Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend five hours at Lost Pines, home of Wolfdancer Golf Course, one of the great golf courses in Texas with three accomplished high school golfers. This was a scheduled practice round in advance of a large high school tournament in February. The interaction alone was a privilege for me. There was a healthy level of respect between the players, evidenced by the supporting conversations that occurred throughout the day. It quickly became apparent that this respect was earned…a privilege gained by each individual through countless hours of practice refining their skill. These young men demonstrated numerous traits that are often absent from not only a competitive round of golf, but in our daily quest to conquer the day…respect, humility, integrity and more. As one player conquered a hole…compliments from the other players. On the very next hole…struggle…frustration…a big number on the scorecard…followed by encouragement from the other players. Naturally, there was good competitor banter that only fueled the desire to throttle the other guy as the match continued.
As the day progressed the conditions continued to change. The wind, the temperature, the pace and of course the need for precise focus and execution. This four plus hour activity demanded the ability to call upon no one other than yourself. Perform at a level understood only by those that have attempted to play the game at an extremely high level, call no one into the game to support you when things get tough, no cheering, supportive crowds, and of course…you must complete the day regardless of the way you are performing. No coach, bench, team, crowd, support or encouragement…just you, your mind and belief in your ability to execute with perfection, in a sport that cannot be perfected!
At the end of the round, I again witnessed the great character possessed by each of these young men. Hat’s removed, hands extended, shoulders tapped and compliments like “thanks for spending the day with me” summed up the time spent trying to beat one another at the most difficult game in the world, while maintaining complete composure as they worked their way through all of the tests that one day of golf offers to the player. It was obvious that they had been through the process before, and more importantly, a silent understanding that they will experience an entirely different set of circumstances the next time the set foot on a golf course.
It has been stated many times that no one will ever perfect the game of golf. This must be true as we are only human beings, playing a game that might be considered inhumane at times. The actual privilege of golf, in my opinion, is that it offers great individual training on life’s character traits.
I wondered what they players thought of the day and couldn’tresist asking. Hey, T-Man what was the greatest part of the day? “The ham sandwich was awesome!” What about you KMO? “Good time developing my friendship with these guys as we worked to beat each other.” And you C-Man? “I’m going to hit balls tonight because things didn’t go as I had hoped today. I didn’t do enough this weekend to improve my game.” I must share with you that we watched C-Man head directly to the range as we dropped him off at dusk. What about the other two? I’m told T-Man went out for dinner as he was running short of body fuel after that ham sandwich, then a double burger with the works an oh yeah large fries and a milkshake all in a two hour stretch. KMO…he hit the gym and worked out the challenges of the day.
Let me offer my appreciation and respect for all the players of this game at every level. The privilege of spending five hours with these young men was a great encouragement to me. I’m encouraged as they possess the traits we need much more of to advance our country. These young men will accomplish great things.
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January 22, 2016 at 08:58PM