What Golf Means To Me
Hey everyone, so this week Tyler and I decided to do something a little different with the blog. The week’s event on the PGA Tour is a much smaller event, not to say that it isn't just as important as any other event but we decided this would be a perfect way to give our fellow readers a chance to learn a little bit more about us and the importance of golf in our lives. This week we will have to blog updates, today and Sunday. On Sunday you will be able to read, and dive into Tyler’s five favorite holes at the legendary St. Andrews Old Course where he spent a year at. He plans on talking about his life changing experiences he had at St. Andrews. As for me, today I will be talking about what the game of golf has done for me, how it brought me closer to my dad, gave my life purpose, and molded me into the man I am today.
People go through life and talk about defining moments that alter their lives for the better, while there have been some pretty big life altering moments for me throughout my life the one thing that changes my life everyday is golf. I started playing golf around 20 years ago now. When I was a kid my dad put all kinds of sports in front of me and always told me to have fun no matter what. Growing up I played basketball, baseball, the usual sports young boys play, but the one sport that stuck was golf. The decision to choose golf was an easy one, because of my dad. Now a little back story on my dad so all this makes sense. When my dad was a kid he caddied at a course called Tashua Knolls Golf Club in Trumbull, Connecticut. He spent every waking moment of his life there. He loved every aspect of golf, and he was really good at it too. He went on to play college golf at Lasalle University, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While he opted to start a family and not pursue any professional aspirations he still has what we golfers like to call “The Bug” and plays as much as he possibly can no matter what. Since my dad has such a huge love for the game he plays constantly. Ever since I was little he would take me out and play and every week, so I got to spend over four plus hours with my dad, no interruptions, no distractions, just us. As I got older that really started to mean something to me. I knew that come Sunday afternoon, when we typically played, all my worries would wash away and it would be just us and this impossible, yet incredible game. On top of him introducing this incredible game to me, my dad has been my biggest fan, the best caddy, coach, and my best friend. If that wasn't enough for you guys, he attended every single college event, which was around 50+ events over 4 years, spanning across the entire country. I've experienced so many different incredible things in life, and to this day and for the rest of my life my favorite thing to do is play golf with my dad and I can’t wait to pass this gift on to my future children and show them how special golf is. While golf has given me the greatest relationship and life with my dad, the game has saved my life in more ways than I can count.
Plain and simple life is hard and it frankly beats us down in ways we couldn't barely begin to describe, and everyone has that one thing that makes life seem a little less impossible, for me it's golf. Golf has given me the strength to fight through all my problems, it's given me the courage to push through every struggle that has come my way. It has shown me that when you work hard your dreams do come true. Golf has brought me out of depression, sadness, grief, and has shown me happiness, joy and peace. Golf has helped me create bonds with people that will withstand the tests of time. Golf has made me a better man and human being and that is truly the most important thing it has given me. No matter what happens with my professional career I will be able to keep one thing and that is who I have become. It has made me responsible, hard working, honest, patient, and a gentleman. Those are the characteristics of a person that we should all strive to attain because at the end of the day that's the stuff that matters. All the money, the fame, the glory is all well and good but when the first thing somebody says about you is that “ you are a good person” or “ I aspire to be like him/her” that is the stuff that life and golf is all about. Now I know many of our readers are already huge golf fans, but I encourage all my readers, continue to play, follow, learn as much as you can about golf. Bring your friends that aren’t golfers to go out and play, grow the game, and most importantly let the game fill you with as much happiness as it possibly can.
I will leave you all with this, one of my favorite quotes by the late great Arnold Palmer,
“The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done”