Before I stepped into this golf shot I had an epiphany. Here I was in one of the most beautiful places on earth, with two gentlemen I don't play golf with enough, taking in beautiful weather, and all because of the game of golf. The game that has taught me more about life than anything else. A game that just recently taught me an age old lesson - "Don't mix business with pleasure..."
Turning pro in the fall of 2010 seemed like a dream come true at the time, and don't let me ever tell you that I wasn't excited to my very core about it, because I was. I had put off the decision since graduating from college. I always had a reason not to play professionally but in hindsight it was always the wrong one. I finally turned pro to enter the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. This was an incredible experience that I will never forget, nor will I ever regret. However, after failing to move on to Stage Two of the process by a single shot in Kingwood, TX that October, professional golf turned out to be a very bitter time in my life. As it would turn out, playing the game for money is really no fun for me. I play the game to compete, with myself and others. That is the single greatest thing about golf, you can always get better at it! I have such a passion for the game and I truly enjoy helping anyone else that shares the passion for the game and the passion to compete that I do. When I played in tournaments as a professional though, my passion went away...
The game of golf now became a game of expenses, time, paychecks, taxes, and overtime. It was a job in every sense of the word...It took me about 18 months and over a half a dozen tournaments to put it into words, but I had simply taken something I enjoyed and tried to turn it into a profitable business. Anyone who has done this, whether they succeeded or not, will tell you that it is a very tricky move to make. I had mixed business with pleasure, and that was a mistake.
About a week ago, I finally sat down with my laptop and filled out the online application for reinstatement of my amateur status in golf. Since then, I found that my passion for the game has rekindled itself to it's original intensity seemingly though hitting the "submit" button...
Golf is a game I play because I love it. I play it for pleasure and nothing else. I was an amateur in every sense of the word, and by the end of this year I will be an amateur again. I am excited to compete on all levels of the amateur game again with a lifetime goal of playing in The Masters. The only way to do this as an amateur is likely through winning a USGA event, which are difficult to even qualify for, but I have my whole life! I think that's a pretty good goal...
So in the 18th fairway, I stood contemplating that shot, but I also remembered just how in love with this game I am. I never really stopped, I just took a step in the wrong direction. The fact that I hit a majestic 4-iron to 12 feet and holed the putt was inconsequential. I could have hit it in the water and come to the same conclusion. I've made the right choice, and I may be deeper in love than I've ever been...
