One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

Yesterday, I suddenly ended up playing a round at Raon CC because there was a 50% green fee discount for a last-minute round. The three friends I played with are all very close friends, so we started the round in a relaxed and happy mood. The weather was nice, and Raon CC is a relatively easy and comfortable course to play. It is a little long, though, so making birdies is not always easy. One of my friends had been going through a bit of a golf slump for a while. But yesterday, something changed. Her shots suddenly became much more stable, and her good shots came back. So every time she hit a great shot, we shouted, “Nice shot!” and enjoyed the round together. Then, on one hole, two of my friends hit their balls into the bushes. They went all the way to the other side of the fairway with the caddie to look for their balls. Meanwhile, my friend and I were waiting in the cart. Suddenly, she pointed to the middle of the fairway and said, “Stand right there.” So I stood there. And she sta...

To be honest, when I first started this blog, I had a simple goal. I wanted to become a popular blogger. There is nothing wrong with that. We all enjoy knowing that our stories are being read and appreciated. But somewhere along the way, something quietly changed inside me. These days, I no longer write to become popular. I write because I enjoy it. Writing has become a conversation with myself, almost like keeping a journal. Instead of trying to create impressive stories, I simply write about whatever feels real that day. Some days it's golf. Some days it's English. Some days it's just an ordinary moment that makes me smile. I've realized that forcing a story never feels as satisfying as letting one naturally appear. Maybe that also reflects my personality. I've always enjoyed laughing, finding small joys, and keeping life lighthearted. So I decided to stop trying to write the "perfect" blog post. I would rather write an honest one. At sixty, becoming a f...

Today was the first day of my summer vacation. I had a 9-hole golf gathering at 6:30 in the morning, so I woke up around 4 a.m. I took Ruby and Rich for their morning walk, got ready, and drove about 30 minutes to the golf course. It might sound a little crazy to get up that early just to play golf, but during the hot summer, early morning is actually the most comfortable time for me to play. So when I have the chance, I don't hesitate. When I arrived, the band leader was already there. We were divided into two groups of three. But I wasn't placed with my usual friends. Instead, I was paired with two men I had never met before. Since we were strangers, we started our round rather quietly. At the first tee, I stood there with my ball and tee and asked, “May I tee up first?” One of them smiled and asked, “Do you play from the white tees?” That's a question female golfers often get. They kindly let me go first. So I put my tee into the ground and hit my first drive. And… It we...

Some days go just as planned. Most days don't. There is one morning routine I always hope to complete: an early walk with my two dogs, a simple breakfast, practice at the driving range, and a refreshing swim. It sounds like an ordinary routine, but it isn't easy to complete. There are always other appointments, unexpected errands, or mornings when I simply don't have enough energy. Even though I want to do it every day, I usually manage to complete the whole routine only two or three times a week. That was why today felt different. By lunchtime, I realized I had finished everything I had hoped to do that morning. The temperature had already climbed above 32°C, and I didn't feel like cooking. So I prepared a simple lunch: tofu, seasoned perilla leaves from my garden, some sour kimchi, and a can of beer. It was one of the most satisfying lunches I've had in a while. Not because the food was special. Not because of the beer. But because I had already lived the morning ...

There was a time when I believed progress meant never getting lost. In golf, I thought improvement meant building a swing that would never break down. If my shots started going offline, I felt frustrated. I would search for the problem, analyze every movement, and wonder why something that felt so natural yesterday suddenly felt unfamiliar today. Life wasn't much different. Whenever I faced uncertainty, I felt pressure to find the answer quickly. I thought confidence came from always knowing what to do next. But years of golf taught me something different. The goal is not to avoid getting lost. The goal is learning how to find your way back. Every golfer eventually experiences it. One day the swing feels effortless. The next day, something seems off. The rhythm disappears. The timing changes. Confidence fades. The same thing happens in life. We lose our balance. We lose motivation. We lose clarity. Sometimes we even lose sight of ourselves. For a long time, I treated thes...

Today, I became a yearly member of my driving range again. After hurting my finger last December, I hardly visited this place for seven months. For more than five years, this had been part of my daily life. To be honest, I sometimes wondered if I would ever come back as a yearly member again. Today, that thought disappeared. As soon as I walked through the entrance, it felt like coming home. This isn't just any driving range. It is a beautiful 250-meter outdoor driving range with Halla Mt. standing proudly in front of me. Many driving ranges in Korea are indoors or much shorter. But I love seeing the open sky, watching my ball fly into the distance, and looking toward Halla Mt. between swings. That view relaxes me as much as golf itself. Somehow, this place has become more than a driving range. It has become my lounge. Today, I didn't try to hit hundreds of balls. Instead, I spent more time making free swings and hit only about fifty balls. I also practiced putting and focused ...

This early morning, as usual, I was getting ready to take my two dogs, Rich and Ruby, for a walk. But when I opened my front door, I suddenly froze. There was a dark pile lying right in front of the entrance. I was scared to look at it closely. Honestly, I thought it might be a dead cat because it was about the same size. I didn't pick it up. Instead, my mind was already getting busy and stressed, imagining how I was going to deal with a dead animal first thing in the morning. Then I turned on the light. And guess what? It wasn't a dead cat. It was my golf wear! 😂 After yesterday's round, I had hung all my golf clothes on the laundry line in the side garden. I must have been too tired to remember to bring them inside because I still had to teach until 9 PM. Apparently, one piece of clothing had fallen from the laundry line. And Rich had found it. He must have carried it all the way to my front door and stayed with it through the night. But the most surprising part? Rich di...

A month ago, I was really looking forward to playing at Greenfield Country Club. It was a new golf course for me, and because it was quite far from home, I had made the reservation a month in advance. At the time, I couldn't wait. But about three days before the round, my feelings started to change. The weather was getting extremely hot, and a typhoon was approaching. Rain was in the forecast, and there was even a possibility of strong winds. So, honestly, I started thinking, “ Maybe it would be better if we just canceled.” I think everyone in our group felt the same way. We kept checking the weather. Rain? Wind? Too hot? Anything seemed better than playing golf in terrible weather. Then this morning, we left for Greenfield. And something unexpected happened. The sky was covered with clouds, but there was no rain. The sun wasn't strong, and a gentle breeze was blowing. The weather was actually perfect for golf. It almost felt like an early autumn day. And when we finally arrive...

2026 Jeju Samdasoo Masters — A Day at Teddy Valley Yesterday, I went to the 2026 Jeju Samdasoo Masters at Teddy Valley Golf & Resort. I knew I was going to watch professional golfers. I just didn't know I was going to learn so much. Fortunately, the weather was much kinder than I expected. Because of the typhoon's influence, the sky was mostly cloudy, and there was a gentle breeze. It was still over 30°C around midday, but the conditions were actually quite comfortable in the morning. And Samdasoo was everywhere. Free ice-cold bottled water was available, so I happily kept drinking it throughout the morning. 😂 My friends from my golf group had also told me about a roulette event before entering the course. I gave it a try… And I won a blue Samdasoo umbrella! ☂️ Not bad at all. But the funniest part of the day happened before we even reached the course. I parked my car, and literally about a minute later, our golf group's leader parked right in front of me. We hadn...