By Garrett Siefer
The thump of a golf club on a tennis ball is a sound heard frequently around Bluffton this time of year.
The end of the school year means it is time for exams and time for students’ stress levels to go up.
Students need to find a way to relieve this stress rather than bottling it up. No matter where the relief comes from, students all have their own ways of dealing with it.
For some Bluffton students, tennis ball golf is the preferred way of coping with the stress. This sport is a lot like golf but with a tennis ball.
The course takes about an hour to finish, depending on how many people are playing in the group. There are nineteen holes which go throughout the beautiful Bluffton campus.
The game has been handed down by upperclassmen to the underclassmen every year. It’s a tradition that goes back through most of recent memory on campus. Those who are not familiar with the course can just walk around and find the divot holes from where people tee off.
It’s not unheard of to hear the golfers yelling in anger from missing the shot or from just doing poorly.
“For me playing is all about having fun with the people you are with,” said Robby Mesling, an avid tennis ball golf player.“The relief of clobbering a ball is just a plus.”
As a senior about to graduate, Mesling is also having to deal with the hard tests for becoming a certified teacher.
“I have had a lot on my mind lately,” he said.“When I want a good hour of distraction and fresh air, I can always count on playing tennis ball golf.”
Josh Woodrich, a novice tennis ball golfer, had some thoughts on what the game brings him. He said, “I tend to think I am the best to play the game, which brings me a lot of joy when I do get the chance to play.”
Regardless of whether someone plays all the time or just when they can, students can have some good friendly time. This activity can lead to students getting out of their room, socializing with others and possibly helping their self esteem.
When it comes to finals, all students need to have the confidence which comes from having high self-esteem built from others around them.
“Just simply getting myself out and doing an activity can be tough. But tennis ball golf gives me the motivation to play,” Woodrich said.
