Dear Student,
So the
greatest game in the world has humbled you a bit, has it? Welcome
to the club. It’s a club with millions of members. In fact, everyone
who has ever driven a ball off the first tee – Tiger Woods, Jack
Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and every weekend hacker who’s on the tee
right this very second – is in it. You’ve got a lot of good company.
Believe it or not, joining this club is actually vital if you
want to get out of the game everything it has to offer.
Contrary
to your wishes and mine, this game would really stink if every
shot we hit was perfect. I know you think that sounds a little
weird – or way off base! - but it’s very true. It’s the challenge
of the game, the fact that sometimes we feel completely lost,
feel our skills have completely abandoned us, that facilitates
its compelling nature. It makes the game addictive. For if the
lows don’t come then the “rush” of the highs cannot be felt. They
simply wouldn’t exist. The game would become one long “flatline”
of wasted time and boredom.
I heard
a great story a while ago regarding golf course architecture,
one of my interests. A budding architect was with his mentor and
contemplating a strangely placed bunker on a golf hole. He turned
to the famous designer and asked, “Why would you put a bunker
there, right in the middle of the fairway?” The well-studied architect
responded calmly, “Because if it’s not there, you cannot experience
the pleasure, the thrill, of avoiding it.” A wise answer from
a man who understands the nature of the game.
Unquestionably,
something vital about the game would be lost if we never experienced
the humbling moments. The deep, dark “bunkers” are crucial if
we want the game to teach us something, to draw us back. This
game is like life. People in the “real” world can come out stronger,
better, more competent, capable, and wiser if they have experienced
some difficult times. (And it’s inevitable). And when they’ve
learned to steer clear of that same bunker, the feeling of achievement
and satisfaction is that much sweeter.
Unquestionably,
all of the top players in the world have gone through slumps.
Times when the hole was the size of a thimble, times when the
swing creaked and leaked and felt like it was disintegrating.
But plug away and all of a sudden a faint light at the end of
the tunnel will appear. And you get out of the bunker.
And let’s
face it, this game, even at the best of times, is awfully difficult.
There are, literally, a million moving parts when you swing a
club. Losing your tempo, losing your form, losing your confidence,
losing your game, is bound to happen to you at some point in your
“career.” You’ve got to take heart and play on! When you feel
like you’re rising out of that “bunker,” and you will, it’s going
to be amazing. You’ll be greatly rewarded. You’ve just got to
persevere as the game is cyclical by nature. This simply cannot
be avoided. Nobody in the history of the game has played well
ALL the time.
If you
need to take a “breather” from the game for a few days, weeks,
do it. If you need to stop thinking so much when you play, do
it. If you need to spend more time with your family to gain a
“true” perspective on what really matters, for goodness sakes,
do it! Usually only you, in your heart of hearts, knows what needs
to be done. Sometimes a reality check is the first - and most
important! - step in the process. You’re wise if you follow your
gut.
Thankfully,
golf isnt meant to be a simple, mindless act like tying your shoes.
Each time you play it's different. Sometimes it's great and sometimes,
well, it really stinks. You just havent a clue. It's like you've
never played. But be happy about this! It's the reason why the
game of golf has the power, the potential, to turn a ho-hum wedge
shot that lands in the middle of the green into a divine masterpiece.
It's what keeps us coming back.
