One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

Life has taught me that pressure does not always break us. Sometimes, it strengthens us in ways we never expected. There were seasons when I felt pressed down— by disappointment, loss, and painful relationships. At times, I wondered why life had to be so hard. But looking back, I see something clearly now: those difficult moments were not only challenges. They were shaping my roots. Like barley that grows stronger when pressed, I, too, have learned to grow through hardship. I am not strong because life was easy. I am strong because I kept growing, even when life felt heavy. Golf has taught me the same lesson. Pressure, frustration, and setbacks can either discourage us or quietly make us stronger, shot by shot. Today, I no longer ask, “Why is this happening to me?” Instead, I ask, “What is this teaching me?” Perhaps true strength is not avoiding pressure, but learning how to grow beneath it. Like barley, I grow stronger under pressure. Maybe that’s why golf feels so natural to me.^^ An...

For a long time, I believed control was the key. If I could control my swing, control my thoughts, control the situation — I thought I would get better results. And sometimes, it worked. But not always. Because there is something control can never fully capture. Timing. 골프를 치다 보면 이 차이를 아주 분명하게 느끼게 된다. You can have a perfect setup. A perfect plan. A perfect intention. But if the timing is off, the shot falls apart. Too early — you rush. Too late — you hesitate. And in that tiny moment, everything changes. Control tries to manage everything. It tightens the grip. It fixes every detail. It leaves no space for error. But timing is different. Timing is not forced. It is felt. It comes from rhythm. From balance. From trust. 타이밍은 머리로 만드는 것이 아니라, 몸으로 느끼는 것이다. The more I try to control my swing, the more I lose my timing. But when I trust the rhythm, when I allow the movement — timing appears. And the shot feels effortless. Not because I controlled it, b...

Yesterday, I experienced something that felt like a real miracle with Ruby. Early in the morning, around 5 AM, I was walking with my dogs as usual after a night of heavy rain. The path was wet and slippery, and for a brief moment, I sensed a little danger when my dogs walked near the large grass and bushes beside the cliff path. But I ignored the feeling. My dogs know that trail very well, so I did not think too much about it. A few minutes later, I suddenly realized Ruby had disappeared. At first, everything was strangely quiet. The sky was still dark, the ocean wind was strong, and I started calling her name over and over again with growing fear. Then I finally heard it. Ruby barked loudly from far below. When I looked down, I found her trapped on a large rock area near the ocean beneath a cliff nearly 15 meters high. Huge waves were crashing nearby, and there was no path for her to climb back. At that moment, my heart dropped. I immediately called 119. Rescue workers arri...

 At first, it’s hard to tell the difference. Natural and forced can look the same from the outside. Both can produce results. Both can look good — for a moment. But over time, the difference becomes clear. Forced things don’t last. They require constant effort. Constant control. Constant tension. And eventually, something gives. I used to think trying harder was the answer. More effort. More control. But it only made things heavier. The swing got tighter. The mind got louder. Everything started to feel… unnatural. 자연스럽지 않다는 느낌은 몸이 먼저 안다. Golf made this very clear. When I try to force the swing, even a good shot feels uncomfortable. But when I let it happen — when I trust the rhythm — the swing becomes light. Not perfect, but real. 인생도 비슷하다. 억지로 맞추는 관계, 억지로 이어가는 일, 억지로 유지하는 감정은 결국 오래 가지 못한다. Natural things don’t need force. They have flow. They have space. They have quiet confidence. That doesn’t mean no effort. It means the right kind of effort....

Both involve stopping. Both involve releasing something. From the outside, they are almost impossible to tell apart. But inside, they come from completely different places. Giving up comes from frustration. It says, “This is too hard.” “This is not working.” “I’m done.” It closes the door. Letting go is different. It doesn’t come from defeat. It comes from understanding. It says, “I’ve done enough.” “I can’t control this part.” “I will release what I don’t need to hold.” It opens space. 예전에는 나도 자주 헷갈렸다. 포기하는 것을 “내려놓는다”고 착각했던 적도 있었고, 반대로, 정말 내려놓아야 할 것을 끝까지 붙잡고 있었던 적도 있었다. Golf made this difference very clear. There were days I kept hitting balls, trying to fix everything. That wasn’t discipline. That was obsession. And I didn’t want to let go. I thought stopping meant giving up. But now I see it differently. Sometimes, the best thing I can do is to stop. To leave the range before frustration takes over. To trust that what I’ve done today is enough....

Every golfer hits bad shots. It’s not a matter of if , but when . 누구나 실수는 한다. 문제는 그 다음이다. The Shot That Changes Everything One bad shot can do more than lose distance. It changes your mood. Your rhythm. Your confidence. 한 번의 실수가 전체 흐름을 흔들어버린다. What Most People Do After a bad shot: they replay it in their head they get frustrated they try to “fix it” immediately 그리고 다음 샷까지 흔들린다. The Real Game But golf is not about perfect shots. It’s about what you do next. 골프는 잘 치는 게임이 아니라, 흔들린 뒤에 돌아오는 게임이다. A Different Response What if a bad shot is not a problem— but a moment of choice? stay stuck or reset 그 자리에서 멈출지, 다시 시작할지 선택하는 순간이다. Reset, Not React Good players don’t rush to fix everything. They do something simpler: take a breath slow down go back to routine 다시 기본으로 돌아간다. One Shot Only In golf, the previous shot is gone. 완전히 끝난 일이다. But many players keep playing it in their mind. 머릿속에서는 아직도 그 샷을 치고 있다. Life Is No Different In life, we do the same. one mistake one awkward moment one wrong decisi...

Yesterday, I had a wonderful round of golf at Lotte Skyhill Jeju Country Club . This coming October, there will be an amateur golf tournament at Ora Country Club inJeju . Normally, I’m not very interested in competitions, but one of my close younger friends has been practicing golf very seriously, so I decided to join and simply enjoy being on the same team with her. The prize money made us laugh a little— US10,000 dollars for first place, and US 5,000 dollars for second. So I joked with her, “Then you can take first, and I’ll take second.” 😊 It sounded playful, but somehow, saying it out loud made us both a little more focused. My friend is a long hitter, and to my surprise, many of our drives landed almost side by side. The weather was cool and perfect, and our swings felt free and confident. At one point, our caddie smiled and said, “I’ve been a caddie for 13 years, and I’ve never seen women hit the ball this beautifully and powerfully. It’s a joy just to watch.” That k...