One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

These days, something very small makes me happy. Every time I open and close the screen door in my living room, I smile to myself. “I made this. 😁💓” It was actually pretty hard to make. I struggled with it more than I expected, and there were several moments when I wondered if I could finish it. But after all that work, something funny happened. Every time I open and close the door, I feel a little proud. It reminds me, “I did it.” Maybe this is one kind of small happiness. Then I started thinking about my Hwangchil trees. A few years ago, I planted young Hwangchil trees in Yongsu-ri, Jeju. They were three-year-old saplings, but they were only about 30 centimeters tall and very thin. I was worried that weeds would grow around them and make it difficult for the little trees to survive, so I covered the entire field with expensive black weed-control fabric. I used long U-shaped metal pins and pushed them into the ground between the trees. I even hired people and paid them for a full da...

It had been raining for almost two days. The weather forecast said it was going to keep raining this afternoon, too, so I thought I should just stay home. But after staying inside for so long, my back started to hurt, and I felt so restless. Around noon, I took my dogs for a walk and looked up at the sky. For some reason, I had a feeling that it wasn't going to rain anymore. The forecast still said rain, but the sky looked different to me. I thought, “Hmm… I don't think it's going to rain.” So I decided to go to the driving range. I was getting so restless that I thought I was going to go crazy if I stayed home any longer. ㅎㅎ Of course, I had to be careful because of my two Jindo dogs. When I'm home, they stay inside the living room with me. But when I go out, they stay in the yard. There is a small shed where they can get out of the rain, but especially in summer, I try not to make plans when it's raining. So I told myself, “I'll go to the driving range, and if...

I used to think that having a full life meant having a full schedule. Work. People. Appointments. Things I had to do. There was always something filling the next empty space. But somewhere along the way, I started doing something different. I began letting go. Not dramatically. Not with anger. Just quietly. Some relationships no longer needed my time and energy, so I stopped forcing them. Instead, I made more room for the people I genuinely enjoy. And then something interesting happened. I had more space for myself. These days, I still teach English. Sometimes I teach for five hours straight, and yes, I still get tired. 😂 But I don't teach every day anymore. I play golf with friends. I practice at my driving range, which has slowly become my little lounge. I go swimming. I take care of my garden. I walk with Ruby and Rich. And I write. None of these things are particularly extraordinary. But they feel different now. Because I have chosen them. I don't...

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 ...