1. Shake hands with a tour pro.
2. Play the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland.
3. Play Pebble Beach.
4. Lower your handicap at least five strokes in one year.
5. Make a hole-in-one (or at least witness one).
6. Make at least three birdies in a row.
7. Play at least 54 holes in one day.
8. Be the first to tee off at dawn.
9. Be the last to complete play at dusk, playing the last hole in near darkness.
10. Go to the Masters, even if only for a practice round.
11. Travel at least 1000 miles to play in the off season.
12. Play a Scottish or Irish links course in a 40 mph wind.
13. Win a tournament.
14. Last in a match of cards.
15. Hit a shot out of the water -- successfully.
16. Go on a week-long golf orgy with the guys (or gals).
17. Run out of balls.
18. Hit at least three balls in a row out of bounds.
19. Make a par on a hole after hitting a ball out of bounds.
20. Play 18 holes with a Tour pro.
21. Play in a sudden-death playoff.
22. Hole a full shot from the fairway or rough.
23. Four-putt a green in a tournament.
24. Play a wrong ball in a tournament.
25. Hit a drive 300 yards (even if it's downhill, downwind on a rock-hard fairway).
26. Reach a par five in two.
27. Chip in on the last hole to win a match.
28. Birdie every hole at your home course.
29. Come from five down to win a match.
30. Play 18 holes in less than 3 hours.
31. Make a long putt on the last hole with a crowd gathered to watch.
32. Yip a short putt on the last hole with a crowd gathered to watch.
33. Play a round with just one club.
34. Play a round on two different courses in one day.
35. Call in sick to play golf.
36. Play 18 holes by yourself.
37. Try teaching a spouse, child or friend to play
38. Read the Rules of Golf.
39. Call a Rules violation on yourself.
40. Play a foursome (alternate shot) match or tournament.
41. Have your swing videotaped.
42. Read at least one book by Bobby Jones.
43. Read at least one book by Harvey Penick.
44. Read Herbert Warren Wind's "The Story of American Golf".
45. Read Michael Murphy's "Golf in the Kingdom".
46. Play 18 holes in a steady rain.
47. Break a club in anger.
48. Have a bout with the shanks.
49. Announce that you're giving up the game.
50. Fall in love with an ancient and/or funky putter.
51. Play with an aliment or injury -- and play much better than usual.
52. Attend a major championship.

Now the grading scale:

0-10 : You might be a beginner, in which case you have plenty of time. But if you've been playing golf for a while, you might want to consider another sport.

11-20 : You're still only skimming the surface of the true golf experience. It's time to start trying a little harder.

21-30 : Not bad, especially if you're only around the midpoint of your golf life. Still, there are gaps to be filled in.

31-40 : You're definitely for "real." While you show enthusiasm for the game, you're not quite a golf nut.

41-51 : Not only have you played a lot of golf, you've played it with rare passion.

52 : You could quit the game today and not have missed anything. We suspect, however, that you'll keep playing long enough to do most everything more than once -- and maybe a few things we haven't thought of.