Whenever I am asked about my interests, I always hesitate. I want to respond with some intellectual passion I’ve been working on for my whole life. The truth is, I always respond with golf. To a lot of people, it is just a leisurely sport heavily stigmatized with the image of old white men gambling and drinking at 11 am. However, to me, golf is so much more. I’ve had many different hobbies and interests over the years, but none of them ever came close to captivating me the way the game of golf does. Am I good at golf? Not particularly. Do I love the game? Absolutely. There are so many aspects of the game that fuel my obsession. However, my actual performance on the course is only a small part of it.
One aspect that I love is the social part of it. A typical round of golf is four hours, which leaves plenty of time for good conversation and shared experiences. Whether it be my dad, friends, or even the people I caddy for, I love walking 18 with good people. No one is on their phone, and everyone is living in the moment. Distractions are left behind on the course, which is a rare occurrence in the busy world that we live in today.
That brings me to the next aspect I love, the courses. To play a round, you must walk around 18 holes filled with nature. I love the ambiance that the course creates. It makes me feel like I entered a different world temporarily. Admittedly, after playing the same course a multitude of times, the effect it has on me diminishes. However, whenever playing a new course I am awestruck. I remembered back to when I played Lahinch. I was so excited to play this course, and I knew it would be amazing. Despite this, the beauty of the scenery still blew me away. The sun sparkling against the blue ocean and the windswept dunes towering over the course filled me with joy. That day, I didn’t care how I played, for I was surrounded by beauty.
Like I said before, my actual performance does provide for a small part of my love for the game. For me, it does not matter how good I am. I try not to compare myself to my peers, for some of them have been playing much longer and acquired many more skills. I just focus on trying to be better than I was last time. What new swing tip can I try today? What are ways I can stay mentally tough? These are questions I will ask before playing golf. If I end up playing horribly, I usually get very frustrated. I wonder how I have played for so long and still make the same mistakes. Recently I realized that performance in golf is not a linear progression, but rather a series of ups and downs. On a journey through good rounds and bad rounds, I am constantly building on the set of skills obtained from each round that I have played before. This journey to get better never ends, and it is what keeps me coming back time after time.
To me, golf is definitely a valid interest. Each time I play, my love for the game grows. I’m not sure why I feel like I have to justify this interest as if it is unworthy. Maybe it is because I actually enjoy it, and it is not some fabricated interest that someone would put on a college application. It is something that brings me joy and comfort. It is a game that physically and intellectually challenges me, and it has helped me grow into the person I am today.
My Growth as a Writer 