GOLF & GOD (4): Out of Bounds

Almost every single sporting game involves the use of established boundaries and penalizes players for going “out of bounds.” Whether we’re playing football, baseball, soccer, the gymnastics floor exercise or the game of golf, every honest player accepts the established boundaries and agrees to abide by the official rules of the game.  And, if you’ve ever played with “a cheater”, you know that they disgrace the spirit of the game and bring dishonor themselves — not to mention suck a lot of fun out of the competition as well.

You see the thrill of any sport is the challenge of improving one’s skills through practice and increasing in one’s mastery of the game.  No game draws upon this desire for mastery through repetition and practice more than the game of golf.  Experiencing incremental improvement and gradually lower scores is intoxicating, making golf a borderline obsession and addiction for many.

Yet, those who love and respect the game of golf also respect the rules of the game that hold all players to the same standard.  One of the most basic rules of the game that all players naturally honor are signified by those white stakes lining the perimeter of each hole: the “out of bounds” posts.