Season of Golf, Seasons of Life

I started playing golf when I was 12. No lessons, just self-taught. I was fine, not great. But I fell In love with it right away. In my late 20s, I started to play more “seriously”. Establishing a handicap and getting to compete against my past-self felt invigorating. As the handicap started at a 12 and began to get into single-digits, I started to develop a slightly unhealthy relationship with my score. I thought it determined part of my self-worth, and I never wanted to see the handicap go upward.

The problem was, I hardly practiced. Any time I had to golf, I wanted to PLAY. 8 minutes of whacking balls on the range doesn’t count as practice. I was guilty of giving myself a mulligan or 2 (whatever), fluffing up a bad lie, etc. - just so my scorecard would read 82 instead of 85.

I had this moment sometime over the last year or 2 where I realized…no one cares. No one is going to remember whether I was a 5 handicap, or a 7, or 10. In time, I won’t even remember, either. I’ve come to try to step on the course with gratitude and appreciation for simply being out there - and the score will be what it will be.

I’m currently in a Season of Golf where I’m not scoring great. My swing feels solid, my short game has also been a strength, but the numbers on the card at the end of the day are forgettable. Not terrible, not great - somewhere in the middle.

And that’s completely fine. Last summer, I had a run of scores in the 70s, including my first-ever even par 72 (shoutout Encino Golf Course, the ultimate “get your game right” course in LA). And it was fun, exciting, - shit, it was kind of exhilarating. But at the end of the day, no one really cares. Shoutout to my wife, Kathleen, for at least pretending, though.

Anyway, I was just thinking about how Seasons of Golf can mirror Seasons of Life. You’re going to ebb, you’re going to flow. There might not be a reason as to why, so I’ve basically given up on spending energy trying to figure it out. What I can control is how I show up on the first tee, of golf or life, with a decent attitude!

And just remember, no one cares what you shot that day. But, they will remember how your company was for the walk. And that’s what really matters at the end of the day.