Life and Business Lessons I Learned Early from Golf
This is the first in a periodical series of newsletters where I focus on business, law, life and sports (not necessarily in that order).
As I was thinking about my first segment, I kept on coming back to an ongoing part of my life over the years. Apart from my loving wife and my family which is by far the most important to me, it is probably golf.
And especially how I was introduced to golf on a small town Iowa course where I grew up. Golf has spanned with me for over 50 years - from when I started playing the game at ten years old on a little small town nine hole course in eastern Iowa, to now.
But the experiences I have had on and around golf courses over my life, from the small course in eastern Iowa, to places like Pebble Beach…
Kiawah Island…
Carnoustie…
Augusta…
I was on the 18th at Augusta when Tiger won the Masters in 2019, the same year I sold Sports Illustrated.
St. Andrews…
Riviera…
Palmilla…
Whistling Straights…
Bay Hills…
…and so many other great venues in between, it is what has been a unique part of my life, my business career and helped shape the person I am.
Let me start by saying that I am by no measure a ‘great’ golfer.
In fact, like almost every golfer, I’ve had so many embarrassing moments over a long period of life on the golf course. This is one of the beauties of golf - no matter what your skill level - whether a PGA pro or a high handicap player, there are always bad shots and moments... but then there will be 'great' moments. Granted a ‘bad shot’ and a 'good shot' is a lot different for Fred Couples or any other major pro versus a 'bad' or 'good' shot for an amateur golfer.
However, this is all relative…
It’s like life… and business… you are given a skill and talent set and you try to make the best of it, you practice and work hard to enjoy your successes, but you also deal with the bad shots, the bad lies, the two-foot putt misses…
If you want to be successful (however you define 'success'), you learn from all the bad shots and poor circumstances, and keep coming back for the next 'round.' We persevere!
Let me start from the beginning. I started golf at 10 years old in Belle Plaine, Iowa, a small town in eastern Iowa. A childhood friend of mine, Scott Stok, asked me to come out and try playing the little nine hole course in Belle Plaine. I remember the first time I played, I whacked at the ball and ran to hit the next shot. My friend Scott said, “John, don’t run to the ball, just walk up and hit it.”
This was the first lesson I learned about golf:
Lesson 1: Do not rush, be deliberate, and focus.
It turns out that this was a good lesson for me later in life and business.
No one in my family ever played golf. My Mom and Dad grew up in the Depression and worked hard to raise our family. But when I came home and told my parents I would like to try golf, they were very supportive. The next week, my Mom drove me down to a department store in Cedar Rapids, and bought me my first set of clubs: a driver, three wood, three irons, a putter, and two sleeves of golf balls, with a bag. I was so excited riding up the escalator of the department store with my bag of clubs on my shoulder.
Looking back, I was very fortunate to grow up in my little town in Iowa. It was by no stretch a golf 'Mecca’ like many places in California, Florida or Texas. This was Iowa, which is playable for golf if fortunate perhaps from early May until late October. So we did not have a good “platform” for launching good junior golfers.
However, for a small town in a Midwest state that only had golf a few months out of the year, we had a great little golf community, supported by local small town patrons. Kids like me, for $25 a year, could play as much as we wanted. Now this was back in the early 1970’s, but what a deal for $25!
I often wonder if I grew up in a larger town, let alone a city, if I would ever have an opportunity to play golf.
We also had a few great local mentors. One in particular, Bob Nielsen, led the junior golf program. Bob’s son, Lonnie, became one the great golfers in Iowa, winning every amateur tournament in the state, and then becoming a PGA tour professional. I still remember some of Bob’s swing tips he gave me.
I soon played twelve hours a day on the little course in Belle Plaine, playing golf all day until nightfall with my small town buddies. I had the greatest time, concentrating on golf. At that time in my life, golf in my little town world, was my passion.
Then, I learned my next lesson:
Lesson 2: Find your passion, pursue it!
It might not work out, but give it your best and see how it goes!
Golf in the most basic sense is a sport of etiquette and rules. I learned this early as I played with adults at my course. By and large, every individual was respectful of us juniors. There were, of course, some exceptions - people that might be compared to Judge Smails in Caddy Shack.
However, the attitude and demeanor of most of the golfers rubbed off on me. So, the third lesson.
Lesson 3: Adhere to good manners, be respectful and follow a code of etiquette - both on and off the golf course.
One thing I really liked about golf even back in the 1970's is the attire. Back then my heroes were Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and of course Arnie Palmer.
These players dressed colorfully (Gary Player, although not so colorful, but the 'Black Knight' was ahead of his fashion time with his monochromatic black attire). I had little money to spend on clothes but my Mom was a great seamstress and would make me golf pants in bright red, yellow and green. There were no jeans or t shirts. I still like looking stylish on the golf course. Granted some clothes simply don't translate off the course.
Again, Rodney Dangerfield's attire in Caddyshack comes to mind.
Lesson 4: Look good on (and off) the golf course and express yourself to the extent you still feel comfortable.
When I started playing competitor golf in high school, my Dad would always tell me to play with someone better at the game than you. He was right. There sure were times when I got beaten pretty badly in a round; however, this forced me to focus and do the best I could.
The USGA handicap index is a wonderful and unique aspect of the game of golf. The index effectively 'equalizes' golfers of all skills. It essentially fosters higher handicap players to play with lower handicap players.
Lesson 5: In golf, business and life, try to be with people who are better than you.
Well, these are my five lessons. I hope they might be of use to some of you.
See you next time!