Golf Punishes Me When I Get Too Proud - 골프는 내가 오만하면 나를 벌주는 운동
I went to the driving range today, just as I had planned.
And something amazing happened.
My full iron swing was coming back. My wood and driver swings were also starting to feel natural again.
As I hit ball after ball, I suddenly realized something I had forgotten for a while.
Golf gives you back what you practice.
I think I had become a little too proud of myself.
Because of my finger pain, I hadn't been able to practice properly for quite some time. Yet I kept playing rounds, and somehow, I was still able to enjoy golf. I even had some surprisingly good shots and scores.
So, for a while, I started to believe:
Maybe I don't really need to practice that much to enjoy golf.
Today, the driving range reminded me that I was wrong.
Golf is not a sport you can truly enjoy without practice.
Especially for an amateur golfer.
When you stop practicing, your swing slowly disappears. And when that happens, a round of golf that should be fun can become surprisingly painful.
Golf is such a strange sport.
When things are going well, you become confident.
You make a birdie and think,
“Oh, I'm playing pretty well today!”
Then you start gripping the club a little tighter.
You swing a little harder.
Your backswing gets bigger.
You start overswinging.
And suddenly, Golf seems to say:
“Oh, you think you've got this?” 😂
And there goes the next shot.
Terrible.
Golf has a funny way of punishing you when you become too proud.
That is why I have started to think that golf is actually a sport that teaches me humility.
Recently, I had a conversation with a 74-year-old golfer who plays quite often.
He told me something I really liked.
“Cheon-go-ma-bi.”
Of course, this was his own golf interpretation of the Korean expression.
Take it slowly.
Keep your head still.
Empty your mind.
He told me that he remembers these words before every shot.
I loved that.
Perhaps after playing golf for many years, what matters most isn't learning how to hit the ball harder.
Maybe it is learning how to empty your mind.
Don't get too excited about a great shot.
Don't keep thinking about a bad shot.
Just focus on the one shot in front of you.
Then today, I witnessed another funny little golf lesson at the driving range.
A sixth-grade girl was practicing nearby.
I soon learned that she had recently won first place in a golf competition in Jeju.
Her swing was excellent.
But what made me smile was her confidence.
She walked up to an older golfer who was practicing in front of me and asked,
“Are you practicing well? Have you improved a lot?”
She sounded almost like his coach. 😂
The gentleman smiled and answered,
“I'm working hard.”
Then she asked,
“How long have you been playing golf?”
I was listening from behind and jokingly said,
“You look like a single-digit handicap golfer to me.”
Then the little golfer asked,
“What's your best score?”
The gentleman smiled and answered,
“Five under.”
I thought that might finally impress her.
Not at all.
She immediately said,
“Then play with me. I'm the best golfer at this driving range!”
😂😂😂
That was the moment I burst out laughing.
But while I was laughing, I suddenly thought,
“Maybe I was like that once, too.”
Come to think of it, I have lived quite a bold and confident life myself.
Whenever I believed I could do something, I tended to step forward and give it a try.
So I couldn't dislike that little girl at all.
Actually, I thought she was adorable.
And honestly, I think a young golfer needs that kind of confidence and mental strength to become a great player.
Of course, if she continues playing golf for many years, she will eventually discover something every golfer learns:
There will always be someone better than you.
Today's great shot doesn't guarantee tomorrow's great shot.
And the better you become, the more important it may be to learn how to empty your mind.
But I hope she never loses that confidence.
Confidence is a wonderful thing.
Today, three different golfers showed me three different sides of the game.
The young golfer showed me confidence.
The golfer with a personal best of five under showed me patience and generosity.
And the 74-year-old golfer showed me the wisdom of clearing your mind.
And once again, I found myself looking at my own life.
Maybe golf really does punish me whenever I become too proud.
And perhaps when I become humble again, it gives me another good shot as a little gift.
So today's lesson is simple.
Don't stop practicing.
Don't become too proud when things are going well.
Don't grip the club tighter just because you made a birdie.
And empty your mind before every shot.
Golf is such a strange sport.
It frustrates me, humbles me, and somehow still makes me come back to the driving range.
And sometimes, it even sends a sixth-grade girl into my life to teach me another lesson in humility.
Golf really knows how to keep me humble. ⛳️❤️
KR version
오늘 계획대로 골프 연습장에 갔다.
그런데 정말 신기했다.
아이언 풀스윙이 다시 살아나기 시작했고, 우드와 드라이버 스윙도 생각보다 많이 돌아와 있었다.
공을 치면서 문득 이런 생각이 들었다.
역시 골프는 연습한 만큼 나오는구나.
그동안 나는 조금 오만했던 것 같다.
손가락이 아파서 제대로 연습하지 못했는데도 라운딩은 계속했고, 운 좋게 좋은 샷도 나오고 좋은 스코어도 나왔다.
그러다 보니 잠깐 착각했던 것 같다.
‘골프는 연습을 많이 하지 않아도 즐길 수 있는 운동인가 보다.’
오늘 다시 연습장에 와보니 아니었다.
골프는 연습 없이는 즐기기 어려운 운동이다.
특히 아마추어 골퍼에게는 더 그렇다.
연습을 게을리하면 어느 순간 스윙이 조금씩 무너진다.
그리고 라운딩에 나가면 즐거워야 할 골프가 고통스러워진다.
골프는 참 이상한 운동이다.
잘되면 자신감이 생긴다.
버디 하나를 잡으면,
‘어? 나 오늘 좀 하는데?’
싶어진다.
그러면 그립을 조금 더 꽉 잡는다.
스윙도 조금 더 크게 한다.
오버스윙이 나오고, 힘이 들어간다.
그리고 골프는 기다렸다는 듯이 나를 벌준다.
“네가 잘한다고 생각했지?” 😂
바로 다음 샷이 엉망이 된다.
그래서 요즘 나는 골프가 나에게 겸손을 가르치는 운동이라는 생각을 한다.
얼마 전, 골프 라운딩을 자주 하시는 74세 골퍼분과 이야기를 나눈 적이 있다.
그분이 재미있는 말을 해주셨다.
“천고마비.”
물론 우리가 흔히 아는 사자성어의 뜻과는 다르다.
그분만의 골프식 해석이었다.
천천히.
고개를 고정하고.
마음을 비운다.
그리고 한 샷을 칠 때마다 이 말을 기억한다고 하셨다.
나는 그 이야기가 참 좋았다.
골프를 오래 친 사람이 결국 배우는 것은 더 세게 치는 방법이 아니라, 어쩌면 마음을 비우는 방법인지도 모른다.
좋은 샷을 했다고 그 샷에 취하지 않고,
나쁜 샷을 했다고 그 샷을 계속 생각하지 않고,
그저 지금 내 앞에 있는 한 샷에 집중하는 것.
그런데 오늘 연습장에서는 또 하나의 재미있는 장면을 만났다.
내 앞에서 연습하고 있던 한 어른 골퍼분에게 초등학교 6학년쯤 되어 보이는 여자아이가 말을 걸었다.
알고 보니 그 아이는 최근 제주도 골프대회에서 1등을 한 골퍼였다.
스윙도 아주 좋았다.
그런데 이 꼬마 숙녀가 어른 골퍼에게 아주 자연스럽게 물었다.
“연습 잘하고 계세요? 많이 늘었어요?”
ㅋㅋㅋ
마치 자기가 코치라도 된 것 같았다.
그 어른 골퍼분은 마음 좋게 웃으면서
“열심히 하고 있어.”
라고 대답했다.
그러자 아이가 다시 물었다.
“골프 얼마 치셨어요?”
나는 뒤에서 듣고 있다가 웃으면서 한마디 했다.
“딱 보니까 싱글 치시는 분이네.”
그러자 아이가 다시 물었다.
“라베가 얼마예요?”
그 어른 골퍼분이 웃으면서 대답했다.
“5언더.”
나는 속으로 생각했다.
‘이 정도면 꼬마 숙녀도 조금 놀라겠지?’
그런데 전혀 아니었다.
그 아이가 아주 당당하게 말했다.
“그럼 저하고 쳐요. 제가 여기 연습장에서 제일 잘하니까요.”
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
그 순간 나는 뒤에서 빵 터졌다.
그런데 웃으면서 생각했다.
‘나도 어쩌면 저런 때가 있었겠지.’
생각해보니 나도 꽤 당돌하게 살아왔다.
무언가 잘한다고 생각하면 자신 있게 앞으로 나갔고, 내가 할 수 있다고 생각하면 일단 해보는 편이었다.
그래서인지 그 꼬마 골퍼가 전혀 밉지 않았다.
오히려 너무 귀여웠다.
그리고 솔직히 말하면,
저 정도의 자신감과 멘탈은 있어야 큰 선수가 될지도 모르겠다.
물론 앞으로 골프를 오래 치다 보면 이 아이도 알게 될 것이다.
세상에는 나보다 잘하는 사람이 정말 많다는 것을.
오늘의 좋은 샷이 내일도 똑같이 나오는 것은 아니라는 것을.
그리고 실력이 커질수록 오히려 마음을 비우는 것이 더 중요하다는 것을.
그런데 나는 그 아이가 지금 가지고 있는 당당함은 잃지 않았으면 좋겠다.
자신감은 좋은 것이니까.
오늘 만난 세 명의 골퍼가 나에게 각각 다른 것을 보여준 것 같다.
한 어린 골퍼는 자신감을 보여주었고,
5언더를 기록한 어른 골퍼는 여유와 배려를 보여주었고,
74세 골퍼분은 마음을 비우는 지혜를 보여주었다.
그리고 나는 그 모든 장면을 보면서 또 나를 돌아본다.
어쩌면 골프는 내가 오만해질 때마다 나를 벌주고,
내가 겸손해지면 다시 좋은 샷 하나를 선물하는 운동인지도 모르겠다.
그래서 오늘의 결론은 아주 간단하다.
연습을 게을리하지 말 것.
잘된다고 너무 우쭐하지 말 것.
버디를 잡았다고 그립을 더 꽉 잡지 말 것.
그리고 한 샷마다 마음을 비울 것.
골프는 정말 이상한 운동이다.
나를 계속 좌절시키면서도 다시 연습장으로 돌아오게 한다.
그리고 가끔은 초등학교 6학년 꼬마 골퍼를 보내서까지 나에게 겸손을 가르친다.
Golf really knows how to keep me humble. ⛳️❤️
So, for a while, I started to believe:
Maybe I don't really need to practice that much to enjoy golf.
Today, the driving range reminded me that I was wrong.
Golf is not a sport you can truly enjoy without practice.
Especially for an amateur golfer.
When you stop practicing, your swing slowly disappears. And when that happens, a round of golf that should be fun can become surprisingly painful.
Golf is such a strange sport.
When things are going well, you become confident.
You make a birdie and think,
“Oh, I'm playing pretty well today!”
Then you start gripping the club a little tighter.
You swing a little harder.
Your backswing gets bigger.
You start overswinging.
And suddenly, Golf seems to say:
“Oh, you think you've got this?” 😂
And there goes the next shot.
Terrible.
Golf has a funny way of punishing you when you become too proud.
That is why I have started to think that golf is actually a sport that teaches me humility.
Recently, I had a conversation with a 74-year-old golfer who plays quite often.
He told me something I really liked.
“Cheon-go-ma-bi.”
Of course, this was his own golf interpretation of the Korean expression.
Take it slowly.
Keep your head still.
Empty your mind.
He told me that he remembers these words before every shot.
I loved that.
Perhaps after playing golf for many years, what matters most isn't learning how to hit the ball harder.
Maybe it is learning how to empty your mind.
Don't get too excited about a great shot.
Don't keep thinking about a bad shot.
Just focus on the one shot in front of you.
Then today, I witnessed another funny little golf lesson at the driving range.
A sixth-grade girl was practicing nearby.
I soon learned that she had recently won first place in a golf competition in Jeju.
Her swing was excellent.
But what made me smile was her confidence.
She walked up to an older golfer who was practicing in front of me and asked,
“Are you practicing well? Have you improved a lot?”
She sounded almost like his coach. 😂
The gentleman smiled and answered,
“I'm working hard.”
Then she asked,
“How long have you been playing golf?”
I was listening from behind and jokingly said,
“You look like a single-digit handicap golfer to me.”
Then the little golfer asked,
“What's your best score?”
The gentleman smiled and answered,
“Five under.”
I thought that might finally impress her.
Not at all.
She immediately said,
“Then play with me. I'm the best golfer at this driving range!”
😂😂😂
That was the moment I burst out laughing.
But while I was laughing, I suddenly thought,
“Maybe I was like that once, too.”
Come to think of it, I have lived quite a bold and confident life myself.
Whenever I believed I could do something, I tended to step forward and give it a try.
So I couldn't dislike that little girl at all.
Actually, I thought she was adorable.
And honestly, I think a young golfer needs that kind of confidence and mental strength to become a great player.
Of course, if she continues playing golf for many years, she will eventually discover something every golfer learns:
There will always be someone better than you.
Today's great shot doesn't guarantee tomorrow's great shot.
And the better you become, the more important it may be to learn how to empty your mind.
But I hope she never loses that confidence.
Confidence is a wonderful thing.
Today, three different golfers showed me three different sides of the game.
The young golfer showed me confidence.
The golfer with a personal best of five under showed me patience and generosity.
And the 74-year-old golfer showed me the wisdom of clearing your mind.
And once again, I found myself looking at my own life.
Maybe golf really does punish me whenever I become too proud.
And perhaps when I become humble again, it gives me another good shot as a little gift.
So today's lesson is simple.
Don't stop practicing.
Don't become too proud when things are going well.
Don't grip the club tighter just because you made a birdie.
And empty your mind before every shot.
Golf is such a strange sport.
It frustrates me, humbles me, and somehow still makes me come back to the driving range.
And sometimes, it even sends a sixth-grade girl into my life to teach me another lesson in humility.
Golf really knows how to keep me humble. ⛳️❤️
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