One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

Maybe the best part of my life is happening now. When I was younger, I had quite a few romantic ideas about marriage. Living with someone, supporting each other, loving each other, and building a life together. I think I once believed that was what a complete life was supposed to look like. I also spent quite a bit of time wondering, “Who is my other half?” Looking back, I realize I wandered emotionally more than I knew at the time. But now, when I look back, I sometimes think my father understood me better than I understood myself. My father passed away last year at the age of 90. When I was studying in the United States, I remember having one phone conversation with him. My father was a very quiet man. He wasn't someone who talked much. So when I called home, I usually chatted away with my mother, while my father quietly listened nearby. But that day, my father said something to me. “My daughter, I think you shouldn't get married. But you should definitely fall in love.” At t...

My body was still a little achy this morning. I have a regular golf group round coming up on Monday, and I wanted to go to the driving range today. In the past, I probably would have followed my schedule anyway. “I'm playing golf on Monday, so I should practice today.” But this morning, my body seemed to be saying something different. “Take it easy today.” So I slept for most of the morning. And surprisingly, after getting enough sleep, I woke up feeling great. I looked at myself in the mirror and gave myself a little smile. “Maybe I'm still young after all.” 😂 After taking my dogs for a short walk, I went to the local market. I bought some seeds and seedlings for my winter garden—Chinese cabbage, young radish, and lettuce. I also picked up seeds for cilantro and chicory. And, of course, I couldn't resist an old favorite. A hotteok. I also brought home some jokbal, Korean-style braised pig's feet, for lunch. I had it with rice, salad, and kimchi. My dogs got a little ...

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...

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...

Today, the title says it all. I survived the golf course today. 😂 Summer golf in Jeju is not something to take lightly. Before the round, I looked perfectly fine. In fact, I looked quite cheerful in the photo I took before teeing off. But there are no photos of me after 18 holes. Maybe I was too tired to take one. 😂 One of my friends, PD, suddenly started feeling sick from the heat during the round. He ended up resting in the cart for about two holes. Luckily, I had brought some chilled watermelon with me. “Stay in the cart and eat some of this,” I told him. Honestly, watermelon tastes especially good on a hot golf course. 🍉 Then something funny happened. The first hole where PD decided to rest was a par 3. From the cart, he called out to us, “Make lots of putts. I’m going to rest a little longer.” Well... I hit my approach shot beautifully and left it very close to the hole for par. Another friend chipped in for a birdie. So neither of us even needed to use a putter. We simply fin...

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...

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...

For a long time, I thought I was the one taking care of Rich and Ruby. After all, I feed them, take them for walks, clean up after them, and make sure they stay healthy. That sounds like a responsible dog owner, doesn't it? But today, I realized something. Maybe they have been taking care of me all along. This morning, Rich woke me up at 4:30 a.m. and asked to go outside. Usually, I would get up and take him for a walk. But I was unusually tired. "Rich, let's sleep one more hour," I told him. To my surprise, he quietly came back inside and waited. No barking. No repeated requests. Just patience. When I was finally ready, we went out together. As I walked through the cool morning air, I found myself feeling grateful. Not because I was taking care of Rich. Because Rich had taken care of me. Ruby has her own gentle way of communicating. When she wants to go outside, she doesn't make a fuss. She simply opens her eyes, looks at me, and slowly wags her tail while lying ...

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...