Golf: A Great Journey

As most of you know, I really love golf.  However, I sometimes have a hard time explaining why.  God knows (Golf God) it’s a game that gives great pleasure and sorrow -- sometimes in the same round.  So what’s the great attraction?

I use to think it was the challenge.  You have to master so many skills and you have to do everything yourself.  I use to play basketball (my first love).  When I was having a bad shooting night, I simply worked harder on my defense and rebounding.  I also had the good sense to pass the ball to someone who was having a good shooting night.  In golf, there’s no one to pass the ball to.  If you suck hitting bunker shots, there’s no sub to take your place.

But, as much as the challenge is great, I think the golf journey is why I love golf so much.  You start on a sharp learning curve and find out it never ends.  As you start to improve your swing, you realize how much better it could be.  You try to hit it farther, hit more fairways with your driver, hit more greens in regulation, take fewer putts, etc.  Even the pros are never satisfied. 

Recently I had a great time playing golf with my son.  He’s just starting to take up golf and he really loves it.  Seeing him play reminded me of my journey.  Every mistake he made, I’ve made a hundred times early in my journey.  Now he’s on his own journey and I hope he has as much fun as I’ve had. My journey has lasted 47 years and I hope it last a few more years.  You see, I still have a lot of things to work on.  Good luck son. 

Golf In Utopia

If you really want to read a good book about the psychology of golf, don't bother reading "Seven Days in Utopia: Golf's Sacred Journey."     Early in the book the author, David L. Cook, does a pretty good job of describing his philosophy SFT (see it, feel it, and trust it), but he turns super religious for the last third of the book. 

The book tells a story about a down on his luck professional golfer who lands in a small town named Utopia after one of his worst golf failures.  He discovers an elderly owner of a run down golf course who knows more about golf and life than any dozen psychologist.  On the seventh day, he convinces the professional golfer that his real problem is he hasn't accepted Jesus Christ as his savior and guiding light.

It is pure hokey melodrama the rest of the way.  You don't even learn the ending of the story.  Instead you're directed to the author's web page where he tries to convince you to buy bundles of his book to distribute at your next golf outing.

Believe it or not, this book will soon be on the silver screen.  I usually find that the movie is not as good as the book.  This time that will be hard to accomplish.  When I am King, if a golfer wants to learn more about golf psychology, I'll advise him to read Dr. Bob Rotella's book "Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect."  His philosophy doesn't require you to be a Christian to play better golf.

Dustin Johnson Grounded By The PGA

Dustin Johnson thought he was on his way to winning the PGA Championship when a strange thing happened.  He grounded his club in a sand trap and receiving a two stroke penalty.  Now I can hear some of you right now, how could this happen.  Is the man stupid?  Doesn't he know the rules?  

Before you're two hard on him, check out the whole story at CBS.  The man had so many fans around him he had no idea he was in a bunker.  He thought his ball was on a piece of bare land that was trampled down by the gallery.

After completing the 18th hole, thinking he was headed to a playoff, he was greeted by a rules official and informed that he was indeed in a bunker and therefore he was penalized and knocked out of the playoff.  Where the hell was that rules official when he was hitting the ball.  If the PGA had done a better job of crowd control he would have known he was in the bunker.  When fans are standing two feet from you, it doesn't dawn on you they're in the bunker.  

What a sad ending to a great tournament.