The Barefoot Golfer
After the first hole, he always removed his shoes.
He owned the finest golf shoes but preferred grass to leather.
He was the barefoot golfer.
He was my father.
If you are not familiar with golf, it is played in shoes with
cleats, metal or plastic spikes that help keep your feet firmly
planted. My father wouldn't wear golf shoes. As soon as he
played the first hole and was out of sight of the clubhouse he
removed his fancy shoes. The golf course had an unspoken "no
shoes, no service" policy.
Why did my father play golf without shoes?
It began with something that he read. I don't know where he
read it, his room was a jumble of books on every subject that
could improve life. He said that every organ in the body has
nerve endings that terminate in the feet. When you walk on the
ground, especially if dew is still on it, it creates a very
small electrical current that energizes and helps the whole
body.
My father in his 70's would walk each morning in the wet grass
right after he finished standing on his head for 30 minutes.
Yes, he was a very unusual man.
He was by average terms a wealthy man. He had built a very
successful business. He had six sons (four became ministers)
and a wife that he had been married to for nearly 40 years.
He was one of the most highly respected businessmen in the city.
Yet, he played golf in bare feet.
He understood some things about being grounded that you would do
well to learn. Shoes won't do it. Yes, they help to firm up
your stance and theoretically should help your golf game, but
shoes don't make the difference in the real game of life.
My father was a physically small man. He stood about 5' 7"
tall. He moved the scale to only 145 pounds. He had an
extremely outgoing personality and could befriend anyone
anywhere. He found golf partners no matter where he traveled.
He didn't even have a fancy golf bag or a full set of clubs.
He carried only the bare essentials. He would team up with
strangers and join their group. They would eye him as someone
that would probably slow them down and diminish from the
challenge and fun of the game.
On the second hole when they saw him remove his shoes they would
glance at each other and wonder, "what kind of country player is
this?" His swing wasn't even standard. My father's right
shoulder was higher than his left. It came from many years of
delivering newspapers in his youth with the heavy bag of papers
slung over his shoulder.
He compensated for his shoulders with an awkward looking swing.
The other players thought at least he'd be fun with his wit and
smile if not a challenge.
The thing is, 95% of the time, he won.
By the time they got to the last hole, they knew that this
little man in bare feet was something to reckon with.
My father taught me that more often than not, the best way would
be different from the way of the crowd. "Learn truth my son,
and learn to walk in it," was his constant message to me.
Has life's burdens and circumstances made one of your shoulders
higher than the other?
You can still win, even with a handicap,
you just may need to swing differently.
So what if you don't have the fancy stuff?
You can still win.
So what if you don't even have any golf shoes?
You can still win.
Tensed up and stressed out?
Take a bit of advice from my father, the barefoot golfer.
Get up early in the morning while the grass is still wet.
Take off your shoes and spend ten minutes walking in the grass.
It's free. If you don't feel better - then what have you lost?
I recently bought a set of golf clubs to begin playing again.
I also bought a fancy pair of golf shoes.
I will wear those fancy shoes when I play,
On the first hole.
