I saw a mind-blowing statistic earlier this year. For the first time in the history of the Official World Golf Rankings, the top five players were all under 30 years old. Three of those guys, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, and Scottie Scheffler are all 25 or younger.
Not only have these guys won in bunches on the professional tours, but they won a lot in college, and even more as junior golfers. They all started playing, winning, and dedicating their lives to golf at a very early age. They are golfing machines with no fear, no scar tissue, and all the talent in the world. Not a bad combination, eh?
Ok, so let’s go through a little thought experiment now. Do me a favor now try to picture the OPPOSITE of this archetype…
Maybe you’re imagining someone in their early to mid 30’s, played some competitive golf as a junior (never won), played collegiately at a very small college (won once), hasn’t had any real success in local amateur events, has worked a corporate job for over a decade (data guy), and at one point didn’t pick up a club for nearly two years while living in New York City.
Now sprinkle in the responsibilities of being a father to a twenty-month old little boy, a husband who holds his wife’s happiness above all else, and a dog dad to two energetic Portuguese Water dogs.
Do you have that image firmly planted in your head? Good…because what I’m about to say next is probably going to make you think (perhaps even mumble out loud) ”you’re fu***in crazy”.
That “old” man (me) is going to try and become a professional golfer. Even crazier, that old man is going to try and become a professional golfer with aspirations to play at the highest possible level. I’m attempting to compete with the hordes of young, athletic, over-coached specialists who have no other responsibilities than to get a white ball in a small round hole hundreds of yards away.
I am choosing to chase a dream that refuses to simply slip away into the ether like all my others. I am putting aside fear and perhaps even logic (for the first time in my life, might I add) to go after what I truly want. I’m not it in it for the money (nice perk) or the adulation of adoring fans. I am doing this because there is nothing that makes me feel more alive than tournament golf. The highs, the lows, the mental challenge of playing 18 holes with the sole intent of writing the lowest possible number on the scorecard when you’re done. The battle with nature, IN nature. The competition against yourself and the man who designed and crafted the playing field with hyper-specific intention. The drive to be better than you were the round prior, or the day prior, or even the shot prior. THAT is what I love.
I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I know the people close to me do. And that’s fair! Nothing special happens without a bit of skepticism. I’ll answer those question in future posts, but for now, my ask is this …
… come along on this journey with me and my family. Share it with the folks in your lives grappling with their own decisions to chase the dream, whatever it may be.
If my journey can inspire a single person to do something that makes them happier and more fulfilled, then I’ve accomplished something with this project. I can’t wait to share every step of the way with y’all and thank you for your support.
Welcome to Hazard’s Ascent.