Andrew Hoops
Mrs. Krohne
English 12
25 August 2008
Since the age of six I have been playing the complicated game of golf. It was introduced to me by dad who occasionally brought me along to the driving range near my house, and after only a few visits I began to love it. Soon I started going to the course with my dad and playing holes even though my dad had to pick up my ball after almost every shot because I wasn’t able to hit it far enough to keep up the pace of play. After playing with my dad for a few months I really began to understand the talent it took to be good at golf. I would always “ooo” and “ahhh” at how far my dad was able to hit the ball, but I began to understand that there was far more to the game than hitting the ball far.
At the age of eleven I began to enter junior tournaments where I could display the talents I acquired through playing and practicing with my dad. In these tournaments I learned how to keep my own score, be quiet during other players swings, and most of all how to be a polite person and communicate with other golfers. I learned to acknowledge other player’s good shots and after every round the other players and I removed our hats and thanked each other for the fun round. Golf has helped instill these important life lessons from a very early age and has helped me grow as a person.
Golf has made me proud to play because of how it has shaped me into being the person I am today. I believe golf has allowed me to celebrate the success of others because when a player hits a good shot on the course in golf, the polite thing to do is congratulate him. In class when a friend gets a better score on a test than me, I am able to congratulate him instead of being jealous that his score was better than mine. Golf has also taught me to be focused in almost every situation. During long six hour rounds of golf I had to stay focused to shoot a good score and this intense focus has not only helped me perform better in the classroom, but has helped me focus on achieving goals such as going to college and staying out of trouble. Golf has provided me with structure and has shown me hard work and dedication it takes to be successful.
Although many believe that golf is a “fringe sport” that many Americans have no respect for I believe that golf has far more to offer, as far as lessons, than any other sport. It helped be become a more disciplined and polite person. From a young age I realized how important it was to respect others and congratulate them on their successes. I am extremely proud to play golf because of the many lessons it has taught me and the successes it has brought me within and outside the sport.