Personal Narrative: The Sport Of Golf

Golf is life. Throughout my life I have played many different sports. I played football, baseball, lacrosse, and soccer; but no other sport caught my interest like the game of golf. Golf was therapeutic to me in times of stress and school drama. When everything seemed out of sorts, a golf club and a ball created order in my world. My love of the game was unrivaled by any other sport because of the these qualities.

Golf would take me on a mental and physical journey that I had never expected. Through the years golf wasn’t just a sport to me, golf was life. I would be out playing, practicing, and learning every single day. If I wasn’t on the course I was at home studying swings, reading golf books, or watching professional tournaments. After

years of this dedication and practice I learned that it wasn't about being a better golfer, it was about being a better person. Golf takes a lot of commitment. Even if you have the right physique, an expensive set of clubs and a great swing, you need to be able to manage the course and yourself to improve your game. This relates a lot to life. I always had a great family, lots of support at home, and school, but needed to learn to manage my time in order to be successful. Golf has taught me that some things are just beyond my control- No matter how much I trained and practiced golf always came up with surprises that changed the game. Just like in life, things can happen beyond your control and you need to be able to adjust and overcome obstacles that come your way. You also need to be able to focus on a way to make things work instead on focusing on the shot or situation that didn’t go your way. This is what makes you a successful golfer and also a successful person. My coach once told me that “the most important shot in golf is the next one”. It’s important to consider what you may have done wrong on the last shot but more important to look forward to what you can on your next shot to improve. I will carry these lessons with me for the rest life.
Golf has taught me many things. These lessons that I have learned make me the person that I am today. Golf has taught me to never look back but learn and keep moving forward, how to manage my time, and even when things seem unmanageable there is always a solution. Without these lessons, I would not be who I am today. For me, golf was not just a sport or leisure time activity, Golf is life.