Parallels Between the Game and Getting Older
There’s something sacred about walking the course. Sure, carts are convenient, and some days your knees are begging for a ride. But when you lace up your shoes, throw your bag over your shoulder (or push it alongside), and take those first steps down the fairway, the game changes.
It slows down. It breathes.
Walking the course gives you time to think—not just about your next shot, but about everything else life throws your way. It’s quiet between the trees. There’s no rush between holes. And whether you’re walking with friends or on your own, there’s a rhythm to it that feels familiar—especially in mid-life.
Step by Step, Round by Round
In your 20s, golf is about power and potential. In your 30s, it’s about improvement. By the time your 40s and 50s roll around, the game starts to mirror the rest of life: less about speed, more about appreciation.
You stop running to the next tee. You stop obsessing over every swing. And somewhere along the back nine of life, you realize the walk is the point.
Every round is different—like every season of life. Some days you’re feeling strong, firing pins and splitting fairways. Other days it’s a grind. You’re off tempo, stuck in your head, wondering why you play at all.
But you keep walking. And that alone is something worth celebrating.
The Space Between Shots
One of the quiet gifts of walking the course is the time it gives you between shots. That space lets you reset, process, breathe. In life, we don’t get enough of that. We rush from one thing to the next—meetings, family, obligations. Golf offers a pause, and walking brings it into focus.
You can have a bad hole, then spend five minutes walking it off—literally. By the next tee box, maybe things feel a little lighter. The same goes for life. Mistakes happen. Bad breaks. Slices into the trees. But you keep moving forward.
Because that’s what we do.
The Lessons Between the Lines
Some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had didn’t happen at home or over coffee. They happened between the 3rd and 4th hole, or while waiting for the green to clear. Life opens up when you’re not staring directly at it. And walking a round of golf gives you just enough distraction to let the truth sneak out.
That’s a big part of what inspired my book, Nine Holes of Wisdom—a reflection on how the game of golf teaches us about life, not through trophies or swing mechanics, but through the quiet moments in between.
If you’ve ever found clarity mid-round or discovered something about yourself while trudging up the 16th fairway, you know what I mean.
Keep Walking
Whether you’re chasing a better score or just trying to stay active, walking the course is more than a fitness choice—it’s a mindset. A commitment to the long way around. To presence. To growth.
So here’s to the walk. The steps between shots. The parallels between golf and getting older. And to the quiet truth that sometimes, the best parts of the game—and of life—aren’t in the scorecard, but in the space between.
See you on the fairway.
—Kurt
MidLifeGolf.com