The Happy Golfer

張玉鳳

When I was sixteen years old， my father bought me a set of used golf clubs. “I think youll be good at this sport， and golf is something youll enjoy，” he said. Ill never forget those clubs. They were Bobby Jones Signatures， made by Spaulding. I loved them， as I loved my father.

我16歲時(shí)，父親給我買了一套二手的高爾夫球桿。他說：“我想你會(huì)擅長(zhǎng)這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)的。你會(huì)喜歡高爾夫球的。”我永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)忘記那些球桿，它們是斯伯丁制造的，上面有鮑比·瓊斯的簽名。我愛它們，就像我愛我的父親一樣。

His prediction proved to be somewhat accurate. I did get pretty good at the sport. But I didnt just enjoy golf， as my father had predicted， I became obsessed with it.

事實(shí)證明他的預(yù)測(cè)多少有些準(zhǔn)確。我確實(shí)很擅長(zhǎng)這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)，但我不只是像父親預(yù)測(cè)的那樣喜歡高爾夫，我變得沉迷其中。

Golf has been an enduring passion since that day. In the six decades since my father first handed me those clubs， golf has helped me learn the virtues of patience and steadiness. Golf has helped me cope with the tragic1 loss of our daughter on her eighteenth birthday. On days when the mood is blue and dark， golf has forced me to get out the door and keep on keeping on. In short， golf has given me a reason for living.

從那天起，高爾夫就成為我經(jīng)久不衰的愛好。從我父親第一次把球桿交給我以來的60年里，高爾夫幫助我養(yǎng)成了耐心和沉穩(wěn)的美德。我女兒在她18歲生日那天不幸去世，高爾夫球幫助我度過了那個(gè)悲痛的時(shí)刻。在心情陰郁、陰暗的日子里，高爾夫球迫使我走出家門，繼續(xù)前進(jìn)。簡(jiǎn)而言之，高爾夫球給了我活下去的理由。

Still， after six decades it was time to creative a crowning2 achievement on this sport I so loved. But what could that be？ Id played thousands of rounds of golf. What challenge was left？ I thought about it. There was one other activity that appealed to me as much as golf， and that was travel. Why not combine the two？ I pulled out a map of the United States. What about taking that RV and heading out on a golfing extravaganza3， a quest to play a round of golf in each of the contiguous U.S. states？ Wait， would that even be possible？

然而，在60年后，是時(shí)候在我如此熱愛的這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)上創(chuàng)立一個(gè)至高無上的成就了。但那會(huì)是什么呢？我打了上千輪高爾夫球。還有什么挑戰(zhàn)呢？我想了想。還有一項(xiàng)活動(dòng)和高爾夫一樣吸引我，那就是旅行。為什么不把兩者結(jié)合起來呢？我拿出一張美國(guó)地圖。開著房車出去享受一場(chǎng)高爾夫盛宴，在美國(guó)相鄰的各州打一場(chǎng)高爾夫球怎么樣？等等，這可能嗎？

I put the map away. That would be impossible.

我把地圖收好。那是不可能的。

But the thought stuck with me. I decided to talk to my doctor about it. He warned me that attempting such a feat would put a lot of stress on my heart.

但這個(gè)想法始終縈繞在我的腦海中，我決定和我的醫(yī)生談?wù)?。他提醒我，嘗試這樣的壯舉會(huì)給我的心臟帶來很大的壓力。

“Doctor， Im seventy-two years old. Going to the bathroom puts a lot of stress on my heart. Id rather go out in a blaze of glory doing what I love， than slumped over a toilet seat.”

“醫(yī)生，我七十二歲了。上廁所都會(huì)給我的心臟帶來很大的壓力。我寧愿帶著榮耀去做我喜歡做的事，也不愿倒在馬桶上?！?/p>

He advised against it.

他建議不要這樣做。

I decided to go for it.

我決定去試試。

But Where to begin？ I thought about writing a golf company to see if they might be interested in sponsoring my trip. Callaway bought into the idea. I proposed playing two rounds of golf in each of the forty-eight states， a total of ninety-six rounds of golf in ninety-six days.

但從哪里開始呢？我想給一家高爾夫公司寫信，看看他們是否有興趣贊助我旅行?？ɡ邮芰诉@個(gè)想法。我提議在美國(guó)的48個(gè)州各打兩輪高爾夫球，總共96天打96輪高爾夫球。

As the departure day approached， my anticipation grew stronger. Finally， the day came. My family gathered at the house to bid me farewell. I felt both confident and comforted by their support. After months of planning and preparation， this would be my Forrest Gump of golf moment.

隨著出發(fā)日期的臨近，我就越發(fā)期待起來。這一天終于來了，我的家人聚集在家里向我告別。他們的支持使我感到既自信又安慰。經(jīng)過幾個(gè)月的計(jì)劃和準(zhǔn)備，這將是我的阿甘高爾夫時(shí)刻。

From that point forward I never looked back. There were many long drives during the journey， some on the golf course but mostly on the roadways. Finally I got into a rhythm， I found my groove. It went something like this： EAT. SLEEP. DRIVE. PLAY GOLF. REPEAT.

從那一刻起，我再也沒有回頭。旅途中有很多長(zhǎng)途駕駛，有些是在高爾夫球場(chǎng)上，但大多數(shù)是在公路上。最終我進(jìn)入了一個(gè)節(jié)奏，找到了最佳狀態(tài)。大概是這樣的：吃、睡、開車、打高爾夫球。重復(fù)。

As my trip progressed， people started learning about my pursuit and they started showing up at golf courses. They were reading the daily blog updates and my job was serving to inspire them. People started calling me “The Happy Golfer” and golf courses started charging my greens fees free and inviting me to pose for pictures in the pro shop afterward. Reporters began calling. Soon I had interviews and media duties. This whole effort was proving to be quite a sensation. I started growing a beard， just like Forrest Gump. I was on a roll.

隨著我旅行的進(jìn)展，人們開始了解我的追求，他們開始出現(xiàn)在高爾夫球場(chǎng)上。他們每天都在閱讀更新的博客，而我的工作就是激勵(lì)他們。人們開始叫我“快樂的高爾夫球手”，高爾夫球場(chǎng)開始免除我的場(chǎng)地費(fèi)，并邀請(qǐng)我之后在專業(yè)商店拍照。記者開始打來電話，很快我就有了采訪和媒體任務(wù)。這整個(gè)活動(dòng)結(jié)果很轟動(dòng)。我開始長(zhǎng)胡子，就像阿甘一樣。我超常發(fā)揮了。

Then I had heart palpitations and my left shoulder went numb. Next， my right. I checked myself into a hospital. The cardiologist confirmed that my arteries were clogged and I would need surgery. It wasnt a matter of if， he explained， but when.

然后我開始心悸，左肩麻木。接下來，我的右肩也開始麻木。我住進(jìn)了醫(yī)院。心臟病專家證實(shí)我的動(dòng)脈阻塞了，需要?jiǎng)邮中g(shù)。他解釋說，這不是“是否”的問題，而是“何時(shí)”的問題。

When would I need to have this done？ It became an important question of my life. Was it possible to continue forward and realize my dream？ Or must I stop？ The doctor had his opinion， and I had mine. The two didnt necessarily reconcile4， but I decided to play on.

我什么時(shí)候需要做這個(gè)手術(shù)？這成了我生活中的一個(gè)重要問題。有沒有可能繼續(xù)前進(jìn)，實(shí)現(xiàn)我的夢(mèng)想？還是說必須停下來？醫(yī)生有他的意見，我也有我的。我們不一定非要達(dá)成一致，但我決定繼續(xù)比賽。

I mostly stayed at campgrounds along the way， or sometimes with friends， and in Walmart parking lots. After the hospital scare， my diet became very strict. I only ate healthy foods， like salads and fresh vegetables. I started feeling better.

我大部分時(shí)間都住在沿途的露營(yíng)地，有時(shí)和朋友在一起，必要時(shí)還會(huì)去沃爾瑪?shù)耐＼噲?chǎng)。在醫(yī)院恐慌之后，我的飲食變得非常嚴(yán)格。我只吃對(duì)健康有益的食物，如沙拉和新鮮蔬菜。我開始感覺好多了。

The final day， as you can imagine， was quite emotional. Putting in the last shot on Hole 18 of the Gold Hills Golf Course in Redding， California brought strong feelings and reflections. Id completed two rounds of golf in each of the forty-eight states for a total of ninety-six rounds of golf in ninety-six days. Mission accomplished.

最后一天，正如你所能想象的，非常激動(dòng)人心。在加州雷丁金山高爾夫球場(chǎng)18洞的最后一桿，引起了強(qiáng)烈的反響。我在96天的時(shí)間里，在相鄰的48個(gè)州各打了兩輪高爾夫球，總共打了96輪。任務(wù)完成。

It had been an amazing journey， one that required me to overcome many fears and doubts. After seventy-two years of living I finally proved to myself that I was more brave than Id ever given myself credit for being. If anyone needs a resource for locating a nice golf course in any state， or finding a Walmart parking lot to camp in， Im your guy. Beyond that， if anyone dreams of trying something really bold5 in his or her life， think of The Happy Golfer...and go for it.

這是一次奇妙的旅程，需要我克服許多恐懼和疑慮。經(jīng)過72年的生活，我終于向自己證明，我比以往任何時(shí)候都要勇敢。如果有人想在任何一個(gè)州找到一個(gè)漂亮的高爾夫球場(chǎng)，或者想找一個(gè)沃爾瑪停車場(chǎng)安營(yíng)扎寨，我就是你要找的人。除此之外，如果有人夢(mèng)想在他或她的生活中嘗試一些真正大膽的事情，想想那個(gè)快樂的高爾夫球手，然后去做吧。

Notes

1. tragic [] adj. 悲慘的;悲痛的

2. crowning [] adj. 使完美的;使圓滿的

3. extravaganza [] n. 鋪張華麗的娛樂表演

4. reconcile [] v. 使和諧一致;調(diào)和

5. bold [] adj. 大膽自信的;敢于冒險(xiǎn)的