I have been learning to take lightly from golf of late. What do I mean by this statement? The game of golf, as many of us well know, is a myriad of highs and lows, demanding a plethora of skills and a Stoic sensibility. Over the last few years I have been going at it like a bull in a China shop. Playing competitively up to 5 times a week and practising several times per week as well. I rebuilt my swing after copious lessons and YouTube video consultations. My intention was to become the best darned golfer I could be. End result I burned out and became mentally fractured. Now, I am reappraising my approach to golf and have taken a few steps back in a bid to regain my love for the sport.

Golf Gives More To The Grateful

Rediscovering The Fun Of Golf

Yes, my handicap has gone out and scoring has been inconsistent. However, do you remember what I used to say about single figure golfers having no real friends. There is always a price to pay for all that obsessive practising  and grinding out on the range and course. The dark maw of golf can suck the living bejesus out of us. All that gripping regripping, waggling and OCD stuff. All that intent focus on the score. I feel like that I am rebalancing my engagement with the game of golf for better or worse. Better for my psyche and soul, perhaps, initially worse for my scoring prowess in the short term.

Remembering My Start In Golf

Learning to take lightly from golf, once again. Because we all used to go into games with less expectation at the beginning of our golfing journeys. At the start we were amazed when we made solid contact and saw our shots go soaring off down the fairway. There was a certain degree of humbleness, which was natural for a newbie. Then, as we progressed along the golfing prowess timeline we somehow lost that humility and replaced it with expectation. Confidence is important when playing strokes, I do not deny this, but this can become something else. A bloated sense of entitlement, as if golf owes us something and this is a big mistake.

Good golf is a balancing act and toppling over is always a distinct possibility. Anyway, I am playing much less golf and enjoying it more. I take lightly from golf and my appreciation of the experience grows immeasurably.

Life is good. Golf is good

Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of The Stoic Golfer: Finding Inner Peace & Focus on the Fairway.

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