PGA Seniors Stableford at Haggs Castle
It’s been almost 2 months since my last outing due to one of my scheduled events not happening towards the end of April. Despite not being out on the course much I did have numerous conversations with friends and family regarding faith and truth.
The topic seems to be coming up more and more these days and I’m always keen to share the evidence I’ve found over the years.
Some more than others take on board what we discuss but I feel it’s important to keep reminding everyone that we are talking about truth and the impact it has for everyone.
I think the last time I played Haggs Castle was when I was still an amateur and the event was the Cameron Corbett Vase.
This was back in the 90s and I had a few recollections of the course but not many.
I was playing with two players I’d never met before, which was strange as we normally know everyone at these seniors’ events.
One of them had been in Germany over the past 30 years and had just come home, and the other had worked at the same club for nearly 30 years without playing much.
As we got going I managed to speak to both of them regarding my role with LGMS and learned that one of them did not have any faith whereas the other was very interested in the spiritual side of life.
As we finished the 1st hole he was keen to ask me many questions regarding my faith and this continued for most of the front 9.
It was refreshing to have someone be so interested in what I believed and why, and the fact I was able to answer his questions made him more interested.
I made him think by asking him who did he think this guy Jesus was?
Why are we still talking about him over 2000 years later when a mere carpenter should have been forgotten?
It’s great when you have this free-flowing conversation without any restriction and someone is so open to discussing it even though it’s not what they profess.
He had mentioned Buddism early in the round but I definitely gave him something to think about.
Our golf was fairly average and by the back 9 none of us were going to win, but it was almost as if that wasn’t important. We were enjoying the course and each other’s company and the conversation kept going back and forth from golf to life and faith.
It was really good and this was the ministry working the way it was meant to. After making a confession that he found the Bible difficult to read I recommended “The God Story” by Alain Emerson and Adam Cox.
It’s basically the Bible condensed into 200 pages and an easy read. He seemed very interested and it may just tip the scales for him.
As we finished our game in the evening sunshine I was pleased with how the day went. I played ok apart from 3 or 4 swings I would have like to have had another go at, but not bad considering the lengthy layoff.
More than that though it was great to have good conversation about my faith and this is a real joy when it comes. I’m sure I’ll connect with the guys again soon and I reiterated that I’m always available to chat should they want to explore things further. It was appreciated.
I also managed to catch up with someone who I’d not seen in over 20 years when passing the putting green on my way to the car park. He was a very good player, former international, and someone I used to order my equipment from. He doesn’t play much now but I was able to explain what I did with LGMS and for the 5 minutes we spoke he seemed mildly intrigued. We’ll see where that goes.
We keep going despite the trials and tribulations surrounding us and all God asks is that we don’t give up.
We may feel as though things will never get to where we want them to be but he continually asks us to keep going.
Despite our success, or lack of it, we only truly have contentment when we rest in the truth of who we are and what Jesus did for us.
This is why I don’t give up and keep going, appreciating the days like this when they come along.
We trust in you Lord, always.
Vincent Brown PGA Professional and LGMS Ambassador