The Young Appeal of an Old Man's Game Anonymous

My first vivid memories are of me, in a diaper, swinging a golf club on the 5-hole golf course my father created on our family farm. At six years old, I played my first competitive tournament and was the youngest player in a field of ten-year-olds; I thought I had no chance of winning yet finished in fourth place — and my obsession with tournament golf was founded.

Having older parents, I am unsure if their maturity or having grown up amongst the golfing community has lent me to being described as an “old soul.” Logic, math, and an innate understanding of physics gives me clarity to think on a very rational and scientific level. These qualities, along with a competitive spirit, lend themselves to professional golf.

Golf is unlike any other mainstream sport in the world. The objective of getting a ball into a target area is common, but the life lessons, levels of difficulty, and degrees of uniqueness challenge and instruct me every time I play. Every golf course is different whereas every basketball court, soccer, and football field is identical. This demands that I adjust my game to fit the course and never can I get complacent. The deadly thinking of “I’ve got this” only comes back to humble me a few shots later when I’ve gone...