By David Tepera, September 16, 2025
Recently, my son Dylan and I played a round of golf at a local course. Just know, I am not an avid golfer, and only play to spend time with family or fund raisers. Even though I rarely play, I do have an average game.
I was a single parent for over ten years, so giving up a Saturday or Sunday playing golf wasn’t a thought. I spent the weekends coaching my kid’s sports and building memories.
Years ago, I bought a nice set of Callaway clubs, including all the additional name brand gear. Even when I don’t play that well, I do look good. Okay, that’s a joke.
Dylan doesn’t play that well either, but we get a kick out of making fun of each other. For all you golfing enthusiast, we do respect the course and other golfers. We’ve played enough to give proper etiquette which is important.
To both our surprises, Dylan actually parred the first hole, so he had bragging rights from the beginning. But, as usual, the rest of the course wasn’t as friendly.
On most tee-offs, Dylan had a great drive down the fairway. His short game was semi-decent, and like some of us, three putting kept him in the bogie category.
Being his dorky dad, I told Dylan this game is similar to life. Even though every shot counts, don’t define yourself with one bad shot. Pick up and stay focused because the best shot might be the next shot.
For all you golfers, don’t you agree, when trying your best to beat others in a foursome, you’re actually competing against yourself? No one else is swinging that club. The end results is totally from your skills.
Sometimes the playing conditions don’t seem fair. It could be a windy day, with bumpy greens and sand traps.
Success in life is never a smooth ride. We’re going to slice it in the trees, hook it in the rough, but we’ll keep swinging because finishing the hole is the goal. Giving up is not an option.
Playing golf for most can be frustrating, but it forces us to focus and have patience. There is a time in life that we need to slow down to get farther, not rush it to find ourselves in the weeds.
Listen, we will ever master golf and play a perfect round, but that’s really not our goal. But, it is fun to have that one hole we can brag about because golf has many life lessons.