One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

BMW Ladies Championship — A Dramatic Final Round Today, October 25, I watched the final round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Korea. I was disappointed to hear that Jin Young Ko, who had originally been expected to play, did not compete in the end. Six players also had to withdraw during the tournament because of injuries. Even professional golfers can have a hard time completing all four rounds. Golf is not easy, even for the best players in the world. And then came the final round! Hae-ran Ryu had been leading the tournament after three rounds. Could she keep her lead and win? Or would someone catch up with her? Nobody knew until the very end. Finally, Yuri Yoshida of Japan won the tournament with a total score of 17 under par, just one shot ahead of the runners-up. It was her first LPGA Tour victory, which made the win even more special. Hye-jin Choi played an excellent final round and finished tied for second with Hae-ran Ryu. Another r...

These days, I sometimes feel a quiet happiness even when nothing special happens. I spend an ordinary day in Jeju. I look at Ruby and Rich and find myself smiling for no particular reason. When I practice golf and discover a movement I did not understand before, I feel excited. I also enjoy sitting down and writing about the things that happened during my day. Then, one day, a thought came to me. I am living my life well. And as I thought about it a little more, another feeling came to my heart. I have lived my life well so far, too. The person I am today did not appear overnight. The years I spent working, the time I spent studying in a new place, the life I built after moving to Jeju, and all the days I made my own decisions and took responsibility for them have brought me here. Of course, not every day was good. I made choices I sometimes regretted. There were difficult times, and there were moments when things did not go as I had hoped. Sometimes, my body needed a rest, and I had t...

People in Korea often say, “If you’re jealous, you lose.” Well, yesterday, I lost. And today, I’m still laughing about it. 😄 Let me tell you why. Four Women Were Dancing on the Golf Course! Yesterday, I had an early morning tee time at Shineville Country Club in Jeju. The weather forecast had been worrying me since the night before. A strong autumn typhoon was expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Jeju from around noon. Our tee time was 7:50 a.m., so there was a chance we might get caught in the rain during the last two or three holes. I spent the evening preparing clothes, an umbrella, and all sorts of things I might need. Even that morning, I kept wondering what to wear. What if my clothes got wet? What would be comfortable in the wind? I finally got dressed, drove to the golf course, and joined my group. While waiting on the golf cart near the first tee, I noticed something happening in the distance. Four women, who looked to be around my age, were dancing on the grass n...

While watching a movie, I heard a sentence that stayed with me. It said that when two people meet, especially when they get married, it is like two rivers coming together. But we should not sacrifice ourselves just to fill the other person's river. I had never heard this expression before, and I found it very interesting. In my parents' generation, people often made many sacrifices to support each other. That was how they showed love and kept their marriages together. But times have changed. In Korea, many couples now share their wedding expenses equally. At first, this idea felt a little strange to me as someone over 60. But gradually, I began to understand it. Sharing wedding expenses equally is not just about money. Perhaps it also means that both people want to live as equals after marriage. Now that I am over 60, I have come to believe that this kind of balance matters in all human relationships, not just marriage. By balance, I do not mean that everything must be divided ...

I started this blog in late February 2026, the year I turned 60. Before that, I had never even used ordinary social media. I had no particular plan to become a blogger, attract readers, or build an audience. I simply wanted a place to record my everyday life. My life in Jeju was already full of little things I enjoyed: golf, my two dogs, Ruby and Rich, the changing seasons in my garden, teaching English, and discovering what it means to live well after 60. So I started writing. Some days, I wrote about golf and the small things I was learning about my swing. Other days, I wrote about living alone, taking care of my dogs, enjoying an ordinary afternoon, or finding a new perspective on life. I never thought these everyday stories would attract much attention. But recently, something unexpected has been happening. My daily visitors have been steadily increasing. And today, when I saw the number suddenly reach 938, I was genuinely surprised. I was getting close to 1,000 visitors a day. For...

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...

I used to think that getting older meant slowing down. I thought that as I got older, I would naturally prefer quieter music, take things more slowly, and play golf a little more carefully. But now that I am 60, I am not so sure. I still love rock music. Of course, I enjoy quiet music too. There are days when I want something soft and peaceful. But sometimes, I still want a strong beat, a powerful guitar sound, and music that makes me feel alive. And golf? I definitely don't want to slow down my passion for golf. Yesterday, I practiced for about 80 minutes. My full swing wasn't working well at first. So I picked up my 7-iron and worked on my full swing for about 20 minutes. Again and again. I focused on the swing, the impact, and finishing the swing properly. Then something changed. During the last 20 minutes, my swing suddenly started feeling really good. The kind of swing I love. A sharp, clean sound came from the clubface. Crack! The impact felt great. The swing looked good....

Today, I played nine holes with two gentlemen who were about eight years older than me. There were six golfers in total, and we planned to play in two groups of three. After a little confusion about which group I should join, I ended up playing with two gentlemen I hadn't played with for a while. Our group leader smiled and said, “Angie, you've joined the champion group!” I immediately replied, “Of course! I'm a champion, aren't I?” (Smile.) And so, our round began. A Little Teasing Before the First Tee One of the gentlemen usually plays from the blue tees. He told me that he had just returned from the United States and hadn't held a golf club for a month and a half. I looked at him and said with a big smile, “Oh, you're going to have a terrible day today!” (Smile.) Then, at the first tee, he suggested a 2,000-won bet per stroke. I wasn't sure whether he really hadn't played for a month and a half or whether he was trying to fool me! So I said, “I haven...

Now that I’ve lived to 60, I’ve realized something . Getting older doesn’t necessarily mean that your heart gets older, too. My heart is still in its twenties sometimes. When I want to do something, I want to try it. When I see something new, I get curious. And when there’s something I really want to do well, I still get ambitious. Today was a perfect example. I went to the golf practice range, and for some reason, the swing that worked so beautifully yesterday just wouldn’t work today. At first, I made a small adjustment. Nope. I changed something else. Still no. Before I knew it, golf practice had turned into a battle between me and my swing. “Why isn’t this working?” I gave myself so many sarcastic little smiles. 😏 There I was, 60 years old, holding a golf club and acting like a competitive twenty-something. Eventually, after changing this and that, I managed to get about 80% of my swing back. But by then, both my body and my mind were pretty much wrecked from the battle. ㅎㅎ And th...

This morning, I had a golf game scheduled for 8 a.m. I had been checking the weather forecast since early morning. The rain looked heavy, and I thought it might be better to cancel. However, when I called the golf course, they said the weather was fine enough to play nine holes. So I got dressed and left home. But there was something else on my mind. Before leaving, I heard thunder and saw lightning. Rich, who is usually a very brave dog, gets terribly frightened during thunderstorms. He trembles and has a hard time. As I opened the door, Rich lowered his tail and stayed close behind me, as if he were saying, “Mom, where are you going? It's thundering. Don't leave me!” It broke my heart to leave him like that. Still, I had made a promise to meet the other golfers. Some of them were coming from far away, and I felt that keeping our plans mattered, too. Since the golf course was only about 15 minutes away, I decided to go, say hello to everyone, and come back quickly if the game ...

Thank Goodness I'm Not a Professional Golfer! Golf can drive you crazy. I really mean it. Today, I followed the final round of the Aramco Korea Championship. I was especially interested in two Korean players I like, Sung Hyun Park and Hyo Joo Kim. Unfortunately, they were hardly shown on TV. So, in the afternoon, I went to bed and enjoyed a good nap. (Smile) But when I saw the final results, I had several things to think about. Miyu Yamashita won the tournament with an amazing score of 22 under par. Hyo Joo Kim played a wonderful final round, shooting six under par. She finished at 13 under par and tied for seventh place. Sung Hyun Park finished at 10 under par. Although she did not win, she gave her fans some exciting moments to remember. She made an eagle on the 17th hole, a par-five, in both the second and third rounds! An eagle on the same hole two days in a row! Golf fans know how exciting that must have been. A birdie is wonderful, but an eagle brings a completely different k...

It's a rainy day in Jeju, so I'm staying home today. I'm planning to make delicious pork ribs with lots of vegetables and mushrooms. I'll also have some mixed-grain rice and take my time chewing every bite. Sounds like a lovely day, doesn't it? 😊 But there's another reason I'm looking forward to today. I'm going to watch the third round of the Aramco Korea Championship on TV and cheer for Park Sung-hyun. I don't think I've ever personally cheered for a golfer this much before! Yesterday, I watched her second-round highlights again. Her birdie putts had been so close, sometimes missing the hole by just a little. Then came the 17th hole. Her second shot was sitting in a divot, but she still hit a wonderful shot toward the green. Then she made an amazing eagle putt from about 11 meters! And on the final hole, she saved par from a greenside bunker. What a round! I was so happy watching those moments. I wanted to share a little of my recent good luck...

One week ago, I wrote a blog post about crying because my golf shots were not going well. Today, I almost cried for the opposite reason. My swing felt more comfortable and natural, from the backswing to the finish. The impact was much better, and the ball flew straight and far. During practice, I also discovered a few new things about my swing. I learned that both hands need to work together, especially with longer clubs. When my hands work together naturally, my swing feels smoother and my shots feel stronger. I still have a lot to learn, but today was a very happy day. I finished my practice a little early. I did not want to put too much stress on my shoulder. After all, today is not the only day I get to play golf. There will be many more days. One week ago, I cried because I was frustrated. Today, I almost cried because I was so happy. Funny, isn't it? The same sport. The same golfer. Completely different tears. KR Version 일주일 전, 나는 골프 샷이 잘되지 않아 울었다. 그런데 오늘은 반대의 이유로 마음속으로 울컥했다....

I Enjoy My Life on My Own Today, everything seemed to fall into place. About two weeks ago, around Chuseok, I bought a tumbler. It came with a drink coupon, and I had kept it for about two weeks. Today, I suddenly thought, “I’d better use it before I lose it.” 😄 So I went to a café and ordered a café latte. I filled my favorite green tumbler with it. My first little extra of the day: a free café latte. It was something small, but it made me happy. Then I noticed a small problem with my glasses. I thought, “I should get this fixed today.” So I went to my regular optician. I don’t go there very often, but it is the shop I have used for a long time whenever I need something for my glasses. They fixed my glasses right away. For free. But that wasn’t the end of it. I was looking at some sports sunglasses because I wanted a pair for golf. I found one I really liked. I said, “These would be nice for golf.” The owner said, “Just take them. They’re not that expensive.”...