TL;DR:
- A favorite movie quote about golf inspires reflection on personal growth and reconnecting with one’s passion.
- Golf memories with family and friends highlight the emotional significance of the sport.
- Finding one’s “authentic swing” symbolizes discovering true self and joy in life.
One of my all-time favorite movie quotes comes from a film that did not perform well when it came out. And I’ve found that a lot of people (maybe most people) have never actually seen it.
I’m not sure why it sticks with me like it does. Maybe because it’s about golf (it’s about more than golf, but golf happens to be the sport that is played). My dad has golfed for as long as I can remember, and some of my most cherished and clear memories are of being on the course with him, even when I wasn’t playing, but just driving the cart with him.
Maybe it’s because one of my best childhood friends’ dad owned a small, 9-hole course in our hometown, and I spent a good part of my high-school days hitting terrible shots all over that place. It’s possibly because golf is what has reconnected me with another old friend of mine, and after 10+ years of not seeing him, we now play together once a month.
Or, maybe it’s because this one quote, I believe, connects to so much more than golf.
“Inside each and every one of us, is one, true, authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that is ours and ours alone. Something that can’t be taught to you or learned. Something that got to be remembered. Over time, the world can rob us of that swing. It gets buried inside us, under all our woulda’s and coulda’s and shoulda’s. Some folk even forget what their swing was like.”
The Emotional Journey of Golf
When I think back to those days on that old 9-hole course, and all the times I threw a club because I was so frustrated, and wondered why the heck I kept trying to play this stupid game, what I actually remember is the time I chipped in for birdie on #7 from about 40 yards out. Or when my tee shot on #3 landed less than a foot from the hole. Or that unforgettable moment when I out-drove my older brother.
I remember the way it felt when a swing was just right. The way my feet were set, how I rotated my hips like a pro, and the way my wrists turned perfectly, ensuring the face of the club connected with the ball right in that sweet spot.
I remember how it didn’t sting my hands, but instead shot an almost superhuman strength through me. I remember feeling good, feeling confident, feeling like I had finally figured it out. Like I would finally stop being frustrated, angry, and planning to never put those spikes on again. I remember feeling strong, relaxed, and in an almost unreal place of happiness.
(Unfortunately, most times I would completely duff the next shot. Anger, stress, frustration, and self-doubt would set back in, and I’d be rushed back to that mental state I had just escaped from.)
Finding my swing again.
Over the past few years, I have gotten back into playing golf. I took close to 15 years off. Over the last 3-4 years, I’ve played maybe 5 times total. When I wrote this post initially for our EDUcreator Club Newsletter, I was heading to the driving range because the next day was going to be my 6th round last year. As I am updating this post today, I can celebrate that I ended last year with 13 rounds and am on track to double that this year.
Finding that swing is about finding your true, authentic self. It's about finding the harmony between you and the world around you. Click To TweetAnyway, as I was headed to the driving range that day, I was focused. I was diving into learning more and I was truly enjoying the game. I’ve continued to have some rough rounds. Really rough rounds. But I’ve also had some good ones, and some really good shots.
I’ve always struggled to hit my driver well. I’ve always had a terrible slice. That’s where my shots tend to go way to the right, rather than down the middle. This is very common, but also very frustrating. It was so bad and such a struggle when I was younger that I switched to teeing off with an iron instead. It severely limits my distance, but at least I lose fewer balls in the woods!
Anyway, that day at the range I decided I was just going hit a few with my driver. I’d been watching a lot of videos on how to fix a slice and I wanted to try them out. I went in telling myself I would try a few, and if it did not work and I got frustrated, I would just put it away and go back to irons.
Rediscovering My Passion
I hit a lot more than a few. I hit close to 70 balls. Most of those were terrible. Slicing way right or even just duffing them a few yards.
Then, I hit one to the left. Still not a great shot, but it was different..it was a little better. So maybe what I was trying was working, but I was just overcorrecting.
So I hit another, and another, and another. Left, right, left, right, left, right, and then…straight down the middle. Woah…that felt good! Like, real good!
Another one down the middle. This time, even further. Close to 300 yards. (For comparison, my drives with an iron only go around 200 yards.)
I continued to hit drive after drive. Not all down the middle, none of them perfectly, but all of them better than I have for 20+ years. More importantly, all of them feeling better and better, until I hit one that felt so good I had to stop and high-five the guy next to me. I did not know this guy, and he was confused, but I didn’t care.
Finally, I felt like I had found that swing that Bagger Vance was talking about. I felt relaxed, confident, and happy. I found that joy that I used to have when I would watch my dad golf. I found the joy I had forgotten. I found my swing.
Now, we’ll see how my next round goes. I still have a lot of work to do on my short game, but I feel so good about my game right now that every time I finish a round I cannot wait to get back out again.
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This is about golf…and it’s also not about golf.
Here’s the thing; your authentic swing is not always your golf swing. In fact, for most people, it has nothing to do with golf or any sport. Finding that swing is about finding your true, authentic self. It’s about finding the harmony between you and the world around you.
I’ve lost my swing so many times it’s hard to count. Yes, I’m talking about my golf swing, but I’m also not talking about my golf swing. I’m talking about my confidence, my belief in myself, the harmony in my life, and the happiness I know I deserve.
I’ve allowed all the duffs and slices and missed putts (in golf and in life) to blur and bury those 40-yard chips for birdie that remind me why I play this game. I’ve allowed the mistakes I’ve made to blind me to my successes. And I’ve allowed the stress and frustration of this world to stop me from finding the joy and happiness in life.
But I have also always found my authentic swing again. It’s not always easy to find, and sometimes it can take years to uncover again, but it’s still there, always there, waiting for you to remember it.
So if you’re feeling burnt out, beat down, or like you don’t remember what your authentic swing feels like, just keep swinging.
Don’t worry about hitting the ball or where it’s gonna go. Just keep swinging.
About Jeff Gargas
Jeff is the COO/Co-founder of the Teach Better Team and co-author of “Teach Better.” He works with educators to increase student engagement and improve student success. Jeff previously owned an online marketing firm, where he worked with entrepreneurs and small businesses. He is also a former adjunctive professor at Kent State University and spent 10+ years in the music industry.
