You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)
The USGA allows each player 40 seconds per shot. If you took the full 40 seconds for each shot and shot even par, that would consume 48 minutes. With good pace of play and 18 holes taking approximately four hours, that leaves you with three hours, 12 minutes of down time. As a coach, I am frequently telling our players to give their minds breaks between shots. You will mentally fatigue yourself by grinding over past shots or upcoming holes.
Misery may love company, but gratefulness can be contagious!Thankfully, golf is a social game and often allows us to build relationships with those we are playing with, but occasionally you may play a round by yourself or with people who would prefer not to talk. Even an introvert can struggle to be alone with their thoughts and not check their phone for nine holes, let alone 18.
At a time when busyness is applauded and people grow quickly bored, it can be a challenge to be quiet. When we give them a chance, our minds will wander—to what we have to do when we get home, schoolwork, job projects, grocery lists, and a million other things.
In golf, the game within the game is a question of how we handle our thoughts. And then are we able to check back in once we get to our shot? Routine is a pivotal role in re-focusing ourselves for the shot at hand.
Life asks the same of us. It been said, “If you want to know where your heart is, look to where your mind wanders.” So we must address where our mind wanders and how well we do at refocusing on life’s important matters.
Interestingly, the golf course may be a great place to train our minds. If we can put the time between shots to good use, we may be find it easier to “take every thought captive,” as Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
My encouragement to you is to take some of your golf time to pray and to give thanks. It may start with writing down one thing you are thankful for on each hole. You can carry a small notepad for this, or use the memo feature on your phone. Generally, courses allow 15 minutes per hole; I certainly believe you can think of one thing in your downtime to add to your praise list. You might even do this exercise with your golf partner. Misery may love company, but gratefulness can be contagious!
Next time you have some solitude on the course as you walk between shots or holes, I encourage you to talk to the Lord. He desires to hear from you and time on the golf course is as good as time as any. Whether you are on your way to work, doing the dishes, making your bed, or any other mindless task, these can become times to meditate on a verse from Scripture, give thanks, or simply talk with the Lord. Remember, he keeps in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on him, because that person trusts in God.
—
Aimee Neff
November 16, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.