It is said by some that one test of a golfer’s character is how he plays when the wheels are coming off. As one with a handicap index so high that it has become a standard unit of measurement in astronomical physics, I have been intimate with the frustrations born of unintended ball-striking results.
As the chef brings his dish to a peak of palatable delight, so too does the duffer stir his pot of patience with a slow boil of piquant miss-hits, a dash of lost balls, a hint of companionable commiseration, and a brace of helpless knowledge that, soul-deep, the Golfing Gods really don’t care.
In the beginning of any round, though expectations may be restrained, unbridled hope is paramount in the hacker’s heart. Here is a new beginning after all, a new round, a new day of golfing exploration. For an exploration it is, not just of bogey and par, but of character and judgment, of patience and virtue. It is an exploration of equanimity, a test of how one manages both triumph and tragedy, for all will be seen during a round of golf, indeed during one hole.
When the wheels come off one’s game, passion and frustration often combine for an explosive result. Where the weak man fires off strong language, throws clubs or becomes sullen and snaps viciously at his companions, the man of stronger stuff will realize that it’s just a game, accept his limitations with good humor and approach each shot with the realization that here is another opportunity for excellence. (Indeed, when a duffer pulls off a great shot, it’s a minor cause célebre.) Golf is exceedingly difficult among games though the ball lie quiescent before us. If there is a weakness in character, the game will find it, shine strong light upon it for all to see and challenge the man to face his own flaws.
Keep, then, to the steady pace of the game. Allow its ebb and flow to disturb not your equanimity. Laugh with your friends, applaud good shots and commiserate in companionable silence with the sour ones. We, as they say, have all been there. Exult not greatly when you execute a fine shot, for a stray one is not long coming. Enjoy the challenges of the current shot, which is always the next shot.
There is always a next shot.