Kelowna, BC
“Golf is assuredly a mystifying game. It would seem that if a person has hit a golf ball correctly a thousand times, he should be able to duplicate the performance at will. But such is certainly not the case.”
Bobby Jones
These points go to show that only in golf is our character most tested and rounded-out. Like a smooth stone found in glacial waters, having been tossed to and fro in the mighty, rushing waters during spring runoff. After all, whenever any one of us plays this game, the results, both the highs and the lows, are on us – and only us – as we are the ones that hit each shot. No one else hit those shots that we did; therefore, there is no one to blame or cause fault to, except ourselves. Now, if that is not humbling enough, I don’t know what is. This is why I play this great game, always searching for that next whack on the sweet spot and to better understand myself more. Above all, this is why I don’t keep score.
After all, at the end of the day, or a round, golf is just that: it’s just a game. It may be for the best that each of us accepts this, no matter our role in the game: whether a fan, weekend golfer, club member, golf instructor, or PGA Tour professional. This approach would do us all a world of good, not to mention our inner-self, if we would simply remind ourselves of this overall perspective. I know I have to remind myself of this, routinely. I have heard professional golfers, both PGA and LPGA stars, speak candidly about this during post-round interviews. I mean, they’re the pro’s, right?!
I am reminded of this hallowing quote:
How can a game have such an effect on a man’s soul?
The (continual) reminder that the game of golf is just a game can go a long way in loosening its effects on our soul’s.
Dwight Van Middlesworth 