A heartfelt take on how the game keeps life balanced
Life moves fast. Kids grow up, careers evolve, responsibilities pile up, and before you know it, you’re deep in the weeds—mentally, emotionally, sometimes even spiritually. And for me, golf is the one place where everything slows down just enough for me to catch up with myself.
I’m not talking about the competition or the scorecard. I’m talking about what golf does beneath all that. How it lets me breathe. How it gives me space to think. How it quietly resets something in me that I didn’t even realize was off-kilter.
As a dad, I’ve learned there’s no manual. You try to be present, supportive, available, and somehow still fun. That’s a tall order when life is loud and the world doesn’t slow down for anyone. But when I step onto the first tee, that noise softens. Golf gives me time to process everything I’ve been carrying—conversations I need to have, moments I want to hold onto, and ways I can keep showing up better for my family. The rhythm of the round becomes a sort of mental clearinghouse. By the time I’m walking up 18, I feel lighter. More focused. More like the dad I want to be.
As a husband, it’s the same. Golf doesn’t replace connection at home—but it does help me come back to the dinner table more centered. I don’t need a retreat in the mountains or a week off the grid. Sometimes, all I need is a Saturday morning tee time, a couple of buddies, and a few solid swings to reset the dial. Golf keeps my edges soft and my spirit steady. And let’s be honest—my wife can always tell when I haven’t played in a while. I come home calmer, clearer, and more capable of being present where it counts.
And as a human being? Golf is my mirror. It humbles me. It reminds me I’m not in control of everything. That I can do everything right and still get a bad bounce—or do everything wrong and somehow knock it to two feet. It forces patience. It builds gratitude. It teaches me to move forward after mistakes, to recover, to laugh at the absurdity of life and scorecards alike.
Golf doesn’t ask me to be perfect. It just invites me to show up.
That’s why I keep playing. Not for the numbers, or the gear, or the Instagram-worthy swing. I play because the course reminds me who I am. It holds a little space for me to be a dad, a husband, and a man who’s still figuring it out—and somehow, doing okay.
So no matter how busy life gets, no matter how full the calendar looks, I’ll always carve out time for this game. Because golf doesn’t just keep me grounded.
It keeps me whole.
—Kurt
MidLifeGolf.com
Photo by Peter Drew on Unsplash