A day when the trembling hands of the first tee of the morning become a little endearing

Listening to the sound of my heart on the dew-covered teeing ground

The morning air is still a little cold.
Dew remains on the grass of the starting hole, and the soles of my shoes get damp.

In the taut air, a bird is singing in the distance.
Yet, all I can hear is the sound of my own heart.

What if I slice it to the right again?
I'd be so embarrassed if I hit a bad shot.

The moment I place the ball on the tee, my hands tremble.
I never get used to that feeling, no matter how many years I play.

Even for me, with over 30 years of golf experience,
the first tee of the morning is still special.

Frustration is proof that you love golf

I hit a bad shot and my mind goes blank.
On the way home after the round, in the car, I sigh to myself,
thinking, 'If only I hadn't hit that one shot.'

Have you ever had an experience like that?

But please, don't blame yourself.
That frustration is proof of how seriously you have been engaging with the game.

It is proof that you truly love the sport of golf from the bottom of your heart.

People who have given up don't feel frustrated in the first place.
The pain of wishing to get better
is surely the feeling of wanting to move forward itself.

I am more moved by that than by any beautiful swing.

Even instructors have days when their hearts break

Even instructors have days when their hearts break

The other day, I had a round of my own for the first time in a while.

I hit three consecutive OBs on the very first tee shot of the morning.
My mind truly went blank.

On the next hole, I kept thinking about those OBs.
My swing became awkward, and even though I knew I had to move on,
my heart couldn't keep up.

Even instructors have days when they can't switch gears.
Even though my head knows it's time for the next shot,
my heart is still stuck back at the OB.

Golf is often said to be 'life itself.'
There are days when things go well, and days that are like a storm.

Perhaps it is precisely because things do not go as planned that the
occasional feeling of 'hitting the sweet spot'
never lets go of our hearts.

What lies beyond the numbers of a score

We tend to
'I have to break 100'
'I have to surpass my former self'
and easily end up trapping ourselves within the confines of numbers.

But please, take a deep breath and look around you.

The green of the beautifully manicured grass.
The soft light filtering through the trees.

Rather than the days when your score was good,
don't you find that the feeling of walking the fairway at dusk or
the moments you laughed with friends remain much more vividly?

Before polishing your technique,
first, forgive the 'you who is standing here right now'.
The very fact that you can stand there and swing a club
is actually a very luxurious miracle.

Today's words

'This life, connected in an unbroken chain from our ancestors'

It might feel like a slightly heavy phrase.
But on the first tee box of the morning,
these words can strangely sink in.

Life has been connected from far away,
and now, I am here gripping a club.

When I think of that, I feel it is a waste
to reject my entire self over a single missed shot.

Whether you hit it well or not,
the very fact that you were able to come here today is already precious.

That fact is not written on the scorecard.
But I believe it is one of the important essences of golf.

Just 3 seconds before standing on the tee

Please try just one thing in your next round.

Before stepping onto the tee, look up at the sky and exhale for just 3 seconds.
It doesn't matter if it's a blue sky or a cloudy one.

It is enough to just think, 'I was able to come here today, too.'

With just that, the tension in your shoulders will melt away.
It is not to hit the ball well, but 3 seconds to return to your current self.

To that fairway once again

Golf is interesting because you can never be perfect.
Because there are days when things don't go well, I think the joy of a single shot leaves a deeper impression.

Even a morning when you grip the club with trembling hands,
is surely an important part of golf.

So today, it's okay not to try too hard to do it perfectly.
Let's try to enjoy the next shot just a little bit.

I want to go walk that fairway again.
May it be a day like that. ⛳

A question for you

When you are playing golf,
what kind of moment made you feel 'that was good'?

Whether it's the moment of a nice shot, a laugh with friends,
or the color of the sky you happened to look up at, anything is fine.

Please share your wonderful episode in the comments.
Let's continue this mysterious and endearing game together, at our own pace.