Played a round in Leland, MI yesterday with my son (good player), my brother in law ( very good player) and my 17 yo nephew - a 25 hdcper. We played a fun match with me and my nephew taking on my son and bro in law.
We lost on 18 and it was a ton of fun….for 3 of us. My nephew was frustrated, agitated, he wanted to play better, he didn’t want to lose. And he basically fell apart on 18 and was upset to the point that he just quit the hole.
Instead of making this too intense for him and turning it into “learning moment”, his father and I decided to send him “Moes Poem”. - from the inimitable Canadian legend, Moe Norman. Enjoy:
Moe’s Poem
Golf is happiness, for happiness is achievement.
The father is motivation.
The mother is encouragement.
The fine golf swing is truly achievement.
Man may lie, steal and cheat for gain, but that will never gain a golf swing.
To gain a golf swing, man must work.
Yet it is work without toil.
It is exercise without the boredom.
It is intoxication without the hangover.
It is stimulation without the pills.
It is failure, yet its success shines even more brightly.
It is frustration, yet it nourishes patience.
It irritates, yet its soothing is far greater.
It is futility, yet it nurtures hope.
It is defeating, yet it generates courage.
It is humbling, yet it ennobles the human spirit.
It is dignity, yet it rejects arrogance.
Its price is high, yet its rewards are richer.
Some day it is a boy’s pastime, yet it builds men.
It is a buffer for the stresses of today’s living.
It cleans the mind and rejuvenates the body.
It is these things and many more for those of us who know it and love it.
Golf is truly happiness.