My inspiration in golf is, without a doubt, my Grandfather. He’s a special man and he used golf to teach me so many lessons about myself and about life in general. He loved the game because it gave him a chance to spend time with friends and family – people he truly loved. Golfing with him showed me that there was more important things than hitting the perfect shot. Perfect shots didn’t matter if no one else was there to appreciate it. He admired the good shots of his partners (or his grandchildren) more than his own. I will always cherish our time on the golf course. Mostly because it had nothing to do with golf.
He was the ultimate teacher, role model and playing partner. During one round I hit a poor shot that ended up under a tree near a green side bunker. Although I was in a very poor spot, my Grandfather said one thing to me as I was walking to my golf ball – “Never give up a hole.” With a little encouragement from him, I focused, addressed the ball and chipped in from an impossible spot. I will never forget the look on his face after I hit that shot. His impact on me is a constant reminder to always try your best even when you’re not at your best. In golf you should never give up a hole. In life you should never give up.
Golf is an amazing game. It’s not about where you are now, it’s always about where you are going. It’s not about making mistakes, its about recovering from those mistakes. One mistake does not define a round of golf unless you let it. The parallels between life and golf are impossible to ignore. I consider myself very lucky to have a role model that taught me so much about golf. Little did he know that he was also giving me countless life lessons on that little nine hole golf course.