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How do we measure our love of golf?

Editor's Note: This is a collaborative story. Got a line you'd like to share? We'll keep adding them to the bottom as the comments come in. Please include your name, town and state so we can credit you.

So feel free to join the discussion in the comments section below or send them to us on Twitter @ESPNGolf and use the hashtag #GolfAddict.


Some of us have a problem. We know who we are. Our families look at us a little differently. Our friends tend not to call anymore on Saturday or Sunday mornings, but we're almost always free on Mondays.

It started innocently enough. Our parents or grandparents or a family friend decided to saw down an old 7-iron (why is it always a 7-iron?) to just the right height and let us swing away. We whiffed a few dozen times, then came that first solid "thwack" and we were hooked, never to look back.

Little did we know, all these years later, the game of golf would become an ingrained part of our lives, so much so that we'd do everything we could to pass it along to the next generation, whether they were related to us or not.

So how do you know if you fit into the "I'm not overdoing it" category or the "I need professional help" diagnosis when it comes to your love affair with golf?

Here's a (not-so) fool-proof test. If the majority of these questions describe your life, well, you're in luck. We've got a pool and a pond. A pond would be good for you.


If the majority of the pencils in your house are the size of your index finger, then you might be a golf addict.

If your children (or grandchildren) know which color Tiger Woods or Rickie Fowler wears on Sundays, then you might be a golf addict.

If you've had to explain to a child what two people sitting in bath tubs next to each other watching a sunset is all about ... I'm sorry.

If you discuss the Open Championship and your loved ones know exactly which major you are referring to, you might be a golf addict and it's time to cancel that buddy trip to Scotland. (Then again, maybe just add another week to it and stop in Ireland, too. The family won't miss you.)

If your significant other can quote "Caddyshack" lines yet has never seen the movie, you might be a golf addict. (And you should thank your lucky stars he or she has stayed this long.)

If you consider the worst sequel in movie history to be "CaddyShack II," then, well, you just might have good taste in movies.

If you don't have to explain the phrase "emergency nine" to your boss, you should never quit that job. He or she understands you (and, in rare instances, might even offer to join if able to clear the afternoon schedule.)

If you know how much money the winner of the Race To The CME Globe gets (or what it actually is), then it's time to slowly step away from the remote.

If you know the guy on the PGA Tour to win the most career money without a victory, you might want to apply for a job in research here in Bristol, Connecticut.

If you plan family vacations around the Florida Swing -- or even knows what the Florida Swing is -- you need to get a new travel agent.

If you've got any golf paraphernalia on your desk, in your car or generally within arm's reach at any given moment of the day, then you need to stop watching those late-night infomercials.

If you keep your golf clubs in your trunk all winter long (and especially if you live north of the 44th parallel), then you need to get extra insurance in case someone rear-ends you in the snow.

If you are friends on Facebook with people who you really don't know well but always post stories about golf, well, please don't unfriend me.

Aww, who am I kidding. If you've read this far, we're probably in the same boat. And thanks for not making it a club of one.