Now that’s the question, isn’t it? For so many people it is an exercise in futility, frustration and agony the likes they never imagined. With something that looks so easy they soon find out it is exactly the opposite.

 

That is the first TRUTH ABOUT GOLF. It is a game of opposites. No matter what you think or assume, chances are you’re going to be 180 degrees wrong. I’m sorry, but it’s really true. For instance, trying to scoop the ball to get it to go up is exactly opposite of what you are supposed to do. Who could imagine that HITTING DOWN, MAKES THE BALL GO UP? It doesn’t end there. It is just one of many examples. I won’t elaborate but please trust me. OK? Still don’t believe me. Here are two more quickies.

 

To hit your irons straight, you should aim and swing to the left of the target. To hit your driver straight, you should aim and swing to the right of the target. This is information we have learned fairly recently and it is covered in “The D-Plane” articles and videos linked on this site. It’s a crazy game, isn’t it? But, again, that’s the fun of the game. It’s crazy.

 

Sound like something else you’re familiar with? Golf is a lot like life. Life is a journey through time toward an eventual destination. Golf is also a journey but on a course that is laid out in front of you with hazards you can sometimes see and sometimes not see. Going through life “on the straight and narrow is safe” but sometimes not that fun. Sometimes getting into a bit of trouble in life is a learning experience and also fun because it makes things interesting. Golf on the straight and narrow is fun but it’s the “trouble shots” that make the game interesting Life isn’t laid out in front of you. It’s full of surprises. Golf is also full of surprises.

 

Life involves making decisions you never expected to have to make. Golf is the same. Life involves luck. Golf is the same. Life involves doing the right thing when nobody is looking. Golf is the same while many other sports are not. Many other sports involve cheating and trying to get away with doing something wrong. For some people, life is like that too. Golf is the opposite. Golf involves calling penalties on yourself and accepting those penalties as part of the game. Life certainly involves good times and bad times. Is golf like that? You bet it is.

 

Life is never perfect. Golf is never perfect. Are you starting to see the similarities yet? You meet all kinds of people in life and on the golf course. How they conduct themselves on the golf course can be an indication of how they conduct themselves in life. Truly, they are one and the same. Once you really “get into golf,” it’s hard to imagine life without it.