Golf, Skking and Other Excuses To Get Out of House

I was PMing someone here which prompted me to post this . I guess this post is aimed at older retired subs but it could be relevant to anyone. Or maybe others don’t have this problem. I am married and retired. My wife is also retired so we are home together. When I was working it was much easier to find time to session but now I cannot just go out for the 3 hours it takes to session without my wife wanting to know where I am going and she’s going to ask how things went when I get home. She knows all my friends so it’s too risky to say I am doing something with them.

Obviously hobbies are the way to get around this. I do not golf and it wouldn’t work for me to take it up but I was thinking golf is the ideal excuse to get out of the house to session. It’s an all day thing and you can do it alone. You could even play 9, session and get home like you played 18. Skiing, although less popular, would be similar I think if you ski and live in reasonable proximity to a ski area. I was wondering if anyone has ever used golf or skiing as an excuse to session or what other hobbies have people used as an excuse to get out of the house?

I don't need en excuse, but if I did I would use my outdoor hobby. Take up hiking/backpacking. My day hikes are anywhere from 2-5 hours. If I'm backpacking I might be gone for a whole day or two. It's an activity you can do with others, BUT, it's also very common to see solo hikers and backpackers, so you wouldn't need someone to corroborate your "outing".

Just a thought but you might want to consider taking up fishing. It can be an all day activity, and you might even want to take up night fishing. Also, can even start researching well known fishing locations that are not that close to your home so you can need "travel time" of an hour or two each way.

Good luck!

I end up waiting until she goes out of town for awhile. Don't get many sessions that way but it has to do.

Oh, and if you think golf is an all day affair, please continue doing us golfers a favor and don't take it up. The four guys and/or girls I golf with walk a championship course and play in just over 3 hours for 18 holes. (And yes, for you 5 hour round, line up and spend 5 minutes reading your 4" putt for a 12 types, we either putt out or pick up when we've hit our max allowed strokes!)

I like hiking and travel to do it although I can’t hike as long and hard as I used to. The problem is where I live now is not anywhere near to being a hiking mecca. I do appreciate the suggestion.

Thanks Fishing isn’t a bad idea. I am going to think on that. One problem is my wife likes to fish although she doesn’t go often. I would have to ask her to go with me which would complicate things.

I do exactly as you do. Right now I only session when my wife is out of town. I definitely enjoy coming home from a session to an empty house and not having to worry about marks and being able to just relax and think about the session.

You don’t have to worry about me picking up golf. Good for you to be able to play 18 in 3 hours, especially walking. That’s not what I hear from the people I know who play. It would seem that even if you can play fast you are still dependent on everyone in front of you doing the same. Maybe it depends on the course and type of golfers playing it. Or when you play. I imagine weekends are more crowded.

With today's work from home culture, this is becoming more and more of an issue. I am brainstorming with a sub on this very issue right now.

Some of our ideas include:
Campaigning for a political party
Volunteering for a charity - if you use this as an excuse - actually do some actual volunteering, please.
Attending sports events - if you wife doesn't enjoy them - but be sure you know the score when you get home

For inspiration go to meetup.com and see what's actually going on in your area that you have a real interest in. I also suggest that you actually do some of whatever your excuse becomes on a regular basis.

Thanks for the suggestions. Campaigning for a political party or candidate is not something I would do unless there was someone I really believed in which is unlikely. Volunteer work is a good idea. Actually a part time job would be good too. And believe me I am not a great liar so I would definitely do whatever excuse I would use. Otherwise I would cross myself up I am sure. I will check out meet-up as well.

How about the truth. Most wives would never believe it!

Ha ha very funny