by Tim Beckwith
The golf course teaches us something about ourselves if we are honest enough to accept the lesson. When my wife and I became new parents, we discussed at length what our primary lessons should be for our son. As a golf professional and instructor, I immediately saw the parallel of those life lessons in the game that I love.
Above all, our goal was to have a confident and kind young man grow up both on and off the course. The mental aspect of golf and life all comes down to a single belief — faith. You have to believe in yourself. You are the driver of your own path in life and, conversely, in your game of golf. There are not a lot of easy ways to teach that. I’ve found that with a solid foundation of practice and a healthy dose of honesty with yourself, you can create mental faith.
The dilemma on how to teach all of this and more to Jackson, my three year old son, was solved, by writing a book. Titled The Front Nine, the book teaches my son nine key lessons about life and golf to prepare him for that mental faith he will need throughout his life — both on the course and off.
The Front Nine details lessons that mirror the instructions I give in golf. There are lessons about playing fair, giving 100 percent, having perspective, dealing with your temper, and having nothing to fear. All of the chapters’ parallel life and golf, but you don’t have to be a golfer to get it.
One of my favorite chapters begins the book and deals with playing fair. Here’s an excerpt:
I have seen several examples of cheating in my time, and they always serve to put a knot in my stomach and rage in my eye. A particularly disappointing version that seems too acceptable in my way of thinking is the padding of handicaps. A handicap is a mathematical measure of an amateur golfer’s playing ability based on what tees are played, the course and the number of holes played.
The lower the handicap is, the better the player. This allows amateur golfers of all levels to play together somewhat as equals. When someone pads his handicap he is making that handicap number higher to present himself to the other golfers as a worse player than he actually is. How this helps the person cheat is that during tournament play the player will have that higher handicap, play at a better level than that handicap and still get that handicap stroke reduction, thereby lowering his score even further than if he had played on his real ability.
I know why people do it. I’ve just never understood the idea behind it. The concept of making yourself sound less capable than you are isn’t just unfair. It’s deceitful. Those are strong words, I realize, but let’s give the devil his fifteen minutes. Dishonesty is out there; you just don’t have to participate in it. I certainly hope you don’t.
The truest champions in the game of golf (and life) see their successes realized by doing what it takes to try harder, be a better player and person and to live with integrity. I have little respect for those who cheat and feel bad for those who cannot see what is really important.
People ask me what kept me from playing professionally. The one aspect I feel was the most difficult for me and kept me from playing professionally was the mental game. There were not enough times in my early career, (junior golf), where I played in an important tournament. So, when I was I put under a great deal of pressure and felt that I had to prove something when it really counted, I could not. So much about golf is the “mental game,” and that’s what Ii believe prevented me from succeeding as a touring and professionally ranked player.
Today, as a father of a young son, with a great career and loving wife and extended family, I do have it all in life. And, just like in life — the game of golf will always present new challenges to conquer. And, just like life — the game has momentous days and the rounds you’ll choose to never remember. For me, it’s the putting.
Happy Father’s Day.
As director of golf for The Oaks Club, Tim Beckwith is one of only 337 PGA Master Professionals in the world. Beckwith is a skilled athlete, instructor and author of The Front Nine, a book about golf and life lessons. The Book is available at amazon.com
Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Brooksville, Florida, Tim holds the course record at Tamarack in Naperville, Illinois, where he worked for three years. He holds an Associate’s degree in Communications from St. Petersburg Junior College and studied accounting at the University of South Florida. Tim recently won “Merchandiser of the Year” for North Florida PGA Section 2010. Tim lives in Sarasota with his wife, Jill, and son, Jackson.
For more information: Email/web address for book or twitter him: @TimBeckwithPGA
Tim’s favorite golf courses that he has played are Crystal Downs, Pebble Beach and Whistling Straits. The four other “must play” courses on his list are Augusta National, Pine Valley, Oakmont, and Cypress Point.
