Of Golf and Bibles

Is it painful for golfers to hear about golf during winter months? As an avowed non-golfer, I don’t know.  As a bitter former-golfer, I hope it hurts a little.

I was reading something Brian Larson wrote about yardage books. A yardage book is a map of each hole on a golf course that gives distances from various landmarks on the hole to the green. This helps golfers pick the right club for each shot. Along with the maps many pro golfers will keep a journal of details, such as how they have played each hole of the course, and what happened to their shots.

How important is that book?

Golfer Steve Marino says, "You see what you did in the past, you make sure you have the right number and then trust all of it, because the room for error is nil."

Scott Vail, caddie for Brandt Snedeker, says, "There are huge ramifications if you are just 1 yard off."

Zach Johnson, winner of the 2010 Colonial, says, "I feel naked without it out there. It's my golf bible."

I guess that’s what my old golf game was lacking; a yardage book, a caddy, and a professional golfer to hit for me.

Wouldn't it be nice to have yardage books for life? An answer book for all those personal and tough questions, such as: Should I look for another job or keep this one? How should I invest my money? Who should I marry? Should I go to this or that school? Should we buy this house? According to what my friend Brian wrote, “God hasn't chosen to work with us in that way. He has given us an essential book of guidance that we can't do without, but we still have to use judgment in how to apply what it teaches. Most important, we need to be walking with God in prayer and trust.”

Exact answers to every question in advance would make life easier. But that information would also reduce our daily dependence. Proverbs 22:19 speaks of when God’s wisdom is revealed, and says: “So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today—yes, to you.” God’s wisdom is often not revealed far in advance. Instead, he makes it known today, the day you need it.

For those of us who like to know the exact yardage for every shot, that can be unsettling. But ambiguity should arouse dependence and stimulate prayer. The purpose? “So that your trust may be in the Lord.”