Jay Revell writes in his book and blog of nine virtues of golf. His nine virtues are divided into three groups, namely, foundation virtues (which are accountability, integrity, and patience), attitude virtues (which are humility, gratitude and confidence) and realization virtues (which are generosity, respect, and wisdom). Most of these are relatively straight forward if you are familiar with golf. I will briefly explain to those who are not. You are the only one swinging the club, you are the only one that can be blamed and nothing and no one else (accountability). You need to follow the rules of golf, even if it seems unfair; if the opportunity presents itself to cheat one must not (integrity). Golf is not a race, a destination, or a quick game; instead, it is a marathon, a journey, a lifetime’s patience. You cannot play the same game Tiger Woods is playing, you must know your own limits and what you can achieve (humility). If one adopts golf as a lifestyle, it should be a constant reminder that it is a privilege to play the game and that it can be your last game (gratitude). Doubting your own abilities will lead to a disastrous round; thinking about bad shots will lead to bad shots (confidence). As Jay Revell writes “[t]o be a golfer is to be a giver”; one needs to give more than you are going to receive (generosity). A golfer should respect other golfers, the course, his/her clubs and the rules; golf is inherently a sport of respect. Again Jay Revell writes beautifully poetic that “[h]eavy is the bag that is filled with the collection of these lessons from a lifetime in golf”; golf teaches the golfer lessons of life, he/she should just be open to receive these lessons (wisdom).

To these nine virtues, I want to add three more under the label of Edifying virtues. These virtues are: Altruism, Adaptability, and Humour. I will now briefly explain them and why I think they are as important as the nine of Jay Revell. (Some of them might overlap, but the more nuanced one’s understanding is, the better, in my view at least.)

Altruism

Altruism is defined as the “disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others”. In golf, you are playing alone and only for yourself, but you are playing on the course that others also play. Leaving the bunker unraked, not repairing your pitch mark on the green, or filling your divot on the fairway, will inevitably make the course unplayable for the other players. By repairing the course and giving the course back to the other players in the same condition as you found it, you will act altruistically. You will act in such a way as to enhance the well-being of other golfers. It will not reward you in any shape or form to fill your divot with sand, or to repair the pitch mark on the green, but you will care for other players. Others will also care about your well-being. Everyone will thus play the course in good condition even though no one gets a direct reward for this altruistic behaviour. One might link this virtue with respect, but I think there is a crucial difference between respect and altruism. Respect leads to altruistic behaviour. In other words, having respect for the course or others will lead you to act in such a manner as to enhance the well-being of others with no direct reward.

Adaptability

Golf is inherently about adapting to new environments. I always use the example of studying for an examination. You can do all the preparation work (read: practice at the driving range); you can do old examination papers as exercise (read: practice different lies or slopes on the green); you can read all the relevant work (read: study other and professional golfers); but you will never be fully prepared if the examiner asks a question you are unfamiliar with (read: there will always be a lie you have never had before, a shot you have never practised). The golfer will need to be able to adapt, he/she will need to use all of their previous knowledge and practise sessions to help him/her play the shot. This is not easy and someone without true love for this sport will not understand. But the golfer who loves the game will understand that he/she will need to adapt to every new situation. He/she will need to keep calm and stay focused. This virtue is very close to what Aristotle the philosopher called phronesis or practical wisdom. Other than Jay Revell’s idea of wisdom, adaptability is more practical than acquiring knowledge.

Humour

Any true golfer will need to have a good sense of humour. Golf will teach you to have a good sense of humour if you did not have it. Sometimes you hit the best shot of your life, you can feel, hear and feel that the shot was perfect. Sometimes it will end up in the hole or right next to it, but sometimes it will hit the flagstick and bounce into the water or the bunker. You cannot get mad at this unlucky turn of events; you can only laugh at the sheer unlikelihood of that event. Hitting the perfect shot in golf is already an unlikely event, in the sense that so many mechanical parts need to “click” together to make the swing “work”. Hitting the perfect shot then sometimes feels like a lucky feat. If that lucky feat and your swing come together to make that perfect shot, and a bird flies in front of the ball or you hit the flagstick or your club breaks, you can only stand back and laugh at what just occurred.

Golf is a Game of Virtues

One can probably list countless virtues regarding the game of golf. Some are required to play the game; some are taught to you via the game of golf. In any case, the game is a humbling sport; one that takes your entire life to try to master but that you never achieve. When you think you have mastered or won the game of golf, she will beat you back to the ground.