Fooooreeee (Four) Lessons From a Random Game of Golf
On working hard, trusting the process and enjoying the fruits of your labour
At sixteen, a golf ball nearly took my eye and my life.
It also took my dream. I was going to be a club pro. Golf was my whole identity—and in one moment, it was gone.
Eventually I grew up, moved to Melbourne, and sold my clubs.
I thought I had left the game for good.
Last Saturday, for the first time in four years, I picked up a club again.
And it taught me four things I didn’t see coming (pun most certainly intended).
Introduction
Over the last 18 months, I have worked a lot.
Late nights, early mornings, taking call-backs on Sundays. I worked almost every Saturday (outside of funerals and holidays), as well as plenty of unpaid overtime every single night.
I could genuinely count the Saturdays I have had off on one hand.
Over the weekend, I reached a new milestone—my first Saturday with no work, by choice!
I took a Saturday off to play golf. A whole Saturday where I did not look at my work laptop at all. Probably the first time since starting at this company in December 2024.
This version of me was unfathomable for the majority of my life.
No, really.
I spent so long cutting corners and doing the least, simply cruising through life. But in these last 2 years, I have let go of that person. I found a job that I liked and that I was good at, and I spent every spare second improving my skills, working hard and most importantly, pushing myself to hit my sales number every month.
This effort and dedication seemed a little extreme to anyone watching from the outside, but I knew that it was a crucial ingredient to set myself apart. I also knew that this workload was only temporary.
The most interesting part is that I was invited (essentially forced) to take the day off by my boss!
Through accepting this invitation, I was reminded of some very important lessons.
Context
I used to be an obsessed golfer—like, obsessed obsessed!
Back in 2004/05, golf was my entire identity. I had visions of practicing every day and training up to become a club pro on the Gold Coast. I would play every day and night. Before school, after school and for the entire weekend.
A sudden and traumatic accident crushed my momentum.
I was struck in the eye with a golf ball at point-blank range. The ball was very close to taking my life (and my eye). Thankfully, I kept both, but I developed a fear of the game that severely hampered my ability to practice freely.
My dreams were cut short before they could begin.
After a small hiatus, I restarted the obsession in my late teens. Now in a different town, with a fresh start, I was able to play freely.
My love for the game returned, and I got pretty good (playing off a 3 handicap), but something was missing. Before the accident, my golf obsession had a purpose. It had direction. I had a goal pulling me forward.
I had great clubs, an awesome club where I honed my craft every day, but I felt lost.
Slowly, life got in the way. I moved to Melbourne in search of a new start, sold my clubs and left golf behind, possibly forever.
The Invitation
The head of sales training and my manager were talking about playing golf.
I mentioned I used to play a bit.
When I told them what handicap I played off, they were in disbelief at first, and then excitement. They asked me to join them for a game.
I said that I hadn’t played in four years, and more importantly, I had to work.
They immediately (but carefully) pushed back.
“You don’t have to work Saturdays, you know… come join us, take the day off, it’ll be fun”
I hesitated.
Two of the more senior people in the company are insisting I take the day off. This is not something I had really considered an option.
Since joining my current company, I’ve moved roles/campaigns four times.
Throughout this time, however, the person managing me has been constant. Whether by coincidence, luck or design, I have had the same manager the whole time, as he has also changed role/campaign several times.
He’s seen how hard I have worked. He’s seen my dedication and was a big factor in me being considered and eventually accepted as a campaign manager.
So when he insisted I take the day off to play, it was a really nice moment for me.
My hard work had been recognised and seen.
It was ok to enjoy the fruits of my labour.
So I said yes.
The Lessons
As you guys know by now, I’m always looking for the lessons.
What is an event or situation trying to teach me?
This golf game and moment to be enjoyed has come after a few years of really hard work, and I think 4 lessons stand out:
1. Work Hard Without Expectation
My effort over the last two years has been unmatched.
As I mentioned earlier, working hard simply because it is what I wanted to do was the decision I made and kept making. Doing the hard yards that no one else was willing to do is the brand I have created for myself.
I did all of that and will continue to do that without any expectation.
My motto was simple: work hard and trust the process.
For most of my life, I was the epitome of stop/start. Perpetually taking two steps forward and one step backward.
Now it’s different; I’m different.
I want to work hard. I want to be seen as reliable and dedicated. I never planned to take any time away from work, not until I had properly earned my stripes…
And over the weekend, that moment arrived.
2. Love Is Complicated
I used to love golf. I lost that love.
I struggled with the idea of returning to a game that I had given so much to. A game that I would never be as good at ever again.
Knowing what I was once capable of, and what I could now muster, is tormenting.
But that’s what love does…
It has the potential to torment with endless possibilities.
What could’ve and should’ve been. What it currently is. The distance between these things will always create doubt, but that doubt can just as easily be replaced by love.
Love can be unconditional.
Love can have no expectations or boundaries.
And with that in mind, I try to love the game for what it is. Not what it was or what it could be, but what it offers me here and now.
3. Stop And Smell The Roses
One thing that I especially wanted to focus on in the back half of 2026 is my social life.
I have worked hard to earn my spot at this company, but it was time to get out, start socialising, and enjoy life a little more.
A friend recently brought this to my attention. It also came up in my mid-year audit.
This game, this invitation, this experience were an opportunity to do that.
So I accepted the invite.
Despite that little voice in my head telling me to say no, spend the day indoors, catching up on work, I said yes.
I took a chance, played a game and strengthened my work relationships.
And have zero regrets.
4. Nature Heals All
We had planned to hire motorised carts; when we arrived, they were all taken.
That left us needing to hire pull buggies, load our bags onto them, and drag our clubs around on foot for the day.
We played 18 holes in roughly 4 hours (pretty solid time).
It was great for the body, being able to get steps in and traverse the terrain, but the opportunity to soak up the sun and enjoy being bathed in nature was a huge win that cannot be overstated.
Being in nature is gorgeous. The wind, the tree lines, and the sun all added to an already great experience.
It’s easy to forget how powerful something so simple can be.
I traded a dark home office for a sun-soaked natural playground and recharged my mind and body in a powerful way that I had not accounted for.
Final Thoughts
I shot a 91.
Not great. Not bad for a bloke who hadn’t swung a club in four years. The power and striking were still there—the finesse wasn’t. They say touch is the last thing to come back. The finesse always takes the longest.
Honestly, that feels pretty accurate for most things in life.
The day was great. The course was really nice, and the company was outstanding. We laughed, talked shit and really got to bond. It was perfect.
I returned home, exhausted but fulfilled.
I don’t know if I’ll play again anytime soon. But that’s not really the point.
The point is I took the day. I said yes. I let myself enjoy something I’d earned, and that felt pretty bloody good!
Alright gang, that’s it from me…
Catch ya next week!!!
With gratitude,
SAV
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