Time for “The HA!!” – This is my mini-series on life lessons I’ve gained through my humbling sports endeavors… I LOVE sports but genuinely suck at most of them, and, therefore, I’m a “HA = Humbled Athlete.” Please check out the other posts in this series at THE HA!! page.
Moving on to golf now…
The Players Championship is a PGA Tour event that takes place right here in The First Coast area. A few years ago the PGA moved the date of this event from March to May. Usually, in Florida, that is the difference between spring and summer. One of my favorite times of year here is the spring as the world is in full bloom, with azaleas and dogwoods leading the pack. And my passion for the game of golf grew, in part, through a love for nature and the splendor of golf courses. lol… I guess maybe the golf course is such a beautiful and peaceful place to offset the frustration that so many people find in trying to play this game. Personally, I would rather just play and not keep score, enjoying the wonder of how God created such amazing beauty for us to enjoy here on earth…
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4
On to the players of this wacky game of attempting to hit a tiny ball with a funny stick into a wee-little hole that’s a really long way away…
That’s Phil
Phil. Not Dr. Phil, if you’re a golf fan you already know who Phil is, right? He’s a crowd favorite. Why? What’s not to like about him? The critics say he never reached his potential. I guess that’s why they’re called critics. I <3 Phil 🙂
Couples… Fred that is!
I remember going to the TPC one year with a non-golfing client. At the time, Fred Couples was a crowd favorite and we were looking for him. Around mid-morning, the client guy spoke up and asked about the rules of “couples golf”, i.e., thinking it was something like playing doubles in tennis. We never did find “a couple of Fred’s” playing together that day. Smooth, Freddie, smooth…
Fred Funk
Funk. Yep, there is a golfer named Funk. Fred is his first name, and he lives right here in Ponte Vedra Beach. FF has been widely popular, he even has fans who wear T-shirts proclaiming to be “Funk’s Punks”. I like FF. And I LOVE his last name. Funk. Maybe if he had been pared up with Couples more often things would be less funky around this time of year!
Chi Chi
Chi Chi. If you remember this flamboyant golfer there wasn’t much mild-mannered about him. He was comfortable being himself on the green, and, win or loose, he was a true gem to watch. He added mild-mannered spunk to golf. A true champion, this Rodriguez still is!
Tiger Woods
And then there was Tiger. I wrote about Tiger a while ago and about trying to bring him to know Jesus. Embattling life’s temptations, Tiger continues to be in somewhat of a funk. A funk? We say he’s not at the top of his game, but he remains among the PGA’s top golfers. Interesting point about Tiger: The media has been pretty user friendly when it comes to his temper tantrums… here’s the thing about golf: Because of the brilliant camera coverage of this sport, it’s very difficult to hide your emotions. For a while, it seems the media stalked Tiger through the jungle like a wild animal in an attempt to expose a darker side. Tiger showed his true colors, and the media has done a good job of covering the sport and focusing on the positive. Kudos! Oh for the love of Phil…
And me? I play(ed) this sport. My only claim to fame was being able to change clothes while driving and running late for my tee time. Still playing the game? No more. Now I just write about God and my many stories of being a HA!! (That’s a Humbled Athlete).
Who is your favorite golfer, or one that you enjoy watching and that has character?
