zach johnson, aaron baddeley, kevin streelman

Monday evening, I had the opportunity to hear some stories from some great golfers and golf coaches. Brandel Chamblee from the Golf Channel hosted the evening. It was a relaxed, conversational look at life on the tour. Zach Johnson talked about hitting a cut-3 iron, a blind shot on number 11 at Augusta – and at that point had a good idea he would win the Masters. Aaron Baddeley talked about about winning his first US Tour event on Easter Sunday, the day after his 1-year anniversary to his wife. Kevin Streelman talked about finishing the first round of Q-school 4-under on the last 5 holes…just making it to the second round. He went on to win the Kodak challenge last year. Stan Utley told how he became the number one short game coach in the world: simply by helping the people around us. He admitted that he’ll stand behind a pro during a lesson and pray: God, help me know what to say next to help this guy out. Dr. David Cook talked about how he helps golfers from around the world with the mental side of the game: See it, Feel it, Trust it. But the thing that stuck with me the most is the way each of these golfers and coaches reminded us of a simple principle: it’s just golf…it’s only a game. They talked about having a healthy perspective on life and continually reminding themselves that who they are is not what they do for a living. Their value and worth has nothing to do with the money they make or the trophies they win. Aaron had a tough year in 2009 on tour – but he told the crowd that it was one of the best years he’s ever had personally. It reminds me of something Rob Bell said in ‘Drops Like Stars’: Even the failed pieces are necessary.

Looking forward to following these guys at the Phoenix Open this week.

If you haven’t read Golf’s Sacred Journey, pick it up and read it.