The prompt asks how a experience, something you've tried, or a person you know has shaped your thinking. I am limited to 500 words so don't be afraid to rid the essay of unnecessary things!
Golf is a game where the mental aspect completely overwhelms the physical. When playing a round of golf, your score reflects how you played, not how your team played. There is no one for you to blame for a bad round except for yourself. When professionals play on television and they miss that important putt, there is no one to "pick up" the game and change the pace, the professional must get himself together. I have learned all of this after playing golf for nearly eight years. I learned certain values after playing certain rounds of golf. Golf has completely shaped the way I think, but it did not happen all at once.
My father took me out to play golf when I was about 10 years old. My dad taught me the basics of a swing and I was amazed at how many components there are to just swing the club. After weeks of practicing, I began to hit the balls. I was very frustrated that I could not hit the ball far. I threw fits and got angry. My dad told me that I needed to relax and focus on swinging the club and keeping my form. Every time I focused on my swing and concentrated, I would it farther. Golf taught me patience as I became more skilled. When playing on the course, after hitting many bad shots in a row, I would remain focused and slow myself down. Golf has taught me to be responsible for my round no matter the results. There are many possibilities where my ball would land after I hit it, which has taught me to be creative and evaluate how I would hit the shot. Learning how to play taught me important values, and it continued on when I began to compete.
When I began high school, my father made sure that I joined the golf team. As a freshman, I was already ranked third on the team. During tournaments, I would keep score for another person, who would also be keeping my score. After each hole, we would compare the scores we got for each other. I learned to be honest on the golf course, and to always correct the player if he had the wrong score for me. Golf presents many opportunities to cheat. If I hit my ball in too thick woods, I could easily bring another ball with me to drop. That would be a penalty that requires two strokes. Integrity became of the most important values I learned on the golf course. At a majority of these tournaments, my dad would come to watch me. I would get nervous and frustrated, and as I got older I learned to ignore every outside influence that surrounded me. Everything that golf has taught me, I have applied in my everyday life.
After nearly eight years of golf, the values golf taught me have become essential to my life. I have learned to remain patient in everything I do and to be responsible for all my actions. Golf has taught me to cancel things out whenever I need to focus, which has benefited my test taking abilities. When faced with a challenge, I assess all possibilities and creatively decide how to approach the challenge. Golf has taught me integrity in any situation I am put in. Golf has made me mentally strong and it has taught me to be accountable for my actions.
