Introducing the Kendall Project

Like many people, I have had a love-hate-neglect interest with golf over the years. You can add "too busy for," "lack of money," and "ran out of golf balls" to the list of reasons for not teeing it up every chance I get.
But a few times I have gotten bitten by the golf bug - and I'm not talking about that giant horse fly that followed me for two holes last weekend. This is serious stuff. I not only want to start playing again, but I even want to practice.
Yikes! Does anyone know a therapist on-call?
I enjoyed the Golf Channel's show, "The Haney Project," where acclaimed teaching pro Hank Haney tries to teach a non-golfer how to golf. Or in Ray Romano's case, how to break 80. It's entertaining and educational.
I approached the teachers at our own acclaimed golf school right here in Washtenaw County, Kendall Academy of Golf, located at Miles of Golf on Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti. Would they be interested in doing something similar with a longtime sportswriter who has never come close to breaking 80?
Jim Yuhas, a PGA teaching pro, was nice enough to accept the challenge. I'm not going to tell you that I am the worst golfer out there - that distinction goes to the guy playing in front of me last night at Kensington. Just brutal.
But I have flaws. Major flaws. Jim says they can all be fixed and he's the perfect teacher for me because he admits he used to play like me before he started taking the game seriously. Jim spent years doing what he always dreamed of doing, being a firefighter. Now he says he has second dream job, being a golf pro. And he got there through dedication and hard work and a great teacher (who also works at Kendall).
I don't think I will be his toughest student because I made a commitment to him and myself that I would take this seriously and work at it. Going to a pro for lessons will not show up on your scorecard unless you practice. If I don't practice, I am wasting everyone's time and I don't have time for that anymore.
The Kendall Project should be a lot of fun and I hope our readers enjoy going a long for the ride. I hope to make it entertaining and even educational. Well, Jim will handle the education part of this project. It also should be inspiring, because if I can get better, anyone can get better.
And everyone can get better. It starts with an instructor who knows the game and knows how to teach it. There are plenty of those at the Kendall Academy of Golf.
Earlier today I went and played a quick nine holes. It reminded me how much golf is like life. After hitting several bad shots in a row and feeling like quitting, I drove up to the next tee. I jumped out and said, "OK, let's get on track." Every hole is a fresh start. Just like everyday is a fresh start.
I may be on the back nine, but I feel like I'm starting to know what I'm doing.