Golf is an interesting game — it’s full of failure with brief glimpses of success. What other sport or game do you play where your success rate is so low? Think about it, we technically miss almost every shot that we hit … in reality, we only “make” 18 shots per round — the others are all “misses.” Bear with me here — this article is actually about how great golf is even though it’s full of failure.

A couple years ago, I had a young student who was a perfectionist; he expected every shot to be the right height, distance and curvature. That’s simply not realistic — even the pros on TV don’t execute at that level. He was setting an unachievable goal. By definition, a goal should be achievable, measurable, task-oriented and have a defined timeline. Even after some heavy mental coaching, this particular student stepped away from the game for a little bit but did eventually return with a different outlook and is now enjoying the game for different reasons. Golf is hard and can be painfully disappointing, but it can also be extremely rewarding. I think golf checks at least one of these boxes for every player:

• Social Golfer: The game is a way to spend time with friends. The camaraderie created on the golf course is unmatched and can last a lifetime — most other sports can’t fulfill that second part.
• Competitive Golfer: The player who loves competition. It doesn’t just have to be a formal or monetary competition; it could just be for bragging rights over your buddy.
• Escapist: The game can provide an escape from the daily grind. For some, golf can be a distraction and an opportunity to relax … it’s the old saying — a bad day on the golf course is better than a good day in the office.
• Grinder: This is the player who loves trying to master the game. That might be through lessons, beating balls, or the endless pursuit of making the perfect swing.

Personally, I enjoy golf for all four reasons. The competitive box can easily be the most frustrating as it’s filled with the most failure. The grinder box comes in second in this particular category — especially if your efforts are misguided and you aren’t seeing results. I’ve experienced just about every kind of up and down that golf could possibly throw at you. From winning an STPGA event to loosing in a playoff in another STPGA event at my home course to working on my game all year to compete in the PGA Professional Championship only to miss the cut. The highs are just high enough to keep you coming back for more. By the way, this is all relative — for some players, these highs and lows are that first time breaking 90 then instantly shooting in the 100s again two days later. Golf is funny like that — the high handicapper says, “I’d be happy if I could just break 80 every time.” However, that’s not true … once you get to that point, you want to break 70, then you want to break 70 all the time, and so on. It doesn’t end — there’s always a pursuit for something better, which is just one of the things that makes golf awesome.

The social side is pretty simple and our 9-hole ladies at Cordillera Ranch are the perfect example. Many of them are new to the game and while they enjoy playing a little competition, they enjoy each other’s company even more. Many of our guys’ groups are the same — we’ve got a few groups who like to play early in the morning and, while they may gamble a bit, it just helps add to the fodder. Golf is what connected them in the first place and has become a vehicle to grow their friendship. On top of that, they are always open to having new members join their game. We have another group of guys that like to play around noon and who don’t really gamble, but you can always count on seeing them in the Men’s Grille before and after their round just about every day. Golf has become part of their daily routine and the Club has become their version of “Cheers.”

Golf is hard, but it can provide way more than just the challenge of the game. I can’t think of any other sport or activity that connects people the way that golf does — I’ve played with teachers, mechanics, musicians, professional athletes and a past president. Regardless of social or economic background, all golfers fall into at least one of the buckets above and have one thing in common — a love for the game.

Corey Roberson is the Director of Golf at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at croberson@cordilleraranch.com and 830.336.4653.