Golf & Mental Health
Well, to be honest, this is not where I expected my first post to go. June was planned to be a big month for Longleaf Golf. Launch a North Carolina based & golf-focused digital media platform the same month the U.S. Open was set to return to storied Pinehurst No. 2. A beautifully designed masterpiece that winds superbly through the land of the pine. All of that will come; I’ll deep-dive into the building momentum heading into the North Carolina sandhills in due time. There has been, however, an event that is more important than writing about majors and PGA Tour events. I’m talking of course about the unlikely passing of Grayson Murray.
Murray, from Raleigh, North Carolina, was the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii champion. He had been open about his struggles in the past. He seemed to be moving to a great spot in his life. He was recently engaged and had established his PGA Tour playing exemption through 2026. A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, and three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner, his professional career was showing no signs of slowing down. I won’t claim to know more about the 30-year old from Raleigh than what has been made readily available to the media via the PGA Tour, his playing partners, and the statement from his family. I also do not know the pressures he felt as a professional athlete.
My point here is that anyone, regardless of their outward appearance, can have deeply hidden struggles. I’ve been there. Keeping things as far down below the surface as possible. Some outlets for me, such as alcohol, have been easier to grab and use to cover up those struggles. I know, now, that the physically unhealthy habits are just as bad for your mental health. Relationships and healthy outlets are incredibly important, especially as the weight of life increases. Golf presents a great opportunity to refocus yourself. It also gives you a unique opportunity for lengthier conversations.
The conversations we have on the golf course amongst our playing partners does not have to always be very deep. It should, though, be deep enough to make sure those teeing it up alongside you are doing OK. And if they aren’t? Ask how you can help, or what they need to make that burden a little easier to carry. I missed these opportunities with a really close friend, someone with whom I teed it up dozens upon dozens of times. We never let the on-course conversation get too deep. Recent events make me wish I had been willing to have those conversations. To figure out what I could do to help. Golf was the platform, the arena, the stage for those conversations to occur. Four or more hours, the two of us in a cart, with nothing better to do than shoot the breeze and swing a club at a little white ball.
Golf can also help you focus on your own mental health. It can help you clear your head. Spending a few hours outside, hopefully with warm or decent weather, helps knock rust off of the soul. It allows for introspection. Something many of us find on the outside of our busy schedules. I tell my wife, I honestly do not play golf as a break from the kids. I cannot wait for the day they’re old enough to join me on the course. It gives me a chance to connect with myself, my friends, and simply be outside while enjoying a round of golf. Sure, I may come home frustrated because of my score. But that does not take away from the benefits gained from those minutes spent on the course or on the driving range.
I’ll close with this thought. Whether playing with a group of friends or solo, carve out the time to think about your mental health. What’s weighing you down or heavy on your mind? Do you have someone to talk to about this? Maybe you know something is weighing on a friend. Take them out for a 9-hole round and make sure to check on them. If they don’t play golf, then give them a call or set up a time to talk in person. We all need that connection and conversation to make sure our mental health is in a proper place. Anyone can struggle, but not everyone can see the struggle.
If you, or anyone you know may be struggling, know there his help by dialing 988 or visiting http://988lifeline.org/
