Importance of Golf Rivalries

Throughout time, we have cherished the great rivalries: Nicholas – Palmer, Ali – Frazier, Borg – McEnroe, Tupac – Notorious B.I.G..  So I ask, how come only super-stars get rivals?  I mean, if a rivalry makes each player better and matches more exciting, shouldn’t we all have one?

  Don’t we all deserve a rival?

For me, I have two types of rivalries 1) friendly  and  2) not so friendly.  A friendly rivalry is a simple way to add motivation during your weekend round with buddies (a healthy bet will also do the trick).  On the other hand, a “not so friendly” rivalry is where it really gets fun and money is a poor substitute.  It is hard to describe this type of rivalry, but basically it occurs when you end up playing a lot of golf with someone who for some reason you cannot stomach the thought of losing to.  It is the match against the guy who complains about his round no matter what or the guy who thinks he is 3 strokes better than he really is.  Yes, that’s the guy who I want to beat every single time we are in the same foursome. That is the person who I will make my rival.

While playing against a “not so friendly” rival is not something you want to do every day, there is definitely an added thrill to  match where a healthy dose of disdain is involved. I also think that it makes you a better player if you sometimes focus on a match rather than a score.  This is precisely why I think Dylan did not love Kelly nearly as much as he enjoyed knowing he stole her from Brandon (or at least until Kelly decided “I choose me”.  Yup, I am a big believer in rivalries, give it a try and you too may be a convert.