Nasrallah: In defence of golf, despite its frustrations

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To many, golf is not a sport. Further, it is accused by many of being boring. But to those who play the game and know its rules, frustrations, unpredictability and alluring charm, it is something quite different from what its detractors argue.

Golf is an addictive game. Once it captures one’s heart and mind, there is no escaping its captive intensity. Like caffeine, lotteries and other sins, golf is merciless and ruthless once you are inside the cage.

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I got hooked on golf just after the COVID-19 lockdown times around 2020. At first it was so difficult, so dry, so challenging — yet so thrilling all at once. Something inside of me told me that this was a beautiful game, like soccer. And it turned out to be that way.

Slowly, but surely, I improved and became an OK golfer, with endless interest and readiness to improve and advance to the next level.

Arnold Palmer once said, “Success in this game depends less on strength of body than strength of mind and character.” In fact, although technical skills and basic rules of mastery and strategic reading of a particular hole or course are necessary, they are not sufficient to excel. The strength of mind and character are as imperative as mastering the technical elements.

Once these two sides are working in harmony, success is a reasonable proposition in the game of golf. But it’s easier said than done.

“To find a man’s true character, play golf with him,” said P.G. Wodehouse. Character in golf is evident when the winds go against you and you adjust the sails. Character is visible when you play badly yet persevere and don’t lose your cool or temper. Character is shown when you play exceedingly well and are winning yet don’t become arrogant or show off in a game that also teaches humility.

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“They say golf is like life, but don’t believe them. Golf is more complicated than that,” said golf pro Gardner Dickinson. Golf’s complexity is its beauty. If it were otherwise, it would not be so challenging, loved or popular. However, most people complicate the game needlessly. To play golf decently, one must be relaxed, abandon tension — lose control to gain control. It is, for all intents and purposes, a game of contradictions. Bodily prowess does not guarantee a good drive distance. A slow and measured shot would be much more beneficial. Speedy release is also not recommended. As Jack Nicklaus said, “Focus on a slow, one-piece takeaway.”

“The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course,” said Rev. Billy Graham. This gem means that when you play golf you are alone — you and your skills, know-how, character, technical abilities, luck and perseverance. Self-reliance and self-control are what golf teaches the young and old alike. Nobody is going to help you, not even God.

“Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose,” said Winston Churchill. The equipment is fine; it is the execution that is the problem. Churchill, like other golfers, must have found the game so difficult that he blamed other factors, taking an easy way out.

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Golf is gaining in popularity worldwide. The top five countries where golf is played in large numbers are Ireland, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa.

But overall, peo0712 oped nasrallahple who love nature, the outdoors, the smell of grass, tree-sighting and just walking, are among golf lovers. I am one of them.

Ottawa’s Elie Mikhael Nasrallah is the author of Hostage to History: The Cultural Collapse of the 21st Century Arab World. www.eliemnasrallah.com

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