The Spiritual Discipline of Golf

“Just go play golf!” my wife yelled at me on a Saturday last fall. My three sons and I were driving her out of her mind. The solution: Go and play golf. She even looked at me and said, “Don’t miss this opportunity; I’m telling you to play golf. And take one of your sons with you.”

For my wife, golf was a vicarious escape from the insanity that is four males in a household. Often, we might think of golf as an escape, just a leisure time to get out of the troubles of life. But golf can be far more than an escape. Golf is an open space to grow in spiritual disciplines.

C. S. Lewis wrote in a letter, “a game (say golf) can’t be fully enjoyed without a certain degree of seriousness.” Indeed, Lewis remarked that golf cannot be evil because it involves spiritual discipline. So, let’s consider two components of the spiritual discipline of golf.

Individual Discipline: Do something hard

Elon Musk joined Joe Rogan on a podcast recently; they reflected on the importance of doing something hard to start the day. Musk would take on the hardest level of the video game Diablol, and Rogan chose an arduous workout. By doing something hard, they set up their days to set themselves up to work hard all day. In the same way, golf is challenging. Now, some golfers don’t care and want to get out of the office for four hours. But when we seek to improve ourselves, few challenges match golf. Any golfer knows his or her best round; they set goals, such as breaking 90 a round with no triple bogeys. And there will always be an area of the game in which to grow.

Golf facilitates learning and growing in discipline. You have to work hard and focus when you pick an aspect of the game to improve, like putting or hitting a stinger. You evaluate yourself, tinker with your hands, and swing until you start to grow. Then, on to the next area of golf you have looked over. Learning how to grow in golf can also help us grow in spiritual disciplines; growth in golf makes you enjoy the game more, and growth in spiritual discipline brings joy in the Lord.

Beyond the golf course and driving range, we know we can all improve in one way or another. Perhaps you want to read more, learn an instrument, or study a book of the Bible that has eluded you. By choosing a sport like golf to learn discipline, we can apply that discipline to more significant things like our prayer lives or evangelism. Golf, while an individual game, also gives us communal opportunities for growth and evangelism.

Corporate Discipline: Do Something Together

I love golfing with my friends. Anytime I can set up a golf trip or just a quick nine with a friend, it builds me up. In an age where friendships are waning, golf removes distractions of Netflix and YouTube and lets you enjoy life with friends and family. The corporate opportunity of golf means we can deepen friendships and share emotions we might otherwise let pass by. There is nothing like playing with a friend when they hit a great shot, and you share the joy, or when they hit the third ball into the water, and you share in the torment. Golf deepens friendships and lets us share in joys and sorrows.

It also provides an excellent opportunity to share the gospel. Conversations flow naturally when you are paired with a random person for hours, so you might as well guide them towards the gospel. There are few places like a golf course where you can interact with strangers for extended periods. In just a few hours, you can learn a lot about someone, and genuine interest in your golfing neighbor can open the door to various topics. Why not steer the conversation towards the gospel?

Finally, the corporate discipline of golf is great for discipleship. My three sons are starting to learn the game and love it. They want to play golf with their dad. That’s an opportunity I do not want to miss. My wife and I recently decided to join the public course in town because it gives opportunities to disciple and enjoy time with my kids. I know my sons will not always want to spend time with me, but if they get hooked on golf as I have, there will be hours each week when we can sit in a cart together and discuss growing as a golfer, growing as a young man, and growing in the likeness of Jesus.

You see, golf is far more than an escape from the troubles of a day. Golf is a way to engage in the most significant parts of our life. Golf will help us develop discipline, which can be applied far more than my follow-through; it helps me follow my savior better. It helps me connect with my kids while away from homework, chores, and screens. Golf will teach my sons and I hard things together so that I can do harder and better things for Jesus, and hopefully, they will, too.

Third photo to right and background photo retrieved from Unsplash, two photos to left provided by Andy Shurson