HAWAII ROCKS!

I recently went to Hawaii. I love that place. Kauai is my favorite of all of the islands. I have been to the others a few times, but I have been to Kauai.....let's just say many times! I love to go and relax, hike, take drives and, of course, play golf. Why golf you ask?

Golf is a game of true character. To many it looks like you whack at a ball and chase it all over the place, and you do. But it is more than that. Let me explain......

In other sports the opponent is regarded as the enemy. We seek, by our actions, to disable him. In tennis our stroke defeats him; in football our tackle lays him out. The golfer, on the other hand, is never directly affected by his opponent's actions. He comes to realize that the game is not against a friend or foe; but it is against himself. It doesn't matter if there is a grandstand full of people or a national TV audience or if he is by himself. That fearful ever-resistant self that freezes, chokes, swears, shanks, hits it thin or fat. Yes, it is that self that we must defeat.

In baseball, a batter, knowing a pitch to be over the plate, will argue vociferously with an umpire to the opposite effect, trying to avoid having a strike called on him. The tennis player will bitterly contest a line call he knows to be fair, the football player (never a BYU Cougar...right?) vehemently declares his innocence of a penalty he knows he committed. In other words, they will flat out lie and do it deliberately; to gain a selfish advantage. It is only in golf that players routinely call penalties on themselves.

So if you want to know the character of a man, don't trust a word out of his mouth. Play golf with him. If he cheats in golf he will cheat in life. If his actions on the course are honest, then he has integrity. That's my philosophy. That is why I went to Hawaii by myself so no one could see me cheat and cuss (just kidding about the cheating part).

My favorite golfers are Tiger Woods and Payne Stewart. Payne I love because he had A.D.D. Golf is a game of focus, and Payne had no focus. However, during his last tournament he won the 1999 U.S. Open, the toughest tournament the professionals play. As he hugged his wife, he clutched her close and told her for the first time in his career he was able to focus on all of his putts. He told a defeated Phil Mickelson (Phil's wife pregnant with their first child on the way) there is nothing like being a father and golf is just a game. Payne tragically died when his plane went down on October 25, 1999. I will never forget that day.

Tiger is just that, Tiger. He is the opposite of Payne Stewart. He has the ability to focus more than anyone in the profession. One day, I will focus....wait; what was I talking about? Tiger was named after his father and the man who saved his father's life in combat. His dad was his hero just like I hope I am lucky enough to be to my children. Tiger will make it seem as though he is stalking you on the course, but he is playing his game. He gets others to lose their focus and then it is over. He trains harder than anyone, he works harder than anyone, he plays better than anyone, but he laughs and loves more than anyone. Pretty cool!

One of these days I will learn how to post pictures and will show the beauty of the island. If I can't, anyone wanting to go just let me know because I always need an excuse to go..........