“Golf: The art of playing fetch with yourself” is a one-line saying that has been printed on many images. “Golf: Playing ‘fetch’ with yourself” was posted on the newsgroup alt.guitar.tab on March 13, 1999,
 
“Golf: the art of playing fetch with yourself” was posted on Twitter on May 23, 2010.
   
 
Google Groups: alt.guitar.tab
REQ: The chord C9
Darcy Benoit
3/13/99
(...)
Golf: Playing “fetch” with yourself.
       
Google Groups: alt.fan.mark-brian
TOT-But related to the M&B Golf Touney
Kaci
3/24/00
Isn’t golf just playing fetch with yourself?  😊
 
Twitter
Kat Jaibur‏
@katjaib
Golf @ginidietrich ?  Where you hit the ball. Walk up to the ball. Hit the ball. Walk up to the ball. Like playing fetch with yourself?
6:00 PM - 19 Jun 2009
 
Twitter
Todd Crompton‏
@toddcrompton
I don’t get the appeal of golf. It’s like playing fetch with yourself in a huge park.
2:57 PM - 25 Jul 2009
 
Twitter
Benjamyn Toler‏
@byntoler
I hate golf. It’s like playing fetch with yourself. - Stephanie Claus
2:52 PM - 6 Mar 2010
   
29 March 2010, McClatchy-Tribune Business News (Washington, DC), “Your dogs are more than friends—- they’re family” by Amy Nichol Smith:
CESAR—Golf, flag football, disc golf (“which is like playing fetch with yourself,” Ozuna said.)
 
Twitter
BeyondSaying‏
@HaitianDonna
Golf: the art of playing fetch with yourself.
12:29 AM - 23 May 2010
 
Twitter
Nancy Kenney‏
@GreenGirlMedia
Golf. The art of playing fetch with yourself! http://pinterest.com/pin/183099541071419000/ …
9:46 PM - 18 Sep 2012
 
Google Books
Maui Revealed:
The Ultimate Guidebook
By Andrew Doughty
Lihu’e, HI: Wizard Publications, Inc.
2016
Pg. ?:
We know this (disc golf—ed.) is popular on the mainland but it seems comparable to playing fetch with yourself.
 
Reddit—Shower Thoughts
Playing golf is a lot like playing fetch with yourself
submitted November 26, 2017 by dukenheim