One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

These days, I sometimes ask myself: “What has really changed between the person I was when I was young and the person I am today?” When it comes to social responsibility, perhaps not as much as I might think. When I was younger, I worked hard, kept my promises, and tried not to cause trouble or inconvenience for others. I did not always think deeply about why I should live that way. I simply believed that I should work hard, be responsible, and do my best. Looking back, however, I realize that those habits of responsibility and sincerity helped me grow into the person I am today. So what is different now? I think I can see the bigger picture. I still believe in social responsibility, but I have learned that I also have a responsibility to myself. Golf Can Reveal a Lot About People In Korea, golf is not just an individual sport. A round of golf is usually a social activity. When you play 18 holes with other people, you spend several hours together. You share a cart, wait for one another...

People often think golf is an expensive hobby. And yes, if you play 18 holes at expensive golf courses every week, golf can certainly cost a lot. But does golf really have to be that expensive? I don't think so. I live in Jeju, and I have found my own simple way to keep enjoying golf. I don't need to play 18 holes every week. I can play 9 holes once a week . And the 9-hole course I often visit, Castlex, is not just a small or simple course. The grass is very well maintained, just like a regular 18-hole course. So even when I play only 9 holes, I still feel like I am having a real golf round. And then there is my driving range. It is an outdoor 250-meter driving range , not an indoor screen. And the best part? I can see Halla Mt. while I practice. 🏔️⛳ Honestly, I love that. I can hit golf balls while looking at the sky, the green field, and Halla Mt. in the distance. For me, that is already a pretty good golf life. What does it cost? My 9-hole rounds cost about: ₩160,000 a mon...

Today, I played a round at Plaza CC Jeju . But honestly, golf was not easy today. It was extremely hot, and although I had played this course once before, I played in heavy fog that day, so I barely remembered the course. My friends were also playing the course for almost the first time. The course was challenging, and because of the heat, I couldn't really focus on my swing. So, hole after hole, we kept shouting: “Double!” “Double again!” 😂 Near the end of the front nine, one of my friends suddenly said: “For us, a double is a par. And a bogey is a birdie!” We all looked at each other with serious faces for a moment… Then we burst out laughing. 😂😂😂 So I shouted, “Okay! Let's call a double a par today! We came all the way here, so let's stop worrying about golf. Let's just pretend we're here for a picnic and enjoy the day!” And something funny happened. The whole atmosphere changed. A few minutes later, our caddie suddenly said, “I'll make you some iced cof...

When I was younger, I made plenty of mistakes. Some decisions turned out to be the wrong ones. Some paths led me somewhere I never wanted to be. I wish I could say I always made wise choices. I didn't. Life taught me through trial and error. Looking back, however, I don't regret those years. They helped me discover who I really am. Every wrong turn taught me something. Not only about life... But also about myself. One thing I'm grateful for is this. Whenever I realized I was walking in the wrong direction, I didn't stay there for long. I stopped. I changed direction. And I found my way back to myself. I have seen people continue down a path they already know isn't right. Sometimes because they are afraid. Sometimes because they have already invested too much time. Sometimes because changing direction feels like failure. But I have learned something different. Changing direction is not failure. Sometimes it is the bravest decision we can make. Today, my life feels pe...

When I first lived in the United States, I experienced a bit of culture shock. People told me that they had different groups of friends for different activities. Golf friends. Work friends. Travel friends. Coffee friends. At that time, I couldn't understand it. In Korea, when we become close friends, we often try to do everything together. We study together, travel together, exercise together, and spend weekends together. I thought that was what real friendship meant. Now, almost twenty years later, I finally understand. These days, most of my free time naturally revolves around golf. I have friends I play golf with. I have friends I enjoy having dinner or coffee with. I have people I simply greet at the driving range. And somehow, that feels completely natural. To be honest, I hesitated to write this. Some people might think this sounds selfish. But that's not what I mean. Until about five years ago, I was the leader of a group of eight close hometown friends. We had known eac...

A year or two ago, I don't think I would have had the courage to write stories like these. They are deeply personal. I write about my mistakes, my disappointments, my fears, and the quiet changes in my heart. Sometimes I wonder if I'm sharing too much. But that thought doesn't stop me anymore. Because I've realized something important. None of us lives a perfect life. We all make mistakes. We all experience disappointment. We all lose confidence from time to time. The real question isn't whether we fail. It's whether we choose to learn, grow, and keep moving forward. Golf has quietly taught me that lesson. Over the years, I've hit beautiful shots, and I've hit terrible ones. I've celebrated birdies, and I've also made plenty of swings I wished I could take back. But every round has taught me something. A bad shot doesn't define a golfer, just as a mistake doesn't define a person. What matters most is having the courage to make the next sw...

For many years, I believed that the second half of life should become quieter. I thought peace meant protecting my small world. Living simply. Enjoying golf. Taking care of Ruby and Rich. Reading books. Growing vegetables. That seemed like enough. If you had asked me ten years ago whether I would openly share my mistakes with the world, my answer would have been simple. "Never." Back then, I would have shared only my good shots, my achievements, and my successes. The rest would have stayed hidden. But something changed this year. When I turned sixty, I didn't just grow older. I changed the direction of my life. Instead of asking, "How can I protect my peace?" I started asking, "How can my experiences help someone else?" That one question changed everything. Today, many people post perfect moments on social media. Beautiful trips. Beautiful swings. Beautiful lives. There's nothing wrong with that. But I've discovered that perfect stories rarely ...

I didn't play golf today. And somehow, I'm still having a very happy day. Rain was in the forecast today. Usually, I might have felt a little disappointed. “Of all days, why does it have to rain today?” But today was different. At around 4:30 a.m., I went for my usual walk with Ruby and Rich. The forecast said the rain would start at 6, but less than three minutes into our walk, I felt a few raindrops. We hadn't had much rain for almost a month, and farmers were already suffering from damage to their crops because of the prolonged dry weather. So this time, I didn't mind the rain coming early at all. Normally, I might have complained, “Oh, come on. Why is it raining already?” But today, I thought, “That's okay, rain. You can come early. Pour as much as you want.” After such a long dry spell, the rain felt like something to be grateful for.  We quickly went to a nearby park so the dogs could do their business, and then we headed home. But just as we were getti...

Golf is sometimes funny. The best memories are not always made by perfect shots. Sometimes, they come from a small joke between friends. One day, during a round of golf, PD hit his driver shot and his tee disappeared into the bushes. He looked at the bushes and said with a serious face, “Ah… next time, I should bring a 5 million won pure gold tee.” I couldn't miss that opportunity. I smiled and said, “Then that tee will disappear after just one shot.” PD looked at me. “Why?” I answered, “Because I will take it. ㅎㅎ” For a moment, there was silence. Then PD laughed and said, “It's okay if Teacher Angie takes it. ㅎㅎ” We both laughed out loud. Of course, nobody was thinking about a 5 million won tee. It was never about the tee. It was about the joy of sharing a silly joke on a beautiful golf course. As we get older, I think we realize something. A good friend is not someone who only talks about serious things. A good friend is someone who can laugh with you about something complete...

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...