Little Great Things About Golf

For me, there are three BIG reasons why I love golf: 

• The competition.

• It’s a lifetime sport.

• It’s a never-ending challenge to get better. 

However, as the years have gone by, I have come to realize that there are a million or so little reasons why I come back to the course week after week, year after year.

20 things that make me appreciate the beauty of golf: 

1. Cooler days. Red and yellow leaves. Squirrels gathering nuts. Fall Golf. It’s the best.
2. Golf, the game itself, is an inexhaustible topic – from equipment to who is No. 1 in the world to bucket-list courses to who will win the Club Championship to which ball is best for older golfers to …
3. The days when your 4-ball partner makes every 4- to 6-foot putt.
4. Redemption. Sometimes it comes on the next hole and sometimes it comes a week or so later.
5. For better or worse, every golf course has its own personality – its own challenges.
6. Winning a match when you don’t have your best stuff.
7. Your new set of irons actually works better than your old set.
8. Hallelujah! You are hitting the ball with real zip after your last lesson.
9. There are days when dream rounds become real rounds.
10. Forget the price. Go get that new putter. It could change your life for the better.
11. Golf is a betting game.
12. Bad shots happen. You have 10 seconds for mourning and then it is time to start thinking about the next shot.
13. Never take your strengths for granted.  
14. Both kinds of luck are part of the game.
15. Golf is often a very enjoyable walk.
16. Honesty is not a suggestion.
17. You can play by yourself. (Unfortunately, you can’t post that score. For some reason, the USGA and the R&A really don’t trust us.)
18. The golf course is its own little world. A sanctuary, if you will. A place not to think about “everyday things.”
19. Many great friendships have been born on the golf course.
20. Every once in a while, a playing partner can spot what is wrong with your swing and the fix works. 

Finally, Saturday “friendlies” are always fun, but winning those matches – PRICELESS!

Down The Fairway,

Allan Stark

Photo Credits:

Photo 1 (Friends): A. Stark.

Photo 2 (Fall leaves): Canva