Connections to Golf
- nickm3159
- Nov 5, 2023
- 3 min read
Connections to Golf
"Golf, isn’t just golf. It’s not a sport, it’s a lifestyle.
Golf mirrors life.
Golf has ups, downs, lucky breaks, unlucky breaks, moments of pure bliss, and pure chaos. This game allows you to have every emotion you could fathom, all in the span of a few hours. It’s easy to play, and hard to master, and I’m convinced this saying was born on the links. If you think you’re good, you can always be better, and if you blink too quickly, all of a sudden you lost what you had, but then WHAM all of sudden you have it again.
This game is nothing without the experience it provides, a walk with strangers, friends, enemies, as each person battles with each other and most importantly their inner demons…
That is golf in a nutshell, chasing something we don’t know what it truly is."
That’s one of my favorite quotes about golf, and it’s not from anyone famous. It’s from a random redditor that I found almost 2 years ago.
It perfectly embodies the mission of Golf Beyond Score: utilizing golf as the medium, rather than the end. My favorite part is the final sentence “That is golf in a nutshell, chasing something we don’t know what truly is”. I love the beauty in that simple sentence because there truly is no end to the game of golf. There are only new experiences and finding out more.
Northwood
One of the best golf Youtube shows is Erik Anders Lang’s Adventures in Golf. In this series, Erik travels all around the globe and finds stories in the game of golf that show the deeper connection that people have to this game.
This is one of my favorite episodes of Adventures in Golf.
While it is very pretty to see the Redwoods Trees that are around Northwood. I find the true beauty in the people that make the course run and the regulars that are a part of it’s story. The owner, Gaylord Shaps’ legacy will be the course that he leaves behind.
One of the things that sets Northwood apart is the plaque of memorial between the 1st and 9th holes. It doesn’t just hold the names of members who gave the most money to the course. It presents the workers, families, and customers who have left the most impact on Northwood.
Oaxaca, Mexico
On another episode of Adventures in Golf, Erik explores a golf facility in Oaxaca, Mexico. It started out as a driving range with two spots that was ran by a father and son. However, at the time of recording it was weeks away from becoming a three hole golf course. This course was special to this city because it was the only place in the city for golfers to get their fix.
Something that strikes me with the Adventures in Golf series is the connection people feel to the courses they are near. I find the beauty in that because I also feel that sort of connection to my home course. There is something simply beautiful about a place where you hit a tiny white ball into a cup form 100s of yards away that can give a sense of comfort.
Charities and Nonprofits
Another way that people connect themselves to golf is through charities and nonprofits.
The First Tee
The First Tee is a youth development organization that uses the game of golf to strengthen the character of it’s community through youth programs.
This organization holds a special place to me because I worked within the organization for over a year. A characteristic that stuck out to me with the First Tee was the type of people that the facilities attracted. Typically, if you surveyed people they would describe a golfer as a white male. However, at the First Tee, they create a sense of welcomeness to all.
On any given day, you would see people of all genders, ethnicities, ages, and skill levels wanting to learn more about the game of golf. I think that is truly beautiful.
Save Muny
Save Muny is an organization that focuses on preserving, restoring, and protecting the iconic municipal golf course in Austin, Texas. Named Lions Municipal golf course, it is the first golf course in the south to be fully integrated.
Muny is an interesting organization because they preserved the golf course which was going to be taken away and now they use the course for good. They host more charity tournaments than any other golf course in the Austin area and they host over a dozen high school golf teams
People connect themselves to golf in different ways. Some choose to locally invest themselves to their home course. Others choose to use golf to make a difference. All that I know is that golf is much more than a game or a sport, it’s a lifestyle.
Next week, I’ll be writing my take on Dear Golf, and what it means to me.
-GBS-
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