> - golf is such a social game...

For many it is and that's wonderful, but the beauty of golf is that it can be played in an almost infinite number of contexts.

Right now, my favorite context is to play alone on a summer evening as the shadows lengthen.
Now and then I meet a kindred soul and we'll play together, but the conversation is minimal.

I was a member at a private club on Long Island for more than 20 years and that context had a large social element to it. In those days, I was interested in competition (I was captain of my college golf team) and there were lots of good players that were ready for action, so it was fun.

The competitive juices have receded with the passage of time and now basically, I'm out there trying to beat the last round I played- and for mental health.
A few hours of golf are a guaranteed elixir for me.