Golf teaches us many lessons. As adults, golf teaches us the importance of being patient.
This lesson, of course, is much easier said than done. As children, however, golf teaches us so much more than just patience. Golf can teach us lessons about life.
Back when my now eighth-grade daughter was in kindergarten, I was asked to speak with her class about being a professional golfer.
It was career week, so I was one of many parents who visited class that week. My plan was to take some plastic golf clubs and balls out and teach them how to hit out on the playground. But, before getting to that point, I took the opportunity to discuss the different things that we can learn from golf.
The first lesson I discussed was the importance of being good at math.
Golfers need to be able to keep track of their score and learn how to add the numbers up at the end of their round. Each child was provided a scorecard with a pencil, and we practiced writing numbers in the little boxes and totaling them at the end.
They thought it was fun. Mission accomplished.
Another lesson I discussed was the importance of being honest. Unlike other sports we play, golf does not have judges or referees.
Other golfers we play with can’t always see what we are doing, but we are expected to always be honest in what we do. For example, if we swing at a ball and miss it, we must count that attempt as a stroke and add it to our score.
Even if nobody saw us do it.
I also asked the class to raise their hand if they thought it was important to be honest. They each raised their hand.
Mission accomplished.
Finally, I discussed the importance of good sportsmanship. Sometimes it is hard to be a good sport if we are not doing as well as somebody else we are playing with.
However, golf is a sport that provides us with a tremendous opportunity to be a good sport. All we have to do is be supportive of the efforts being made by those in our group.
This is especially true with children. By learning to display good sportsmanship, you will build a strong character, and the game of golf will eventually reward you for it. The children were asked if it was nice to show good sportsmanship, and they immediately shouted out, “Yes!”
Mission accomplished.
The game of golf teaches us so much more than just hitting a golf ball into a cup. By teaching the values of being a good student, being honest, and being a good sport to our children, we are helping to shape the future of this incredible game.
