This may seem to be a very strange title to find on a website that is dedicated to spiritual values. You may find, in the end, that it’s not really so strange at all. The game of golf is one that most people are familiar with, even if they’re not among those who live to play the game. It looks pretty straight forward; hit a little ball with a stick and make it go into a hole. Simple, right? Well…maybe not. Let me explain…

To begin with, golf is a game, which you can neither win, nor lose, but only play. Your only competition is yourself. As you move slowly around the course, you will discover many things about yourself, some good, some maybe not so good. It is a game full of choices, both good and bad, and you will reap the results of your chosen actions immediately. You can choose to play it safe, and remain unchallenged and in a good position, or you can decide to take chances, which, if you are successful, bring you pleasant rewards, but if you fail, many times you find yourself in a very bad situation. You keep track of your own score, and if you decide to cheat, you can only cheat yourself. In playing the course, nobody ever takes the same path twice, because every shot on every hole is different every time, and once a shot is played, it is gone. Getting angry or upset only affects the shots you have yet to play, and can never make the last one any better. Once you understand what caused the problem, you will have a lot less stress if you put it out of your mind as quickly as possible. You can look at your bad shots and, taking full responsibility for you’re your actions, analyze them fairly and learn from the experience, or you can rationalize that they were caused by the wind, or your equipment, or any of a dozen other excuses, and never manage to improve your game.

Golf is a game that encourages introspection. You must take a good look at your particular skills, and be painfully honest with yourself about the things in which you will, or will not, in all likelihood, be successful. Here, an error can be devastating, once again resulting in a very disappointing consequence. Here’s an example: if you are standing on the tee, and looking across a lake at a green, 250 yards in the distance, with the option of shooting for the green, or laying up safely and going from there, what do you do? Do you really have the skill to make the shot, or should you swallow your pride and play it safe? After your first ball goes in the lake, should you try again, or then swallow your pride and play it safe? If your third ball goes into the lake, do you think that you have honestly assessed your abilities, or are you hoping that today, by the grace of the Creator, you’re gonna hit that shot. Probably not… Being honest with yourself pays great dividends, and those who know themselves the best, will always be the most successful, regardless of the level of their play.

Let’s see…a game that can’t be won or lost…. your only metric for success or failure is yourself…there are many choices, which will force you to learn who you are…you reap immediate results from any action, good or bad…to be successful, you must truly know yourself, and take total responsibility for your own actions…introspection is the key to learning and growth…being less than honest with yourself can have grave consequences…everyone’s path is different…holding on to your anger and frustration can only affect you in a negative way…remind you of anything? And here you thought I was talking about golf………

©2001 Firesong