One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

After playing golf for a long time, I think every golfer has had this thought at least once: “I think I've finally figured out my swing.” I did, too. For a while, I was playing pretty well even without practicing much. My shots were good, my swing felt comfortable, and I started to become a little too confident. At one point, I honestly thought: “Maybe I've conquered my golf swing.” Now that I think about it, that's hilarious. 😂 I mean, I'm an amateur golfer! If Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, or Adam Scott had heard me say, “I think I've conquered golf,” I wonder what they would have thought. They might have looked at each other and said, “You conquered golf?” 😳 And then quietly thought, “This woman must be joking.” 😂😂😂 The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it sounds. But that ridiculous thought taught me something important. Golf is not an easy sport to conquer. When I stopped practicing regularly, my shots slowly became less consisten...

For almost ten years, Ruby and Rich had a favorite morning walking trail. It was quiet before sunrise, with very few people around. We walked there almost every day, and it became part of our routine. Two months ago, everything changed. Ruby accidentally fell off a cliff during one of our walks. Thankfully, she recovered, but after that day, I never took that trail again. It wasn't only because it was dangerous. I simply didn't want every walk to begin with anxiety instead of joy. Rich loved that trail even more than Ruby did. Normally, when Rich wants to go somewhere, he lets me know. He gently but firmly pulls the leash toward the direction he wants. Sometimes I follow him. He enjoys exploring new paths. But something surprised me. For the past two months, every morning we have passed the entrance to that trail. Not once has Rich tried to pull me toward it. I don't know whether he remembers what happened that day or whether he simply senses how I feel. Either way, he quie...

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...

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 ...

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...

Today, Old enough to know better. Young enough to keep playing golf. ⛳💛 Many years ago, some golf friends gave me a nickname: Chronic Straight Shot Angie. At first, it was just a joke. Whenever I stood on the tee box, someone would smile and say, "Watch out. The chronic straight shot is coming." The years have passed. My hair has changed. My body has changed. My life has changed. But there is something I hope will remain the same. Not the distance. Not the score. Not even the perfect swing. I hope to keep my love for the game, my gratitude for each round, and the joy of watching a ball fly straight down the fairway. When I become 80 years old, I may not hit the ball as far as I do today. But if I can still walk onto a golf course with a peaceful heart, enjoy good friends, and smile after a simple straight shot, I will consider myself very fortunate. Life has taught me many lessons. Some came through success. Some came through mistakes. Some came through loss. Yet all of th...

Yesterday at the driving range, one of my golf friends quietly said something that touched my heart. "Angie, I've been too sensitive. I realize I didn't need to behave that way. I'm really sorry." She is seven years younger than I am. She has been playing golf for just over three years, but no one works harder than she does. Her swing has become beautiful through countless hours of practice. But the golf course is different from the driving range. When her hard work didn't produce the results she expected, frustration often took over. She isn't the kind of person who hides her feelings, so her disappointment sometimes came out in her words and attitude. To be honest, there were moments when I thought, "Maybe one day we won't be playing golf together anymore." Six months ago, I was almost certain of it. Ten years ago, I probably would have ended the friendship. Back then, I judged people quickly. I made decisions quickly, too. But this time, I...