Why I LOVE Golf!

(Hunter answered an advertisement for a free golf club, and was selected! Nothing like getting that really LONG box in the mail!)

(Hunter entered a golf essay tournament sponsored by the Ironton Country Club, and was declared co-winner...every $300 helps!)

I love golf. It has improved my life in innumerable ways. I do not realize all it has done for me I am sure, but here I shall start, esoterically perhaps, but definitely sincere.

I hit wild shots all the time, and one time I remember searching and searching for my ball with my head down scouring the ground. When I found it, I looked up. The scene was amazing, even beyond words. To me, that is what golf is all about. It pushes me, makes me work to be better. Even with all those minute improvements, I still mess up. Then, I know I can take a step back, and look up. I see I am in a new part of the course. Golf does that. It brings me to new and different places, except more often it is outside the game that I see these places. I see myself improving and in a new place, whether it is in school, work, or family life. It has taught me to appreciate the journey more. I do not need to rush; every shot and every day we are blessed with matters. Golf brings peace, encourages reflection and contemplation, and shows the natural beauty of the earth. As Socrates counseled, “Know Thyself.” While admiring the splendor of God’s creations, this admonition seems to come naturally. I can easily reflect on my life, not just recognizing talents but also the bogeys on my personal scorecard, the areas I need to work on. I do this honestly, because honesty is an absolutely hallmark and necessity of the game and required to live life fully. And I like that truthfulness.




Besides the chance to be introspective, I truly enjoy the game. It seems ingrained in me, part of me I could not part with. I love the course. The variety and the beauty set it apart from other sports. No two courses are the same, and even the courses themselves play differently from one day to the next. To me, a well designed and maintained course is absolutely beautiful. It is the culmination of the English Garden, the taming, and celebration of the wild into something just as beautiful. I enjoy the exercise of walking a couple miles with a bag on my back, the jubilation after a nice stroke, but most of all the search for perfection. I know it is unattainable, but the search for one stroke better got me up early many a morning and is something I continue to strive for. No, I do not need coffee or some other stimulant. This is life! I am a morning person knowing that today I have the chance to improve. That ability is truly amazing when contemplated. I do not believe there is anything I cannot become. I have occasionally skipped school to fit a round in, and those mornings are great no matter what else happens later.

Furthermore, there is no one else who determines my score. That awareness is powerful and transcends the game to enter into all aspects of my life. This knowledge and responsibility is one that has helped in school work too. I have the ability to do well in school, so there is no excuse for not getting a good, perhaps perfect grade, but always my best. Excuses are only excuses and do not forgive failure. I should always be working on improving myself, in all aspects of life. Potential should not be something flaunted, boasting, “If I actually worked and tried, I could be so good.” “Could” does not mean anything. Potential is a should – you should always strive to reach your potential, and make no excuse for something that should be instead of could be. In school, this knowledge helps inspire me to do my best. Before a round, I always look over the course scorecard and any other information available to me. Surely then, I can do my homework for school. If you are more than even a minute late to a tee time, then you are penalized. If you are later than five minutes, disqualification is the consequence. I have learned punctuality. If I can respect my playing partners, I can respect my school teachers, job bosses, parents and other authorities. Golf has helped me trust. Maybe it is the natural teenager in me, but sometimes it can be hard to trust. I know though, I am no golf pro and receiving helpful instruction from mentors and implementing it into my game has helped remedy my lack of trust. As I have learned to allow others to help me, it has brought many blessings into my life; not only increasing technical skills, but also social etiquette and helped me appreciate the contributions of so many who often volunteer their time to help me and others. Related to trust, golf brings humility. It is hard and sometimes embarrassing. By no means am I very good, but with trust, humility, and effort, I can become better.

Mentally, golf is a challenge. First, to determine what is needed, and then to be able to will my mind and body to perform it. That is athletics in a sentence. It takes discipline, and practice and confidence. It does not matter what the other competitors do, it is ultimately up to you to perform. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, it is the man in the arena who counts. A thousand little moves go into the making of a fluid swing. You think about one move too much, or something that could go wrong, and it probably will go wrong. To succeed, not only is determination required but also the ability to block out detrimental forces. When I can picture a 7- iron launched from the left edge of the fairway and in the air imagine it hooking around a greenside bunker, hitting the green and releasing to a back left pin position – and then doing just that - that creates confidence. I learn from mistakes, and remember good shots so I can beat similar challenges. There is a difference between listening to Beethoven and feeling the music, the energy, the tempest storm(symphony #6) he creates just like there is a difference between wandering around the course hitting shots and really playing golf. That difference is the mind.

I have developed many friendships through golf. The two that mean the most to me are with my grandfathers. Both started playing the game late, but enjoy it just as much as me, even as strength deteriorates and the ball does not jump off the clubface like it used to. My grandfather on my mother’s side has given me countless pointers, and also an unwavering belief. Not just in golf, but to chase my dreams. When I visit him every summer, we always schedule time to play a round or two. It is the highlight of my summer. Almost every round, we wager something, like sodas afterward, on the eighteenth hole to determine who pays. Talk about pressure! He plays like a pro, while I struggle to not shake. I learn so much just being with him. It is not just golf, it is the hours of conversation and friendship that come through it that are the most important. Unfortunately, I have not played golf yet with my grandfather on my father’s side. However, I plan on remedying that this coming year as I go west to college and closer to him. I am already planning a couple trips to take during school holidays. With both of them, I often talk on the phone. It means a lot to me that they take an interest in my game. There is not much I would rather do than play golf with those I love.

I love the warmth of the sun, even the rain, and whetted, whipping wind. I could go on, but I digress. There is no need to wax poetical when the play itself is poetry, when every shot is a verse, every divot adding to the sculpture, every shot another note in the symphony I, the player, compose. I often think back to rounds played. Walking along the edge of a river with darkness falling, seeing the sun dry the sparkling morning dew, barely missing an ace. I think it is the greatest game on Earth.