3 Life Lessons Learned from Playing Golf

Golfing in beautiful southern Utah is a treat this time of year. Sunshine, good friends and golf: definitely a perfect weekend.

The time spent outside golfing with friends and the distance between holes is a great time to relax and think.

We’ve put our experiences together to jot down a few life lessons we’ve learned from playing golf:

1. Be on Time

Understandably, golf is a recreation, but when you keep people waiting, it’s just plain rude. That must be how the phrase “teed off” evolved, with people waiting for their golf buddies to show up before they can tee off to start the game.

This applies to all areas of life, including business. We really appreciate when people are on time. It reflects well on them, shows they respect our time, and helps us stay on schedule as well.

It’s common courtesy that isn’t always so common. Whether in golf or business, make a conscious effort to be on time.

2. Keep Moving Forward

Luckily there are 9-18 holes in any given golf game: 9-18 opportunities to succeed. When the course throws you a bogey, just keep walking forward and try again.

We believe in the “try, try again” approach. “If at first I don’t succeed…” Perseverance works.

In golf, and in business, the only way to finish with satisfaction is to keep moving forward and not give up.

3. Challenge = Opportunity

While simply going out to golf is enjoyable, it’s really the challenges that make the game more interesting and the day more memorable.

Crazy weather, trees, traps, and deep roughs can be obstacles or opportunities, and it is overcoming the trials that makes the golfing experience more memorable…and the stories after more interesting.

In business, when an unexpected event occurs, take it as a learning experience and look for the additional opportunities that may have opened up. And there are always additional opportunities.

How about you? What life-lessons have you learned from playing a sport? What have you learned from the game of life?