It is said that fishing is for those that fish and those that wish they were fishing.

The game of golf can be compared to fishing because many people that golf just get through their workday so they can head out to the golf course. There are die-hard golfers that will be golfing until there is snow on the course, no matter how cold it is outdoors.

The die-hard golfers in this area were golfing until Dec. 22 this past year, according to golf pro Michael Hasley of the Austin Country Club.

What exactly is it about the game of golf that charms so many people? There is even a golf channel on cable television with devout watchers.

Golf is basically a game in which a ball is struck with a club from a prepared area, known as the &uot;teeing ground,&uot; across a fairway and rough to a second prepared area, which has a hole in it, known as the &uot;putting green.&uot;

The object of the game is to complete what is known as a hole by playing a ball from the teeing ground, into the hole on the putting green, in the fewest possible strokes. A round of golf consists of playing 18 such holes.

It is said that golf is not a game, it is a direction that you take in life, golf among many sports to choose from, lends itself perhaps most easily to a meditative practice. When a golfer connects with the ball, his or her golf clubs and the green, they get to a zone in their mind.

Brian Engels an assistant golf pro at the Austin Country Club said, &uot;Golfing takes a lot of concentration. If you are not focused you can lose what you are aiming for in your shots. Yes there is a certain zone or mental state you can get into when you are golfing well.&uot;

Golf is not played against an opponent. There is no one to get something past. No one is defending you. When a golfer takes a shot it is only the golfer, the club and the ball. The perfect shot is something a golfer recreates the rest of their life. Every time a golfer goes on the golf course it is a chance to perfect his or her game. Just as in life, every day that we rise out of bed we have a new chance to perfect our lives.

Call Sheila Donnelly at 434.2233 or e-mail her at :mailto:newsroom@austinddailyherald.com.