The Beauty and Lessons Learned from a Game

Before reading this article take a good look at the picture that accompanies it. It is quite a beautiful scene isn't it? How when playing a round or after a round do you take the time to really think about the game itself? The skills required to play and play well at that.

Golf is so much more then a game or hobby.  I know we have all heard the famous quote from a friend who doesn't play: "Its just hitting a little white ball into a little hole, can't be that hard."

The thing this type of person, and most golfers themselves, don't realize is that there is so much more that can be taken away from the game. That's only if you choose to think about it or apply the skills used on a golf course to everyday life.

I love to play golf, but by no means am I anywhere near the level of a professional.  Most of the people reading this probably aren't either.  The thing is there is so much that the "average joe", or casual golfer can take away from the game.

One of the first things I think a person should when they get to that first tee box is to just stop, take a deep breath and look at their surroundings. Golf courses are usually a thing of beauty. That is why I asked that you take a good long look at the picture that is next to the headline of this article.

Something I have learned to do before I even tee off is really just look at the beauty of my surroundings, take a deep breath and enjoy the smell of the fresh cut grass, the feel of the morning dew.  It's not only a calming experience for the round to come, but it also reminds me that the simple things in life are what matter most.

In speaking of simple things in life, take yourself back to the last time you had a bad round on the course.  You were probably frustrated, which is only natural.  Really though think back to your reaction during that round when you were shanking the ball or driving it into the woods or a bad position to play from. 

Odds are because of were you were you didn't cuss or throw a major tantrum. The odds are that you just took a deep breath to relax, took a step back and took a practice swing to try and find the problem and a solution to it. Odds are after the round was over you thought to yourself: "I will do better next time."

On the next round you probably pushed yourself to get a better score. I like to call that self control, self motivation, and calm situation assessment. When used in every day life those three things can have a profound effect on everything from your home life to your job.

Another thing that can be taken away from this great game is a sense of integrity and honesty.

Think of the last time you went out and played a round and cheated on your score card. Now every golfer at some point or another has cheated once or twice, however its a matter of how often you do it and how you feel about doing it. Most of us feel guilty and like we are cheating ourselves.

This translates very well to life off the course. Golf is one of those rare games that can teach a person how to have integrity and how to be honest no matter what the situation is. Those are two highly regarded traits in a person.

The third and final thing I will mention that can be taken away from the course and applied to every day life is possibly the most important, at least to me. That being said on major thing you can take away from golf, especially a bad round, is a mind set of being able to see the silver lining and brighter day tomorrow.

Think of the last round you played where you weren't happy with your score or how hit the ball or whatever the case may be.  Walking off that course most golfers will be thinking to themselves there is always next time or they find a few shots throughout the round that they really liked.

This can be applied when your feeling down and out because of whatever is going on in your life. You can sit back, assess the situation, look at it in an honest light, then say to your self, I can do this because I still have tomorrow to try harder, or this was good about today and you can build positive momentum off of that. Just like you would build positive momentum off of a good shot on the course.

So please next time you step up to that first tee, take the time to really take in your surroundings with all five senses.

Listen to the birds chirping, take a deep breath of that fresh cut grass, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the way the light reflects off that morning dew, and please remember, there is so much more to be taken away from this game then just a couple of hours of time away from work or whatever.