I Wish Jesus Could Be The 15th Club In My Golf Bag

Golf and life have always, I believe, had parallels that can be drawn between them. Links where life experiences almost mirror how we play golf and how we deal with situations. How we carry ourselves and cope with failure and loss are prime examples.

In life, religion can offer an element of comfort and reassurance when times get tough. This is a subject fairly close to my heart, I’m not religious (more spiritual) and losing my son in 2016 really cemented that.

But when he died I almost envied those mums in our bereavement group, or some of my friends who had religion and felt supported and protected in their loss. They somehow knew where their son or daughter was (with God or a relative that had died) and they were massively comforted by this.

Still hurting but comforted, I longed to have that kind of support and inner strength as I felt that it could have helped massively. Can this same inner strength formed by having faith help your game? I believe it really can.

Golf itself is often referred to as a religion! But this is deeper than that. Many players on the PGA tour attend Bible groups and church together. Religion forms a strong bond amongst players.

You just have to look at the hugely religious golfers on tour. Scottie Scheffler is one of the prime examples. On winning the 2022 Masters he said “The reason why I play golf is I’m trying to Glorify God and all he has done in my life.”

Scheffler has this incredible calm about him, like he knows someone has his back. Does his religion add a huge strengthening element to his golf game and the way he conducts himself on the course?

Some people have said (following some notable interviews this year) that he doesn’t care enough. I’d disagree. I think he just knows his faith is almost running the show. He feels constantly supported by his faith. More importantly his faith and his family take priority over his golf. This can only result in him applying way less pressure to the outcome of his rounds.

Ahead of this year's Open at Royal Portrush, Scheffler said, “I would say my greatest priorities are my faith and my family. Those come first for me. Golf is third in that order. I’ve said it for a long time, golf is not how I identify myself. I don’t identify myself by winning tournaments, chasing trophies, being famous or whatever it is.”

Tiger Woods credits Buddhism for getting him through tough periods in his life, helping him after he’s strayed and so on. Maybe if you’re religious it’s easier to take the bad breaks and bad shots/weather, more accepting of things we can’t control.

For those religious players on tour, has their God got their backs and offered up gimmes to them? Could having a strong religious belief actually help your game?

I don’t for one second think they believe that a hand is guiding the ball to the hole from the heavens. But I do think there is an element of feeling like there is a continuous reassurance with them all the time.

Coming off the back of her second Canadian Women’s Open Win in August, Brooke Henderson is a prime example of somebody who seems very together and in control of her emotions.

“Brooke? She’s very, very strong in her faith and I feel absolutely it helps her on the course,” said former LPGA tour player Jane Park.

Park has been through her own share of challenges in life. Her daughter Grace fell tragically ill at 10 months old, resulting in Jane retiring from the LPGA and now being her full-time carer. She completely understands the parallel between life and golf and how religion can assist the journey for some through difficult times.

“On the golf course I guess it’s like a little boost of confidence, you know what I mean. It’s not tangible, but especially when you get to the top level of the game, it is so mental. It’s all about how you handle yourself mentally, how you handle troubles.

“I feel like believing in God and religion, in whatever form that takes, could help because it’s almost like you’ve got that power in your back pocket protecting you. It could give you a sense of calm, it’s almost like you’ve got a mental upper hand. You know someone’s got your back, whether that person is an actual person or a spirit in the sky.”

So this is just another of those parallels that run between golf and life. Perhaps having your faith in your back pocket provides you with this feeling that however you play, however you act, somebody has your back.

Maybe we all need to adopt the same deeper sense of purpose. Golf isn’t life or death nor is it a religion, but it can nourish our souls and help us see what’s important in life.

Appreciate your golfing friends and community that golf gifts us and breathe in that fresh air as you tee off down the first. Remember the golfing Gods are always at work and what will be will be. Like Scheffler always says – life and family are the important things, golf is just a bonus.