PERSPECTIVE

I had a unique opportunity the last two days to work with a local charity at an event to raise money to fight Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. About two months ago I was introduced to a local police officer named Richard. Richard and his wife have four kids. Two of their kids have the incurable disease I mentioned above, DMD.

Richard put countless hours into coordinating this event and here is the part that blew me away; he works the graveyard shift at our local PD. Can you imagine working from 10pm to 8am and then coordinating a large fundraiser during “normal” business hours. Not much sleep to say the least. At our first meeting, I asked Richard, “How do you do it.” He responded, “I have to save my kids.”

So what does a fundraiser for DMD have to do with golf?

Perspective. I was given a HUGE reminder this weekend about how insignificant golf really is. Now don’t take this the wrong way. I am all for golfers making a commitment to play at their full potential but let’s keep the game where it belongs. Golf, for most of us, is entertainment. Very few players earn a living from the game. It is possible to take the game very seriously and still keep it in perspective.

We three putt from 10 feet and think it’s the end of the world. It’s not. Try knowing that two of your kids won’t see their 25th birthdays unless a cure is found. Now that is a problem.

Here are 2 great benefits of keeping the right perspective.

1. You’ll play better!
2. You’ll have more fun!

When you understand a double bogey is rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things, the frustration won’t ruin the next three holes. You can’t possibly hit a great shot with frustration oozing out of your skin. Perspective will help you get over it quickly and move on.

And the second benefit is to have more fun. Who doesn’t want to have more fun on the course? Don’t ruin it by blowing golf’s importance out of proportion. So what if you shot a huge number today. Regroup and know you’ll play better next time. Leave the frustration at the course.

Keep your perspective on golf in the right place and watch the scores come down and the enjoyment go up!

See you next time.

Mike