Gratitude via Golf

I’m a pretty good golfer. Not great. But certainly not bad. I play to a 9 “handicap,” which in simple terms means that I hit far more good shots than bad, and that I hit a reasonable number of “pure” or perfect shots (the ones that feel like the club never actually makes contact with the ball and delivers a sweet “whoosh” sound). Put another way, I’m better than many of the weekend hackers out there, but would get my butt thoroughly whipped by anyone who played high school or college golf or is simply known as “a golfer.”

Something wondrous happened a few weeks ago: I had my first hole-in-one! It was a par 3 (short hole) at my home course in Connecticut: 131 yards; two large bunkers; small green. Moderate difficulty. I used a pitching wedge (club that one hits high in the air for short distances) very well; pure, in fact. The ball soared high in the air towards the target, landed on the green near the pin, and then rolled about 15 feet, curving ever so gently with the slope of the terrain, until it disappeared into the cup. BOOM! My playing partner and I instantly transformed into 8 years-old boys whose baseball team just won a game on a walk-off hit; or more appropriately, we became 13 years-old boys who just won their first solo game of Fortnite (this, my friends, is a topic for another blog…). Cheering, screaming, laughing, high-fiving (no chest bumping occurred). What an incredible feeling!

When I returned home, I tossed the infamous ball to my 13 year-old, and said “guess what?” He immediately knew and congratulated me, and started acting like HE had just won that Fortnite game (seriously – that game kills me…). Even my wife – not a golfer – was happy for me. That day, I received texts and calls from and shared the news with my golfing friends from across my life: high school buddies, college friends, locals, work colleagues, etc. Was great to share the news and hear other's similar stories, and have a laugh. 

That evening, I was reflecting on the day and the significant stroke of luck, not merely about the hole-in-one – which certainly requires some luck. But rather, I was feeling lucky about my life and how fortunate I was to be in the position to be playing golf in the first place; to have a healthy family and decent (good, actually) job, to be able to share the news with my family and friends…It’s very easy to get caught up in challenges at work, the daily grind, and pressures that life can bring. The hole-in-one gave me a jolt – a positive one – that forced me to pause and to appreciate things and people around me. Should it take such an unlikely event for me to embark on this type of introspection? Of course not, and I am trying to be more thoughtful and to practice more mindfulness (quick plus for Shawn Achor, who studies and writes about 'happiness"). But this was an extreme circumstance, so I thought I’d share. 

Many of you don’t play golf, so a hole-in-one is clearly not in your future. And for those that do play, don’t wait for it – good chance it won’t happen (I hope it does, but..). So my advice after sharing this somewhat self-indulgent story: take a moment - today - and appreciate the good that is around you. While you may not hoot and holler and jump around like my buddy and I did after my ace, hopefully, you’ll hopefully experience something that will at the very least put a smile on your face.  BOOM!