They dress like us, they talk like us, they even act like us – with their sly smiles, their warm handshakes, their white-picket fences in Pleasant Valley Suburbia and their 2.5 children. But don’t be fooled! These people are not normal. They are aliens infiltrating our good communities with their spurious ways. They are … the golf fanatics! Gasp!

And they spend their time golfing in Ocala.

We at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club certainly understand this breed of homo sapiens (if we dare even call them that). Many of us are recovering golf fanatics ourselves spending our time … golfing in Ocala!

We are still caught in the grips of this passion, our minds perpetually focused on the game, spending our energy trying to find ways to improve our shots.

But what makes a golf fanatic and what motivates these creatures to spend their days swinging a long, strange stick at a funny-looking, little, white ball on a beautiful, well-manicured field while wearing weird clothing and spiky shoes?

8 Clues of Golfing Fanaticism

Your Golf Travel describes several habits that might indicate you are struggling with golfing addiction, modified slightly for golfing in Ocala:

• You take your own clubs to play miniature golf.
• You always, always have the perfect golfers’ tan – even when it’s been raining for days.
• You somehow slipped in 9 holes on the day of your wedding.
• You constantly find golf tees in your pant’s pocket – and you leave them there just in case you just might get the opportunity to play golf.
• You play golf like you work for the postal serve: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these golfers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
• You schedule a wonderful family vacation, but neglect to tell them that it’s right near a beautiful golf course: “How was I supposed to know?”
• You wear golf attire even to church.
• Most of your phone’s apps are golf related.

Now we’re about to introduce some strong temptation and some cruel and unusual punishment for the fanatic teetering on addiction’s edge. Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club gives players the chance to play on an 18-hole championship course designed by Ron Garl. The course contains tribute holes from the some of the world’s best courses including Augusta, Royal Troon, Baltusrol, Muirfield and St. Andrews.

Wait. There’s more. The Golf Shop at Golden Ocala offers clubs, clothing and a wide variety of golf accessories, stocking only the finest in the sport. Private lessons are available with Golden Ocala’s PGA professional instructors.

Come and enjoy the sport of golf at its alluring. Keep up with all of the latest news from Golden Ocala by following us on Facebook and Twitter.