Metaphysical Golf?

Two or three years ago when I was telling a friend that I had not seen for quite a while that I had become a golf nut, she asked me what other deviant behaviors I had picked up. We had a laugh but I remain unrepentant. Yes, I know that golf courses take up acres of land. And I know that they all use lots of water and that many of them use way too many chemicals. (Although to be fair, there is a movement towards organic course management which will win out in the end the same as organic farming for the simple reason that it is better.) I also know that golf is considered by many to be the epitome of uncoolness. In my hair-to-the-waist days I could not have conceived of myself golfing.

There is something about the game of golf, however, that once you get a taste of it can keep you swinging for a lifetime. It is said that golf is not a game, it is a direction that you take in life, and any golfer will smile to hear that. Golf, among the many sports to choose from, lends itself perhaps most easily to a meditative practice. All of sport, to one degree or another, is an exercise in getting into the zone.

We have probably all experienced the zone at least a few times. It is hard to describe but you know it when you are in it. If you've ever shot a basketball at the hoop or thrown a wad of paper at a wastebasket and known as you let it go that it was going in, then you have touched it. The zone is that place where you know you are in synch with the universe and that what you do will work. Any professional athlete can tell you in their own words how they experience it.

Golf is not really played against an opponent. There is no one to get something past. No one is defending against you. When you step up to take a shot there is only you, your club and the ball. The feeling of the perfect or near perfect shot is something you will seek to recreate the rest of your life. The hardest few inches on any golf course is that space between the ears and here is where the game transcends sport and becomes as a meditation. Indeed, when I play I seek to approach each shot in much the same manner as in a Zen tea ceremony, being fully present in the moment. If the mind is racing or the emotions are raging then the swing is not likely to be any more controlled.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to interview and play a round of golf with Tim Gallwey, the author of The Inner Game of Golf (and tennis, skiing, music and other endeavors). His approach is much the same as mine. When you are learning, it is appropriate but not even necessary to get a few lessons -- but once past that, it is most important to get out of the way and let the body do its thing. If you tried to walk down a flight of stairs by thinking about every move of your muscles, you would surely fall. Any sport, indeed any activity, can lend itself to the practice of consciously seeking to enter the zone, golf perhaps most of all.

Another must-read for the metaphysical golfer is Michael Murphy's Golf in the Kingdom. Murphy, who went on to become one of the co-founders of the Esalen Institute at Big Sur, California, wrote an account of a (probably fictional) encounter with a golf master named Shivas Irons at the Mecca of golf in Scotland. Reading the book, I was struck by how much the narrative seemed like Carlos Castaneda's encounter with Don Juan in his first book. I was even more surprised when I discovered that Murphy's book predated Castaneda's. There is an annual Shivas Irons event that takes place on the west coast every summer that I want to attend one of these years. It is well established and on one of the days they actually play at Pebble Beach which is one of the premier courses in the US. There is another book, which is hard to find, titled The Legend of Bagger Vance. It is essentially The Bhagavad Gita set on a golf course, and this book deserved much more attention than it got. Perhaps it will develop a following over the years as Golf in the Kingdom did.

Closer to home, I was interested to find in a catalog for The Infinity Institute an event called The Zen of Golf. Of course I found it irresistible and attended a morning session put on by Joe Bosco, one of the owners of Green to Tee, a golf school in the metaphysical tradition that is located in Northbrook. Green to Tee teaching methods are not what one expects when going to a golf pro for a lesson. Tossing bean bags and practicing swinging to the beat of a soundtrack may draw funny looks from some of the regular golfers but anyone, from a teaching pro to the person who has yet to touch a club, will benefit from a session with Joe and his associates. I do not often personally endorse, but for Green to Tee I am willing to make this exception. See the following paragraph for contact information. Joe and I have talked about the possibility of co-sponsoring a midwest Shivas Irons event and metaphysical golfers among our readers should let me know of their interest.

The Infinity Foundation (847/ 400-1898) is having another Zen of Golf event with Green to Tee president Joe Bosco and Peter Donahue. The game of golf provides many opportunities for self reflection. It can be experienced not only athletically but as a present moment practice with flow and rhythm. Participate in learning how to golf with music and rhythm that allow you to move and swing instinctively and intuitively. Discover how energies you see, hear and feel increase your performance, making golf simple, effective and fun. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, enjoy learning this cutting edge golf technique and then put it into practice, playing nine holes. The group will meet back together for a post-round discovery and discussion. Green to Tee is an accredited golf school recognized by the PGA.

Green to Tee can be contacted directly at 847 / 405-9800 -- tell them Guy sent you.

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