All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)
I recently started a golf consulting business called the Servant Caddie. Like the “Links” in Links Players, “Servant” is an acrostic and stands for Strategy, Etiquette, Rules, Values, Approach, Nuggets, and Truth.
My value proposition is helping a player lower his or her handicap without a trip to the driving range. I leave messing with a player’s setup and stance to the swing gurus. What I do is teach clients how to navigate the course in the fewest strokes possible.
What I share isn’t revolutionary, but it can feel like it to the player whose only compass direction is “flagstick.”
Nobody wants to be a fool, so it didn’t take much convincing for him to now aim at the fat part of greens.Similar to Links Players using golf as an analogy for faith, I bring concepts from my spiritual walk, such as today’s verse, to help clients manage their golf games.
Take my first client, who was a six handicap wanting to get down to a two. He’s one of those guys who fills you with wonder as he launches drives into the mesosphere and then makes you wonder how he posted another round in the 80s.
I borrowed from the Sermon on the Mount to help him find consistency off the tee. Jesus said the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). Meek is commonly mistaken for weak, but the Greek meaning of the word means “power under control.” I advised him that just because you can hit 300-yard drives doesn’t mean you should; there is no reward for how far you can hit into the woods, only penalty.
Proverbs 26:11 now shapes his thinking on approach shots: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” I didn’t need a response when I asked how many times he’s short-sided himself while firing at tucked pins. Nobody wants to be a fool, so it didn’t take much convincing for him to now aim at the fat part of greens. Sure, it leads to more pars than birdies, but it also prevents bogeys from becoming doubles.
While not as exciting as grip-it-and-rip-it, the end goal is lower scores, right? Like those who argue the Christian walk is too restricting, I would counter that this approach, like the Christian faith, is actually more freeing.
To give him confidence in this updated game plan, I utilized Hebrews 12:11: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Christians have long been persecuted for their beliefs. It turns out long-ball hitters get similar grief for having the conviction to hit iron off certain tees.
I’m sure it wasn’t easy for my pupil to hear his friends snicker, but he’s getting the last laugh now. Last I checked, he’s a 1.7.
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Drew Hamilton
May 20, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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