Life Lessons on the Golf Course... from a non-golfer

The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

June Issue 104

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Life Lesson on the Golf Course… from a Non-Golfer
“Golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half inch course… the space between your ears.”
                                                                                                            ~Bobby Jones

As I sit here with thoughts of the upcoming Women Talk going through my head, the sun is shining and I can hear a neighbour cutting their grass. As the mind often does, my thoughts begin to wander - a wandering mind is a creative mind… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Now what was I saying? Oh yes! My mind began to wander and here is where it went… I thought about the stories women share at Women Talk and how this is a chance to connect with each other and learn more about ourselves. My mind then flitted past memories of having this same secure feeling as a teenager, laying on the ground with friends and discovering images in the clouds. Next came a smile as I recalled the smell of fresh cut grass. Mmmm… grass and friendships. Wandering on, my mind was led to a decision I made a few years ago: to learn to golf. I was then brought full circle as I suddenly realized that golf had taught me an important life lesson, a lesson I uncovered in that very moment. What did I learn?

It starts 10 years ago when I brought back a St. Andrews Golf Course cap from the UK for a friend who is a golfing enthusiast. He was super-duper, over-the-moon excited. Turned out that this is a pretty famous course and he wore the cap with pride (apparently to the envy of his fellow golfers).

His passion for golf inspired me to give it a go. I took lessons, bought clubs, purchased a membership and played every week. I even joined the Women’s Golf Club and was the Communications Director. I jumped in with both feet (and a putter). After my second year ‘on the course’, I asked for a golf cart for Christmas and received a really nice one but by then, my enthusiasm had waned. (Anyone interested in buying a dusty, never-used golf cart?)

I decided I was too busy to continue golfing but it dawned on me during my creative mind-wander, that this wasn’t quite true. That five-and-a-half inch course (space between my ears) said golf would give me exercise. It said this would be a great social outing. It said I would feel great learning a new set of skills. It said I would be able to support local fundraising efforts by participating in golf tournaments and be confident on the course when doing so. It said I would be as enthusiastic about the game as my friend. But alas, while this may be true for others, none of it was true for me.

I didn’t feel happy on the course; actually, golfing felt like a chore. Why? Because I wasn’t hitting golf balls (and regularly looking for them in the bush!) out of a true desire to play the game. I was engaging in a good activity for the wrong reason. In trying to experience the joy felt by someone else, I had forgotten to remember what made me feel good. I forgot to look for ways to enjoy exercise, social time and the thrill of learning something new by discovering things that I liked to do.

Instead of being inspired by someone else’s experience, I tried to make their experience my own. Wow! This brought be back to Women Talk where women share their stories. Some stories are entertaining. Some take hold of your heart. Some are inspirational. Some make you pause and think. But all of them are real. Being real is something deep and meaningful. Being real means choosing what is right for you.  

Arnold Palmer says that “golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated” and I must agree. I believe that life can be the same way but by sharing the ‘realness’ of who we are with people who support and understand us, life can be a bit less complicated.

So, play golf if that’s what you enjoy. Be inspired if that’s important to you. Create connections if that brings you happiness. Whatever you choose, choose to be real. 

For more information about the monthly WOMEN TALK meeting in Strathmore, including how you may participate by attending or being a Talker, please visit www.WomenTalk.ca/Strathmore.