balls are not biodegradable.
After a light slap on the wrist, I congratulate you for taking up golf, and encourage you to head over to the driving range to book a lesson. There you will find the social aspects of the game are just as rewarding as the view of the river, and you will also get to immerse yourself in the engrossing practice of hitting the ball properly.