These Guys are Good!

That was the tag line for commercials done by the Professional Golfers Association, promoting professional golfers and their tournaments. Yesterday, because of a gift from friends, I, along with my fellow pastor, were able to attend a PGA event in Akron, OH: The Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. I had never been to a professional golf tournament before, and it was a truly amazing experience. Part of the fun was being with a great friend and my pastoring partner in ministry, Steve. We had the day to just hang out together and talk about sports, etc.

We were at the tournament from the first tee off at 8:30 a.m. until the last group finished the final hole, after 6 p.m. We weren't sure exactly how we should follow the golf, so we did a little of everything. We sat at one of the tee off holes, in the bleachers and watched guys hit their opening tee shots. When Phil Mickelson came by (my favorite player), we followed him for about 6 holes, watching him tee off, and then walking up to where his next shot would probably land. After that we put ourselves in position to watch several players play a couple of different fairways, including Tiger Woods, who the majority of spectators were following.

This allowed me to be very close for a couple of shots from players that went wide, right to the place I was standing. So, I got to see their facial expressions, hear the things they said, and watch how they prepared for and then executed their shot. We also stood at a couple of the greens to watch guys approach with their shots and shoot their putts; as well as find places where we could watch one set of players putt and another set of players tee off at the same time.
Finally, we settled ourselves in the bleachers on the 18th hole and watch several players finish their day.

In between some of the watching, we also got to experience some golf, in one of the trailers that Bridgestone, the hosts of the tournament provided. We got to drive some golf balls, in a simulator, which showed how far your ball would go, where it would have landed and some other details about your hit. The furthest I hit a ball landed about 230 yards and rolled another 40 yards, and straight! Another booth was hitting a certain kind of golf ball that you would normally use and they would electronically figure out how far it would go and where it would go; and then they have you hit their newest golf ball that they are trying to market and tell you if that ball performed better. The best thing about that booth was that they gave each person 2 new golf balls. I wonder how long it will take for me to lose these! And in the final booth, they had a golf professional giving free golf lessons. So, I got a free, 5 minute golf lesson. I'm pretty sure I would actually have to practice to put his suggestions into play, so there probably won't be much improvement; but it was fun anyway.

Some observations from my day at Firestone:

• These guys are good. Since I am a duffer golfer, really appreciate watching these guys up close, seeing how they can hit the ball, so far, so accurately. It is amazing
• My favorite player is a nice guy. On the very first hole, I wasn't far from Phil Mickelson's preparation for his second shot. But, before he shot his second one, he took time to acknowledge this playing partners second shot, saying "nice shot". That seemed rare to me, and I didn't hear that the rest of the day from any of the other players. That impressed me that Phil would take the focus off his own shot for just a moment to encourage a younger player
• Tiger Woods is still the most popular player, but as I considered the temporary, nature of golf, I remembered that how he lives his life off the course, and his decision to either follow Christ or his own desires is really what matters.
• Being outside, in God's created world, in a place where the owners of the property have done an excellent job of making things beautiful, is very enjoyable and pleasing to just relax in.
• Experiences in life are always more enjoyable when you do it with friends. Thanks Steve
• Many things I possess and many fun experiences I have like this, are because of the incredible people in my life who think of me and give me thing (like this golf experience) that I don't deserve: thanks Nate and Amy!
• During the day, I was talking to God and saying to Him: Thank you God for this day, for this moment, for this enjoyable experience. Thank you for your loyalty, your truth, your faithfulness. Help me to take one day, one moment at a time, and live it completely for you. You are true, you are holy, you are my refuge and strength. I trust in you with all I have and all I am.

These guys are good, but God is better; and golf is fun, and some of these guys are rich and famous; but knowing and living for God is eternally better. How blessed I am!