Walking Nine Holes

I’ve been told that the mental techniques and skills for Bullseye and golf are much alike. And it’s certainly true that everyone is asked to hold down the talking and other extraneous noise so the participants in both sports can concentrate on their current “shot”.

But what about the exercise – is shooting a 2700 similar to playing 9 holes?

Well, assuming you are in the middle of the line, if you shoot a 2700 you will walk about the same distance a golfer does playing nine holes, about 2400 as compared to 3000 yards.

Number of shots?

The average duffer will hit the ball about 30 times whereas the Bullseye shooter will fire 27 times plus any alibis.

Are all shots the same?

No. The golfer will hit long drives, chip shots and putts, each of which require significantly different techniques. The Bullseye shooter will do Slow Fire, Timed Fire and Rapid Fire, each of which (I am learning) require significantly different techniques as well.

Of course, there are some big differences between golf and Bullseye.

Greens fees versus match fees.

Number of clubs versus number of guns.

Golf is ideally played in a four-some whereas a big Bullseye competition will have a 40-some.

But even with those differences, one gun club I visited had a “19th hole” in the main building which, on a hot day like today (with a very sunny 95 degree high) sounds, at least on first thought, to be an interesting idea.

A member at that club was quick to point out that shooters were forbidden from the bar before shooting.

But another, overhearing the comment, gave me a quick wink.

As the club was skeet and trap only, I just watched … from well back.

I came across an interesting quote yesterday; “A golf course is the willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good shooting range.”

Fore!